Page 18 - 2004 DT 9 Issues

Living Cover trogen in the soil. They manufacture nu- February Board Notes:
trients taken up by plants, preserve soil
here is much more to a desert than moisture, and help seedlings germinate;
✔ A motion was approved to in-
meets the eye. It just takes pa- in short, cryptogamic soils are crucial to
crease the Hospitality budget for the
Ttience, perseverance, and a good plant survival. If not for this living cover, 2004 Awards Banquet to cover en-
pair of hiking boots to discover it. Some occupying up to 70% of the soil spaces hancements in celebration of Friends’
of the complex life around us, however, between vascular plants, the desert might
th
20 Anniversary. *
is so well camouflaged that we may never one day resemble the Great Plains dust
✔ A motion was approved to pro-
know it’s there. bowl of the 1930’s. Even so, their future
vide the second payment of $15,000 for
Beyond the highly adapted plants, is uncertain. Red Rock Canyon Wayside Signing. *
animals, and insects that inhabit places After many years of studying soil *Funding for both proposals will be
like the Mojave Desert, there is a world crusts in the field, biologist Jayne Belnap
appropriated from the excess funds
of living organisms that underlies the of the US Geological Service is
generated over and above the current
more obvious features. Together, these convinced of their ecological
monetary reserve account. Implementa-
organisms produce a living cover of bio- importance. She believes that crypto-
logical soil crusts known most commonly gamic soil crusts are the very tion will be subject to a vote of the
as cryptogamic or cryptobiotic crusts. foundation of the Colorado Plateau. membership at the May General
Meeting.
Cryptogamic crusts are composed of “Whenever we pull on the thread of what
✔ A motion was approved to move
highly specialized communities of makes the system tick,” she says, “we end
a portion of our active accounts, pos-
cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), up with soil crusts on the other end.”
sibly including the current Certificate
mosses, lichens, and their by-products. In a recent article in High Country
of Deposit, from Colonial Bank to
The soil particles News, she warned
Wells Fargo Bank to take advantage of
they produce are that the long-term
more favorable rates and conditions.
bound together by prognosis was not
Details will be at the discretion of the
organic material. good. The continu-
These crusts are of- ing assault on wild treasurer.
ten darker in color lands is accelerat- ✔ Chuck Williams will apply for
than the surround- ing, both by grant renewals from Sam’s Club and
ing soil and have a recreationists and Bechtel SAIC.
topography of their industry alike. In- BLM Report:
own, rising in small discriminate ✔ NCA Manager Tim O’Brien
peaks and pin- off-roading and reports that the Fee Demonstration Pro-
nacles as high as mountain biking, gram is in jeopardy. Senate Bill 1107
four inches. increased road building, and the current will be voted on in the Energy and Re-
Park Rangers will warn hikers to mandate to mine and drill in areas once sources Committee on February 11. The
“stay on established trails” in order to considered off limits to destructive forces outcome may have drastic implications
protect these vital (and usually unnoticed) are all placing extreme pressure on bio- for those facilities currently operating
pavements. Although the crusts are sur- logical soils. under the program, including Red Rock.
prisingly well adapted to the desert’s Although the Park Service closely ✔ Round 5 of SNPLAMA fund-
harsh conditions, they crush easily. It can supervises visitor activities, Belnap urges ing is underway. Two parcels in Calico
take as long as 250 years for a crust to that effective public lands management Basin have been nominated for
recover depending on the severity of the outside the parks is needed to minimize acquisition.
damage. these forces. Good management deci- ✔ Red Rock Day 2004 has been
As you might suspect, these humble sions must be inclusive of cultural, rescheduled for May 1.
organisms are heavy hitters when it economic, and other “voices”, she ✔ Lead Ranger Kim McClain
comes to sustaining healthy desert believes. The bottom line “. . . is that if will report for duty on February 23.
ecology. They stabilize soil cover, im- you use up the resources that your econo- The next board meeting will be held
proving resistance to erosion by wind and mies and culture are based on, you’re on Tuesday, March 9, unless otherwise
water, and efficiently fix atmospheric ni- going to have to move.” posted.

Page 2 FORRC/March, 2004