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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert

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

Chapter 6 - Agriculture

Chapter 6 – Agriculture
At the western tip of the Mojave desert is the Antelope Valley
Agriculture


Antelope Valley in spring covered by a carpet of goldfields Lasthenia californica.

Parts of the Mojave Desert are conducive to farming. These are located primarily toward the western end. With a history of grazing farmers developed alfalfa and then later, fruit trees. Farming competes with the ever expanding housing market for land.
.leyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antelope_Valley
Growing seasons depend heavily on water. Rainfall varies from 3-10 in so the growing season is from 200-300 days.
Land Use. Composition and successional sequence of some communities has changed because of plant and animal species introduced between the late 1800's and early 1900's related to mining and grazing. Since the early 1900's, significant effects on some plant
Some grazing and browsing has occurred by native mammalian herbivores in the arid southwestern United States during the past 10,000 years (Jefferson 1989), but most recent herbivory by large mammals in the Mojave Desert has been by domestic sheep and cattle.
Domestic grazing by sheep and cattle has occurred on public lands in the Mojave Desert since the late 1500’s, with stocking densities peaking at the turn of the 20th century (Hess 1992; BLM 1994). In addition to defoliation of vegetation, grazing by domestic livestock may have other effects of desert ecosystems. Grazing may change soil surfaces physically and chemically, and can change the form and structural complexity of vegetation (Rowlands et al. 1980; Marrs et al. 1989). These changes in turn can potentially affect species diversity of native animals and plants (Waser and Price 1981).
http://www.werc.usgs.gov/mojave-symposium/abstracts.html
http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/mojave/national_preserve.html

Chapter 5 - political geography

Much of the land in the Mojave Desert is under the management of the National Park System. The Mojave National Preserve was protected by the The Desert Protection Act. This transferred the land from the Bureau of Land Management to the National Parks.

I chose the small town of Mojave to illustrate an example of local government.
Mojave is located in Kern County and is an unincorporated community. Mojave is represented by Supervisor Don Maben in Supervisorial District Two. Mojave also has a town council which is volunteer. There is a Chamber of Commerce as well.

Services
Mojave Unified School District – High School, Middle School, Elementary School
Mojave Airport
Elected officials – California 93501

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: $32,900 (it was $24,761 in 2000)
Mojave
$32,900
California:
$59,948
Estimated median house/condo value in 2007: $155,500 (it was $56,500 in 2000)
Mojave
$155,500
California:
$532,300
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: 78.0 (low, U.S. average is 100)
http://www.city-data.com/city/Mojave-California.html
President • George Bush (R)Senators • Dianne Feinstein (D) • Barbara Boxer (D)Representatives • Kevin McCarthy (R-22) Governor • Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)Senate • Roy Ashburn (R-18)Assembly
• Jean Fuller (R-32)
www.mojave.ca.us/government_IL.htm - 4k
http://www.mojavedesertlandtrust.org/inholdings.html

Chapter 4 - Population Geography

The Mojave Desert is sparsely populated. There has been growth in the communities near Los Angeles and Las Vegas is the largest city in the Mojave with a population of about 1.9 million. (2006) In California, Palmdale is the largest city and all have shown growth since 1990. Edwards Air Force Base has drawn people to work on experimental aviation projects.

The ghost towns of Mojave dessert attract tourists including Calico, a silver mining town. These towns were abandoned when route 66 was upstaged by the interstates. The major highways are Interstate 15 and 40, and U S Highway 395 and 95.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert

Communities of the Mojave Desert

California – Adelanto, Apple VCalley, Baker, Barstow, Big Bear, Boron, California City. Hesperia, Joshua Tree, Lake Arrowhead, Lone Pine, Lucerne Valley, Mojave, Nipton, Palmdale, Phelan, Randsburg, Ridgecrest, Shoshone, Tecopa, Tehachappi, Twentynine Palms, Victorville, Wrightwood, Yucca Valley

Nevada – Beatty, Searchlight

Arizona – Chloride
http://mojavedesert.net/description.html

Chapter 3 - Settlement

The name Mojave came from the Indians who lived in the desert before the Europenas arrived.
In 1604 the first European, Juan de Ornate, came into the Mojave desert and found the Mojave Indians living in the area. They would travel across the desert to trade acorns for shells and salt with the coastal Indians. There was no settlement at the time and Father Garces was the first Caucasian to cross the desert. The Mojaves did not want the church in the area and they are credited with an attack on San Gabriel Mission by 1810. In 1826, Jedediah Smith came from Colorado across the desert to San Bernardino. This new route encouraged fur traders who fought with the Mojave. Tensions between the explorers and the local Mojaves continued. With the Gold Rush, the pressure to find short cuts created more routes. In 1849, a group from “the Hunt Wagon Party” were the first Caucasians to cross Death Valley. They were known as the lost 49ers. These various routes led to modern roadways. There were many deaths among the settlers and the Indians. When the miners settled, between 1860-70 the brought with them sheep and cattle. This was the beginning of grazing in this area.
By 1866 mail was delivered and military outposts were set up along the route. Also, in 1871 the Joshua tree was formally named by George Englemann, geologist. In 1876 the Southern Pacific established the community of Mojave. Freight was carried over the route and the railroad was finished in 1883. In 1894 there was mining on Soledad Mountain. This ceased in 1942 due to the war.
By 1916 the “Federal Aid Road Act” allowed the construction of Route 66. By the 1920’s Los Angeles population had doubled and homesteading begin in the Mojave Desert. Las Vegas also was growing.
By the 1930s the Depression had spurred people to California for gold or for farming. As people traveled from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, more people passed through the desert. General Patton used the Mojave Desert in order to train his soldiers in handling tanks. At this time there was a movement to eliminate coyotes and other predators which resulted in changing “large sections of desert flora and fauna.” During 1940-1960 there were military bases built as well.
After WWII the population really grew. The interstate highways brought new people to towns in the western area. Also when the California Aqueduct was developed more people came. This is also the home to Edwards Air Force Base.
http://mojavedesert.net/history/timeline.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert

Chapter 2 - Physical Features

Chapter 2 Physical Features

The Joshua tree are a good indicator of The Mojave Desert’s boundaries. The Mountasins which surround this desert are the Tehachapi, San Gabrial and San Bernardino. In the North is the Great Shrub Basin and the Sonoran Desert to the south and East. The Colorado River borders the east and the Mojave river is a great source of water for the south
The Mojave Desert receives less than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain a year and is generally between 3,000 and 6,000 feet (1,000 and 2,000 m) in elevation. The Mojave Desert also contains the Mojave National Preserve, as well as the lowest and hottest place in North America: Death Valley, where the temperature normally approaches 120°F (49°C) in late July and early August. Zion National Park, in Utah, lies at the junction of the Mojave, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau. Despite its aridity, the Mojave has long been a center of alfalfa production, fed by irrigation coming from groundwater and (in the 20th century) from the California Aqueduct.
The Mojave is a desert of temperature extremes and four distinct seasons. Winter months bring temperatures dipping to below 20 °F (-7 °C) on valley floors, and below 0 °F (-18 °C) at higher elevations. Storms moving from the Pacific Northwest can bring rain and snow across the region — more often, the rain shadow created by the Sierra Nevada as well as mountain ranges within the desert such as the Spring Mountains bring only clouds and wind. In longer periods between storm systems, winter temperatures in valleys can approach 80 °F (27 °C).
Spring weather continues to be influenced by Pacific storms, but rainfall is more widespread and occurs less frequently after April. By early June, it is rare for another Pacific storm to have a significant impact on the region's weather, and temperatures after mid-May are normally above 90 °F (32 °C) and frequently above 100 °F (38 °C).
Summer weather is dominated by heat — temperatures on valley floors can soar above 120 °F (49 °C) and above 130 °F (54 °C) at the lowest elevations — and the presence of the North American monsoon. Low humidity, high temperatures and low pressure draw in moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, creating thunderstorms across the desert southwest. While the Mojave does not get nearly the amount of rainfall that the Sonoran desert to the east receives, monsoonal moisture will create thunderstorms as far west as California's Central Valley from mid-June through early September.
Autumns are generally pleasant, with one to two Pacific storm systems creating regional rain events. October is one of the driest and sunniest months in the Mojave, and temperatures usually remain between 70 °F (21 °C) and 90 °F (32 °C) on the valley floors.
After temperature, wind is the most significant weather phenomenon in the Mojave. Across the region, windy days are common, and in areas near the transition between the Mojave and the California low valleys, including near Cajon Pass, Soledad Canyon and the Tehachapi areas. During the June Gloom, cooler air can be pushed out into the desert from Southern California; in Santa Ana wind events, hot air from the desert blows out into the Los Angeles basin and other coastal areas. Wind farms in these areas generate power from these winds.
The other major weather factor in the region is elevation. The highest peak within the Mojave is Charleston Peak at 11,918 feet (3,633 m), while Badwater in Death Valley is 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. Accordingly, temperatures and precipitation ranges wildly, in all seasons, across the region
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 1 Introduction

The Mojave Desert is an arid region of Southern California that also includes parts of Utah, Arizona and Nevada. It is more than 25,000 square miles of land surrounded by mountains.
The elevation can range from the lowest point in United States, 282 below sea level, to
11,049. The temperature can reach 134 degrees in Death Valley and the average rainfall is 5 inches. The temperature can vary from night to day with winds in the afternoon or evening.


The Mojave desert was “once a part of an ancient interior sea, the desert was formed by volcanic action and by material deposited by the Colorado River.” This area is bordered by the Tehachapi, San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains as well as the Sierra Nevada’s. The Mojave is “located in the rain shadow of the Coast Ranges.” This desert has sparse vegetation and the “sand and gravel basins drain to central salt flats from which borax, potash and salt” are mined as well as minerals such as silver, gold and iron. The Mojave is home to the Joshua Tree, a kind of Yucca like plant, which grows only in this area.
The Mojave Desert includes Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve, Joshua Tree National Park and Lake Mead Recreational Area. During WWII military base were built including Edwards Air Force Base. Also, a geothermal energy plant was built in 1978 as an alternate energy source. Environmentalists have been active in protecting the Mojave Desert and about 1,450,000 acres are protected by the Preserve.