Bodie Foundation to keep Mono Lake open

California State Parks announced Thursday afternoon that Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve has been removed from the list of parks slated to close by July 2012.

State Parks said that the Bodie Foundation has signed a concession contract to collect fees at the Old Marina parking lot located on the west side of the lake. The agreement will help generate revenue that will be used directly toward operating expenses associated with keeping Mono Lake open. The Bodie Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and public enjoyment of Bodie State Historic Park, Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve and Grover Hot Springs State Park.

“We commend our park partners for their caring and support for this and other parks in the Eastern Sierra,” said Matt Green, Acting District Superintendent for the California State Parks Sierra District. “Through their fundraising efforts and their excellent cadre of park volunteers, they have come forward to maintain public access and enjoyment for a majestic body of water that is one of the oldest lakes in North America.”

Mono Lake will remain open to the public under the management of California State Parks and will continue to strengthen existing relationships with its many partners, including the Friends of Mono Lake chapter of the Bodie Foundation.

“Our Foundation membership felt strongly that we could not stand by and not help State Parks in their time of need,” said Brad Sturdivant, President of the Bodie Foundation. “This will be a challenge, and we are hoping for donations to ease the burden, but we are very pleased to be working to keep this historic and natural wonder open for public enjoyment.”

Mono Lake is more than 1 million years old, and attracts more than 570,000 visitors yearly to the Eastern Sierra. Mono Lake is located along U.S. 395, south of Bridgeport, near the town of Lee Vining.

For more info: visit www.bodiefoundation.org and www.monocounty.org.