Now four weeks into my internship with the BLM down in the heart of the Mojave Desert in Needles, CA, it’s starting to get HOT!  And you know what that means . . .  the lizards are out!

I am working on a occupancy study of the Mojave Fringe-toed Lizard, Uma scoparia, within the Needles Field Office. First off, a little bit of the MFTL’s natural history:  The MFTL is an eolian sand specialist, living only on windblown dune complexes throughout the Mojave desert, and is a California Dept. of Fish & Game species of special concern, and a BLM sensitive species.  These dune systems are separated from each other, causing the species to be fragmented within it’s range, with virtually no chance of dispersal between systems.  A close relative, U. inornata, the Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard, is currently listed as threatened by US Fish & Wildlife, and endangered by CA Fish & Game.   Federal listing could be the fate of the MFTL if appropriate management actions are not taken!

More to come as the project progresses and the desert heats up!

Jeff