Data highlights tamarisk beetle populations within Mojave Trails National Monument
Over four years, interns with the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave program returned to five data points within Mojave Trails National Monument to study the presence of the tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda spp.), introduced as a biocontrol against invasive tamarisk trees. Data collected illustrates that the tamarisk populations have changed dramatically during that time.
Data provides rare insights into Mojave summer birds, bees
New data collected by interns offers rare insights into the summer bird populations at two oases in the Mojave Desert. Interns with the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave (WISDOM) program visited Arrowweed and Bonanza springs over a six-month period to study birds and bumble bees. The community science data collected by the interns is the first of its kind at these two oases.
Understanding a Mojave Desert oasis
Bonanza Spring is the largest freshwater spring in the southeastern Mojave Desert. From its 2,105 feet elevation in the low foothills of the Clipper Mountains, the spring’s freshwater is derived from a groundwater basin source. Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave (WISDOM) interns studied avian and bumble bee populations at Bonanza Spring in Mojave Trails National Monument between September 2022 and February 2023. This article explores the spring’s flora and fauna, and data collected by the interns.
Observing life at one of the Mojave Desert’s vital springs
At first glance, this natural spring might seem like nothing but rocks and bushes but once you are out among the never-ending brown, you start to notice what’s in the blur. Against the browns, colors stand out. The green of the creosote pops, the yellow flowers of the brittlebush are much brighter, the vibrant pink of the sandmat stretches out across the sand.
Researchers help identify Mojave summer bird population
Birdwatching interns with the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave program have closed a gap in the data about avian species in Mojave Trails National Monument.
New data pinpoints dark skies above Mojave Trails National Monument
Interns with the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave program spent a year studying night sky quality. Their findings provide a new baseline of data about the Mojave Desert.
Rediscovering the night sky after the pandemic
Nature is one thing that never ceases to amaze me. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, I often camped. So, after a year of staring at my computer screen and not being able to see more than a handful of stars each night, venturing into the vast natural beauty that is Mojave Trails National Monument and gazing up at the ink black skies and the awe-inspiring beauty of the Milky Way on our field excursions, I couldn’t help but feel the way so many of us do.… incredibly lucky and also very, very small.