Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep Sheep Sheet - Volume 2 – September 2020 www.desertbighorn.org Before the project began, collection box area in sad shape After the project: a formal, robust spring box Redwood Spring Box Installed at Castle Mine Spring By Debbie Miller Marschke SCBS has been working to improve the natural spring at the Castle Mine location for many years. Mining ruins and a dilapidated cabin remain as evidence that this spring has a history of folks teasing out the precious water from this location. There is always an overgrowth of vegetation at the spring which is proof positive that the spring is active, even if the flow rate is minimal. Bighorn Sheep biologists have GPS data from collared sheep in the mountain range that prove the Bighorn Sheep wander along the backbones of the ridges; occasionally they visit this spring but they mainly depend on the big game guzzlers to the north of this location. Nevertheless, each water location in a mountain range is crucial in the network of water sources available. SCBS crews have dug out and cleared the guzzler intake Johnson screen several times on previous occasions which has been very frustrating because a spring box had never been installed. The water seeps from the entrance of an old mine adit in the side of a hill. The hill face and adit entrance are unstable, and thus dirt caves in and has buried the intake system time and time again. On the weekend of May 15-17, 2020, a modest SCBS strike force sought to make one final but meaningful attempt to boost water output from Castle Mine spring. The plan was to dig down deeper than the previous crews had, install a wood drinker box, 1 and re-align the collection pipes to make certain that there was enough drop in elevation to ensure water flow. The crew was determined that this would be the last time for this type of effort. Digging into the sidehill did not leave much room for each person; in fact, only one person could pick or shovel at a time. The trench was narrow and the walls of the sidehill rose up sharply. The crew still managed to place a shade canopy over the work site, which was a great help in the heat of the day. Each person took turns using the pick and shovel. The other members hustled moving the dirt away from the trench with buckets and wheelbarrows. No one was quite sure all this effort was going to pay off. The dirt was moist with seepage but there was no observable water flow to speak of. The time for springtime rains had long passed, the punishing summer had started and more heat was on the way. The crew had to rely on the visual evidence, the cabin and vegetation, that there was still some promise in reactivating the output. Meanwhile, back in camp, the redwood spring box was being constructed. This was achieved one panel at a time using tools powered by a portable generator. When the trench was ready, the panels were carried up the hill one at a time. The spring box was assembled piece by piece, with the Johnson Screen and collection pipe centered in the bottom. The design of the spring box had to be tall enough to minimize burial by cave-ins but making it tall meant it would be difficult to reach inside to clean out. One objective was to construct a spring box that was large enough for a person to climb into, an investment in the future of the spring so the box could be cleaned out if needed in the future. The final result was a very sturdy redwood box with a lid that was robust enough to handle any cave ins and would withstand being buried. The previous intake pipe was tested and a blockage was discovered and cleared. Disappointingly, the crew did not observe measurable water flow when they departed the project site. There still was no water in the tank. Having patience and faith in Mother Nature is sometimes the most challenging part of the job, especially when the hard work of the crew should have been gratified immediately. Thirty days after the project, the Castle Mine Spring Guzzler was revisited. We are happy to report that the guzzler tank had collected 8 inches of water, that is approximately 500 gallons one drop at a time. With the summer in full swing, the guzzler may not collect much during the heat of summer. Next spring season, it is expected that the collection will result in filling the guzzler now that this spring has a proper collection box that will withstand the test of time and erosion. Three cheers for the outstanding crew: Steve Marschke, Debbie Miller Marschke, David M’Greene, Arioch M’Greene, Andres Ruetman, Stevan Hart, John Voght, Bill Norman, Mike Morgan, Joe Priess, Bryan Cimarusti, Joseph Cimarusti, and Marty Ambrose. 2 A custom redwood spring box was constructed on site. Building it panel by panel. Leaving the Desert Better Than We Found It The SCBS crew that was headed back to Camp Cady from the Castle Mine Spring project seized an opportunity to make a difference. There has been an old water tank lying discarded on the roadside of Kelbaker Road for at least ten years. Presumably the junked tank was left next to the highway for collection by the next CAL Trans road cleanup crew, but no action has been taken to remove this large unwieldly piece of junk. The tank was formerly a reservoir from a water trailer (some call it a “water buffalo”) and is labeled USMC. Perhaps it was a donation from the Marine Corps or other benefactor long ago. The top of the oblong tank had been cut off haphazardly, repurposing the tank to be used as a wildlife watering station. Left abandoned on the side of the road, it had been cast away and was now environmental pollution. The modest crew received a big surprise when the attempt was made to lift it into SCBS’s Big Red truck. The fiberglass half shell tank weighed about 500 pounds! There were no safe handholds on the curved sides. A creative approach was needed. The tank rested in a shallow ditch. Using a winch cable attached to Joe Preiss’s Jeep, the tank was stood up upon its end and coaxed up the side of the ditch. Big Red, driven by Mike Morgan, was backed into position. Big Red’s side panels had been removed. It took a little jockeying, 3 but finally Big Red was maneuvered into a perfect position. The winch cable was relaxed, lowering the tank upon the bed of Big Red without the involvement of human hands. Joe moved his Jeep around to the other side of Big Red where the winch cable was relocated. The junk tank was then pulled completely into the truck bed using the winch with the help of the volunteer crew. It was an impressive display of determination and teamwork. Another mission accomplished, and the crew was able to head home leaving the desert in a better condition than when they arrived. ~~ by Debbie Miller Marschke In Memoriam: Robert L. Vernoy (1926–2020) Hunters and other conservationists familiar with the eastern Mojave Desert lost one of their strongest supporters on March 7, 2020 with the passing of Robert L. Vernoy, retired California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) Wildlife Biologist. A California native and a veteran, Bob grew up in Cherry Valley before serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Bob was employed by CDFG for 41 years, and served in a variety of capacities in the deserts of southeastern California prior to his retirement in 1989. He began his career in 1949 as a Game Conservation Aid at CDFG's Imperial Waterfowl Management Area near the southeast corner of the Salton Sea, at a salary of $180.00/month, and where he became a proficient heavy equipment operator. Bob also worked at the Brawley Game Farm for 7 years before becoming manager of the Valley Center Game Farm in San Diego County. He next transferred to the Chino Game Farm, and then spent several years at the Mojave River Hatchery, but returned to the Chino Game Farm in 1965 to oversee the closure of that facility. Following closure of the Chino Game Farm, Bob was assigned to a "pool" position, where he participated in a variety of wildlife management activities throughout southern California, and during which he became heavily involved in mitigating the impacts of the Santa Barbara oil spill in January and February of 1969. In 1970, Bob promoted to Assistant Wildlife Manager-Biologist, and was assigned to the Desert Wildlife Management Unit (DWMU) in San Bernardino County, where he established an office at his home in Victorville. During the 20 years he held that position, he was an important contributor to the Department's efforts to ensure water was available for all species of wildlife inhabiting the eastern Mojave Desert and, thereby, ensuring that hunters would have access to high-quality opportunities to pursue Gambel's quail, chukar, mourning dove, and other upland game, as well as mule deer and, eventually, bighorn sheep. Few individuals realize Bob's dedication to maintaining the 350 wildlife water developments (often referred to as quail guzzlers) in the DWMU. In his own words, though, he acknowledged, "I was only able to inspect or make repairs to these units about once every other year." 4 Bob also performed inspections and maintained the many dozens of desert springs located in the DWMU to ensure surface water was available for all wildlife, and on which mule deer and bighorn sheep were especially dependent.