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)

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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

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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

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ALERTS: Information You Should Know About

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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.

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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/

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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

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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

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MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE CONSERVANCY 400 S. 2nd Avenue #213 Barstow, CA 92311 WWW.PRESERVETHEMOJAVE.ORG 760-957-7887

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