Mojave National

preserve Conservancy
Newsle! er

Welcome, Superintendent Todd Suess!

The Mojave National Preserve Conservancy (MNPC)
welcomes Superintendent Todd Suess. Todd arrived
in February 2015 and replaces Stephanie Dubois in
the role of protecting this wonderful landscape for
all to enjoy, and leading a dedicated National Park
Service (NPS) staff. Todd is a committed public
servant, having spent four years with the Bureau of
Land Management and 21 years (and counting) with
the NPS We asked him a few questions about his
career and his thoughts on the Preserve.
MNPC: What brought you to the NPS?
Todd:

My childhood and the experiences that my parents

provided for me is what brought me to the NPS as a
career. I grew up in the city environment of
Minneapolis; my parents grew up on farms and
moved to Minneapolis for work. As a young child, I
spent many hours roaming around my
Grandparents' farm observing and interacting one
on one with the natural environment. Fortunate for
me, my Dad worked in a factory that shut down for
two weeks in the summer each year which meant
packing up the car and heading to National Parks. I
grew up hiking in the Rocky Mountains, wandering
through the cultural sites varying from Anasazi
dwellings in the Southwest to battleZields in the east
and spending many hours picnicking alongside
rivers, streams and lakes. I connected with the
natural and cultural treasures of the National Park
System at a young age and was drawn in by the
stories I heard at interpretive programs. I was
hooked.
(Continued, page 2, Interview)

Spring 2015

About the Conservancy

Our Mission is to preserve, protect, and promote the
unique natural beauty, ecological integrity, and rich
cultural history of the Mojave National Preserve, and
to build a community dedicated to the enduring
stewardship of the Preserve.

About the Preserve

Established by Congress in 1994, the Preserve

encompasses 1.6 million acres of mountains, jumble
rocks, sand dunes, desert washes, and dry lakes. The
Preserve offers many opportunities for solitude and
adventure, and protects a diverse array of plant and
animal life.

Fun Fact: There are over 830 different species of

native plants found in the Mojave National Preserve.

The cotton-top cactus (Echinocactus polycephalus). It

gets its name from the dense, woolly bloom that can
form at the top of the barrel.

(Continued) Interview with Superintendent Todd

Suess
MNPC: What was the most inspiring experience you
have had in your career? Most frightening?

These come in many forms and all take a toll on the

mission of the National Park Service.

I see it as my job to help lead park staff, partners and

visitors through these tough times we are currently
Todd:
in to a place where we are all working together to
There have been so many inspiring times in my
help preserve these amazing and specials places of
career so far, it is so hard to pick just one, however I the National Park System for the future generations.
do feel that these times do have a common thread,
the connection that people have or make to a certain MNPC: What does it mean to you to "get the desert"?
park or area of a park. My career has taken me to 10
Todd:
national park sites and I can think of a time in each
area that has given me that hair raising goosebump To get the desert to me means that somebody has
experience, the type that sets a Zire deep in you and gone beyond the misperception that deserts are hot
changes who you are or how you look at things. One and dry wastelands to comprehend the diverse,
memory that comes to mind is walking around
dynamic, ecosystem that the desert is. Just recently
Devils Tower with a Native American gentleman and my wife posted a picture on facebook that I took of
listening to his stories about what the tower meant her when we were out exploring the local desert. It
to him and his people. I found myself
was a landscape scale picture that showed
transformed back centuries from that
the vastness of this area as she was merely
moment in time and living in those times
a speck taking in the warmth and strength
through the stories he was telling me and
of the sun, like a lizard, resting on a large
feeling the change in my heart on what that
boulder. The comments that were
area meant to many in the past and present.
attached to this picture by others ranged
from those that get the desert to those
I recall walking in the Sonoran Desert
that did not. Those that understood this
outside Yuma, Arizona with the BLM area
environment commented about the
archeologist, we were looking at rock art
extreme beauty that there was to behold
and the desert trails that were used
centuries ago, as he told the stories of the art Superintendent Todd Suess in the openness and expanse of nature and
marveled at the smallness one felt at the
and how the trails were used I again felt a
size of my wife compared to the valley and mountain
change in me and knew that I would always hold
range beyond it. They understood that the space
that feeling in my soul. The natural environment
also can do this to a person. I feel the key is to take they saw was home to many animals and plants that
the time in life to take in the sense of place that you together made up something greater than a
Zind yourself at. That could be looking up to the sky wasteland and that it was an essential part of the
whole, that is earth. Those that did not get the
in a forest of old growth trees in the PaciZic
desert made comments in line with merely
Northwest or the Appalachian mountains and
feeling the history of the area through the years that temperature. For instance, wouldnt want to be
there in a few weeks when you cant even go outside
these trees represent, or becoming lost in the
or the ever common still cant understand why
transition of the desert sky from full daylight to
anyone would want to live in the desert."
sunset to a full heaven of stars. That is the
inspiration of the natural and cultural resources of
the world we live in and that are preserved within
our National Park System.

The most frightening moment in my career is now.

There are so many pressures on National Park
Service sites from multiple sources.

To get the desert is to understand and appreciate

what the desert holds to the point that you are awed
by, and emotionally moved by the sights, sounds and
feelings you draw from your experiences in the
desert environment.
I get the desert. (Continued, page 8, Interview)

Have Seeds Will Travel: How the Fate

of the Joshua Tree Lies With Rodents
By Paula Jacoby-Garrett

The iconic Joshua tree is an important and special

tree to the Mojave Desert. They are truly ancient,
with an average lifespan of 150 years and heights
upwards of 30 feet. Larger trees have been recorded
up to 60 feet in height with ages estimated up to
1000 years old. Although the term Joshua tree forest
is often used in areas with high densities, it is hardly
a forest in the traditional sense of the word. Their
elegant and distinctive silhouettes line the skyline
across our vast Mojave National Preserve and are a
favorite addition to many sunset photos.
The Joshua tree occurs only in the Mojave Desert
and was named by Mormon settlers to the area that
believed the tree looked like the biblical prophet
Joshua with arms raised to the heavens in prayer. It
is more closely related to grasses than trees and
growth is very slow about inch per year
depending on conditions. It prefers elevations from
4,000-5,000 feet and the associated cooler
temperatures and more abundant rainfall. In the
spring, the tree produces large white, fragrant
Zlowers that are pollinated by the yucca moth. The
moth caterpillars can lay dormant for several years
until conditions are ideal for emergence. Seeds are
produced after pollination and are carried in a large
seedpod, roughly the size of a walnut. These pods
can hold upward of Zifty seeds. Historically, the
seeds were dispersed by a giant, now-extinct sloth.
Joshua trees are an old species dating back two
million years. During that time, the climate was
cooler and moister. Giant ground sloths dispersed
the seeds by eating them then depositing them in
dung. A large animal, the sloth was capable of
traveling distances of 10 miles or more before
leaving a dung deposit. This plant/animal
relationship provided food for the sloth and a
mechanism of dispersal over large areas for the
Joshua tree. Fast-forward to about 13,000 years ago
and the warming climate forced the giant sloth into
extinction.
Presently, the Joshua tree relies on a much smaller
dispersal mechanism rodents. The small antelope
squirrel will climb the Joshua tree collecting seeds
while other rodents such as the kangaroo rat will
collect fallen seeds from the ground.

A visitor photographs one of the many Joshua trees along the

Teutonia Peak hiking trail in the Mojave National Preserve.
Photo by Shaun Gonzales

These species cache or hide food in the area, thereby

planting the seeds. The problem is, dispersal by
rodent has a much more limited range than dispersal
by sloth because rodents do not travel far.
In Kenneth Coles (et. al.) 2011 paper in Ecological
Applications, the authors suggest that managed
relocation, also known as assisted migration could
be a potential but controversial method for future
relocation - meaning humans might need to help with
the Joshua trees survival as climate change increases
area temperatures and decreases rainfall. We may
want to take the place of the sloth and the rodents
and plant the Joshua tree in suitable habitats. So as
the fate of the iconic Joshua tree has passed from
giant sloth to desert rodent, it may also need a little
help of a two legged variety.
Great places to see Joshua trees in the Mojave National
Preserve:
-Teutonia Peak trail, and around the Cima Dome area
-To the south and east of the New York Mountains via
the Cedar Canyon/Mojave Road/Lanfair Road

Featured Hike: Kessler Peak

By Michael E. Gordon

Kessler Peak is an isolated 6,163 foot summit in the

southern Ivanpah Mountains. From its summit, one
has a commanding view of the Ivanpah Mountains,
Teutonia Peak, New York Mountains, Providence
Mountains, Clark Mountain and numerous other
basins and ranges of the northern Mojave Desert.
There are a few ways to the top; this author has
chosen to illustrate the fastest and most direct line
of ascent. There are no trails, no cairns, and no
footprints to follow. As with most desert peaks, this
is a steep, trail-less, quick, and highly rewarding
ascent. Via this route, anticipate approximately
1,200' gain and loss in elevation
over 3 to 5 miles of travel.

Getting there: from the stop sign
at Cima, drive Cima Road
northbound toward Interstate-15
for 5.8 miles and watch carefully
for the dirt road (the unsigned
Kessler Peak Road) on your right
just before Cima Road angles
toward the left. If you're coming
southbound from I-15, this road
will be on your left (east) about
0.6 miles past the signed Teutonia
Peak trailhead. On Kessler Peak
Road, continue one mile north to
a junction on your right (east).
Turn right here and continue 0.3
miles to another junction. Park
here or somewhere nearby (do
not obstruct the main road).
To return to your car, retrace your steps or take
guidebook author Michel Digonnet's advice (Hiking
the Mojave Desert) to walk the summit ridge
northeast through Joshua trees, junipers, grasses,
and Ivanpah Granite outcrops toward the New York
Mountains viewpoint access road found in the deep
notch on the north side of Kessler. Follow this road
westbound back to your car about 1.5 miles away.
Disclaimer: The Preserve offers countless
opportunities for hiking and exploration. Not all
trails are developed or well-signed. The Mojave
National Preserve Conservancy declines all
responsibility for any emotional or physical injuries

sustained during this outing. Hikers should be

experienced, in good health and Zitness, and should
carry a map and compass along with knowledge and
experience in their use.

For further information:

Hiking the Mojave Desert (2013); Michel Digonnet
(sold at Kelso Depot visitor center)
USGS 7.5" "Cima Dome" topographical map
National Geographic Mojave National Preserve map
(sold at Kelso Depot visitor center)

Renewable Energy and the Preserve

By Shaun Gonzales

The Conservancy has taken an active role in

advocating for a greater focus on sustainability in
the development of renewable energy. Industrial-
scale renewable energy projects can harm the
wildlife and treasured landscapes we seek to spare
from the effects of climate change if not sited
properly. A more sustainable and wildlife-friendly
response to climate change emphasizes energy
efZiciency, distributed generation (such as rooftop
solar), and larger projects on already-disturbed
lands closer to the cities where that energy is
consumed.
The Conservancy has submitted comments to
Federal and State agencies responsible for
evaluating renewable energy policies to highlight
the many qualities of the desert that are at stake.
Companies have proposed multiple large solar and
wind projects just beyond the boundaries of the
Preserve, some of which are now operational or
under construction in the Ivanpah Valley. The
Conservancy continues to monitor the following
proposals:
Soda Mountain Solar
The Soda Mountain solar project would destroy as
much as four square miles of desert wildlands west
and northwest of Zyzzx. If built, the solar project
would eliminate one of the only opportunities to
restore habitat connectivity for desert bighorn
sheep across Interstate-15. The construction of
highways across the desert has resulted in a decline
in genetic diversity among bighorn sheep because
sheep populations become isolated and unable to
mix, according to biological studies. This loss of
genetic diversity challenges the species' ability to
adapt to a number of challenges, including those
caused by climate change.

Scientists are also concerned that the proposed solar

project might pump enough groundwater to cause
natural springs in the area to go dry. The natural
springs provide critical water supply to a range of
wildlife, and also provide habitat for the endangered
Mohave tui chub, a rare Zish found in the Mojave
National Preserve.

Crescent Peak Wind

At least one company is considering building a large
wind project immediately outside the northeastern
boundary of the Preserve in Nevada. The project
would pose a threat to the area's high concentration of
golden eagles, as well as other birds and bats. The
sprawling project would also carve new access roads
through desert tortoise habitat, and install turbines
standing over 300 feet high along ridges overlooking
the Preserve. Many visitors to the Preserve enjoy an
escape from cities, where human structures dominate
the landscape. Large industrial-scale projects on the
horizon would impede the primitive, unconZined
experience that the Preserve offers to visitors.
Silurian Valley
Iberdrola has proposed building a wind and solar
project in this valley north of the Mojave National
Preserve. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has
identiZied a critical desert tortoise habitat corridor
through the Silurian Valley. A segment of the Old
Spanish Trail - a National Historic Trail once used by
Native Americans, Spanish explorers, settlers and
traders - also crosses through the valley. The
relatively undisturbed nature of the Silurian Valley
provides a rare opportunity for visitors to experience
the area as it was seen by earlier generations.
Historic travelers along the Old Spanis Trail relied
upon natural springs just north of the Silurian Valley
near Salt Creek for water, and also at Soda Springs
near modern-day Zyzzx Road in the Preserve.

Better Alternatives
We can minimize the threat to wildlands during our
Biologists assess that building wildlife overpasses
transition to clean energy. A study published by
or wider culverts might reverse this genetic decline Nature found that California has enough potential
because sheep would then be able to safely cross
within the "built environment" to meet its solar
over or under the highway, and have identiZied the
energy needs. A separate study by McKinsey and
Soda Mountain area as a key location for a potential Company identiZied enough non-transportation
crossing. If the Soda Mountain Solar project is built, energy efZiciency gains to reduce U.S. energy
it could block a potential crossing since sheep may
consumption by 23%. With the right policies, we can
keep their distance from industrial development.
steer investment toward these sustainable objectives
and protect our wildlands.

The Soda Mountains in the distance host a healthy population of bighorn sheep. Barely visible is Interstate-15.
Biologists hope that a wildlife overpass built across the highway could connect isolated populations of bighorn
sheep in the Mojave National Preserve with populations further north, giving the species a greater chance of
surviving climate change. Becthel's plans to build a solar project here could disrupt any chance for improving
sheep habitat connectivity. Photo by Michael E. Gordon.

Natural Treasures at Risk

Desert bighorn sheep in the Soda Mountains, Mojave

National Preserve. Sheep in the Preserve have
experienced a decline in genetic diversity because they
are unable to frequently cross Interstate-15 and
Interstate-40. Wildlife overpasses could help.
Photo by Shaun Gonzales

The natural springs in the Mojave National Preserve provide

habitat for the endangered Mohave tui chub, and water for
other desert wildlife. Groundwater pumping for industrial-
scale energy projects could jeopardize this critical ecosytem.
Photo by Shaun Gonzales

Arachnids in the Mojave

By Lucas Basulto

You encounter them at the least opportune times.

When you are hiking on your favorite trail in the
Preserve. When you are settling in to your tent at
night after a long day exploring. When you are
putting on your boots the next morning. They are
there, they creep you out. But they really shouldnt!

crossing a road on your drive through the Preserve,

youll know its a male by the tibial hooks on his
front legs, appreciate the fact that he could have been
born two or more presidencies ago! He could have
seen the turn of the century. If you are fortunate
enough to Zind a female on a hike or while camping,
know that she could have been born in the 1980s!

We love our desert bighorn sheep and tortoises; they

make our desert all the more attractive, they are
When one hears the term creepy-crawly most
icons. Tarantulas may not be as nice to look at, but
peoples minds jump immediately to Arachnids
they are an icon of the west, and of the Mojave all the
(Spiders and Scorpions mainly). Needless to say this same. They deserve equal amounts of respect and
family of invertebrates is the most renowned for
consideration when encountered during your visit.
giving people the Heebie-jeebies. These are the
The Mojaves insect life is tough to love, but if you
invertebrates that you will encounter most often in take the time to look a little closer at them you will
the Mojave National Preserve. Members of this
Zind that they are quite fascinating.
group may be some of the creepiest of our deserts
fauna, but they are also

some of the most
fascinating!
Tarantulas in our Mojave
Desert of the genus
Aphonopelma are some
of the most well adapted
animals on the planet.
They live their entire life
buried in the dry, sun-
scorched earth and only
eat when the odd beetle
or wandering Banded
Gecko is unfortunate
enough to Zind her
quarter-sized hole in the
ground. Research has
shown that certain
species of tarantula
native to the Mojave
construct their burrow's turret (opening to its
burrow) in the form of a mound so that Zlash Zlood
waters have less of a chance of Zlooding their home.
It has also been proposed that this mound has a dual
purpose in that it will also deter scorpions from
entering.
The tarantulas here are also a very long-lived
species. Because food is so scarce in our desert, the
tarantula grows at a supremely slow rate and
spiderlings can take upwards to 30+ years to reach
maturity if they are female, and 15+ if they are male.
So the next time you see a wandering male tarantula

A tarantula on a dry lake bed in the Mojave

Desert. Every species in the desert plays a role
in a vast and complex ecosystem.
Photo by Michael E. Gordon.

Interview, continued from page 2

MNPC: As the new Superintendent of the
incomparable Mojave National Preserve, what
are your short term goals?

place that encapsulates the sights, sounds, and

feelings of the Preserve so that when they left that
place it would be forever stuck in their minds and
heart in a way that they would carry it with them and
share the emotion with others.

I feel this could be many different areas and could be

different for any one person. It could be in the dead
One of my short term goals as the new
of winter experiencing a cool rain while hiking up the
Superintendent of Mojave National Preserve is to
sand dunes, or in the spring when the sunlight hits
learn. Learn about all the amazing things that make
the Preserve the special place that it is. I would like the cactus blooms in that way that you have to stop
to learn as much as I can about the Preserve and the the car and take in the beauty not worrying about
where you were headed or when you will get there.
desert so that I can, in the long term, become an
advocate for the desert. I would like to convert
It could be enjoying a picnic lunch on the side of the
those that dont get the desert to those that do and road marveling at the cinder cones and wondering
in doing so build the number of advocates the
what it was like when this area was formed, or in the
Preserve and the desert has.
depot reading about the history of the area and
I also want to learn about who makes up the face of imagining yourself living in the desert back in the
the Preserve, starting Zirst with the staff that keep
day. It could be camping out in the summer with
the doors open, keep the facilities working well, pay anticipation for the sun to go down, for cooler
the bills and do other needed administrative duties, temperatures and the transformation of the desert
protect the resources and our visitors and tell the
sky from blazing blue to brilliant starlight. Most
stories. Then meet and learn about our park
likely that place that I would show somebody is the
friends , and meet our new park's friends of the
place that I am not yet familiar with and that shows
future.
itself unexpectedly. I will know that I am in that place
Another goal is to start to understand where the
when the person or people with me let out that
Preserve is in its 20+ year new park site evolution. audible exclamation that they just got what the
Where have we come from and where do we need to
desert is about.
go. Much good work has been put into getting us to
this point. I would like to build on this effort and
MNPC: You get the Ginal word: What do you want
take us farther down the road. What is it that the
to share with Conservancy members?
Preserve needs to be in 10 years from now to serve
the visitor and protect the resources. How can we
Todd:
get there in the conditions that we are working
under now and how do we structure the staff to get I would like to share two words with conservancy
us there are two important question to start looking members. Thank you. Thank you for being partners
into.
with us and for working alongside the National Park
The last of the short term goals that I will mention is Service in helping us fulZill our mission and in turn
to have fun with my new position and share with
you fulZill your mission to protect, preserve and enjoy
others the passion that I have for carrying out the
the resources of the desert while being good
mission of the National Park Service.
stewards to the land. Thank you for taking up the
causes that need attention and being the advocates
MNPC: If you could show someone one place in
the Preserve, where would it be?
and promoters that we need. Thank you for helping
to educate those that dont get the desert Thank
Todd:
you for being there to pick up a tool and help mend
I have not yet been to many areas of the Preserve,
something or pick up trash to restore an area, we can
but what I would show someone would not be
always use that extra hand and a friend.
speciZic to any one place. Instead, it would be a
Todd:

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE CONSERVANCY

400 S. 2nd Avenue #213
Barstow, CA 92311
WWW.PRESERVETHEMOJAVE.ORG
760-957-7887

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