Mojave National Preserve

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Mojave National Preserve
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Cima Road-Mojave National Preserve.JPG
Joshua trees along Cima Road in the Mojave National Preserve
Relief map of California.png
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location San Bernardino County, California, US
Nearest city Baker, California
Coordinates 34°53′N115°43′W / 34.883°N 115.717°W / 34.883; -115.717
Area1,542,776 acres (6,243.39 km2) [1]
CreatedOctober 31, 1994 (1994-October-31)
Visitors866,635(in 2021)
Governing body National Park Service
Website Mojave National Preserve
External videos
Mojave Desert 2020 Dome Fire aftermath.jpg
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg “Can a fire-ravaged forest of Joshua trees be restored?”, Tien Nguyen, Knowable Magazine, March 4, 2022.

Mojave National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, US, between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. The preserve was established October 31, 1994, with the enactment of the California Desert Protection Act by the United States Congress, [2] which also established Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park as National Parks. Previously, some lands contained within the Preserve were the East Mojave National Scenic Area, under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management. [3] At 1,542,776 acres (6,243 km2), within the contiguous United States it is the third largest unit of the National Park System and the first largest National Preserve. The preserve was created within the Pacific West Region of the National Park Service and remains within that jurisdiction today.

Contents

Natural features include the Kelso Dunes, the Marl Mountains and the Cima Dome, as well as volcanic formations such as Hole-in-the-Wall and the Cinder Cone Lava Beds. The preserve surrounds Providence Mountains State Recreation Area and Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve, which are both managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Impressive Joshua tree forests are found in parts of the preserve. The forest covering Cima Dome and the adjacent Shadow Valley is the largest and densest in the world. [4] In August 2020, a wildfire destroyed 1.3 million Joshua Trees around Cima Dome. [5] The ghost town of Kelso is found in the preserve, with the defunct railroad depot serving as the Visitor Center. The preserve is commonly traversed by 4 wheel drive vehicles traveling on the historic Mojave Road.

Climate in the preserve varies greatly. Summer temperatures average 90 °F (32 °C), with highs exceeding 105 °F (41 °C). Elevations in the preserve range from 7,929 feet (2,417 m) at Clark Mountain to 880 feet (270 m) near Baker. Annual precipitation varies from 3.37 inches (86 mm) near Baker, to almost 9 inches (230 mm) in the mountains. At least 25% of precipitation comes from summer thunderstorms. Snow is often found in the mountains during the winter.

The preserve currently faces challenges based on its lack of funding, as of 2018 the preserve had a deferred maintenance of $118,036,341. [6] This lack of funding has primarily lead to infrastructure disrepair which, in combination with the reckless driving prevalent among visitors, has caused a significant threat to the endangered Desert Tortoise population within the preserve. In addition to the tortoise's threatened population, the Prairie Falcon and the Bighorn Sheep are both at a risk within the preserve. A common solution provided to help save this population is to install wildlife crossings over the main roads within the preserve, though this is currently not possible with the funding provided.

Mojave Wilderness

The California Desert Protection Act of 1994 (CDPA) designated a wilderness area within Mojave National Preserve of approximately 695,200 acres (281,300 ha). The National Park Service manages the wilderness in accordance with the Wilderness Act, the CDPA, and other laws that protect cultural and historic sites in the wilderness. [7]

Administrative history

Upon the preserve's establishment, Mary Martin was designated as its superintendent, she served from 1994 to 2005, when she was moved to the Lassen Volcanic National Park. Dennish Schramm then served from 2005 to 2010. Stephanie Dubois served from 2010 to 2014. Todd Suess served from 2014 to 2020, though he continues to work for the National Park Service as the Chief of Biological Resources. The current superintendent is Mike Gauthier who has served since 2020.

Features

Hole-in-the-Wall canyon MNP Hole in Rock.jpg
Hole-in-the-Wall canyon
The entrance sign alongside Kelbaker Road. Mojave National Preserve sign 1.jpg
The entrance sign alongside Kelbaker Road.

Climate

The following climate data is for a higher elevation area in the preserve. See also Climate of the Mojave Desert.

Climate data for Mountain Pass, California. (Elevation 4,740 feet (1,440 m))
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)71
(22)
76
(24)
81
(27)
90
(32)
104
(40)
109
(43)
110
(43)
109
(43)
102
(39)
96
(36)
89
(32)
70
(21)
110
(43)
Average high °F (°C)50.4
(10.2)
53.7
(12.1)
59.0
(15.0)
66.4
(19.1)
76.3
(24.6)
87.0
(30.6)
92.8
(33.8)
89.9
(32.2)
83.9
(28.8)
72.4
(22.4)
58.9
(14.9)
51.1
(10.6)
70.2
(21.2)
Average low °F (°C)29.5
(−1.4)
32.4
(0.2)
35.8
(2.1)
41.0
(5.0)
49.8
(9.9)
59.2
(15.1)
66.5
(19.2)
64.5
(18.1)
56.6
(13.7)
46.3
(7.9)
36.2
(2.3)
30.2
(−1.0)
45.7
(7.6)
Record low °F (°C)3
(−16)
6
(−14)
12
(−11)
19
(−7)
28
(−2)
36
(2)
42
(6)
44
(7)
33
(1)
21
(−6)
10
(−12)
−2
(−19)
−2
(−19)
Average precipitation inches (mm)0.92
(23)
0.89
(23)
0.89
(23)
0.48
(12)
0.27
(6.9)
0.20
(5.1)
1.04
(26)
1.23
(31)
0.59
(15)
0.54
(14)
0.68
(17)
0.63
(16)
8.36
(212)
Average snowfall inches (cm)2.7
(6.9)
1.8
(4.6)
1.4
(3.6)
0.5
(1.3)
0.2
(0.51)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.1
(0.25)
1.1
(2.8)
1.5
(3.8)
9.3
(24)
Source: The Western Regional Climate Center [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mojave Desert</span> Desert in the southwestern United States

The Mojave Desert is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada, with small portions extending into Arizona and Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Paso Mountains Wilderness</span> Protected wilderness area in California, United States

The El Paso Mountains Wilderness was created in 1994 and now has a total of 23,780 acres (96.2 km2). All of the wilderness is in the northern Mojave Desert in eastern Kern County, California and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It is located south of Ridgecrest, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Providence Mountains</span> Peaks in Mojave Desert, California

The Providence Mountains are found in the eastern Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, U.S. The range reaches an elevation of 7,162 feet (2,183 m) at Edgar Peak and is home to the Mitchell Caverns Natural Preserve in the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, and the Mojave National Preserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clark Mountain Range</span> Mountain range in California

The Clark Mountain Range is located in southeastern California, north of Interstate 15 and the community of Mountain Pass. The range stretches approximately 15 miles (24 km) in a southwest-northeasterly direction, beginning in the Mojave National Preserve, and ending near Stateline Pass, about one mile (1.6 km) from the Nevada border. Clark Mountain, at 7,929 feet above sea level, is the principal peak of the range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cima, California</span> Unincorporated community in California, United States

Cima is a small unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, in the United States. It lies in a mountain pass on the divide between the Ivanpah Valley and the Mojave River basin, at an elevation of 4,175 feet (1,273 m). The Ivanpah Mountains and Interstate 15 are to the north, the New York Mountains are to the east, and the Providence Mountains are to the south. To the northwest is the Cima volcanic field, which contains Cima Dome at 5,745 feet (1,751 m) above sea level, a prominent landmark along I-15. Cima is also home to one of the densest Yucca brevifolia forests in California, located in the Cima Dome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morongo Basin</span> Region of the inland empire in Mojave Desert, San Bernardino

The Morongo Basin is an endorheic basin and valley region located in eastern San Bernardino County, in Southern California.

Ludlow is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 40, located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The older remains of the ghost town are along historic Route 66.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCullough Range</span> Landform in Clark County, Nevada

The mountains in the McCullough Range lie mostly above the city of Henderson in the U.S. state of Nevada. The range has two distinct areas with the northern portion being primarily volcanic in origin, while the southern part of the range is primarily composed of metamorphic rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bright Star Wilderness</span> Protected wilderness area in California, United States

Bright Star Wilderness is a 8,190-acre (3,314 ha) wilderness area in Kern County in the U.S. state of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Tree National Park</span> National park in California, United States

Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of San Bernardino and Los Angeles and north of Palm Springs. It is named after the Joshua trees native to the Mojave Desert. Originally declared a national monument in 1936, Joshua Tree was redesignated as a national park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act. Encompassing a total of 795,156 acres – slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island – the park includes 429,690 acres of designated wilderness. Straddling San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, the park includes parts of two deserts, each an ecosystem whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation: the higher Mojave Desert and the lower Colorado Desert. The Little San Bernardino Mountains traverse the southwest edge of the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelso Depot</span> United States historic place

The Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel or Kelso Depot, now also the Mojave National Preserve Visitors Center, is located in the Mojave Desert within the National Park Service Mojave National Preserve, on Kelso Cima Road at the junction of Kelbaker Road in Kelso, California, between Baker and Interstate 15 to the north and Interstate 40 to the south. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and along with the adjacent ghost town of Kelso, was declared a United States Historic District in 2000. The district was increased by a boundary increase approved by the National Park Service in 2019, with reference number 100003401.

The Mid Hills are a low mountain range in the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Desert Protection Act of 1994</span> US federal law

The California Desert Protection Act of 1994 is a federal law sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein, passed by the United States Congress on October 8, 1994, and signed into effect by President Bill Clinton on October 31 of the same year, that established three separate National Park System units in California's Mojave Desert: Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, and Mojave National Preserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clipper Mountain Wilderness</span> Wilderness area in California, United States

The Clipper Mountain Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Clipper Mountains of the eastern Mojave Desert and within Mojave Trails National Monument, located in northeastern San Bernardino County, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management.

Shadow Valley is a north to northwest flowing drainage within the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California. A section of Interstate 15 passes through the valley between Mountain Pass and Halloran Springs. The valley drains to the north from the west flank of the Mescal Range, the Ivanpah Mountains and, Cima Dome within the Mojave National Preserve. North of I-15 the valley lies between Clark Mountains to the east and Shadow Mountain to the west. To the north of Shadow Mountain, Kingman Wash becomes the main drainage and turns to the west south of the Kingston Range. The Mesquite Mountains and the Mesquite Valley are to the northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sand to Snow National Monument</span> National monument in California, United States

Sand to Snow National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in San Bernardino County and northern Riverside County, Southern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelso Wash</span>

Kelso Wash is an ephemeral stream in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that drains into Soda Lake. The town of Kelso lies southeast of the wash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cima volcanic field</span> Volcanic field in San Bernardino County, California

Cima volcanic field is a volcanic field in San Bernardino County, California, close to the border with Nevada. The volcanic field covers a surface area of 600 km2 (230 sq mi) within the Mojave National Preserve west of the Cima Dome and consists of about 40 volcanic cones with about 60 lava flows. The volcanic cones range from simple cones over multi-cratered mountains to eroded hills, and lava flows are up to 9.1 km (5.7 mi) long. At least one lava tube exists in the field and can be visited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dome Fire (2020)</span> 2020 wildfire in San Bernardino County, California

The 2020 Dome Fire was a large and ecologically destructive wildfire in the Mojave National Preserve in California's San Bernardino County. Caused by a lightning strike on August 15, the fire began near Cima Dome and exhibited rapid growth over the following 36 hours, aided by weather conditions and a lack of available firefighting resources. During this period the Dome Fire destroyed only 6 structures, but burned more than a quarter of the Cima Dome Joshua tree forest, one of the largest and densest populations of Joshua trees known in the world. The fire killed as many as 1.3 million Joshua trees. No injuries or fatalities were reported among firefighters or civilians. The fire cost US$2.2 million to suppress, and burned 43,273 acres (17,512 ha) before being fully contained on August 24.

References

  1. "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved March 23, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. "California Desert Protection Act". Joshua Tree National Park. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  3. "Mojave Wilderness". Wilderness.net. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  4. "General Management Plan-Introduction" (PDF). National Park Service. p. 7. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  5. Branch, John; Whittaker, Max; Penney, Veronica (December 10, 2020). "They're Among the World's Oldest Living Things. The Climate Crisis Is Killing Them". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  6. "Identifying & Reporting Deferred Maintenance - Infrastructure (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  7. "General Management Plan-Land Protection" (PDF). p. 3. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  8. "Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved March 29, 2013.