Monday, December 1, 2008

Chapter 13 Cultural Regions




Chapter 13 Culture
The land of the Mojave, the most northern of the Yuman tribes, stretched from Black Canyon to the Picacho Mountains below today’s Parker Dam, straddling the Colorado River.
In the 16th Century, the time the Spanish arrived in the territory, the Mojaves were the largest concentration of people in the Southwest. The people Mojave Tribe lived in three groups - the northern Matha lyathum lived from Black Canyon to the Mojave Valley; the central Hutto-pah inhabited the central Mojave Valley; the territory of the southern Kavi lyathum extended from the Mojave Valley to below Needles Peaks.
The Mojaves live within a clan system that was given to them in First Time by Mastamho. They were named for things above the Earth - the sun, clouds and birds: and for things of the Earth and below the Earth. Mastamho gave the Mojaves 22 patrilinear clans (today that number is reduced to 18), and the children took the name of their father’s clan, though only women used the clan name.
A hereditary chief, called the aha macav pina ta’ahon, along with leaders from the three regional groups of the Mojave, governed the people, but only with their continued support and approval.
The Mojaves were a people of dreams and visions. The dreams, su’mach, were viewed as the source of knowledge. Through them the dreamer could return to the time of creation where the origin of all things would be revealed. Great dreams and visions were related to the tribe as Great Tellings and Sings. They shared the history and legends of the people, deeds of bravery and war, magic and heroes.
And through sumach a’hot, a person was given a gift to do one thing better than others, or called upon to receive a gift of knowledge to know how to cure or treat a special kind of illness. A person called to receive such a gift had to go through much fasting and other trials, sometimes not passing the test and remaining like ordinary people. For those who passed such a test, the Mojaves say of them, "sumach a’hot," they are gifted.

For the Aha Macav, the river was the center of existence. They practiced a dry farming method, relying on the regular overflow of the Colorado River to irrigate crops planted along the banks. Preparation was painstaking; trees were felled, brush cleared. After planting, there was constant weeding and watching for pests. They supplemented this with wild seeds and roots, especially mesquite beans, game and fish taken from the river with traps and nets.
Traders, Potters The Afterlife
The Mojave could be a fierce people willing to protect their land, and willing to venture far from it. They traveled to the Pacific Coast, becoming proficient traders. They exchanged with coastal tribes surplus crops for goods they desired and valued, such as shells.
And back along the banks of the river, they made pottery from sedimentary clay and crushed sandstone. The material was coiled into shape, dried, painted and fired in either open pits or rudimentary kilns. They created pots, bowls, ladles and dishes decorated with geometric designs. And the women took the crafts further by making unique pottery dolls for the children, dressing and decorating them like people, complete with human hair.
The art of tattoo was important to the Mojave. They tattooed their faces with lines and dots - a cosmetic, fashionable practice.
And at death, the Mojaves used cremation to enter the spirit world. The property and belongings of the deceased were placed on a pyre along with the body, to accompany the spirits. Mourners often contributed their own valuables as a showing of love. The names of the dead were never again spoken
http://www.nps.gov/archive/moja/mojahtm2.htm
Surprise Tank is in the Rodman Mountains about 20 miles east of Barstow. It was a stopping place for early people to get water and many cultures traveled through here over time. Some included some hunter gatherers, Shoshone and Paiute. More recently the Vanyume lived nearby.
.The name Mojave came from the Mojave Indians who lived along the water.
There may have been as many as six different Native American tribes who contributed to the culture of the region. We have found pottery, ceramics, arrowheads from different settlements.
Some interesting developments were the roasting pits found in Red Rock Canyon. .”Roasting pits are circular areas of fire-cracked and whitened limestone. They can vary in size from ground level circles five to six feet in diameter, to huge piles several yards high with large sloping sides. Roasting pits were used to roast various foods such as agave hearts, desert tortoise and possibly other plant and animal foods.” ROCK ART Rock art comes in two varieties, petroglyphs and pictographs. The difference between the two types is the manner in which they were made. Petroglyphs were pecked into the surface of the rock. Pictographs were painted on the rock. In Red Rock Canyon NCA a coating of dark "desert varnish" on lighter sandstone provides the perfect medium for petroglyphs, which are the most common of the two types of rock art found at Red Rock Canyon NCA. If you want to discover some petroglyphs firsthand, the Red Spring area has a wide variety of different styles on the cliff face's and fallen boulders. Rock art is both enduring and fragile. It has lasted hundreds of years, yet many panels have been recently defaced by graffiti. Climbing on panels can also damage the art, as can attempts to embellish the petroglyphs for photographic purposes. These practices, are destructive and should not be done. http://digital-desert.com/red-rock-canyon-nca/cultural.html

Chapter 12 Human Impact on Environment






Chapter 12 Human Impact on the Environment

Fortunately, we have recognized that the Mojave Desert is a fragile environment that needs to preserved and protected. This Desert includes over 32 million acres of which most is managed by federal agencies.
About 80 percent of the Mojave Desert in California is managed by federal agencies. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the largest land manager of the region, oversees 8 million acres, or 41 percent, of the federally owned sector. The National Park Service manages the Mojave National Preserve and Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks, which account for another 26 percent of the region. The Department of Defense manages five military bases that cover about 13 percent of the region. State Parks and Fish and Game wildlife areas account for just 0.32 percent of the region. About 18 percent of the region belongs to private landowners or municipalities.
Lying in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada and Southern California’s Transverse and Peninsular Ranges, the dry Mojave landscape is highlighted by dramatic geologic features, encompassing peaks, cliffs, canyons, dry washes, sand dunes, and large playas. Variations in elevation and soil composition and different orientations to the wind and sun, along with desert springs, moist seeps, and two major riparian corridors, all provide isolated microclimates and ecosystems throughout the region. The harsh yet diverse environment of the Mojave has facilitated the evolution of numerous endemic and specially adapted species of plants and wildlife on islands of unique habitat in a sea of creosote bushes, the most widespread plant community of the state.
From 282 feet below sea level in Death Valley to altitudes of 11,000 feet in the Panamint Mountains, the range of habitats supports 130 different plant alliances. However, the landscape is mostly a moderately high plateau at elevations between 2,000 and 3,000 feet. The common habitats of the region are creosote bush scrub, desert saltbush, Joshua tree scrub, desert wash, alkali scrub, and juniper-pinyon woodlands. Although limited in area, springs, seeps, perennial streams of the Panamint Range’s Surprise Canyon and Cottonwood Creek, and the Amargosa and Mojave rivers are vital wet habitats supporting wildlife diversity in the region.
The Mojave Desert is home to extraordinary plants and wildlife. The Joshua tree, barrel and prickly pear cacti, and pinyon pine highlight the desert landscape, home to prairie falcons, burrowing owls, desert tortoises, rosy boas, desert horned lizards, collared and leopard lizards, Mohave ground squirrels, kangaroo rats, Mojave River and Amargosa voles, bobcats, kit foxes, mountain lions, and bighorn sheep. It is the vastness of the Mojave Desert that has given some the impression that it is a wasteland which can endure unlimited adverse impacts to its species, habitats, and ecosystems. Thirty years ago, however, the fragile nature of the desert was well recognized.
"The vast natural resources of the California desert are today severely threatened by the extent of adverse human intrusion, combined with the natural fragility of the desert ecosystem." - The Fragile Balance: Environmental Problems of the California Desert (Ginsberg et al. 1976)
"The impact of accelerated human and vehicle activity cannot be overstated. Careless mining operations and improper grazing practices have scarred the land. Unplanned construction and road-building have played a destructive game of tic-tac-toe across the desert’s face. Excessive and uncontrolled recreational use are undermining the concept of multiple use and removing the desert from the dwindling list of sanctuaries for many rare and endangered species."U.S. Senator Alan Cranston, preface to Fragile Balance, 1976
"The California desert environment is a total ecosystem that is extremely fragile, easily scarred, and slowly healed. . . and its resources, including certain rare and endangered species of wildlife, plants, and fishes, and numerous archeological and historic sites, are seriously threatened by air pollution, inadequate Federal management authority, and pressures of increased use, particularly recreational use, which are certain to intensify because of the rapidly growing population of Southern California."Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, Title VI
Since the enactment of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the major threats to wildlife populations continue, and new threats have emerged. Wildlife species are at risk, and ecosystems are degraded from the cumulative impact of urban growth, off-highway vehicle activity that adds thousands of miles of dirt roads and trails, cattle and sheep grazing, overdrawn groundwater, and dominance of invasive plants.
Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
These activities, events, and conditions have and are continuing to fragment the landscape, degrade wildlife habitat, and disrupt desert ecosystems. Only with sufficiently large protected ecosystems and coordinated, strategic, and well-funded conservation actions will wildlife recovery be achieved.Numerous public agencies, private organizations, and landowners are involved in wildlife conservation efforts in the Mojave. Since the early 1980s, private conservation organizations such as the Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and Preserving Wild California have protected thousands of acres of essential habitat for the Mojave Desert’s unique plants and animals.
Since 1994, the Desert Managers Group (DMG), an interagency group, has served the role of coordinating desert conservation, visitor services, public outreach, and public safety in the region. Initially representing state and federal land management, recreation and wildlife agencies, and the Department of Defense, in 2005 the DMG expanded to include participants from the desert counties. Fish and Game participates in and contributes funds to the DMG. The DMG provides an important regionwide forum for facilitation of conservation efforts. It is involved in identifying research needs, conservation planning, restoration projects, and conservation programs and helps to secure funding for these efforts.

Chapter 11 Recreational Resources









Chapter 11 Recreation

Mojave Desert is a great place to experience the outdoors and to enjoy many recreational activities. Many people visit Mojave just to see the wide open spaces and to get away from it all. I have listed many activities for recreation.

Off-Highway Vehicles – Certain areas are designated for off roading

Desert Photography – Many people come to Mojave to photograph the beautiful and changing environment.

Rock and Treasure hunting – Minerals and geodes attract the many visitors who enjoy look for rocks or “gold.”

Water Sports – Even though this is a desert there are rivers and streams for fishing.

Mojave is also a great place for rafting, boating and swimming where there are dams or lakes.

Wildlife Viewing – Mojave Desert has over 450 wildlife refuges which allow visitors to see animals in their natural environment. Also, of interest are the wild flowers of this region.
http://www.desertusa.com/explore.html

Chapter 10 Neighborhoods



The town of Mojave and neighborhood statistics:







Population in July 2007: 4,570.
Males: 2,319
(50.8%)
Females: 2,251
(49.2%)

Median resident age:
32.4 years
California median age:
33.3 years
Zip codes: 93501.
Estimated median household income in 2007: $32,905 (it was $24,761 in 2000)
Mojave:
$32,905
California:
$59,948
Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $159,997 (it was $55,700 in 2000)
Mojave:
$159,997
California:
$532,300
Mean prices in 2007: All housing units: $194,342; Detached houses: $196,043; Townhouses or other attached units: $162,954; Mobile homes: $41,937
Races in Mojave:
White Non-Hispanic (59.7%)
Hispanic (28.3%)
Other race (18.1%)
Black (5.6%)
Two or more races (5.3%)
American Indian (2.7%)
Asian Indian (0.9%)
(Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics could be counted in other races)
2008 cost of living index in Mojave: 86.9 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)

Ancestries: German (9.7%), Irish (8.2%), United States (7.1%), English (5.6%), Italian (2.0%), French (2.0%).
Population density: 78 people per square mile – very low

For population 25 years and over in Mojave
High school or higher: 71.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 6.1%
Graduate or professional degree: 2.5%
Unemployed: 14.9%
Mean travel time to work: 22.9 minutes
For population 15 years and over in Mojave CDP
Never married: 27.2%
Now married: 47.0%
Separated: 2.9%
Widowed: 6.7%
Divorced: 16.2%
531 residents are foreign born (11.0% Latin America, 2.4% Asia).
This place:
13.8%
California:
26.2%

Notable Locations in Mojave

Notable locations in Mojave: Camelot Golf Course (A), Mojave Unified School District Office (B), Mojave Chamber of Commerce (C), Mojave Branch Kern County Library (D), Veterans Building (E).
Churches in Mojave include: Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses (A), Hope Lutheran Church (B), Seventh Day Adventist Church (C), First Southern Baptist Church (D), Mojave Community Congregational Church (E), Mojave Missionary Baptist Church (F), Saint Francis Catholic Church (G), Full Gospel House of Prayer (H), Assembly of God Church (I).
Parks in Mojave include: Mojave East Park (1), Mojave West Park (2).
Post office: Mojave Post Office (A).
Hotels: Bel Air Motel (16698 Sierra Highway) (1), Best Motel (15620 Sierra Highway) (2), Best Western Desert Winds (16200 Sierra Highway) (3).
Court: Kern County - Superior Court- East Kern Division- Mojave (1773 State Highway 58) (1). http://www.desertusa.com/explore.html

Chapter 9 Cities

Chapter 9 Cities
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert
Cities and regions


Where the San Bernardino Mountains meet the Mojave Desert.
While the Mojave Desert itself is sparsely populated, it has increasingly become urbanized in recent years. Las Vegas, Nevada is the largest city in the Mojave, with a metropolitan population of around 1.9 million in 2006. Palmdale is the largest city in California in the desert, and over 850,000 people live in areas of the Mojave attached to the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, including Palmdale and Lancaster (referred to as the Antelope Valley); and Victorville and Hesperia (referred to as the Victor Valley) attached to the Inland Empire metropolitan area, the 14th largest in the nation. Smaller cities in the Mojave include St. George; Lake Havasu City; Kingman; Laughlin; Bullhead City; and Pahrump. All have experienced rapid population growth since 1990.
Towns with fewer than 30,000 people in the Mojave include Barstow, California; Rosamond, California; Needles, California; Ridgecrest, California; Mesquite, Nevada; Hurricane, Utah; Moapa Valley, Nevada; California City, California; Twentynine Palms, California; Joshua Tree, California; Pioneertown, California; and Mojave, California. The California portion of the desert also contains Edwards Air Force Base, the home of several past and current experimental aviation projects for the military.
The Mojave Desert contains a number of ghost towns, the most significant of these being the silver-mining town of Calico, California and the old railroad depot of Kelso. Some of the other ghost towns are of the more modern variety, created when U.S. Route 66 (and the lesser-known US Highway 91) were abandoned in favor of the Interstates. The Mojave Desert is crossed by major highways Interstate 15, Interstate 40, US Highway 395 and US Highway 95.
Wikipedia.org




Chapter 8 Transportation and Communication


Chapter 8 Transportation and communication

The Mojave Desert is located between Los Angeles and Las Vegas on Interstate 15.Highway 395 passes through the middle from Victorville in the south and Hwy 14 comes in from Lancaster in the southwest. Highway 40 runs from Barstow in the middle out through Needles in the east.

The majority of visitors to the Mojave Desert see it only through their car windows as they traverse I-15 to Las Vegas. But the beauty and isolation of this desert is immense and should be experienced first-hand by travelers with time and adequate vehicles and by plane
Aside from main roads, most of the Mojave is criss-crossed with dirt roads; some of these are shown as standard roads on maps; others are unmarked. In either case you should have a medium- to high-clearance vehicle, with four wheel drive if you plan extreme backcountry driving.
Numerous general aviation airports serve the area; most have long runways and clear weather; few have commercial flights.
Lancaster/General Fox (ICAO: KWJF)
Palmdale (ICAO: KPMD)
Mojave (ICAO: KMHV)
Barstow (ICAO: KDAG)
Victorville/Southern California Logistics (ICAO: KVCV)
Baker (ICAO: 0O2)
Edwards Air Force Base is in the western Mojave. The airfield is used for aircraft testing; it is also an alternate landing spot for the Space Shuttle. Aircraft designer Burt Rutan operates out of Mojave but occasionally uses the long runways at Edwards for testing or noteworthy flights such as the Voyager around-the-world.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Mojave_Desert

I included this for interest

Mojave phone booth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mojave phone booth was a lone telephone booth placed circa 1960 in what is now the Mojave National Preserve in California which attracted an online following in 1997 due to its unusual location. The booth was 15 miles (24 km) from the nearest interstate highway, and miles from any buildings.
Fans called the booth attempting to get a reply, and a few took trips to the booth to answer, often camping out at the site. Several callers kept recordings of their conversations. Over time, the booth became covered in graffiti, as many travelers would leave a message on it.
One incident involving the phone booth was documented by Los Angeles Times writer John Glionna, who met 51-year-old Rick Karr there. Karr claims he was instructed by the Holy Spirit to answer the phone. He spent 32 days there, answering more than 500 phone calls including repeated calls from someone who identified himself as "Sergeant Zeno from the Pentagon."
The booth was removed on May 17, 2000 by Pacific Bell, at the request of the National Park Service. Also, per Pacific Bell policy, the phone number was permanently retired. Officially, this was done to halt the environmental impact of visitors, though a letter written by the then-superintendent of the Mojave National Preserve mentions confronting Pacific Bell with some long-forgotten easement fees[1]. A headstone-like plaque was later placed at the site. It, too, was removed by the National Park Service.
Fans of the booth also claim that the actual enclosure was destroyed by Pacific Bell after its removal.[2]
The story inspired the creation of a motion picture, Mojave Phone Booth.
Mojave Desert Route 66
Perhaps no other highway in the U.S. is as fabled as Route 66. It has been immortalized in song, literature, and even a T.V. series as the Main Street of America. Automobiles came early to the desert, following the railroad with its valuable water resources. In the early 1900's the route was known as the National Old Trails Road. In 1926 it became U.S. Highway 66, and within a decade was paved all the way from L.A. to Chicago. Heavy travel by dustbowl emigrants led John Steinbeck to label it as the Mother Road. It was bypassed by Interstate 40 in 1973, and the Route 66 designation was officially dropped in 1985.
Mojave River Bridge at Victorville Route 66

http://digital-desert.com/route-66/

Publications for Mojave Desert: Los Angeles Times. Antelope Valley Press News, California City News, Los Angeles Daily News, The Antelope Valley Journal and California City online

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Chapter 7 Industry







Tourism is a great industry for the Mojave Desert mainly because of the people traveling to Las Vegas to gamble. Over 3.8 million visit yearly. More importantly I believe are the four national parks and scenic beauty of the area. Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and Zion are all nearby. There are opportunities for water sport, Lake Mead or Havasu as well as designated areas for off road vehicles. People can visit Hoover Dam and the hydroelctric power plant.

Other scenic areas to see in the Mojave desert are Red Rock Canyon, Colorado Desert, Big Morongo Canyon, Rainbow Basin and Dumont Dunes. Unique tourist attractions include the worlds tallest thermometer in Baker.

Local to Mojave are mining and cement plants.






Mojave Desert in fiction
“The Mojave Desert has captured the imagination of visual and literary artists alike, often serving as a background for books, films, or television shows. The representations of the Mojave range from serving as a backdrop for the Madonna music video "Frozen" to hometown of Captain Christopher Pike in the Star Trek series.”
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Mojave_Desert



Military Facilities in the Mojave Desert



US Air Force test Pilot School
Edwards Air Force Base
Plant 42
Naval Air Weapons Situation, China Lake
Fort Irwin Military Reservation
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twenty nine Palms
R-2508 Special Use Airforce Complex
Skunk Works