Dave WardNovember, 2020 Winter may bring short, cold days, but on a clear frosty night the brightest stars of the year dazzle us. If you really want to see them in their glory, be sure to get away from distracting lights. The stars, bright though they may be, can not compete with Rudolf’s blinking red..
It is that time of year where the Milky Way (actually The Carina–Sagittarius Arm, but that is a subject for another time) emerges from its winter in the Southern Hemisphere and begins to show its galactic center in our northern latitudes. Starting in February it rises in the South-East around 2 AM and rises earlier each..
When night falls out at Gold Butte N.M., do not just crawl into your tent and give up on the natural beauty of our scenic national monument. Some of the best treasures of our public lands in remote places come on display after dark. If you are enjoying a campfire, step away from it for..
Hollow-pipe mining-claim markers were set up by prospectors during about 1970 to 1990 to mark the corners of their claims. Prior to that time, prospectors in the western deserts used piles of stones (cairns) as corner markers. As would be expected, looking for a pile of stones in the desert, which many people feel is “just..
My wife, Susan, and I love sunsets. We love to watch the sunset, and we love to photograph the sunset. We have photographed sunsets from Isle au Haut in Acadia, to Glacier Bay N.P. in Alaska; from the eastern tip of St. Croix to the westernmost shore of Kauai. We have taken pictures of beach..
Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) live throughout Gold Butte, but must remain fairly close to water (e.g., Lake Mead, mountain springs). Look for Bighorns on ridgelines and near rocky cliffs where they feel safe from predators. Desert Bighorn Sheep are large sheep of desert mountains with a tan coat and white rump. Adult males are..
Gold Butte National Monument photography fans, think about joining Nevada Magazine for FOCUS 6 Vegas on February 19 at the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas. Enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow photographers, network and a day talking our favorite hobby, photography. Steve Dudrow – Friends of Gold Butte Volunteer
The Winter night sky over Gold Butte National Monument is filled with the brightest stars that we can see all year long. I know it is cold out there, but cold air is actually much clearer than warm air so the stars will shine like you have never seen them before. Maybe you just want..
Below is a Gold Butte National Monument area dark skies map. Gold butte is only slightly impacted by Las Vegas and Mesquite; so it has minimal light pollution making a good location for amateur astronomers, astrophotography and night skies photography. Here is a link to a full dark skies map for the world: https://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html#7/36.364/-115.763 — Mitchel..
Desert Tortoises, the only land turtles in Nevada, live throughout Gold Butte from the lowest elevations to about 4,500 feet elevation. Tortoise populations are declining throughout much of their range, but they are doing particularly well on the slopes above Mesquite leading into the foothills of the Virgin Mountains.Desert Tortoises have a moderately domed, brownish shell..
