Desert National Wildlife Refuge

The Desert National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR) is the largest wildlife refuge in the lower 48! It covers more than 1.5 million acres (2,300 square miles). To get an idea of how big that is, it could cover the entire state of Rhode Island twice and then also over a quarter of a million football fields! In 1936 the DNWR was established for the protection of the desert bighorn sheep, Nevada's state animal. Their numbers plummeted in the 80's for unknown reasons but has been steadily increasing ever since. Unfortunately, they're pretty elusive and we weren't lucky enough to see any while we there.



We camped at Corn Creek which was purchased by the Federal Government and now hosts the visitor center and various offices for employees and rangers. It was an old ranch site and stage coach stop back in the day. There is an old homestead with an orchard in the back. We camped in the orchard on GRASS! It was wonderful.

I really enjoyed this tour because it had NOTHING to do with tamarisk! Woohoo. While we were here, we worked on removing other invasive species and decommissioning a few illegal roads. They have a maintenance yard that is surrounded by a stream which is fed uphill by a spring. The waterway was being taken over by the invasive Johnson Grass so we needed to dig it up. It reproduces with its rhizomes so when we dug it up, we had to make sure we got all of them or else it would just grow back. It had a pretty crazy root system and looked like a creature that should be in the movie, The Labyrinth.

Of course, since they were obnoxious grasses and so difficult to remove, many Johnson jokes were thrown around. Can't get rid of us Johnson's, we're here to stay! :) I had to take a picture with it.

Another invasive species was the bull frog. Unknown to me, these little buggers are quite the consumers. They have done stomach dissections and have found ducklings, birds, toads! They pretty much eat anything and everything that floats by them. The biggest problem with them in this location is that they're eating the native toads. We were told to kill any bull frogs we came across. Yeah, okay...I told them no. Every time I found one, I'd discretely relocate it. That was definitely not helping the problem, but honestly, did they think I'd actually kill it?!

Invasive
Native

A fun fact that I learned was that the iconic symbol of the west, the tumble weed, is invasive!! Its common name is Russian Thistle and it isn't native to the United States. It came from, you guessed it, Russia and it was introduced to the US in 1877, reportedly brought here by a flax seed import. And let me tell you, it may be fun to see it roll across the road, but it is awfully painful to pick and remove. Like most thistles, it's just covered in thousands of little prickers! Ouch!

Speaking of ouch, the last plant that had to be removed this week was the Russian Olive tree. Luckily, I personally didn't do much work with it but these trees have enormous unforgiving thorns on their branches. One of my crew members actually got a thorn in his hand and had to go to the ER!
This tour was the first time we got the chance to decommission roads. Because out here in the west there is so much open land, people often take advantage of it, using it for 4x4 trails. Unfortunately, when they do this in illegal places, they are killing a huge number of native plants and animals. We worked on two roads on the refuge that needed to be closed down. When decommissioning roads, the idea is to disguise it from potential new 4x4 drivers and deter frequent drivers. We pit the roads and gather dead and down plants and huge boulders. The pits potentially will catch seeds and grow new plants. We also stick dead parts of Joshua Trees and/or Yucca's in these pits to make it seem natural. Here are some before and after pictures:


What road? :)
It was a fun tour and it was awesome to be doing something different than cutting tamarisk! Next week we're going back to Death Valley! Bring on the dry heat!

Death Valley

Where can you find a spot that is 282 feet below sea level and has reached 134 degrees while being surrounded by snow capped mountains reaching 11,000 feet? Death Valley. Death Valley National Park is unlike any other I have been to before. It's honestly like another planet. I had the good fortune of spending a week here for work.

We were able to camp in Breakfast Canyon, which is off limits to the public. It is a campsite probably originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Here you can see the fireplace we were able to use.

Below, you can see the structure at the top of this mountain. It's part of the hotel at the base - if you're a guest you can have tea up there. Waitstaff will hike up a trail and bring you hot or cold tea (for the right price of course).


While we were here our mission, yet again, was to get rid of tamarisk. That pesky little plant! What was different about this tour from the other tamarisk removal tours I have done in the past, is that we got to hike around a lot and see a lot of the park. Because it was pretty windy all week, we weren't able to spray the herbicide in fear of it drifting onto other native plants. Instead, we were sent on these hikes to find a few sporadic tamarisk or palm plants and dig them up. It was wonderful. I love hiking and it was warm there and we were in a new place I hadn't seen. What could be better?!


The strong winds that prevented us from spraying can be seen causing a dust storm..


For being Death Valley, one of the driest places in the US, there is actually quite a bit of water. However, when compared to the 3.4 million acres that makes up the national park, it's nothing. We got to see some of this water though, from a spring that was running down the side of a hill. There were palm saplings (another invasive), sprouting along this stream so we had to remove them. The water was really warm and it was a cool area. We even got to see a real Road Runner!


On our last day of the tour we were at this location called Eagle Borax Flats. In 1882, this was the site of the first borax refinery in Death Valley. In the first 15 months of operation, Eagle Flats produced 130 tons of low grade borax. There are still some structures that remain along with the original windrows.

The ground was just covered in this salty crust layer. It was so bizarre and amazing at the same time. Like I mentioned before, it really did look like we were on a completely different planet. It was awesome being able to hike around this area for the day.

This tour was a lot of fun and I'd recommend seeing this national park. It's really unique and offers some views you won't find anywhere else in the world. I'd go in the winter though, because summer heat can reach an average of 115 degrees!

Goldstrike Hot Springs

I've heard about these 'hot springs' and I've seen pictures but I had never actually been to one...until this weekend! A few of my friends had been there before and raved about it so I, and two friends, decided to check it out. We went to Goldstrike which is located near the Hoover Dam. The trail head is at the end of this dirt road and the trail starts just by following a wash down into the canyon.
As you hike farther into the canyon, the walls get higher and the canyon narrows. At first the trail is just sand and small rocks eventually turning into larger rocks and then boulders with significant drop-offs. In a few spots there are even ropes that have been installed because there really is no other way to get up or down. It is incredible how high the walls get and you just feel so insignificant and small while you're hiking. It's an amazing feeling and I was just in awe the whole hike. It's really a great place to get a good perspective on life..

Eventually you'll come across a stream or two that is really warm and it'll disappear and reappear every now and again. It'll often collect in tiny pools lined with bright blue-green algae.

We came across the first decent size pool but there were too many people in it so we decided to continue exploring. That first pool though, had a sauna cave behind it. You had to swim through this little opening and it expanded into a cave. Because of the high temperature of the water, it traps the heat and creates a sauna-like environment. When I go back, I'll definitely have to check that one out.

As we kept hiking farther into the canyon, the hiking became more and more intense. There were more ropes and tricky maneuvers.


It was so much fun! We finally came across this empty pool and decided to jump in and enjoy before we had to head back up before the sun set.



It felt so amazing to be out in this massive canyon in this natural hot spring. I would highly recommend this hike to everyone. It's kind of intense in some spots but totally worth it. After spending some time in the pool, hydrating and munching on some snacks we headed back up. Going back up was harder than going down, as it always is on hikes into canyons. It was a great day and I can't wait to go back to keep exploring more!

"Live it, protect it, explore it"

A day in the life..

So for the past month, my crew drew the short straw and got stuck out at St. Thomas. At first it was fun and exciting uncovering and clearing these old foundations but when you've been doing it for a month straight it gets to you. So we're finally done with that site - or so they say and we're moving on. Death Valley next tour! Bring on the 70's! :) Since I've already told you about St. Thomas and what we were doing there, there is no sense rehashing it so I've decided to share with you a typical day of mine. Now, remember, my days vary greatly depending on weather, location and work but I'll give you the best I can and this will be based on my last tour in St. Thomas. Some may find this interesting, some boring...take it as you may.

6:00am - 26 degrees in my tent. Really makes me want to get out of my warm sleeping bag. Pack lunch which usually consists of fruit, PB&J sandwiches or salami in a pita and maybe a carrot or avocado. Take breakfast to go.

6:30am - Work begins. We get in the trucks (blast the heat and get real up close and personal with the vents) and drive to our work site.

6:40am - Morning safety meeting commences. This involves a description of the site, possible environmental safety concerns, proper technique and any incidents from the prior work day while trying to find the best angle to stand to avoid the bitterly cold wind.

7:00am - Stretching. Can't start working without properly stretching. We come up with a question of the day and go around in the circle and answer while doing a stretch. This week most of my stretches could be done without the removal of hands from warm pockets. :)

7:30am - Gather the equipment we'll need for the day: 2-3 chainsaws, 2-3 brush cutters (i.e. the beasts), 3-4 dolmars, loppers, 5 Mcleods, water, 2 backpack sprayers for the herbicide, 1-2 hand sprayers, additional Garlon (herbicide), a pooper and our day packs. We hike down to our actual work site which is about a mile or so away.

8:00am-9:30am - Work. Cut down evil Tamarisk and either leave it as is, rake it 15-20 ft away from any historic stumps or foundations, or gather it in bunches and "disperse" it among the still standing Tamarisk. Spray herbicide.

9:30am - 1st 15-20 min break. Since it was so cold in the morning and breakfast to go didn't consist of much, this is usually a great time to have a slice of bread with some PB or a banana with PB.

9:45am-11:30am - Work. Cut down evil Tamarisk and either leave it as is, rake it 15-20 ft away from any historic stumps or foundations, or gather it in bunches and "disperse" it among the still standing Tamarisk. Spray herbicide.

11:30am- 12:00pm - Lunch. Salami, spinach and hummus in a pita with an avocado if I'm lucky. Possible short cat nap, huddled behind, preferably, a bigger person to block the wind.

12:30pm-2:00pm - Work. Cut down evil Tamarisk and either leave it as is, rake it 15-20 ft away from any historic stumps or foundations, or gather it in bunches and "disperse" it among the still standing Tamarisk. Spray herbicide.

2:00pm - 2nd 15-20 min break. More bread, more PB and some fruit.

2:20-4:00pm - Work. Cut down evil Tamarisk and either leave it as is, rake it 15-20 ft away from any historic stumps or foundations, or gather it in bunches and "disperse" it among the still standing Tamarisk. Spray herbicide. Get real pissed at the Tamarisk that whips you in the face as you're walking through it. Instant anger that matches no other.

4:00pm-5:00pm - gather tools and hike back up to trucks to finish out the day with some tool maintenance.

5:30pm - Make dinner on our two burner propane stove. Strategically surrounded by the trucks to attempt to block the wind. Impossible.

6:00pm - Scarf down dinner and if you got the short straw, freeze your hands off while doing dishes.

7:00pm - Bedtime! Yes, bed at 7pm. When is the last time you did that on a regular basis? There is nothing better than getting out of your Carhartts and jumping into your pj's and sleeping bag after a long 10-hr day of sawing.

6:00am - Do it all over again.