NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release: June 8, 2004
Contact: Tracy Liegler, 760 251-4800

Discovery Season opens at the National Monument

The season of discovery begins this month with the Santa Rose and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument staff at a series of educational events and presentations.

Next Saturday, June 12, gets things off to a scary start as staff members join campers at Mt. San Jacinto State Park Campground, in Idyllwild, for an afternoon and evening of fun and learning about ‘scary’ forest and desert animals. A Junior Ranger talk starts things off at 3 p.m., and then at 8 p.m. it’s time for a special slide show. To get more details about these public programs, call the campground at 909 659-2607.

The National Monument will present “Reptiles Alive!” on June 21 as desert naturalist Joe Migliore explores the secret world of desert reptiles, and then takes visitors on a guided walk to observe and identify some of the wild reptiles living around the Visitor Center. For more details call the National Monument Visitor Center at 760 862-9984.

On June 24, Tracy Liegler, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Monument Interpretive Specialist, will visit the Hi-Desert Nature Museum to talk about one of our zaniest residents – the Roadrunner, a native cuckoo of the desert. As with all National Monument sponsored events, this one is also free. Call the museum at 369-7212 or visit them at 57116 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, for more information.

Summer time is fun time, a chance to get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of our National Monument. As with any physical activity always know the basics, to help with this National Monument Public Information Specialist Bonnie Adkins, has two 10 a.m. programs scheduled at the Visitor Center on July 6 and Aug. 3, to talk about basic principles of fitness. To learn more details on these free programs call the Visitor Center at 892-9984.

Not to be outdone, BLM Outdoor Recreation Specialist Jim Foote, is going to be talking about health and satisfaction to be found in outdoor workouts, July 15, at Nature’s RX, 555 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. For more information, call the National Monument Visitor Center.

July 17, National Monument Interpretive Ranger, David Korzilius, is going to be speaking about “Amazing Adaptations” at the Idyllwild State Park Campground. More details are available from the campground at 909 659-2607.

Desert naturalist Joe Migliore is discovering earthquake related features in our region, Aug. 9, at 6:30 p.m. in the Palm Desert Library, 73-100 Fred Waring Rd.

Just in case you didn’t know ‘There’s A Monument In Your Backyard’ a special ‘armchair adventure’ is set for Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. in the UBS Financial Services Community Room, 74-710 Highway 111, Palm Desert. More details are available from the National Monument Visitor Center.

Finally, as summer begins to wind down, campers at Idyllwild State Park are joining with a National Monument Ranger, Aug. 14, to discover more about the National Monument. Things begin at 3 p.m. with a Jr. Ranger talk; a slide show for the whole family follows at 8 p.m.

All of these Bureau of Land Management, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument programs are free and open to the whole family. For more details call or visit the National Monument Visitor Center, 51-500 Highway 74, Palm Desert, 760 862-9984. Additional information on specific programs is available from Idyllwild State Park Campground, 909 659-2607; the Hi-Desert Nature Museum, 57-116 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca Valley; and Palm Desert Library, 73-100 Fred Waring Rd., Palm Desert.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land -- 261 million surface acres -- than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1.9 billion and a workforce of some 10,000 full-time, permanent employees, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on the public lands.

– BLM –

From desert oases to granite peaks, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument contains a land of contrast and stories of adaptation.