Well, it’s hot.  Eight weeks into my internship with the BLM down in Needles, CA, and the temperature in town hit 110F today.  It may be hot for us out in the field, but it’s perfect weather for the Mojave Fringe-toed Lizards (MFTL)!

Adult Male Mojave Fringe-toed Lizard

Plots have been laid out, and surveys have begun!  MFTLs are diurnal, and only active in the morning and evening due to the extreme sand surface temperatures (i.e. 160F) during midday.  I am therefore surveying for lizards several mornings per week at two different locations, Coyote Holes and Ludlow Dunes, within the field office.  We are also looking at the vegetation and sand compaction characteristics of the different plot locations.

Habitat Patch at Coyote Holes

Ludlow Dunes

Another part of my overall project is the inventory of all of the known MFTL locations within the Needles Field Office.  I have taken trips to some of the locations, such as Cadiz Dunes and Crucero Hill, and have several more to visit.

Cadiz Dunes

Crucero Hill

That is it for now, but much more to come later.  I’ve got six more weeks of surveys before the lizard season is over, and a lot to do before then.

Jeff Gicklhorn

BLM Needles Field Office