Mojave Desert
9 April 2017
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Today was our first day here in the Mojave and it went pretty darn smooth. In the morning after we finished up breakfast we heard from Tasha, the reserve manager, about the history of the land and what the reserve means to students, researchers, and Natural History Field Quarter! Afterwards we split off into our crawdads and went with the instructors to start our first day of naturalizing. Each group ether learned about basic mapping/orienting ourselves, birds, plants, and illustrating/art. And we all worked on our first field journal entries within our groups. After lunch we switched stations. My crawdad did birding with Rozy and Ryan, and after watching a pair of Phainopela nites flying around in circles, we realized they had a nest nearby. Ryan found the nest and it had two little spotted eggs in it! After diner we heard from the natural history team about organisms we will see here in the Mojave, and more specifically in the granite mountains reserve. After that we heard from Sophie about land management, and from Dylan about desert plant adaptations. After presentations we had free time. Some of us went to bed, some ID’d plants, some of us reflected in our journals, and some of us went on a scorpion stroll, but with no luck. Today was great; bring on tomorrow!
10 April 2017
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Today is our second day in the desert! We woke up with the sun to eat delicious bagels and oatmeal. Then we split into small groups. My group went with Chris in the morning and observed a red and grey plant with little red berries on it. We wondered if maybe a bird was eating the berries and pooping them out on the same plant. We broke for lunch and I got to hear Jack and Suraya’s sweet voices while I tried looking up some information about the asteraceae family in the Jepson manual. In the afternoon my group went with Jenny to practice drawing plants in detail. We identified Scutellaria mexicana (bladder pod sage) using only our drawings! Jenny talked to us about her time on Natural History Field Quarter and feeling a little unsure about being an artist rather than a scientist, but Ken Norris reassured her that she, just as much as everyone else, belonged there. Jenny reminded us that if any of us were having doubts of any kind, we should remember that we are all there for a reason, and that we are exactly where we’re supposed to be.
11 April 2017, by Sarah Bennett
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We had a special day today, leaving the Norris cabin site for the first time since arriving, and spending the day as one large, roving group. We hiked through Granite Pass and began to see new species of cacti, including the glorious barrel cactus, and we even started seeing wild succulents. We continued hiking through the pass and exploring the wash, accompanied by Eric, a past field quarter teacher, who was another great resource for information and advice. On a break at Tortoise Rock, we had a rather remarkable experience when a coachwhip snake was spotted and caught, and was so docile that a few students got to hold it as well. The snake was particularly fond of one girl, however, who just so happens to be a reptile enthusiast, and therefore she will forevermore be known as Tara the Snake Mother. We continued our hike back through the bajada and lo and behold came upon the notorious and mysterious Bunny Club that we had heard so much about, the Norris family’s personal cabin and the original site of field quarter. Built by Ken and Bob Norris, the structure we finally reached was unlike any dwelling I had encountered. It was truly indescribable, but if I had to try in three words, I would say, ramshackle… kooky… wonderland. Exploring the cabin (and the small cave that comprises the downstairs) was so much fun, but it was also special to sit on the deck overlooking the bajada, where we learned many field quarter students long ago had spent their nights and take a moment for Ken. I think we all felt overwhelmed with gratitude for the people who paved our path to this magical place, including Ken, and we felt the presence of his spirit looking down on us and smiling.
12 April 2017, by Alexis Necarsulmer
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Another big day for NHFQ 2017. We got into the vans and headed south to Amboy Crater National Monument. As we arrived, two western whiptail lizards scurried across the Mojave, the male mate guarding the female. We spent two hours here naturalizing and having lunch before getting back into the vans. Within five minutes, Chris pulled over the caravan so he could jump out and run across the highway to collect a plant specimen. This happened three more times today. Our next stop was the Marble Mountains where we spent another two hours naturalizing in the hot sun. The instructors broke into groups that focused on birding, keying, and painting landscapes. And we got back into the vans yet again to return to Norris Cabin. We soon realized that we had been visited by the port-o-potty gods. All hail the port-o-potty gods, for this visit was much needed. Many of us were starting to worry as the piles built higher and higher each day. We regrouped in the afternoon for a keying session. Chris even sat with the cook crew and keyed with them as they made us a wonderful curry. After dinner, we were visited by some field quarter alum who told us stories and sang us some wonderful songs. The ensemble included some fiddles, two guitars, a mandolin, a banjo, a box drum, a harmonica, and a clacker of some sort. I fell asleep in my tent listening to On the Bright Side of Life emanating from the cabin. It only gets better from here.
13 April 2017
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We continued the grand adventure today at the Kelso Sand Dunes amidst desert lilies (Hesperocallis undulata) and desert horned lizards, amidst rock art and lemonade stands at Granite Cove, and with the Yellow-Bellied lesser Finch by Allanson trail.
We began our day by driving to the Research Center where Tasha La Doux, the Assistant Director of the Sweeney Granite Mountains Research Center, helped us to both review native plants and to learn a fair few new ones. Afterwards we walked a little ways to find a cool, dark cave behind her Mojave home. Paintings and etchings from indigenous people lined the walls, and Tasha told us that the cave paintings could be anywhere between 200-1000 years old. I asked her how the paint was made, and Tasha suggested that they may have used blood or even the milky sap of native plants to adhere dyes to the walls. It was breezy and cool inside, especially compared to the dry, heavy heat that encompassed the landscape around it. We ate our lunches quietly while Tasha’s two children ran about and played in the cave, their voices echoing somewhat within the walls.
Before we left the center, Tasha’s children treated us to ice-cold “lemonade”, which turned out to be a selection of iced tea or kool-aide, before we went on our way to the Dunes. To be honest I didn’t know exactly what to expect when Chris told us we would be making the sands sing. Thinking of it now, I realize there’s no possible way I could have known what was to come. We hiked up barefooted to the sweet, shaded area beneath a large Desert Willow to hear Ellie tell us about the history of the dunes before making our way to the summit. To get to the top we passed a fringe-toed lizard, aka french-toast lizard, in addition to the rare Penstemon thurberi, which we took a closer look at on our way back down.
For all of you whom have made the sands sing, you know that there is no way to fully capture the experience in words. Exhilarating, magical, a little bit painful while 40 mph winds throw sands into your eyes, ears, and just about everywhere else, blissful, fantastical, and perhaps even a little bit crazy. It was an experience that bonded us as a group, all working together to push the earth down the slope as we swam, as the united Kelso Dunes 2017 Swim Team, down the roaring river of sand. Oh, how it roared.
14 April 2017, by Suraya Essi
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Today, like most days out in the Mojave, we woke up with the Golden sunrise over Granite Gap. After a hearty breakfast, we drove to the Devil’s Playground Wash, located Northwest of the Norris Cabin, with a view of the grand Kelso Dunes. In the wash we listened to Eric’s intriguing presentation on Big Horned Sheep, learning about the populations decline. Then we broke off into small cohorts to begin a day of naturalizing. Some groups walked faster than others up the dusty road, but we all kept our eyes on the prize -- the prize being birds, flowers, plants, and butterflies, of course. One group that was led by Jenny found a Calochortus! We brought one inflorescence or flower head to the cabin to key, and later found out it was Calochortus kennedyi var. kennedyi, an unmistakably bright red-orange flower with purple pollen grains and little hairs--what a showstopper! I was in a group of birders that got the pleasure of seeing a Lazuli Bunting and its mate! The Lazuli Bunting has bold blue plumage with a rusty orange belly, and is the cover bird on one of the sibley editions. Later that afternoon, as we were making our way back to the cabin, we spotted the infamous Desert tortoise on the side of the road! We all hopped out to observe it, and although shy at first, the tortoise came out of its shell. In fact it became so comfortable that it started approaching Tara, this year’s NHFQ’s reptile whisperer. The two of them shared an authentic connection, leaving everyone in awe. That night, after a pasta dinner and Nathalie’s pollinator presentation, we went for a night time excursion to the base of the Kelso Dunes. As we explored the sandy terrain, we came across a kangaroo rat, sphinx moths, Desert lilies, a scorpion, an evening primrose flower, and lots of spiders! What a fulfilling day to be a naturalist.
15 April 2017
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Today is what the fellowship calls “choose your own adventure,” which means each instructor did something different, and you can choose what you would like to do. This morning some people when birding with Jack and Chris, others learned about colors with Jenny, some did a slooooow review plant walk with Rozy, and others scrambled up the granite mountain side behind the cabin to check out the view and how the vegetation changes with Ryan. In the afternoon we did the same thing, but with different adventure options. Some even optoed to treat themselves to a “solar shower.” A lot of people focused on studying for the quiz we have tomorrow morning. A lot of us are stressing, but we keep reminding ourselves that we got this. After all, we have been living with these plants and other organisms in the Mojave for the last 7 days. After dinner we set up some mammal trap to see what we can catch and look at up close. Afterwards we stargazed and had a brief lesson on the stars with Chris. We closed the day with a beautiful song that Camille wrote. Tomorrow is our last full day here, and we will all make the most of it.
16 April 2017, by Sarah Bennett
Our last day! As sad as we are to leave the desert, we are making the best of it by focusing on the hot showers that await us, and the nearly-full Porta Potties that we leave behind. After the (surprisingly fun) dreaded quiz, we had another Choose Your Own adventure day, with one group heading over to spend time at the pictographs near the cabin, and another large group heading in two vans for a hike up to the top of a small nearby peak. From what I heard, the group that stayed near the cabin executed their plans beautifully. The latter group, which I was indeed apart of… did not. We had a bit of a snafu when the vans got stuck in the sand about halfway to the peak. The hike plans were quickly modified to become a hike through the bajada, back to camp, led by Jenny. For the handful of people who stayed to dig the vans out (The Cobblin’ Goblins), we were rewarded with the discovery of a loggerhead shrike nest with babies inside (we had previously seen some evidence of their presence, including an impaled hummingbird)! So we did indeed do some naturalizing on our digging and cobbling breaks, and I felt like I gained intimate knowledge of the geology of the Mojave while I worked. And, as a bonus, I now know how to dig a van out of sand! This was largely due to the wisdom and wit of Eric- our angel of the day- who drove his truck out with his lovely wife to, frankly, rescue us. All in all, it was a fun, physically engaging day, and a few of the Cobblers did even get to hike up a very small nearby peak to soak in the amazing view of this place that holds so many memories now. That’s a view I will carry with me forever, with the Kelso dunes peeking out on the right and Granite Pass on our left, and our lil’ cabin tucked in between, and all the fondness inside of me, filling me up. This crazy day ended with a special night of Nature Notes that brought so much beauty into our cabin, flowing from the pages of our journals and from our memories of the week. The magic of the desert clearly inspired each one of us, and it brought us closer to share that with each other, and to honor the desert together for one last night.
