Author: Michael Engelhard Book Review by: Steve Dudrow Available for preorder in Kindle format and paperback now and coming soon to your local bookstores. Engelhard weaves the reader through many familiar places around the Colorado Plateau stepping past mere eyesight to bring life to the human and geographic story. His descriptions warn of seasonal fluctuations..
Ahhhh yes, it’s that time again, if you are a male tarantula! Every year as we approach the cooler temperature of fall, millions of male tarantulas will begin their “migration” to find a female to mate with. Some may think it is all an elaborate arachnid romance, but the reality is that for most of..
Have you ever visited Gold Butte National Monument (GBNM) during summer? There is no way to sugar coat it: to us, the heat is brutal and unrelenting! Now imagine that this is where you live. For the plants and animals that live in GBNM, survival depends on various physical adaptations and behavioral strategies. The key..
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..
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..
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..
