MNPC News Summer 2010

8/9/2019 MNPC News Summer 2010

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/mnpc-news-summer-2010 1/8

This rewarding trail on Cima Dome,

approximately three miles round-trip,

gives the hiker an intimate look at

the planet’s most extensive forest of Joshua

trees. It is of moderate strenuousness with

700 feet in elevation gain, though almost

all that is restricted to the last half-mile of

trail, which angles up the northeast face of Teutonia Peak. If you turn around before

the trail gets steep this is a very easy two-

mile out-and-back hike that despite the

avoided exertion is still quite rewarding.

You leave your vehicle at the trailhead

on the west side of Cima Road in the

Sunrise Rock area, eleven miles south of

the Cima Rd. exit on Interstate 15, or about

six miles north of the Cima Store, if you’re

approaching from the south. The well-

marked trail weaves through an open forestof Joshua trees interspersed with occasional

Utah junipers, the latter a sure sign that

we’re up above 5,000 feet. Broad outcrops

of Cima Dome’s bedrock quartz monzonite

speckle the landscape.

As you walk, spend a little time watching

your feet. Depending on the time of day,

tiny side-blotched lizards may choose

exactly the last possible moment to dart

across the trail in front of you. They’re far

too quick for you to worry about stepping

on them, so relax and enjoy their daredevil

antics.

Other small animals you may see in

this stretch of trail are night lizards, the

smallest lizard in North America, whose

preferred habitat is beneath fallen Joshuatree limbs, and night snakes, which prey

on the night lizards. Despite their names,

neither reptile is nocturnal. Night snakes are

“rear-fangers” – they’re venomous, but that

venom is delivered through fangs in the rear

of the snake’s mouth, reducing the snake’s

danger to humans to about nil.

Other snakes aren’t as risk-free: there are

rattlesnakes here, including the notorious

Mojave green, which is more venomous

and less shy than other rattlers. If you seea rattler don’t panic; merely admire the

animal from a respectful distance.

Birders will nd black-chinned and

sage sparrows, piñon jays and loggerhead

shrikes, Scott’s orioles in summer,

ladderbacked woodpeckers and ickers,

and three species of thrasher: the Crissal,

LeConte’s and Bendire’s. Golden eagles are

MNPC

News

The newsletter of the Mojave National Preserve Conservancy • Summer 2010 • Vol.1#1

3

5

7

6

Featured Outing: Teutonia Peak

continued on page



Dennis Schramm,NPS

Superintendent’sMessage

Welcome to the inaugural issue of

the Mojave National Preserve

Conservancy newsletter! I

am excited and proud to be part of the

initiation of a friends group for the Preserve.

After 15 years as an NPS unit it is great to

see our edgling friends’ group get up and

running. We have a board of directors that is focused and ready

to lead this new organization and do good things on behalf of the

park.

I hope you will plan to join us on our scheduled activities

this year in the park, and continue to follow our progress on our

website, appropriately called preservethemojave.org. Thanks for

joining and supporting our group!

Dennis Schramm, Superintendent

Mojave National Preserve

David Lamfrom

Welcome to theConservancy!

Iwant to thank you for joining the

Mojave National Preserve Conservancy,

and for your dedication to protecting

and improving our Mojave National

Preserve. The Preserve is a last refuge for

imperiled and wide-ranging species like

desert tortoise and golden eagle, and desert bighorn sheep. We

are proud to partner with Mojave National Preserve and our local

communities to steward this land of abundant open space, quiet,

stunning scenery, and spectacular wildower blooms.

This is an exciting time to be a Conservancy member! We are

supporting the addition of imperiled National Park quality lands

to the Preserve, an action that stands up for rare plants, animals,

ecosystems, history, and ancient migration corridors. This topicis explained in greater detail in this newsletter. Thanks to your

membership, we have co-sponsored an overnight eld trip to the

Mojave National Preserve for 52 local students. For many of these

students, it was their rst National Parks experience, one that may

foster a deeper understanding for and pride in their desert home.

I can’t stress enough how your contribution is directly translating

into opportunities to protect our Preserve, and to empower the next

generation to do the same.

David Lamfrom is President of the MNPC’s Board of Directors.

MNPC News

The newsletter of theMojave National PreserveConservancy

Summer, 2010Volume 1 Number 1

preservethemojave.org

400 South 2nd Ave #213Barstow, California92311(760) 219-4616

Our Mission:

• Preserve, protect, and promotethe unique natural beauty,ecological integrity, and richcultural history of Mojave NationalPreserve

• Build a community dedicatedto the enduring stewardship of Mojave National Preserve

Contributors: Mike Cipra, Chris Clarke,David Lamfrom, Dennis Schramm,Linda Slater

Wildower photo on pages 1 and7, featuring Calochortus kennedyi ,courtesy Laurel Williams, California

Wilderness CoalitionGila monster photo, page 3 by Gary

Nas, californiaherps.comSoda Mountains photo, page 4 by

Mitchell HowardVermilion ycatcher photo, pages 1 and 4

by Mike BairdRestored Kelso Depot photo, pages 1 and

6 by “Bossco.”All other photos by Chris Clarke or

National Park Service



Among Native American tribes, the Gila

monster (Heloderma suspectum) has

a erce and mysterious reputation.

The Apache believed its breath could kill a

man, and the Tohono O’odham and the Pimabelieved that the lizard possessed a spiritual

power that could cause sickness. In contrast,

the Seri and the Yaqui identied the Gila

monster with healing properties.

These contrasting viewpoints of sickness

and health are reected in current scientic

knowledge of Heloderma suspectum as well.

The Gila monster produces a neurotoxic

venom in its modied salivary glands as

powerful as that of a coral snake, although

North America’s largest lizard lacks the

muscles to inject this venom. Instead, the

Gila monster must conduct venom to its

victim by chewing. Contrary to desert tall

tales, there are no conrmed mortalities

from Gila monster bite.

A protein called exendin-4 in Gila

monster saliva has recently led to a

breakthrough treatment for type 2 diabetes.

The synthetic lizard protein remains

effective much longer than a related protein

human stomachs secrete, helping diabetics

keep their blood sugar levels under control.

Native to Arizona, Nevada, and northern

Mexico, Heloderma suspectum’s presence in

California has sometimes been in doubt.

In 1956, Mojave naturalist Edmund Jaeger

declared that there were no Gila monsters

in California because the Colorado River

formed a natural barrier to the species.

However, recent discoveries and a United

States Geological Survey (USGS) study

have proved beyond a doubt that the Gila

monster roams California. The MojaveNational Preserve contains some of the best

habitat in California for the elusive lizard.

A 2007 California Academy of Sciences

article by Drs. Jeffrey E. Lovich and Kent

R. Beaman of USGS made the case for 26

credible Gila monster sightings in California

since 1857. Seven of those sightings took

place within the boundaries of Mojave

National Preserve, including the areas of

Piute Spring, Clark Mountain, and the

Providence Mountains.

In May 2009, a group of Cuesta College

students and faculty members on eld study

in Mojave National Preserve observed a Gilamonster in the Providence Mountains.

April and May are the most likely

months to spot Heloderma suspectum cinctum

(our subspecies, the banded Gila monster)

in its native California habitat. The Gila

monster is a stout-bodied lizard with a black

body, with orange or pink blotches, bars

and bands extending onto its blunt tail.

Heloderma suspectum feeds infrequently,

but when the lizard does sit down to dinner,

it may consume up to one-third of its body

mass. Gila monsters have an extremely

acute sense of smell – the animal’s forked

tongue is its extended nose, and by icking

it periodically, the Gila monster collects

olfactory information in order to locate food

or a mate.

If you come across a Gila monster,

please observe it from a safe distance. If

you are lucky enough to see a Gila monster

in the Preserve, please note your location,

take a photo, and share it with a park

ranger. Information about these animals

is valuable to scientists and to Preserve

managers as they attempt to maintain the

rare and elusive California population of

Gila monsters.

– Mike Cipra

“I have never been

called to attend a

case of Gila monster

bite, and I don’t want

to be. I think a man

who is fool enough to

get bitten by a Gila

monster ought to die.”

– Dr. Ward, Arizona

Graphic, September

23, 1899

Banded GilaMonsterHeloderma suspectumcinctum

Size: 18-24 in. long

Diet: primarily birdand reptile eggs;

occasionally small

birds, mammals,

lizards, and insects.

Conservation

status: IUCN “Near

Threatened,”

protected by state

law in AZ and NV.

Below: Banded GilaMonster. Photoby Gary Nas,Californiaherps.com.

Featured Animal: Gila Monster

3



W

hen Mojave National Preserve

rangers visit classrooms in

Barstow and other desert towns,they are often reminded that few area

students have ever been to a national

park… not even those in their own

backyard, like Mojave National Preserve.

Mojave rangers want to change that,

by hosting local students on eld trips.

Dormitory facilities Zzyzx Desert Studies

Center make overnight trips possible. Last

June, rangers partnered with school teacher

Cheryl Marino from Barstow and eld tested

our rst overnight eld trip to Zzyzx.

Mrs. Marino manages Cameron

Elementary’s program for Gifted and

Talented students, and it was this

group of third- and fourth-graders

that participated.

An overnight eld trip requires a

lot of support. Staff and volunteers from

National Parks Conservation Association,

Barstow College, the Bureau of Land

Management, and the Desert Discovery

Center came along as well, providing

instructors, aides, and assistance with foodpreparation.

Students learned about and practiced

Chemehuevi crafts such as rope making,

seed roasting, and weaving blankets from

rabbit skin. Desert Studies Center manager

Rob Fulton pulled out microscopes, and

students examined butteries, stink bugs

and other insects up-close. The second day,

everyone boarded the bus to Cima Dome

where students hiked Teutonia Peak Trail.

The highlight of the adventure was

Preserve Rangers HostField Trips to Zzyzx DesertStudies Center

Left, The SodaMountains andranges beyond fromZzyzx. MitchellHoward photo.

Zzyzx Facts:

The name “Zzyzx”was coined in 1944by Curtis HoweSpringer, whoclaimed it was thelast word in theEnglish language.

Springer establishedthe Zzyzx MineralSprings and HealthSpa, which operateduntil 1974.

People have usedSoda Springs, thesource of freshwater at Zzyzx, forcenturies. The areawas a prehistoricquarry site, andprojectile pointsand rock art aboundhere. The MojaveRoad ran past thespring as well.

“Lake Tuendae,“ thepond at the DesertStudies Center,was once the onlyremaining habitatfor the endangeredMohave tui chub.The sh has sincebeen reintroducedto other locations inthe Mojave.

The Centergenerates its ownelectrical power witha 10 kilowatt solarpanel array.

Many birds such as this vermilionycatcher stop at Zzyzx to rest

and rehydrate.

Mike Baird photo.



the nighttime scorpion hunt. Armed with

black lights, students hiked in the sandy

areas west of Zzyzx. Scorpions have a

phosphorescence that causes them to glow

like jewels under a black light, so they are

easy and fun to nd.

Field trips cost money for food, buses,

and overnight accommodations. This year,

the Mojave National Preserve Conservancy

graciously agreed to fund a eld trip.

Other grants from Western National Parks

Association are providing us with enough

funding to complete three eld trips this

spring. Thank you for your support!

– Linda Slater

Field trip participants from Cameron Elementary’s gifted and talented students program in Barstow, Californiastrike a happy pose in the shade at the California Desert Studies Center.

Below: studentslearn how to grindseeds in the mannerof the MojaveDesert’s nativeinhabitants. NPSphoto.

5



An Historical Treasure:Preserving the Kelso Depot

I

f you were to try to choose the nest

natural feature of the Mojave National

Preserve, you might have troublechoosing from dozens of possibilities. But

it’s not nearly as hard to choose the nest

of the Preserve’s historical features. As rich

in history as the Preserve is, from its native

rock art to its legacy of migration, mining,

and ranching, the Kelso Depot is the crown

jewel of the Preserve’s human history.

Seeing the Depot today, with its

comfortable and stylish Mission Revival

interior, it’s hard to believe it was almost

torn down. The building was only spareddemolition after preservation activists got

together to work to save it.

The Union Pacic Railroad built the

Depot in the 1920s. Ore shipments from the

nearby Vulcan Mine and routine service on

“helper engines” that pushed trains up the

long grade to Cima kept the Depot busy,

especially during World War II. The Vulcan

Mine closed in 1947, however, and during

the 1950s diesel locomotives were developed

that needed no help getting to Cima. Union

Pacic discontinued passenger service and

the station agency at Kelso in 1964, and for

two decades the building served only as a

lunch counter. In 1983, fearing the unused

depot would be “a target for vandalism,

unauthorized entrance, and a legal

liability,” UP Division Superintendent G.R.

Jenson proposed the Depot be demolished.

In response, a group of environmental

and historic preservation activists organized

the Kelso Depot Fund, which succeeded

in preventing demolition. The costs of

restoration turned out to be more than the

private group could afford. They turned tolocal politicians and the federal government

for assistance. In 1992, the BLM – which

owned the surrounding land as part of the

East Mojave National Scenic Area – took

title to the building. With the passage of the

California Desert Protection Act of 1994,

title passed to the National Park Service as

part of the Mojave National Preserve.

Restored as a visitor center in 2005, with

stunning exhibits detailing the Preserve’s

natural and cultural history, the Depotnow welcomes thousands of visitors to the

Preserve each year. With the re-opening

of the Depot’s historic lunch counter – the

“Beanery” – the Depot is once again a

welcome rest stop for the tired, hungry

Mojave traveler.

The Kelso Depot Visitor Center is open

daily (except Christmas Day), 9–5.

– Chris Clarke

Above: Theabandoned KelsoDepot. NPS photo.Below: Restored andready for visitorsin 2007. Photo byBossco.

6



Tucked into a corner of the Mojave

National Preserve, just outside its

boundaries, is a remote, nearly

unvisited desert grassland that stretches for miles. It is an area of surpassing quiet, of

true wildness, which we have a chance to

protect permanently. The Castle Mountains

area is a critical wildlife corridor between

the Piute Mountains and the New York

Mountains. Surrounded on three sides by

the Mojave National Preserve, this area is

the last part of the 340-mile Lanfair Valley

watershed that is not part of the Preserve.

The California Desert Protection Act

of 2010, SB 2921, would add the 29,221-

acre Castle Mountains area to the Mojave

National Preserve, including old-growth

creosote, Joshua tree forest, piñon and

juniper, and a native desert grassland

recognized as a

Above, L to R:Calochortus kennedyi ,Laurel Williamsphoto. Petroglyphnear Hart Peak,Mojave yucca clone.Below: The NewYork Mts as seenfrom the Castle Mts.area

The area is criticalto desert bighornsheep as habitat andas a wildlife corridorbetween the dry

Piute Mountainsand the wetter NewYork Mountains.For more info visitcaliforniadesert.org

Saving the Castle Mountains“unique plant assemblage” in 1980.

The area has signicant Native

American and settler-era history, including

an obsidian source that provided materialfound throughout the Mojave, the historic

town of Hart, and both the Hart and Viceroy

mines. But most of what the area has, in

abundance, is space. There’s room in the

Proposed Castle Mountains Addition for

wide-ranging species such as the pronghorn

that once lived here – a candidate for

reintroduction.

This land is being eyed by renewable

energy developers, with several projects

proposed for the area. The land deservesbetter. The MNPC gladly endorses the Castle

Mountains Addition provisions of SB 2921.

– Chris Clarke

7



Mojave National Preserve ConservancyMembership Form

Name_________________________________________

Address_______________________________________

City, State, Zip________________________________

Phone_________________________________________

Email_________________________________________

Membership Level (please check)

Life $500.00 one time

Regular Membership $25.00 annually

Additional Gift of $_________

Please make checks payable to: MNPC

Mail to: 400 South 2nd Avenue #213, Barstow, CA 92311

Consider Becoming a Life Member for $500

Does your love for Mojave National Preserve run deep?

Please consider becoming a Life Member of the MNPC. You’ll

receive a Life Membership Card and a signed work of art from

Mojave National Preserve’s Artist-in-Residence Program at the

Desert Light Gallery. All donations are tax-deductible.

seen frequently here, as are, of course, the

ever-present common raven.

Botanical wildlife along the trail

includes the Joshua trees’ cousin banana

yucca, shrubs such as blackbrush and

endishly spiny Menodora, and cacti – most

prominently a few species of cholla andprickly pear, but also including a half dozen

kinds of mound and small column cacti.

Half a mile from the trailhead, the trail

crosses an old dirt road. The continuing trail

is prominently signed on the other side.

Juniper becomes somewhat more common

as the trail climbs slowly to the Teutonia

Mine about a mile from Cima Road. The

trail weaves among a few old open pits – if

you examine them, do so without entering

them – and crosses another old dirt road justbefore it begins to climb Teutonia Peak.

The trail angles up in loose switchbacks

as it climbs the wall of a broad

amphitheater, providing increasingly ne

views of the landscape to the northeast:

Kessler Peak, Striped and Clark mountains,

and the Dome’s vast expanse of Joshua

tree forest between. At length, after a few

steps that test your knees’ exibility, you

arrive at the trail’s summit – though not the

actual summit of Teutonia Peak. To reach

Teutonia’s triple summits, you’ll need some

technical climbing experience. But even

with the true summits still forty feet above,

the top of the Teutonia Peak trail is well

worth reaching all by itself. – Chris Clarke

Teutonia Peak (cont.) Please note:The desert presentsthe hiker withopportunities forinjury not presentin other climates.Bring plenty of water, wear sturdyclothing, and refrain

from botheringvenomous wildlife.

MNPC News Summer 2010

Documents

Transcript of MNPC News Summer 2010