Page 11 - 2006 DT 12 Issues

“hollow-spined” fish inhabits deep- at the campground. The walk-in sites  RRCIA plans to hire staff
sea volcanic caves. The two surviving need work (pulling weeds) and the for the campground on a BLM task
species share a 360 million-year-old posts used for the recycling contain- order and will be hiring an intern for
lineage and closely resemble the last ers need to be removed, cleaned and BLM. Other staff for the US Forrest
fossils in a record that disappeared 65 stored in the recycling enclosure. Service and the National Park Service
will follow under the same program.
million years ago. Coelacanths and Starting time is 8:30 a.m. and we
lung fish are the only known lobe- will stop at approximately 12:30 p.m.  Anna Wharton has been
finned fish and are thought to represent Water and lunch assigned as NLCS Manager for the
an intermediate evolutionary stage in will be provid- Red Rock and Sloan Canyon NCA’s.
the transformation of fins to limbs. ed. If you would
Crocodiles, alligators, platy- like to help out,  The board meeting
puses; crinoids, horsetails, whisk please contact me continued in closed session.
ferns, cycads, ginkgo trees—the list at 702-515-5371 The next board meeting is
scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday,
goes on. But the most amazing sur- or via email at February 14, at the RRCIA auxiliary
vivors are cyanobacteria, also known fjorgensen@aol. office, 6751 West Charleston Blvd.
as blue-green algae. Earth’s oldest com. Suite D, southeast corner of Rainbow
known fossils dating to 3.5 billion- and Charleston.
years-ago, they cling to life unchanged
today in stromatolites at Sharks Bay,
Australia. The process that created January Board Notes
these stromatolites—columns of cal-  Treasurer Helen Barrett Weekend
cium carbonate precipitated out of sea reported total assets at $265,381.14, Nature Classes
water—is driven by the bacteria. It is ending January 6, 2006. Cash balance is
believed that in this way, cyanobacte- up despite increased project payouts. Friends will sponsor a limited
ria contributed some of the oxygen to number of volunteers for training
courses at the Desert Studies Center,
Earth’s early atmosphere that helped  Billie Young, Coordinator Soda Springs, Calif. The Center is a
plants to proliferate. for the Wild Horse and Burro Facility field station of California State Uni-
University ecologist Thomas project attached to the future Desert versity (CSU) and is located on Zzyzx
Eisner believes that unlocking the se- Learning Center (Oliver Ranch), Road off of I-15 between Barstow,
presented a proposal for the
crets these living fossils hold can have formation of an Environmental Calif. and Las Vegas. Classes start
benefits for humans. “My argument is Education subcommittee to Friday evenings and conclude on
that if you’re going to look for medici- provide interpretive materials and Sunday afternoons. Room and board
nals from nature, pick living fossils,” live programs with mustangs to are provided. The schedule of classes
he says. “To take some randomness out augment permanent exhibits on the is as follows:
of the search, start by asking yourself Red Rock Canyon wild horse and
burro herds. Since no formal request
who has been around for millions of has been received from BLM for the Flowering Plants of the
years.” That’s playing the odds. ! project, a motion was passed to table East Mojave Desert, March 31- April 2.
the proposal for further discussion at a Botanical Illustrations, April 7-9
Bird Life of the Eastern Mojave,
At the Campground later date. April 14-16

 RRCIA reported that the Southwestern Desert Bats, May 12-14
At the end of January, we bid Southern Nevada Interpretive Association Reptiles and Snakes
farewell and happy traveling to Camp (SNIA) will offer a Park Service coupon of the East Mojave, May 26-28
Hosts Jim and Gloria Doughty and for free admission to Lake Mead for
Chuck and Sharon Van Cleave. If you visitors to Las Vegas hotels who pledge For full course descriptions, go
get a chance, stop by and say “Wel- to donate one dollar for each night of to http://biology.fullerton.edu/facili-
come!” to our new Camp Hosts— their stay to SNIA. RRCIA will reimburse ties/dsc/zzyzx.html
Please call Athena Sparks, Lead
the cost of the coupons.
Lee and Kay Conkling and Bill and Naturalist, Red Rock Canyon Inter-
Janice Keiffer.  SNIA has formed an pretive Association, 702-515-5367 if
I am putting together a volunteer Interpretive Association to provide you are interested in attending.
workday for Saturday, February 18 services to the Sloan Canyon NCA.
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