Mojave National Preserve
Mojave National Preserve | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
Location | San Bernardino County, California, US |
Nearest city | Baker, California |
Coordinates | 34°53′N 115°43′W / 34.883°N 115.717°W |
Area | 1,542,776 acres (6,243.39 km2)[1] |
Created | October 31, 1994 |
Visitors | 866,635 (in 2021) |
Governing body | National Park Service |
Website | nps |
External videos | |
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“Can a fire-ravaged forest of Joshua trees be restored?”, Tien Nguyen, Knowable Magazine, March 4, 2022. |
Mojave National Preserve is a
Natural features include the
Impressive
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.
Challenges
The preserve 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
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
- Beale Mountains
- Cima, California
- Cima Dome & Volcanic Field National Natural Landmark
- Clark Mountain
- Devils Playground
- Granite Mountains
- Ivanpah, California
- Ivanpah Mountains
- Kelso, California
- Kelso Depot
- Kelso Dunes
- Kelso Mountains
- Kelso Wash
- Lanfair Valley
- Marl Mountains
- Mid Hills
- Mojave phone booth
- Mojave Road
- New York Mountains
- Old Dad Mountain
- Providence, California
- Providence Mountains
- Vanderbilt, California
- Vontrigger Hills
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)) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
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) |
Mean daily maximum °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) |
Mean daily minimum °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
References
- ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved March 23, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
- ^ "California Desert Protection Act". Joshua Tree National Park. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ^ "Mojave Wilderness". Wilderness.net. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
- ^ "General Management Plan-Introduction" (PDF). National Park Service. p. 7. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "Identifying & Reporting Deferred Maintenance - Infrastructure (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ "General Management Plan-Land Protection" (PDF). p. 3. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
- ^ "Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved March 29, 2013.