Illustrations, Checklists, & Inventories: Building and Sharing Baseline Knowledge at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

Loggerhead shrike illustration featured on the cover of the new Tule Springs Bird Checklist.

Kaitlin Murphy

The Tule Springs Fossil Bed National Monument was established in 2014 to protect unique paleontological and scientific natural resources. The ecosystem is characterized predominately as Mojave Desert scrub with no perennial water sources, although several exist on adjacent lands. Recently, a list of surveys and illustrations were created to capture the abundance and beauty of the biodiversity within this vast desert ecosystem.

Small Mammal Inventory

It's important for a park to understand the small mammal community. Surveys can help characterize the general health of the ecosystem, and monitor changes from various land uses or climate change. Because Tule Springs is a relatively new park, limited biological surveys have been conducted. There is a need for basic inventory and survey data to allow the development of long term management and conservation of resources within the area.

The goal of this survey was to build a record of small mammal species present in the park and generate a survey of the distribution of each species across the length of the park. Results showed that six small mammal species (mice, squirrels, and rats) were abundant in the park, with a few other species possibly being put on the list with additional surveys.

Tule Springs’ Tortoise Brochure and Website Content

The nonprofit organization Tortoise Group has worked with the National Park Service to broaden efforts to ensure captive tortoises stay captive and wild tortoises stay wild. Tortoise Group has also provided the design and content for a promotional brochure and website for Tule Springs. Results of this project directly support programs of the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and other resource management agencies with responsibilities for threatened, endangered and other species.

Tule Springs Checklist of the Birds and Avian Illustrations for Outreach and Education

A common public outreach method used to spark interest in visitors include checklists of birds observed and illustrated field guides to birds of the area. Using firsthand knowledge from previous surveys, Tule Springs proposed creating an informative checklist brochure that includes illustrations of a few characteristic bird species that inhabit the Monument. Within this checklist includes information about each species, and life history codes (e.g. habitat use and migration timing). Additional content is provided, such as: tips on bird watching, natural history facts, and current/historic avian research. Email Erin Eichenberg to request a copy.

Botanical Illustration for Outreach and Education

Desert bearpoppy (Arctomecon merriamii) and California bearpoppy (Arctomecon californica) illustrations to compliment Tule Springs forthcoming Checklist of Vascular Plants.

Tiffany Pereira

Tule Springs hosts a diverse array of Mojave Desert flora and fauna. Due to difficult development and implementation of resource management programs at the park, an inventory of botanical resources was determined to be a high priority to accomplish. A full botanical inventory is now underway, with close to 200 species identified by Desert Research Institute botanists so far. The final product of this project will be a Checklist of Vascular Plants at Tule Springs, along with 10 botanical illustrations rendered in pencil/ink and digitally, for rare and unique plant species found at Tule Springs as an interpretive and educational resource.