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Each year, desert tortoises in the Las Vegas
Valley brumate (reptilian form of hibernation)
in the fall and emerge in the spring.
Mojave Max is a live desert tortoise
residing at the Red Rock National Conservation
Area Visitor’s Center.
Like Punxsutawney Phil, the famous
groundhog, Mojave Max’s emergence is a good
indicator of when spring will arrive here in
Southern Nevada each year.
The Clark County Desert
Conservation Program, the Clark County School
District, and the Bureau of Land Management
sponsor an annual contest around this
phenomenon. The Mojave Max Emergence Contest
encourages students to study the conditions of
the Mojave Desert and then estimate when the
live tortoise, Mojave Max, will emerge from his
burrow each year.
“Collaboration is a key
to strengthening learning experiences and
engaging children in meaningful educational
programs,” said Karlene McCormick-Lee,
assistant superintendent, Clark County School
District. “Visiting
the tortoise habitat at Red Rock and seeing a
live tortoise in the news brings a tangible
aspect to education.
Connecting learning to real-world stories
and experiences leads to better understanding of
the fragile desert environment.
Respecting our desert environment is
critical for the Las Vegas Valley 's future.”
Weather is a very important
component of the Mojave Max Emergence Contest.
Temperature, daylight and biology are the
three critical factors that determine when
Mojave Max will first exit his burrow each year.
Clark County finds that this
attention-grabbing icon stimulates learning
about the local environment.
When people learn about the importance of
species and ecosystems, they become more
interested in the environment that surrounds
them. Developing an interest in these issues, and learning
how to protect our native resources also
persuades people to become more educated,
involved, and responsible citizens.
While spring is an exciting
time in the Mojave Desert with plants blooming,
and animals emerging from their winter’s
sleep, we need to protect and conserve our
desert year-round.
Please stay on designated roads and
trails, don’t litter our desert environment,
keep plants and exotic pets at home, don’t
release helium-filled balloons, observe wildlife
from a safe distance, and always remember the
desert is everyone’s to Respect, Protect, and
Enjoy.
What did Mojave Max tell us
this year?
Since an early emergence suggests an
early spring, and a late emergence suggests a
late onset of warmer temperatures in Southern
Nevada, his early emergence of February 14, 2005
at 11:55 am suggests early spring and summer
temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley.
Thus far, it has been quite warm here in
the valley.
It seems that Mojave Max was once again,
a very good weather prognosticator for Southern
Nevada.
Go to www.accessclarkcounty.com
or www.mojavemax.com
for more information, contest rules and contest
entry.
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