National Park Service Park News & Guide U.S. Department of the Interior Mojave National PreserveIssue 13 / Fall 2008 NPS/SHAWN THOMAS Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) abound in the mountain ranges of Mojave National Preserve. Longest Fallen Giant: “World’s Tallest Yucca” Welcome to Mojave! A MOJAVE DESERT GIANT HAS FALLEN. KNOWN LOCALLY AS Cooler temperatures make fall and win- the “World’s Tallest Yucca,” the 31-foot tall Mojave yucca (Yucca ter a wonderful time to visit the Mojave schidigera) stood sentinel near Hole-in-the-Wall in Mojave National Desert, and the softening light as the sun Preserve. While Mojave yuccas normally grow up to 15 feet in height, passes lower in the sky offers a bolder, this living monument was easily twice as tall as its very tall neighbors. warmer palette for desert photographers. We’re currently featuring the second in In the mid-1980s, a volunteer couple from Sweden discovered the our series of art and photography exhibi- unusual yucca while scouting a route for the Mid Hills to Hole- tions at the Desert Fine Art Gallery in the in-the-Wall Trail. At the time, the area was managed by the Bureau Kelso Depot Visitor Center. Featuring both professional and regional art and of Land Management (BLM), Needles Field Office. BLM Planner nature photographers, these exhibits run George Meckfessel and Ecologist Roger Alexander measured the for two to three months, so stop in often Mojave yucca and nominated it for the National Register of Big to see what’s new. Trees in 1987, listing it as 27 feet tall. Measured again in 2004 by vol- unteers Brian and Jenny Phillips, it was found to be 31 feet tall—the Mojave’s landscape varies tremendously plant may have grown four feet in 17 years. as you travel around the preserve, and I encourage you to take short walks in Reports of the fallen giant were first received in spring 2008. During various areas. Inside this guide, you’ll find a recent visit to the site, I walked the length of the giant’s trunk and information on how to visit the Kelso searched the area for another “Tallest Yucca” candidate. The tallest Dunes, Cinder Cones Lava Beds, and the specimen I saw appeared to be about fifteen feet—a good size, but Joshua tree woodland on Cima Dome. not even close to the old record. Remote mountain ranges are scat- On the east side of the park, camp- grounds, hiking trails, and cave tours are tered across the Mojave. Perhaps a wash or canyon in one of these all available for those who have more infrequently visited mountains harbors our next champion! time to explore. Linda Slater, Chief of Interpretation Thousands of miles of dirt roads await desert explorers in street-legal vehicles, Established in 1940, the National Register of Big Trees is maintained providing access to old mining sites, by American Forests, a nonprofit conservation organization. Using springs, and roadside camps. Some routes a simple method for comparing tree sizes, anyone can measure and require high-clearance vehicles and/or nominate a tree for champion status. Search the online registry for four-wheel drive, and road conditions yourself at www.americanforests.org—there just might be a giant liv- change rapidly during rainy weather, so ing in your neighborhood! check with a ranger before heading out. If you would like to learn more about what to see and do, talk to the rangers at Kelso Depot Visitor Center or Hole-in-the- Wall Information Center, visit our web- site, or call the headquarters information desk. Websites and phone numbers are OM listed on page two. C E. ik H D AN D R bi OONE/WWW. B M ji © ATER L Dennis Schramm A S D Above: A visitor poses with “The World’s Tallest Yucca” in early spring 2008. Superintendent N li NPS/ Left: The fallen giant as seen today: “World’s Longest Yucca?” 3 Mojave’s Roads 4 Greening Mojave 6 Campgrounds Essential Information…2 Just getting around Mojave National Preserve, National parklands are ideal locations for Mojave National Preserve is a camper’s para- Nature & Science…4 the third largest unit of the National Park showcasing sustainable environmental practic- dise. Developed campgrounds, roadside camp- System in the contiguous United States, can es. Mojave National Preserve has been nation- ing, and backcountry camping offer oppor- Faces & Places…5 be a trial for some. But it need not be. Plan ally recognized for its envi- tunities for individuals and groups of diverse ahead and prioritize; familiarize yourself with ronmental leadership and ages, interests, and skills. Careful planning and Camping…6 Mojave’s paved and dirt roads and the commitment to a greener knowledge of camping rules and regulations major sites to see along the way. And re- future—not just for visi- will help ensure an enjoyable and safe experi- Hiking…7 member—you’ll never see it all in one day tors, but for everyone ence for you, future visitors, and the fragile (but you can always come back)... around the globe... desert environment... Mojave National Preserve Map…8 Printed on 60% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-based inks National Park Service Hunting in the National Park System? U.S. Department of the Interior “HUNTING IN MOJAVE NaTIONAL protection within national parks appeared preserve? Isn’t hunting prohibited in nation- “Hunting is authorized to be successful: wildlife that seemed in al parklands?” Preserve staff often hear such in 69 units of the danger of extinction 50 years before were no questions, especially during the fall when longer in peril. Some wildlife populations, in Mojave National Preserve National Park System, hunters are afield pursuing quail, mule deer, fact, were increasing so much in local areas Established in 1994, Mojave National Pre- bighorn sheep, and other wildlife. In general, including Mojave...” that their growth needed to be controlled. serve encompasses 1.6 million acres ranging National Park Service (NPS) regulations do In addition, NPS sites were becoming more in elevation from 800’ near Baker to 7,929’ prohibit hunting in national parklands. As of numerous and diverse; instead of just parks at Clark Mountain. Although most of the today, however, hunting is authorized in 69 and monuments, Congress began to estab- park lies in the Mojave Desert, the south- units of the National Park System, including lish recreation areas, preserves, battlefields, east section grades into the Sonoran Desert, Mojave National Preserve. While this prob- historic sites, and wild and scenic riverways, and elements of the Great Basin Desert are ably seems confusing, some brief history can among others. Lawmakers recognized that found at higher elevations east of the Gran- put it in better perspective. many of these areas had management direc- ite, Providence and New York mountains. ON I T tions and concerns that differed from more C E ll The first national park, Yellowstone (Idaho, O “traditional” parks and monuments. Hunt- Superintendent C ing became allowed at some specific sites as Montana, and Wyoming), was created in NPS Dennis Schramm 1872. Hunting was restricted but not techni- a legitimate, or even essential, activity. Deputy Superintendent cally prohibited until 1894 with the passage Larry Whalon of the Yellowstone Game Protection Act. Today, hunting is still prohibited in national At the time, some wildlife, particularly large parklands unless Congress specifically states Chief Ranger mammals, faced the possibility of extinc- otherwise in the unit’s founding or enabling David Ashe tion. Populations of buffalo, pronghorn legislation. Where hunting is allowed, how- antelope, and elk, which just decades earlier ever, like in Mojave National Preserve, the Chief, Resource Interpretation NPS continues to provide a unique experi- numbered in the millions, had been severely ON I T Linda Slater C dimished. It had become apparent that in E ence and support for an important Ameri- ll O order to save our nation’s wildlife, we would C can heritage and cultural value. Newspaper Editor NPS have to protect it. Concerned citizens—pri- Michael Glore Top to Bottom: Popular game species at Mojave Neal Darby, Wildlife Biologist marily hunters, most notably Theodore National Preserve include mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and doves (Zenaida sp.). Mailing Address Roosevelt, Joseph Grinnell, and members of 2701 Barstow Road the conservationist organization the Boone Barstow, CA 92311 and Crockett Club—spearheaded this drive to prohibit the killing of wildlife and protect them from the seemingly relentless onslaught of Web and E-mail commercial poachers. www.nps.gov/moja Attention Deer Hunters! For e-mail, click “Contact Us” As Congress created more parks such as Yosemite, Glacier, and Some mule deer bucks in Mojave National Preserve have Mesa Verde, the same language used for Yellowstone was incorpo- been fitted with VHF high-frequency radio collars (see page Park Headquarters rated to protect wildlife there, too. This mandate was carried over 4 for more info.). These deer may be legally hunted in ac- ph: 760-252-6100 into the Organic Act of 1916 which created the mission and adminis- cordance with California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG) fax: 760-252-6174 tration of the National Park Service. regulations as part of a valid deer tag for Zone D-17. The National Park Service cares for the If you harvest a collared buck, please return the equipment special places saved by the American people Conservation-minded hunters and others continued to lead the to the nearest visitor center or ranger station (see below) so that all may experience our heritage. way in protecting wildlife on public and private lands so that by the mid-1900s wildlife management practices, the implementation or to any National Park Service (NPS) park ranger or CDFG officer encountered in the preserve.T o arrange pick-up, call of regulated hunting across the United States, and the small scale 760 252-6100.