After an unseasonably warm March in the Alabama hills, things cooled down in April and felt a lot more spring-like. We were treated to a wide variety of spring flowers including Desert Fivespot, Showy Gilia, Mojave Asters, and Beavertail Cactus blooms to name a few. The Black-throated Sparrows were out making all sorts of noise, as were the ever-present Rock Wrens in the hills.
Day to day work down there included replacing signage, educating visitors in the area on best camping practices, and coordinating (and sometimes presenting) interpretive programs. Additionally, Sierra Forever and BLM staff were out monitoring the area for destructive use, gathering trash, and watering caged plants in restoration areas.
One highlight of the month was a class of visiting high school Juniors from the Athenian School. Fresh off a grueling 3-week backpacking trip through Death Valley, they came to help us with stewardship projects for two days. On day 1, we worked on beautification at the Whitney Portal Road entrance kiosk to the hills. Students pulled invasive plants, restored a wheelchair accessible trail, and trimmed back excessive growth that was spilling over into the parking area. On day 2, we focused on delineation on the Mobius Arch Trail. There efforts were much appreciated and will be enjoyed by future visitors to the area.
Looking ahead to May, we have a full schedule of interpretive programs. If you are down in the hills for the day, please come and join us for programs ranging from a plein air meetup to geology and more. One special program at the end of the month will be a night hike of the Arch Loop with our volunteers Nancy Hadlock and Richard Potashin on May 30th. This nearly Full Moon night hike will include scary stories, the midnight snacks, and discovery of the creatures of the night. We’ll see you down in the hills!
Photos all taken by Matthew Bernstein.
Photo 1: Desert Five Spot
Photo 2: Beavertail Cactus
Photo 3: Showy Gilia
Photos 4-6: Whitney Portal Road entrance kiosk stewardship day
Photos 7-8: Mobius Arch Trail delineation
