Article

The Oasis Newsletter: Fall 2025

Logo shows large orange words "The Oasis" with the stem of a green-leafed plant growing from the words.

This biannual newsletter of the Mojave Desert Network Inventory and Monitoring Program features: an update from Program Manager, Allen Calvert; fungus linked to white-nose syndrome detected in Nevada bat; staffing changes; recent publication of Mojave Desert Network monitoring datasets; a selection of photos from the summer field season, and our fall and winter monitoring schedule.

Program Manager’s Corner

It’s been quite the year for us here at Mojave Desert Network (MOJN). We continued to conduct long term ecological monitoring at the network parks thanks to our partner seasonal staff from the Great Basin Institute and Conservation Legacy. Some highlights included implementing two new protocols at Death Valley National Park (DEVA). Our Integrated Uplands protocol, or “IU” as we affectionately call it, monitors shrubland communities. Our vegetation crew was able to install 35 plots within the Blackbrush community, which also tends to support Joshua Tree populations. While this protocol has been implemented at five other parks, it had not been implemented at DEVA as we awaited a vegetation map that would allow Jeff Galvin, our vegetation ecologist, to develop a sampling frame that was statistically robust.

Our vegetation team implemented the high elevation white pine protocol near Telescope Peak where there is a small population of bristlecone and limber pine. These white pine species could be at risk of infection by white pine blister rust, an invasive fungal pathogen that can kill branches, tree tops, and even entire trees. We have been monitoring bristlecone and limber pine at Great Basin National Park for several years and have yet to discover blister rust; however, it has been found in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

In addition to these field work accomplishments from the vegetation team, our vegetation ecologist and our hydrology lead, Jennifer Bailard, published a number of datasets and data release reports. See the publication section below for details! Finally, our seasonal bat crew completed their season of capture and acoustic surveys. The crew captured a total of 199 bats of 12 species from 14 different sites across six parks. Bats are captured and then swabbed with a polyester swab on their face and wings to test for the presence of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome. The samples are sent to a lab that runs a DNA test to determine whether the fungus is present. Sampling in previous years has confirmed that the fungus exists in southern California.

Results from this year’s bat swabbing efforts were just recently received, and unfortunately, we discovered the fungus in a new state. See the article immediately below for details. But on a brighter note, we have yet to see any impacts or evidence of WNS on bats within the Mojave Desert Network.

Now that we are wrapping up this year, we are busy prepping for next year, and for one project, already conducting hydrology monitoring at Desert Springs. We are in the process of selecting our seasonal crews and getting ready for another year of monitoring ecosystem vital signs within MOJN parks. If you are reading this and are interested in learning more about what we do, feel free to check out our webpage or contact us directly! We welcome volunteers to join us!

Allen Calvert, MOJN Program Mananger

California leaf-nosed bat tests positive for lethal pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd)

A fungus (Pseudogymnoascus destructans, or Pd for short) that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats has been detected in Nevada for the first time. A California leaf-nosed bat that our bat monitoring crew trapped and swabbed for testing in Lake Mead National Recreation Area this spring returned a positive result for Pd. Since it was first documented near Albany, New York in 2006, WNS has been spreading westward and has caused the death of millions of bats across North America. White-nose syndrome presents as a visible white fungal growth on the muzzles and wings of infected bats and is spread among bats through contact with each other and through the environment, like in winter roots sites where they hibernate. The fungus can also be spread by humans, on contaminated clothing and gear, so proper hygiene and caution are required when working with, or near, bats.

White-nose syndrome alters physiological processes such as circulation, water balance, and thermal regulation, which can be lethal to hibernating bats. It also can cause them to come out of hibernation more frequently, using up vital energy reserves and resulting in starvation. The disease has been deadly in many susceptible bat populations, especially (but not limited to) Myotis species. California leaf-nosed bats do not hibernate and are therefore unlikely to be directly impacted by the fungus. However, they do share roosts with other bat species including the Yuma Myotis, which has been negatively impacted by WNS in Washington state. Read more about how WNS is impacting North American bats.

Bats are critical to environments where they live and provide many services. They are important pollinators and consume untold numbers of insects—keeping many pests in check! In fact, they have been estimated to provide over three billion dollars’ worth of agricultural pest control in the U.S. alone. Scientists across the National Park Service, along with over 150 partner organizations, are coordinating the effort to respond to this crisis and help protect bats and their habitats across the country. Learn more about this effort to save these important, fascinating, and cute (we might be biased) animals.

Staff Updates

Man in white t-shirt with red sandstone rock formations and desert scrub vegetation, under azure sky, in the background.
Max Driscoll, Physical Science Technician

Welcome

Max Driscoll just recently joined our MOJN hydrology team as a physical science technician (through the Great Basin Institute). He will assist with monitoring MOJN's Desert Springs, Selected Large Springs, as well as perform data quality control and help maintain water quality equipment. Max attended San Francisco State University where he majored in Environmental Science, with a minor in Geography. Previously, he worked as a hydrologic technician with the Forest Service in eastern Oregon and as a soil monitoring technician in the deserts of California. Outside of work, he enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, biking, photography, hiking, and travelling. We’re happy to have you on board, Max!

Nighttime photo of smiling man in protective clothing and gloves holding a bat with wing outstretched
Casey Devine-Rosser, Wildlife Crew Lead

Farewell

MOJN bids adieu to Casey Devine-Rosser, our bat monitoring program field crew lead. Casey joined us in January, through the Great Basin Institute, and spent the last 10 months coordinating all the field logistics, and overseeing the field crew, for our acoustic and capture surveys as well as testing for white-nose syndrome. Casey, thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us and helping further MOJN’s bat monitoring program! We look forward to hearing what endeavor is next for you.

Woman in bright red winter coat in open boat with mountains in the distance
Sofia Elizarraras, Wildlife Technician

After two productive seasons with us, Sofia Elizarraras left the Mojave Desert to begin her next adventure—graduate school! Sofia assisted us with the bat monitoring program and lent her expertise in conducting acoustic surveys, mist-netting, and screening for white-nose syndrome. When she wasn’t in the field, she managed to find time to keep the MOJN social media accounts alive with posts about fieldwork, interesting species, and fun observations from the season. She is now studying the roosting ecology of the endangered eastern small-footed bat at the College of Biological Science, University of Guelph. We are very grateful for your work here at MOJN and wish you the best in your studies, Sofia!

Five people standing on metal grating suspended between two rock walls and spanning a chasm full of water.
Vegetation interns, James, Janelle, Ellie, Andrea, and Diego (clockwise from lower left), take a tour of Devil’s Hole, Death Valley National Park.

NPS

In July, we also said goodbye to our fabulous team of Conservation Legacy vegetation interns, Andrea Medina-Ramos, Diego Pumarejo, Ellie Bucci, and Janelle Lincks, along with James Bardo, our research associate through the Great Basin Institute. This team of five helped with monitoring Integrated Upland Vegetation and Five-Needle Pine Communities at Death Valley National Park (while keeping their eyes peeled for targeted invasive species!), since early spring. It is thanks to these amazing interns that we are able to collect all the important data for our protocols. They also helped enter the data and ensure accuracy, manage field logistics, and maintain the equipment used for these projects. (Janelle also put her English Literature degree to work by writing an article in our spring newsletter.) Thank you all for your hard work this past spring and summer!

Lots of New MOJN Monitoring Data Published in the NPS DataStore!

When not in the field, the MOJN project leads were busy this spring and summer conducting data quality control / quality assurance and publishing our growing list monitoring datasets! This enables these important research products to be discoverable by the public, park managers, and other researchers, in addition to ensuring their long-term continuity and archival.

Other Publications of Interest About Resources in MOJN Parks

The Inventory & Monitoring Division, among the many services it provides to networks and parks, manages the Inventories and Assessments Program, which coordinates targeted inventories of species in national parks for which specific management or planning objectives have been identified. See below for recent data publications from amphibian and reptile inventories in Death Valley National Park, Manzanar National Historic Site, and Mojave National Preserve!

Some Sublime Scenery from the Summer Field Season!

Two women in sun-protective clothing and backpacks full of gear standing on a sparsely vegetated ridge high above a desert valley floor.
Vegetation interns Janelle and Ellie enroute to establishing and monitoring white pine plots on Telescope Peak, Death Valley National Park.

Jeff Galvin / NPS

Two people with large backpacks and backs toward us hike towards a lake nestled at base of large talus slope, under cobalt blue sky.
Physical Scientist Jenn Bailard is accompanied by a volunteer to conduct Lakes Monitoring at Johnson Lake, Great Basin National Park.

Athena Lynch / NPS

Side by side photos with stand of bright yellow aspen on left, flanking a path through the trees and red aspen on right with a person hiking a trail through them.
The hydrology crew encountered some glorious aspen stands in Great Basin National Park as they hiked to sampling sites to conduct Lakes Monitoring.

Athena Lynch / NPS 

Did you know that aspen can turn red in the fall, in addition to the familiar yellow? The spectacular fall phenomenon of brilliant yellow aspen stands is a common sight in the mountain west and is driven by changes in the pigments in the leaves. As temperatures and light levels decline in the fall, the trees stop producing chlorophyll, the green pigment that allows them to produce food through photosynthesis. As the chlorophyll is lost from the leaves, the yellow and orange pigments become visible, resulting in the leaves turning yellow. In some aspen, a third pigment, anthocyanin, may be present that causes the trees to turn red! In some trees, this may be a genetic trait, but weather can be a factor as well. A stretch of warm fall days with significantly colder nights can trigger the formation of anthocyanins, causing a tree that would otherwise turn yellow to turn red. MOJN staff will have the opportunity to witness these fabulous colors again next fall when they head to Great Basin National Park to conduct Aspen Monitoring!

Fall and Winter Field Schedule

This table provides the schedule for Mojave Desert Network monitoring projects for the months of October 2025 through March 2026. DEVA=Death Valley National Park, GRBA=Great Basin National Park, JOTR=Joshua Tree National Park, LAKE=Lake Mead National Recreation Area, MANZ= Manzanar National Historic Site, MOJA=Mojave National Preserve, and PARA=Parashant National Monument.
Park October November December January February March
DEVA – – – Desert Springs Bats 1, Desert Springs Bats 2, Desert Springs
GRBA – – – – – –
JOTR – – Selected Large Springs Bats 1, Desert Springs Bats 1 Selected Large Springs
LAKE Desert Springs 3 Desert Springs Desert Springs, Selected Large Springs Bats 1, Desert Springs Bats 1 Bats 2, Selected Large Springs
MANZ – – – – – –
MOJA – – Selected Large Springs Bats 1 Desert Springs Desert Springs, Selected Large Springs
PARA – – Selected Large Springs – Bats 1 Bats 2, Desert Springs, Selected Large Springs
1 Acoustics
2 Capture
3 Postponed due to government shutdown
Logo of Mojave Desert Network showing a desert landscape with Joshua tree, cacti, white pine, shrubs, rocks and distant mountains
Newsletter prepared by Lise Grace
NPS Mojave Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network
601 Nevada Highway
Boulder City, Nevada 89005

Tags

Death Valley National Park, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Great Basin National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Mojave National Preserve more »

Last updated: December 12, 2025