Today was an exciting day here at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum. Members of the United Kingdom's Military, who are stationed at the Naval Air Facility in El Centro for desert training, came out to learn about desert plant identification and some basic desert survival tips. After a short presentation showcasing the types of plants and animals that they may encounter in our deserts (and prepping them what to do if they do encounter them), we then went out into our desert for a short hike, so they could see some of the life in the wild.
While out on the hike, we encountered serveral of the Yuha Desert's residents, such as the Desert Iguna and the Zebra Tailed Lizard. We encountered several sets of tracks, most likely belonging to a coyote, and evidence of the Whiptailed Lizards. We also discoved a new tarantula burrow, so we had the opprotunity to learn how to identify the differences between burrows. Then we were able to find several types of cacti, and talked about what parts were edible.It was a bittersweet event for me personally, as it was the last field trip that I will do in the capacity of Education Coordinator. I won't be going to far, I have accepted the position of Museum Manager here at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum. While I will miss running our education department, I look forward to the challange that comes with keeping the museum organized and running smoothly.
