Desert Springs are truly hotspots of biodiversity where we find, compared to the rest of the desert,
many more species of grasses and trees so that creates a truly unique ecosystem
where other birds and wildlife and plants gravitate towards these areas of standing
pools and flowing water. In the vast expanse of the Mojave Desert these desert springs are a true oasis. Our program is called the Inventory and Monitoring Program. We're
here studying various vital signs just like the vital signs for our own bodies, whether
it's blood pressure or a heartbeat and so these are kind of the the heartbeat of the
parks whether they be animals, plants, water. Especially in the Mojave Desert, those are all
things that you really have to pay attention to to manage these resources in these parks.
We're monitoring for any kind of change that could happen over time, whether it's an anthropogenic
change due to humans, we also monitor for any kind of natural change. We are trying to sample a large
area of what we have here and seeing how our plant community might be shifting over time. Maybe some
kind of shrub is becoming more abundant than it was before or maybe some kind of grass has reduced
its distribution over time. And we're interested in those changes because since these springs
support so much wildlife any kind of change in that community could really change the greater
ecological community of the whole entire Mojave Desert. Blue Point Spring was actually the location
where the relict leopard frog was rediscovered after thought to be extinct for many years. The
relict leopard frog are very sensitive to their environment. Water quality is very important. Amphibians in general are facing a worldwide crisis. Many species are on the brink of extinction.
The vegetation is important as a source of cover for the frogs, but they also need open
pools. And so we do some monitoring to make sure that the vegetation hasn't encroached too much.
Blue Point Spring and some of the other Springs like it here at Lake Mead National Recreation
Area provides the necessary habitat to keep these frogs from extinction.
So when we visit a desert spring we collect data on several different properties. First, if water is present at the
spring, we measure how much water there is and if it's flowing. And this is our most important data
that we collect because it allows us to know where in each park that water is available to wildlife.
This sensor measures water quality, so it measures temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and
conductivity. We also look for evidence of wildlife use, such as animal tracks. This is
Mail Spring in Mojave Preserve. It's a typical small desert spring that we see throughout our
network. It has a small surface area and it's shallow, but we see evidence that it is used
by wildlife and it is important ecologically. Springs in the desert may not look drinkable
from a human perspective, but it is actually full of aquatic insects that depend on that
water to survive. And so when we see those insects we know that the water is healthy
for other animals in the area like bighorn sheep. So we're here at Saratoga Springs in
Death Valley National Park and I'm collecting a benthic macroinvertebrates sample. I just want to
lower my net down to the bottom of the spring. So we're looking for macro invertebrates which are
bugs that we can see with the naked eye - so beetles and snails and those sort of aquatic organisms.
So at different locations throughout the spring, we collect organisms from the bottom of the spring
and we try to get samples from as many places throughout the spring as possible to understand
the entire spring ecosystem. And these species can then tell us about the health of the spring.
We are at 49 Palms Oasis on the northern edge of Joshua Tree National Park. This place
is special for a variety of reasons. This has been a destination for thousands of years for
humans, for wildlife. The information that the Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program
provides Joshua Tree is critical for the care-taking of this special place, the Oasis itself.
Because of the biodiversity, the unique wildlife that depends on this area it's really critical
for us to understand what is the water quality here, what's the health of the vegetation - all
those things play into factors that help us make good decisions to provide a place for our
visitors to come and enjoy the shade and enjoy the beauty of the place but also balance that
with the wildlife that rely on this unique area. Now more than ever it is critical for
parks as we go into the 21st century to really use science to make decisions. We're not in a
position anymore to speculate. We actually need to have the data in hand to really understand
what's going on. We have increased visitation and that can create conflicts between wildlife
and visitors and rather than put our best guess forward, it's great to have actual data in hand
to make well-informed decisions and explain that back to the public. The world is changing.
We need to understand how these changes will affect the landscape, from the cultural history
we preserve to the wild habitats like desert springs we protect, the team from Inventory
and Monitoring gives us the critical science so we can move forward with a vision. We cannot be
true to our mission to protect and preserve without understanding what is happening.