|
Every year,
Clark County travels to twelve Elementary
Schools in the Clark County School District to
provide a fun-filled, educational Mojave Max
Assembly. During these assemblies, an educator,
a local weather forecaster, and a Clark County
School District representative present
information on the desert tortoise, human
behaviors that affect the desert tortoise,
behaviors of the desert tortoise, and local
weather conditions that will affect tortoises.
Of course, the Mojave Max mascot attends every
assembly.
The assemblies highlight "clues"
that will help children estimate when the live
tortoise named Mojave Max will first emerge from
brumation (reptilian form of hibernation). The
children and their teachers are then encouraged
to go online to www.mojavemax.com
and enter their predictions.
The Clark County student who guesses closest
to the actual emergence time, will win a new
game system, and a Golden Eagle National Park
Pass. The winner’s entire class will also win
a field trip to Mojave Max’s habitat at Red
Rock National Conservation Area, a class pizza
party, Mojave Max t-shirts, and a Mojave Max
Olympic Style medal. The teacher of the winning
student will receive a personal computer, and a
Golden Eagle National Park Pass.
For students in the Southern California area,
the Desert Manager’s Group will recognize one
winner from each of eight counties (Imperial,
Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San
Bernardino, and San Diego). Each Southern
California winning student, and his or her
class, will receive a Mojave Max t-shirt, a
Mojave Max Olympic Style medal, and a Golden
Eagle National Park Pass. Their entire classes
will also receive a class pizza party.
This contest helps draw attention to the
seasons of the Mojave Desert and the responses
of desert wildlife. Many plants and animals have
a dormant period that is brought on by declining
desert temperatures. Plants and animals of the
Mojave Desert must adapt to changing
temperatures and erratic rainfall to survive.
Actions Which Help Protect the Desert
Tortoise:
- Stay on designated roads and trails.
Traveling off-roads destroys the homes and
habitats of our desert wildlife.
- Don’t litter our desert environment.
Litter can harm plants, jeopardize wildlife,
and tarnish our surroundings.
- Keep plants and exotic pets at home. Many
invasive species were once accidentally
released into our desert environment.
- Leave the desert as you found it. Do not
take plants, wildlife, soil, rocks or
artifacts from the desert. All of the
natural components of the desert contribute
to biodiversity and survival of species.
- Keep pets contained, and pick up after
them. Most pet waste is harmful to our
desert environment. Bacteria from pet waste
contaminate groundwater and threaten native
species.
- Don’t release helium-filled balloons.
They will eventually burst, return to earth
and can become harmful, even fatal to
wildlife.
- Observe wildlife from a safe distance. You
don’t know what may be behind the next
bush. Rattlesnakes and other poisonous
reptiles may bite if startled.
- Before starting a campfire, make sure
campfires are allowed and bring your own
wood. Small animals use dead wood and shrubs
for food and shelter.
- If you do make a campfire, place it away
from dry plants and put it out completely
before leaving.
- The desert is everyone’s to Respect,
Protect, and Enjoy.
|
