A Slice of Spring Birding Along the Amargosa, By Len Warren

For most of America, springtime and birds go together. Singing birds mean sunshine, warmth, and new growth. Along the Amargosa River, spring begins for year-round resident birds as early as December.

Crissal Thrashers, named after their ‘crissum” or undertail, which has lovely orange brown feathers, begin to sing. These large, long-tailed, yellow-eyed, hook-beaked mimics are rarely found much further west than the Amargosa Basin, and not further north than Ash Meadows. Their subtle, long, complex songs, which can last twenty minutes non-stop, mimic many other bird species.

Deciphering a recorded Crissal Thrasher song can be fascinating. With an experienced ear, one can recognize songs, alarm, and distress calls of unexpected species. I’ve recognized hummingbird attack calls, marsh bird location calls, and excellent imitations of birds of prey! They sing to delineate the claiming of dense mesquite territories, while trying to attract a mate. Officially, little is known about the nest-building process of the Crissal Thrasher. I however, have been fortunate to have secretly filmed this process.

For those interested in viewing a video entitled "Amidst Crissal Thrashers", click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jb7yOa4owk

One of the most wonderful sights to see, after “nest site selection”, is when the nest building process begins. Over sixteen seasons of searching for nests of desert songbirds, I have been present only a few times to witness the very first threads of spider web, fine bark, grasses, or twigs laid down on the selected spot. Watching this magic moment, while sitting motionless, always makes me feel somehow intricately connected to nature.

Photo from Cameron Mayer

Getting to Know FAB: Cameron Mayer, Executive Director

The Mission of FAB is “Supporting the Diversity of Life in the Amargosa Basin by Protecting its Land, Water and Beauty”. As our Friends, we encourage you to visit and explore the Amargosa! All along the way, we want to provide information and images to make the area we love ever more familiar to you. An e-newsletter, which we launch today with this inaugural issue, is one way we hope to share the Amargosa magic. Each issue will feature a spotlight on one of our people, digging a little deeper into their lives and motivation. We start with Executive Director Cameron Mayer.

Hi Friends! I was born in Riverside, California, where I spent my early years before moving to Long Beach, California for high school, and later, college. I attended California State University Long Beach (CSULB) as an undergraduate from 2016-2019, majoring in Geography and Comparative World Literature (CWL), with a minor in Environmental Science & Policy (ES&P). I further attended CSULB for grad school from 2020-2022 for my Geography Master of Arts degree.

It was the ES&P minor in undergrad, and specifically a California Environmental Issues class taught by Monica Argandona, that first brought me to Shoshone and the Amargosa in the fall of 2017, where I have visited at least annually since, until finally moving here in May 2023. While there are definite adjustments to moving here after living in large cities my whole life, such as searing summers, potential for social isolation, and having to drive sixty miles round-trip to the grocery store, the beauty of the land and endless recreational opportunities, colorful characters in our small towns, and non-stop inspiration for my writing offer much to combat any and all challenges.

I bounced around some odd jobs and opportunities before coming to FAB. I taught as a teacher’s assistant for a couple of years in three different CSULB departments (Geography, CWL, and Philosophy), volunteered with the Aquarium of the Pacific and Willow Springs park in Long Beach, worked as a dispatcher for a logistics company, and even briefly was hired as a human resources staffer at the Bureau of Land Management Alaska state office in Anchorage - which definitely wasn’t for me.

I knew I wanted to advocate for, and work in, public lands, especially in the California desert. I am most excited when I have the opportunity to take anyone out on the landscape for a field trip, or even to give a presentation highlighting the beautiful and irreplaceable resources of the Amargosa Basin. The land just speaks for itself.

Daily work as an Executive Director for a nonprofit organization is always a juggle of different tasks and opportunities, from fundraising to event planning, outreach to diverse stakeholders, administrative duties and grant writing, and zoom meetings with conservation partners, among other tasks. My favorite times, of course, are when I can meet people out on the land for activities such as habitat restoration, outdoor meetings, and trips with students or partners that we're working with.

In my free time I write poetry, watch too many sporting events, read books, plan dates and hikes with my girlfriend Christiana and our dogs Meadow and Riley, and serve as a board member of the Southern Inyo Fire Protection District (SIFPD) to give back to the community that I love.

Graphic from OnX Maps

Diversity of our Federal Lands: Ash Meadows NWR, By Janet Foley

Ash Meadows, a jewel in the Mojave Desert

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is the perfect place to start our exploration of federal lands because it is right next door to the Amargosa. See the handy schematic above for a summary of federal lands management. NWRs are under the auspices of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) within the Department of Interior.

With land purchased by the Nature Conservancy in 1983, Ash Meadows as a refuge was officially founded in 1984 and named after all the ash trees found at the site. As a national wildlife refuge, its stated purpose is to protect its threatened and endangered species, implemented through environmental education and outreach programs, “voluntarism and visitor services programs”. As a NWR, there are numerous regulations, including restrictions of vehicles to designated roads, leashed pets, restrictions on hunting (aside from some waterfowl in this case) and no fishing, no swimming, no camping, no horseback riding, and no disturbance of cultural resources.

Ash Meadows is, by any stretch of the imagination, spectacular. Dotted around the landscape are these clear pools of water fed by natural springs and featuring stunning colors, little patches of algae and small, colorful pupfish. In fact, the Devil’s Hole pupfish are endangered and water levels in the Devil’s Hole must be maintained legally to support them, limiting agriculture and other water withdrawal. These pupfish are just one of the 26 endemic plant and animal species at Ash Meadows, meaning a species found only in this one place. As a biological “hotspot”, Ash Meadows has many more common desert residents like roadrunners, antelope ground squirrels, and numerous lizard species. Besides ash, another abundant plant is the honey mesquite tree, the pods of which are culturally important as a traditional food to the local Nuwuvi and Newe people.

Ash Meadows is in an area that used to be (10,000 years ago) very wet, but over time, lakes and rivers dried up, leaving behind desert and little relict springs and seeps. Native Americans, not surprisingly, have relied on the water holes and cultivated mesquite, corn, beans, and squash (the “three sisters”), and sunflowers for generations. Native peoples then encountered European settlers, including miners and others. At Ash Meadows, you can visit the cabin of a famous local example, Jack Longstreet, where the prospector and horse breeder lived from 1894-1899.

Water is a very precious resource at Ash Meadows. With only 3 inches of rainfall a year, most water needed for life at Ash Meadows comes from the underground “fossil aquifer” bubbling up in various seeps and springs. Overuse of water throughout the region can and does deplete the aquifer, however. Other big threats to Ash Meadows include human development, large-scale solar farming, mineral extraction, and non-native species, such as salt cedar, which compete against other plants and extract large amounts of water. Importantly, activities like lithium mining don’t have to be exactly within Ash Meadows NWR property to threaten the wildlife on the reserve with the connectedness of the underground aquifer system.

Today there are opportunities at Ash Meadows to hike, run, paint, discover history, and explore the lives of desert plants and animals. Nevertheless, as a wildlife refuge, it is paramount that visitors respect the plants and animals trying to eke out their existence in a tough environment.

After your trip to Ash Meadows, come on over and check us out in the Amargosa!

Access the above graphic and further information on public land designations here: https://www.onxmaps.com/blog/federal-public-land-guide

Photo from Google images

Food For the Body and Soul, By Janet Foley

Beyond the nutritious bar, it’s wonderful to have something a little salty, a little sweet, and very healthy to sustain you when you’re doing desert hikes around the Amargosa! This granola recipe, from board member Janet Foley, is just a little sweet, comes together in about half an hour plus cooking, and can be stored dried for months. We recommend pairing this healthy granola with a very tart cheese.

2 cups dried oats, use high-quality NON-instant oats.
½ cup coarsely-chopped dried fruit, such as craisins, currants, dried apricots, or a mix.
½ cup pepitas.
½ cup sunflower seeds.
½ cup coarsely chopped tree nuts- I like a mix, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, whatever you like works too!
Cinnamon, maybe 2 teaspoons?
Turmeric, maybe ½ a teaspoon? (try fresh, it’s amazing! I slice thinly, no need to peel. Dry it in an air frier, grind in a spice grinder, and use it immediately!).
Salt, depends on your tastes, I like a lot of salt so I use a full teaspoon.
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 Tablespoons of coconut flakes
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup liquid sweet stuff, such as maple syrup, agave or a mix, but definitely consider local China Ranch date syrup!!!

Mix all the ingredients together, layer on a cookie sheet (plus or minus parchment paper, I just use a clean pan and skip the parchment), and cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Let cool completely, and then break up clumps and store in sealed glass jars.

Photo from Reddit

A Little Desert Humor, By Mackenzie Banta

Two chickens are working out in the Tecopa health club.

One chicken says to the other “You know, every time I come here, you’re working out. You must work out a lot!”

The second chicken says “Yup, I’m working on my pecks”.

Events & Notices

Our lineup of events this spring included:

- A geology walk to the locally famous "Black Stripe", led by board member and geologist Darrel Cowan on January 12th.

- Vole Fest 2025, headlined by board member and Amargosa Vole scientist Janet Foley and fellow Vole scientist Deana Clifford on March 29th.

- An unveiling of a new book of desert wildflower poetry by Executive Director Cameron Mayer at the Shoshone Museum on March 30th (an excerpt is included at the bottom of this newsletter).

- A bird walk, led by board member and birder Len Warren, into the Shoshone wetlands along the blue trail and ending by the 'pupfish ponds' on April 12th.

While we don't at this time have any impending events, stay tuned for virtual offerings this summer and more in-person events in the fall as the weather cools down again.

Stay in contact with FAB and follow us on social media, send this newsletter to a friend (or friends), and check our website (https://friendsoftheamargosabasin.org/) for information, events, updates, and more!