Upload
michaelegordon
View
228
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Spring 2013 Newsletter of the Mojave National Preserve C onservancy
Citation preview
MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE CONSERVANCY NEWSLETTER Spring 2013
Our Mission is preserve, protect, and promote the unique natural beauty, ecological integrity, and rich cultural
history of Mojave National Preserve, and to build a community dedicated to the enduring stewardship of the Preserve.
The President's Corner by David Lamfrom
Early spring has sprung in the Mojave National
Preserve. This time of year cold nights and mornings
give way to stunning days in the 70’s. Warm sun
contrasts with cool winds just as wispy clouds contrast
with deep blue skies. For many, the re-emergence of
wildlife and the awakening of wildflowers make this the
choice season in the Mojave. Even against that
backdrop, this year is one that we will not soon forget
because of the outstanding Joshua Tree bloom. Many
are calling it the best they have ever seen. When I look
across the Cima Dome, with all the Joshua Trees
blooming at once, I imagine the desert on fire. Excellent
Joshua Tree blooms can be found along Cima, Cedar
Canyon, Morning Star Mine, Kelso-Cima, and Nipton
Roads. Keep an eye out for the Mojave Yucca as well,
Photo by David Lamfrom
which is starting to come into bloom as well. We look
forward to seeing you in the Preserve!
Unlike the tortoise and the round-tailed ground squirrel,
The Conservancy has not taken the winter season off.
We have successfully completed restoration events,
have more planned, have organized our next Star Party
(May 11th), and have continued to make progress on
our campaign to re-open Providence Mountains State
Recreation Area. There is an article in this newsletter
highlighting recent gains made on that campaign. We
are also keeping a close eye on several renewable
energy projects on the Preserve’s border, including the
Soda Mountain Solar project proposed less than a half-
mile from the Northwest boundary.
We thank you for your membership and support! Please
join us at one of our restoration events this Spring, at
our Star Party this May, or perhaps simply find the time
to enjoy this spectacular Joshua Tree bloom. Details on
these events can be found at our website-
www.mojavepreserve.org or on our facebook page.
www.mojavepreserve.org
Special Events and Activities Highlights Checkout this newsletter for details
Spring Star Party May 11th
Kelso Depot Photography Exhibit on Mitchell
Caverns (April 20- July 21)
2
What Might Cause a Spectacular Joshua Tree
bloom like this year? by Jim Cornett
Relatively speaking, this is becoming a better bloom year
for Joshua trees than most of us would have thought. We
are having yet another comparatively dry winter, as we did
last year. By all rights the bloom should range from non-
existent to poor. Last year was a disaster. So why should
this year be any better?
I have been monitoring Joshua tree blooms on ten study
sites since 1988. I have not tabulated the data yet, but
here are some of my informal observations.
Some of the best years I have seen for Joshua tree blooms
have been in years of average or above average late fall
and early winter precipitation. Viewed from a different
perspective, if the ephemeral wildflowers are blooming
expect there to be at least a decent Joshua tree bloom as
well.
That being said, I have seen excellent Joshua tree blooms
in years of below average winter precipitation. Such a
bloom may reflect one or more heavy precipitation events
the previous summer. Tabulating my data and comparing
it with available summer precipitation data likely will shed
light on this possibility. (A confounding issue is that local
information on precipitation data is usually lacking for my
study sites.)
Another additional possibility is that dying or severely
stressed Joshua trees (because of drought) may bloom
with greater intensity. Most of us have seen plants, such
as creosote bushes, bloom profusely when damaged by
off-road-vehicles. Stressed Joshua trees may be utilizing
their remaining resources to bloom one final time, in a
sense doing everything they can to pass on their genetic
legacy in their seeds. If this speculation has some
accuracy then we might expect the mortality rate among
Joshua trees (or perhaps selected branches) to be higher
among those trees that bloom in drought years. Again, I
have data on this but have not yet evaluated it.
One thing is certain--there is not a one to one correlation
between fall and winter rainfall and the intensity of the
Joshua tree bloom. And that is what makes science and the
natural world so fascinating. Things are never what they
seem to be or should be.
*Many thanks to Jim Cornett for providing this interesting
information. Jim is an expert on the Joshua Tree and has
studied them for decades.
Dump Site Cleanup In The Mojave National
Preserve by Sid Silliman
One of the destructive dimensions of the human
relationship with the Mojave desert is that people
sometimes treat this unique ecosystem as a dumping
ground, throwing cans and other litter from car windows
into the passing desert and illegally disposing of
everything from car tires to bed mattresses on public
lands. The practice, sadly, even occurs within the desert
units of the national park system. To address a part of
this problem in the Mojave National Preserve, the
Mojave National Preserve Conservancy and the
National Park Service coordinated a cleanup of an open
dump site in the Preserve southeast of Baker, California.
Twelve volunteers, five park employees, and four young
adults from local communities devoted the better part of
February 15 to restoring this illegal dump to its natural
condition as desert. The enthusiastic gang of twenty-
Photo by Letty French
one collected aluminum cans, tin cans, plastic bottles,
glass bottles, carpet, shoes (lots of shoes), window
screens, a hide-a-bed frame, bed springs, a car seat,
cardboard boxes, scrapes of wood, sheet metal and dry
wall, plastic and metal pipe, wire, and parts of batteries.
Several gleaners of gleaming glass filled bags with
shards as well as small pieces plastic and metal. All
who have seen the distracting shine from broken glass
strewn on the desert floor understand how this debris
defaces the terrain and diminishes the public’s
experience with arid habitats. The work party collected
and removed over fifty (50) car and truck tires from the
site. Wow! With permission from the community of
Baker, collected materials were transported to its Solid
Waste Transfer Station for disposal. The dumping
3 ground now looks like desert. The longer-term impact
of the work is that the restoration reduces the likelihood
that people will use the site as a public dump in the
future.
The event marked the beginning of a new tradition, to
provide a service opportunity prior to the annual
California/Nevada Desert Committee meeting in
Shoshone, California. The tradition will continue next
year on February 14, the Friday before the Desert
Committee meeting. Plan on making the Mojave
National Preserve your Valentine in 2014. See you
then.
Photo by Letty French
The volunteers in the work party included Kate Allen, Bob
Ellis, Letty French, Cal French, Terry Frewin, Gerry Goss,
Stacy Goss, Lloyd Gunn, Vicky Hoover, David Lamfrom,
Sid Silliman, and Carol Wiley. The National Park Service
was represented by Bob Bryson, Ned Geigle, Chris Mills,
Linda Slater, and Greg Thorton. It was a job well done!
Thank you one and all.
Photo by Letty French
......................................................................................
Finding Wildflowers by Linda Slater
Hot, dry, remote...for some, the prospect of visiting a
place called “Mojave” conjures up an image of a
survival exercise in sand and rocks amid unrelenting
desolation. But a trip to Mojave National Preserve can
be downright civilized, while still offering plenty of
possibilities for exploration. As with many adventures,
timing is everything, and desert aficionados know that
April can be the sweetest month. The days are longer,
temperatures are mild and if winter rains have fallen,
wildflowers paint a rainbow of colors. The interplay of
rainfall timing and quantity creates a unique bloom
event each spring.
Photo by Dennis Schramm Beavertail Cactus
4 If you are coming for the wildflowers, some pre-visit
research will contribute to a more satisfying visit.
Mojave’s website offers week-by-week updates on
wildflower viewing. DesertUSA.com is a tremendous
resource, as it compiles information on desert blooms
from across the southwest.
When conditions are right, the sandy foothills near
Kelso Dunes will be produce carpets of desert sand
verbena and dunes evening primrose. Explore the
washes for flowers, then scramble to the top of the
dunes for a spectacular view. As you descend, listen for
the famous “booming” sound that moving sands here
produce when weather conditions are right.
If rain has fallen on the cinder cones and lava beds
hundreds of tiny Bigelow monkey flowers lend a purple
cast to the dark volcanic soil. Locals call these “belly
flowers,” as they are best photographed lying down!
With a high clearance vehicle, you can also visit a lava
tube cave–bring a flashlight for this activity.
Photo by Dennis Schramm
To see the snowball-like blooms of the Joshua tree, try
hiking Teutonia Peak Trail where this signature plant of
the Mojave grows in profusion. The climb to the peak
lifts you off the desert floor and affords a view of
Joshua trees stretching as far as the eye can see.
If you are looking for flowers in late April and May, try
visiting Hole-in-the-Wall. A profusion of desert globe
mallow and verbena now often covers an area that
burned in a massive wildfire in 2005. This is the best
area for hikers, with trails leading past petroglyphs,
through cactus and yucca gardens and into Banshee
Canyon, where you’ll discover the holes of Hole-in-the
Wall.
Photo by Dennis Schramm Mojave Yucca Flowers
Report what you see to rangers at Kelso Depot Visitor
Center and Hole-in-the-Wall information center so they
can share your information with others.
Photo by Dennis Schramm Desert Gold Poppy
5 .......................................................................................
ALERTS: Information You Should Know About
................................................................................
Sequestration Impacts On The Mojave National
Preserve by Sid Silliman
The annual cost of maintaining the national park system
and providing services for the estimated 287 million
visitors to national parks each year is a minuscule
portion of the national budget. Yet the automatic cuts to
federal spending that began March 1 under the “budget
sequestration of 2013” are bluntly affecting our national
parks. Already facing a chronic funding shortage and a
$12 billion backlog in park maintenance, the across-the-
board cuts automatically imposed by the Budget Control
Act of 2011 and the failure of Congress to design a
reasonable method to adjust spending are forcing the
National Park Service to make difficult choices. Roads
in snow-bound parks will open later than usual, visitor
centers will be closed, and fewer seasonal workers will
be hired this year
In the Mojave National Preserve, all seasonal positions
are being eliminated in order to meet the mandated 5
percent reduction in spending. The historic Kelso
Depot Visitor Center, which requires five to eight
seasonal employees each year for staffing and cleaning,
will be closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The
information routinely provided at the Center, the
illustrative displays, and the gallery in the basement
simply will not be available to visitors on those days.
Although volunteers may keep the facility open on
weekends, the Hole-In-The-Wall Visitor Center will be
closed during the week. Evening campground programs
and weekend hikes will be eliminated; there is just not
enough money in the Park Service budget after
sequestration to support these traditional park
experiences.
In addition, local communities and businesses that rely
on recreation to support their livelihoods may face a
loss of income from reduced visitation. Some 600,000
people visit the Mojave National Preserve park each
year and their spending supports 142 jobs and a $12.89
million in economic activity.
Despite these negative impacts, the Mojave National
Preserve will not be less safe as the Park Service is
planning to minimize impacts to human health and
safety. A seasonal employee will probably be hired this
summer to assist with anticipated road maintenance.
The application of sequestration to the Mojave
Preserve, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and other parks is
difficult to comprehend given that the concept of a
national park is probably “America’s best idea” (Ken
Burns). Hence there is no doubt that all of us who care
about the Mojave National Preserve in particular and
about national parks in general should share our
concerns with members of Congress. Given its
relatively low cost and high recognition in the mind of
the public, there is a better way to balance the budget
than across-the-board cuts in spending for the national
park system.
Update on the Campaign to Reopen Providence
Mountains SRA (Mitchell Caverns) by David Lamfrom
The 16 mile drive from Interstate 40 to Providence
Mountains State Recreation Area, located within the
Mojave National Preserve, is a desert classic. As you
leave the highway you pass through excellent tortoise
habitat and have a great chance of spotting one of these
ancient reptiles by day, or perhaps a kit fox or badger by
night. The road climbs past giant Mojave Yuccas, into
a desert garden that is the envy of aspiring botanists and
photographers alike. On that road I would see children
measuring their height against tall barrel cacti, or see
excited kids in school buses wending their way up the
mountain road to visit the caverns. That is, the only
cave system in Southern California, and a popular spot
for science student to learn about geology and
limnology. Nearly two years after Providence Moun-
tains SRA, home to the popular Mitchell Caverns, was
shuttered, the gate preventing access to the site is still
locked. But there is hope that the gate will be opened
again as soon as this fall due to the work of your
Conservancy and its hardworking partners on the
Committee to Reopen Mitchell Caverns! We have
recently learned that our calls for action have not gone
unheard. Currently, reopening the Caverns is the
California Department of Parks and Recreation’s top
priority. We have also learned that the department is
applying for $415k from AB1478 funds for deferred
maintenance. The State Parks Director General Anthony
Jackson will be visiting the site on May 10th or 11
th and
the Conservancy will be in attendance to support both
the reopening of the caverns and the state lands that
include hiking trails, cactus gardens, and excellent
opportunities for wildlife viewing and enjoying solitude.
We continue to work on this campaign, and your letters,
emails, and phone calls to General Jackson and the State
Parks will keep this high on their priority list.
6
Newest Art Exhibit at Kelso Depot
Mojave National Preserve presents photography by
Guss Louis Vopalensky
Mitchell Caverns: Hidden Treasure
Desert Light Gallery, Kelso Depot Visitor Center
April 20 - July 21 2013
Guss Louis Vopalensky is a commerical photographer
living in Victorville, California. He has spent over 20
years photographing the California Desert. In the
1990and again in 2009, Vopalensky spent several days
photographing Mitchell Caverns. Although Mitchell
Caverns is currently closed, Vopalensky's photography
provides us a glimpse into the cavern's hidden treasures.
Spring Star Gazing Party by Jane Houston Jones
May skies over the Mojave! We'll have gorgeous views
of Jupiter and Venus at sunset, and Saturn a few hours
later. Mix in some shooting stars left over from
Halley's Comet, spring galaxies galore, Milky Way
rising near midnight and maybe even a comet or two.
The Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower peaks on May 6 when
55 per meteors per hour mark the maximum peak. We'll
still a good number of them after midnight on the 11th,
so bring your camp chairs.
We'll hopefully have telescopic views of Comet Pan-
STARRS near the celestial north pole between Ursa
Minor and Cepheus, mag. 7.5. and we'll try for Comet
Lemmon low in Pisces, mag. 7.9.
When at the telescopes, try to leave your flashlights at
your car or tent. You'll find your eyes adapt wonderfully
to the dark skies and we will all see more through the
telescopes.
To find out What's Up all year long, check out Jane's
Astro-blog for month-by-month observing tips and her
NASA podcast, What's Up in the night sky:
http://jane.whiteoaks.com/2013/01/07/whats-up-in-2013-
at-a-glance/
7
........................................................................................
Volunteer in the Mojave National Preserve
Volunteering is fun. It's healthy. It makes a difference.
And it's easy to get started. We have a wide variety of
volunteer opportunities for both individuals and groups,
including many that do not require training or a lengthy
time commitment. When you volunteer, you’re making a
vital contribution to the health of our local Park, our open
space, and our community. Join us for a fun and
rewarding experience. Contact us directly for more
information at 760-219-4916 and tell us you are calling
about the Mojave National Preserve Conservancy. Or you
may find additional information at:
www.nps.gov/moja/supportyourpark/volunteer.htm
Photo by Dennis Schramm Hiking the Rings Trail
.........................................................................................
Donate / Join Now
The Mojave Preserve depends on support from folks like
you. We invite you to join our mission in safeguarding
the scenic beauty, wildlife, and historic and cultural
treasures of our diverse park. Committed donors help us
to preserve our park’s heritage for generations to come.
You can help assure the future of our special park by
making a tax-deductible gift today to provide a future for
our park and those who enjoy it.
For a $25 annual membership, you can:
Support much-needed youth education programs
in the Preserve,
Sponsor important National Park Service research
projects in the Preserve, and
Ensure a sustainable future for the Mojave
National Preserve.
Receive invitations to “star parties” in the
Preserve, hosted by astronomers from Pasadena
Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers
We are a registered 501c3 non-profit organization; ALL
donations are tax-deductible.
Photo by Dennis Schramm
8
MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE CONSERVANCY 400 S. 2nd Avenue #213 Barstow, CA 92311 WWW.PRESERVETHEMOJAVE.ORG 760-957-7887
Do your part to Preserve the Mojave!
Name:______________________________________
Address:_____________________________________ City, State, Zip:______________________________
Phone number ____________________________
Email: ___________________________________
Membership Level
Annual Membership $25.00 Lifetime Membership $500.00
ALL Donations accepted, and are tax-deductible
Lifetime Membership receives a membership card and featured art print from Desert Light Gallery!
Method of Payment
Check (amount of donation):___________________________
Cash (amount of donation):____________________________
Credit Card (type):_____________ Name (as it appears on card):____________________________
Credit Card number:____________________________ Amount to be charged:_________________
Card expiration date:_______________ Signature of Cardholder: ____________________________
Get involved! Would you like to be contacted about events and volunteer opportunities? YES or NO (Please circle one) Would you prefer to be contacted by: EMAIL or PHONE (Please circle one)
SIGNATURE_________________________________ DATE ________________________________________
Mojave National Preserve Conservancy Membership Form