Environmental Assessment: proposed Natural Resources Management Plan : Joshua Tree National Monument, California
Joshua Tree National Monument. 1974. Environmental Assessment: proposed Natural Resources Management Plan : Joshua Tree National Monument, California. National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Twentynine Palms, CA
The plan proposes research and management actions such as surveys of desert bighorn sheep, artificial watering sources for wildlife, and study of the California fan palm oases in Joshua Tree National Monument. Project statements outline specific investigations recommended. Description of Action: The Joshua Tree Natural Resources Management Plan proposes research and management actions to restore and maintain natural ecosystems in the monument. Many resource inventory and monitoring projects are proposed. Desert bighorn sheep ecology will be investigated through the use of surveys and studies of individual animals. California fan palm oases will be studied and the Oasis of Mara will be restored to a natural condition by manual clearing, periodic prescribed burning, and possibly irrigation. Artificial watering devices for wildlife will be constructed in areas of wilderness to restore natural water supplies disturbed by man. Environmental Impact and Adverse Environmental Effects : In general, the impacts of the proposal will restore natural conditions in the ecosystems of the monument. There will be very slight disturbance to sheep populations in order to obtain critically needed data, but all captured animals will bo immediately released after necessary measurements are made. In the Oasis of Mara, mesquite will be removed, causing short-term noise impacts and stumps that will remain visible until herbaceous growth covers them. Prescribed burning will maintain the oasis with a natural, open understory, and burning will be done under conditions that will confine the fire to a predetermined area and intensity. Watering devices will be placed only in areas of historical water supply, and construction will blend each guzzler with the surrounding landscape. Alternatives Considered : 1. No action. Do not conduct any studies, or any management of bighorn sheep, palm oasis restoration, or restoration of water supplies. 2. Restore natural processes to the Oasis of Mara as feasible without prior restoration of natural conditions. 3. Create fewer water guzzlers. 4. Create more water guzzlers.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Joshua Tree National Monument
- Date of Issue
- 1974
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Department of the Interior
- Units
- JOTR , WRD
- Keywords
- Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis), Clemson, Environmental Assessment, Management, Natural Resources, oases, Water Sources (Wildlife), WRBIB