Tincan Travels Too
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  • The Way Across
  • Chicago and Beyond
  • How the West Was Won
  • Devils Tower to Little Bighorn
  • A River Runs Through It
  • Random Western Views
  • Majestic Mount Rainier
  • Trees of the Great Northwest
  • Hiking Mt. Rainer
  • Random Rainier
  • Strictly Seattle
  • Dungeness Spit and Beyond
  • Waterfalls, Creeks, Deep Forest Glacial Lakes and Family
  • The Great Green
  • Rainforest Rivers and Beaches
  • From Rialto Beach to Cape Flattery
  • A Walk On The Beach
  • Weekend in Westport, Washington
  • Disappointment Awaits
  • The Forest Smells Like Autumn
  • Looking For One-Eyed Willie in Astoria, Oregon
  • The North Oregon Coast
  • Four Days in Portlandia
  • Columbia Gorge to Mt. Hood
  • Waterfalls Walks and the Fruit Loop
  • Around the Bend in LaPine
  • Down Deep at Crater Lake
  • A Birthday Weekend in Chicago
  • Oregon South Coast
  • California Coastal Redwoods
  • Rain and Redwoods
  • Old Friends and San Francisco
  • A Day at Lake Tahoe
  • Mono Lake Magic
  • The Road Ahead
  • Yosemite National Park
  • Gold Mine Gone Bust Bodie, CA
  • Manzanar
  • Owens Lake- Dust Mitigation Project
  • Relaxing in the Alabama Hills
  • Death Valley Daze
  • Red Rock Canyon, Nevada
  • Snow Canyon
  • Canyons Calling
  • We Remember Zion
  • Lower Antelope Canyon-Where the Light Gets In
  • Into the Mystic
  • Looking for the sun in McDowell Mt. Regional Park
  • A Week in the Country-Sedona pt. 2
  • Ancient Arizona
  • Chicago Holiday
  • Back in Time: Tucson
  • Usery Regional Park
  • California or Bust
  • Exploring Joshua Tree National Park
  • Exploring Joshua Tree - Mojave Desert
  • A Week in the Desert
  • Here we are in San Diego
  • Solidarity in San Diego
  • Here We Are In San Diego, Part 2
  • SoCal Sojourn
  • Los Angeles to Dana Point
  • Our Last Days In California
  • On the Borderline-Lake Havasu
  • Superstition Mountains
  • Sedona Redux
  • How green is my desert?
  • World of sound
  • More Desert Love
  • A Quick Stop and a Hike
  • Patagonia Lake State Park, AZ
  • Around the Big Bend
  • Continuing Around the Big Bend
  • Last Look Around the Big Bend
  • West Texas Addendum
  • Hatch, New Mexico
  • Silver City Respite
  • Silver City Orphans
  • Happily back in Santa Fe
  • Hiking the Hills Around Santa Fe
  • That Santa Fe Style
  • New Mexican Enchantment
  • Lost Pueblos: Tsankawi and Pecos
  • The Road Home

OWENS LAKE-DUST MITIGATION PROGRAM

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While camping in Lone Pine we met a couple of guys who told us they were "working out at the lake" we were curious enough to drive out to check it out.
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Here is a little history: The Owens Valley was a fertile agricultural area settled in the late 1880's by white settlers who coexisted with theTimbisha and Mono tribes. While the valley and lake are in the rain shadow of the Sierra Mountains, farmers were able to establish orchards for growing apples.
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In the early 1900's the valley became the scene of a fierce struggle with the City of Los Angeles. William Mulholland was the superintendent of the water department- he planned a 223 mile aqueduct to transport water to LA from Owens River just upstream from Owens Lake. He deceived a number of residents into selling their water rights. By 1924 local farmers were fed up with the loss and bombed the aqueduct. They were unsuccessful and Owens Lake was eventually almost sucked dry. Mulholland set his sights on the headwaters that fed Mono Lake in 1941 to supplement the water from Owens River for the growing megalopolis.
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Meanwhile the residents of Owens Valley were left with a dry lake and a collapsing agricultural economy. Years of litigation followed. The dry lake produced highly alkaline dust that was fueled by winds coming down the valley. The Owens Valley residents prevailed and Los Angeles was force to mitigate the dust and restore wildlife habitat around the lake.

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Part of the deal included public access to the lake so in addition the planting salt living native grasses to provide food for wildlife, they have built a series of dikes and plazas for people.
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The lake is coming back with increasing numbers of migratory birds, rising water levels and reduced dust.
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The party is over for now- watch for a new blog next fall!!
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • The Way Across
  • Chicago and Beyond
  • How the West Was Won
  • Devils Tower to Little Bighorn
  • A River Runs Through It
  • Random Western Views
  • Majestic Mount Rainier
  • Trees of the Great Northwest
  • Hiking Mt. Rainer
  • Random Rainier
  • Strictly Seattle
  • Dungeness Spit and Beyond
  • Waterfalls, Creeks, Deep Forest Glacial Lakes and Family
  • The Great Green
  • Rainforest Rivers and Beaches
  • From Rialto Beach to Cape Flattery
  • A Walk On The Beach
  • Weekend in Westport, Washington
  • Disappointment Awaits
  • The Forest Smells Like Autumn
  • Looking For One-Eyed Willie in Astoria, Oregon
  • The North Oregon Coast
  • Four Days in Portlandia
  • Columbia Gorge to Mt. Hood
  • Waterfalls Walks and the Fruit Loop
  • Around the Bend in LaPine
  • Down Deep at Crater Lake
  • A Birthday Weekend in Chicago
  • Oregon South Coast
  • California Coastal Redwoods
  • Rain and Redwoods
  • Old Friends and San Francisco
  • A Day at Lake Tahoe
  • Mono Lake Magic
  • The Road Ahead
  • Yosemite National Park
  • Gold Mine Gone Bust Bodie, CA
  • Manzanar
  • Owens Lake- Dust Mitigation Project
  • Relaxing in the Alabama Hills
  • Death Valley Daze
  • Red Rock Canyon, Nevada
  • Snow Canyon
  • Canyons Calling
  • We Remember Zion
  • Lower Antelope Canyon-Where the Light Gets In
  • Into the Mystic
  • Looking for the sun in McDowell Mt. Regional Park
  • A Week in the Country-Sedona pt. 2
  • Ancient Arizona
  • Chicago Holiday
  • Back in Time: Tucson
  • Usery Regional Park
  • California or Bust
  • Exploring Joshua Tree National Park
  • Exploring Joshua Tree - Mojave Desert
  • A Week in the Desert
  • Here we are in San Diego
  • Solidarity in San Diego
  • Here We Are In San Diego, Part 2
  • SoCal Sojourn
  • Los Angeles to Dana Point
  • Our Last Days In California
  • On the Borderline-Lake Havasu
  • Superstition Mountains
  • Sedona Redux
  • How green is my desert?
  • World of sound
  • More Desert Love
  • A Quick Stop and a Hike
  • Patagonia Lake State Park, AZ
  • Around the Big Bend
  • Continuing Around the Big Bend
  • Last Look Around the Big Bend
  • West Texas Addendum
  • Hatch, New Mexico
  • Silver City Respite
  • Silver City Orphans
  • Happily back in Santa Fe
  • Hiking the Hills Around Santa Fe
  • That Santa Fe Style
  • New Mexican Enchantment
  • Lost Pueblos: Tsankawi and Pecos
  • The Road Home