Generally, everyone who can leaves Palm Springs in the summer months (mostly retirees and college students). Temperatures rise to over 100 daily and the dry heat makes it feel like the inside of a furnace. Natural vegetation in the Coachella Valley is sparse: pokey cacti, bushy mesquite trees and Dr. Seuss-esque Joshua trees dot the sandy, rocky landscape. However, this will be my living conditions for the next few months.

Overlooking Palm Springs from the South Lykken Trail

I am the CBG BLM intern at the Palm Springs South Coast Field Office. Fortunately, my time will be allocated to the Dos Palmas Preserve, a 14,880 acre ACEC that includes a series of fan palm oases just east of the Salton Sea on the San Andreas Fault. The oases are fed by groundwater from the Orocopia and Chocolate Mountains, as well as seepage from the Coachella Canal. The canal was lined with concrete in 2006, thus reducing the seepage for water conservation, but at the detriment to the oases. Mitigation measures are in place to ensure the survival of the oases and the endangered species that live in that habitat (Ridgeway Rail, California Black Rail and Desert Pupfish). My work will consist of administering transects for vegetation monitoring, seed collection for “Seeds of Success”, and helping with other projects on the preserve as needed (such as surveying desert pupfish, soil studies, water isotope studies and replacing trail counters seen in the picture above).

Dos Palmas Preserve via Google Maps

This first week was a brief introduction to the Preserve, which included reading relevant literature (EIS/EIR, monitoring reports, public law, preliminary isotope study and tamarisk removal methods), attending a Biological Working Group meeting with representatives from BLM, California Fish and Wildlife Service, US Geologic Survey, Bureau of Reclamation, Coachella Valley Water District, and San Diego County Water Authority and a quick visit to the site. It has been a lot of information to absorb and understand as to how all the processes function smoothly. I have also learned about associations and projects within this particular BLM Field Office.

 17 acre Created Marsh at Dos Palmas Preserve

Barn Ponds at Dos Palmas Preserve, vital habitat for desert pupfish

What stood out the most is the passion these employees have for their projects. It is great to be surrounded by people who care about getting the job done correctly, whether that project is restoring a desert riparian habitat, facilitating land transfers, replacing trail counters or recovering an entire intact piece of pottery (as our staff archeologist did earlier this week!). Everyone is positive, up-beat and eager to help me get adjusted, both to life in the office and in the city of Palm Springs.