Newsletters

President's Message September 2023Three Words Could Equal a World of Safe Outdoor Adventuresby Margaret Rhyne - president@prmdia.org

What do stranded hikers, a motorists injured on a remote highway and a lost kayaker all have in common? They all were helped by a new smartphone app called what3words. This new app is being used by diverse organizations including Domino’s Pizza, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and now our own California Department of Parks and Recreation. What is it? According to the California State Parks:

“California State Parks is excited to announce its partnership with innovative location technology, what3words. A new tool in the State Parks toolkit, what3words provides dispatchers with state-of-the-art technology to assist visitors in the event they become lost, stranded or who otherwise need help from emergency services. Using this revolutionary technology, State Parks dispatchers will now be able to pinpoint the precise locations of individuals who become lost with just three dictionary words, so that help can be sent quickly to exactly where it is needed. The app  is available in over 50 languages to date, and is free to download for both iOS and Android devices.”  (https://www.parks.ca.gov/WhatsNew)

What3words is an easy way to identify precise locations. Every 10 foot square in the entire world has been given a unique combination of three words: a what3words address. Now you can find, share and navigate to precise locations using three simple words. Before such precision was available only by using complicated alphanumeric GPS coordinates that give latitude and longitude. It is more accurate than street addresses and simpler than GPS coordinates, it’s also a more accessible way to communicate location information than latitude/longitude coordinates or GPS - in short, it’s a simple “geocode.”

For instance, if you wanted to let someone know to meet you at the Poppy Reserve entrance, you could simply give the them the street address on Lancaster Road. But what if you wanted them to meet you at a specific spot on a park trail that was perfect for watching the sunset or a reliable location to view the bloom of an intriguing wildflower? 

In the past, you could send the GPS coordinates that give exact latitude and longitude, such as 34.73408578152156, -118.39619124806275. This is the specific location to view evening snow, Linanthus dichotomus, a funnel shaped snow-white flower with some purple in its lobes, which begins blooming at the Poppy Reserve in the late afternoon and closes with the first rays of the morning sun, generally from April through June. Now there is an easier way, instead of the long alphanumeric, use these three words:  wildest.robs.achieving.

 Go to the what3words app or the website what3words.com, and type in those three words on the top left to find the location (in the maps choice, top right, I chose Google maps and bottom right, round icon, toggle to the satellite view). 

For a great place to watch the sunset try straddle.cuteness.vine and for a great picnic spot (at Ripley Desert Woodland) type in marathon.concierge.tummy. Yes, the words are strange but were assigned randomly with no attempt to relate them to the location, just to find a simple way to communicate a location, anywhere on earth that avoids a complicated alphanumeric. 

For more information visit www.parks.ca.gov/WhatsNew. Be sure to click on the link to learn more. Links are given to download the app (free!) and to videos that show how to use what3words.

President's Message  December 2022Iconic Desert Dweller Needs Our Helpby Margaret Rhyne - president@prmdia.org

Once abundant throughout the Mojave Desert, the population of the desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii, or Agassiz’s desert tortoise, continues on a steep decline despite the efforts of many environmental groups, biologists and volunteers. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times - “California’s Mojave Desert Tortoise Moves Toward Extinction” Nov. 17, 2022 by Louis Sahagun - details this decline and explains why reversing it - while not impossible - is very challenging.   According to this source “eight decades ago, the vast Mojave Desert was home to hundreds of tortoises per square mile… Today, most tortoise populations in California and outside designated recovery areas have fallen to 2 to 3 adults per square mile…” Threats to the desert tortoise come from many sources including habitat destruction due to housing development, industrial solar installations, military maneuvers and desert recreation; decrease in food and water sources due to climate change; and increase in predator populations of feral dogs, coyotes and ravens. 

Ravens, once rarely seen in the Mojave, are now common, particularly near human housing and recreation areas.  Fearless, aggressive and very intelligent, ravens have learned to raid trash cans and other sources of  food inadvertently provided by people. Ravens are particularly deadly to newly hatched tortoises whose soft shells provide little protection. Like ravens, coyotes have adapted well to living with people and have a taste for tortoise hatchlings. Coyotes also have been known to prey on adult tortoises by digging them from their burrows during times when other food sources are scarce. 

The desert tortoise is very long-lived but also takes several decades to reach sexual maturity. Females lay 1– to 14 eggs between April through June; number of eggs seems to be dependent on the size and age of the female. Females dig nests with their hind legs and then carefully cover the nest. When the eggs hatch, generally from 70 to 120 days, the young are on their own. Wildflowers are a favorite food for all tortoises. Desert grasses and cactus buds are also eaten. Tortoises must drink water. They become noticeably more active after rainstorms in the spring, summer and early fall. They hibernate generally from October to March. 

What can individuals do to help the Mojave desert tortoise? Here are a few suggestions:

Secure your trash.  Close lids and do not let trash overflow. When recreating, pick up your own trash and while you are at it, look for other trash that you can take with you as well. If a campground or city park picnic area does not provide secure trash receptacles “pack it in and pack it out.” Slow down. Tortoises are attracted to roadsides when water accumulates alongside pavement. This is a particular problem after desert monsoon rains. PRMDIA helps with the effort to slow traffic on desert roads by financing the printing of postcards provided free to the public at Mitchell Caverns (inside the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area).  Suggested and designed by State Park Interpreter Andrew Fitzpatrick, these postcards urge the public to slow down when driving in the desert and never touch a tortoise unless it is in danger of being hit. (Learn more about how to safely move a tortoise by reading this information provided by Joshua Tree National Park: www.nps.gov/jotr/learn/nature/tortoise.htm)Learn more.  Providing protection for desert tortoises, important research and many sources of education for the public, the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area lies on the western edge of the Rand Mountains, northeast of California City. This protected area provides 39.5 square miles of prime tortoise habitat. It is open every day. Visit in person and/or read through the extensive information on their website:
 tortoise-tracks.org.

For more information:
View a video based on the LA Times article mentioned above.

Mojave Desert Tortoise  Postcard - Mitchell Caverns, Providence Mountains S.R.A.Provided by PRMDIA at no charge to the public