THE CLACKAMAS PRINT
April 18,1990
Page 2
Summer found at Death Valley
by Richard Marx
Staff Writer
Jay Patterson leads the group
past Zabriske Point located In
Golden Canyon.
J ô 5 H l. O,
U ! uc c a.
---------
Photo by John Snivefy
Some of the students that travelled to Death Valley resting
before the hike down Golden Canyon.
Pho*oby johnsnMy
Some students are examining the salt columns that form, by
capillary action, the Devil's Golf Course.
... _. .
“The Year of the Lizard” may
sound like a reference to a Chi
nese New Year, but rather it is a
statement that commemorates the
1990 trip to Death Valley as sug
gested by John Snively.
Fifteenth of the annual for
ays that occur each spring break,
the trip is catalogued under the
title of “Natural History of the
Sonoran Desert” in the CCC sched
ule of courses.
“This is not a vacation nor for
the vacation minded, but rather is
a three credit course for serious
students,” said Snively.
As a CCC geology and biol
ogy instructor, Snively has more
than enough material to pack into
every minute spent in the valley.
“It has been an extremely dry
year,” said Snively. “It is the sec
ond year in a row with virtually no
rain. Yet, the place abounds with
geological wonders and desert life
forms.”
Snively commented that liz
ards were the main abundant ani
mals this year, hence the refer
ence to “The Year of the Lizard.”
Located in south central Cali
fornia, east of the Sierra Nevadas,
Death Valley lies in the south
western area of the Great Basin.
In elevation, it runs from 282 feet
below sea level at the valley floor
to over 11,000 feetabove sea level
at the summit of Telescope Peak.
In length, the valley runs north
south 110 miles and is between 30
and 40 miles in width at the widest
point.
“There are many places to
see at Death Valley, far more than
what could be covered in a week.
We had to choose what would be
the best for the purposes of this
trip,” Snively said.
Some of the places visited were
Dante’s View, Wild Rose Can
yon, Race Track Playa, and Scotty’s
Castle. A first for this trip was the
Keane Wonder Mine where gold
and silver were mined for two
decades around the turn of the
century.
When asked of his impres
sion of this new place, Snively
commented, “it was OK, but not a
high priority.”
Of the other previously men
tioned places, Snively gives some
comments of their interest. From
the high point of Dante’s View,
one could get a view of the valley is more time to concentrate on
area in its entirety. At Wild Rose geology,” commented Snively.
During the trip, Snively em
Canyon are the bee-hive shaped
kilns built by miners in the last phasized Latin nomenclature-the
scientific names of plants and
century.
“That is the highest elevation animals. “Each student kept a
we reached, about 7,400 feet,” journal in which they recorded
Snivelysaid. “There were patches not only names, but also notes on
of snow here and the predomi geologic, historical, and other
nate vegetation is a forest of Pin general information. There were
about 100 plant species and 70
ion Pine and Utah Juniper.”
Race Track Playa is noted for animal and bird species catalogued
its “moving rocks.” These are fair by the students in their journals.”
sized boulders that have been He also said that “the students
pushed by winds of great veloci quizzed each other on the Latin
ties. Golden Canyon has the land names on the return trip to Ore
scape of an alien world. This should gon. This was a first on Latin
not be surprising, for “it is where nomenclature for most of them.”
The weather at Death Valley
part of the first Star Wars movie
was shot” stated Snively. “That is mild enough at this time of year
was where C3PO and R2D2 got to allow for comfortable camp
lost and were captured by the ing. Everyone slept in tents and
the food was prepared beforehand
Jawas.”
This year was hot, not only by so that most of it could be heated
Willamette Valley standards, but up and then served. “There was
also for this time of year at Death more food than we could eat,” re
Valley. “The coolest day was 85 marked Jay Patterson. “Everyone
degrees Fahrenheit and the aver . ate really well and plenty of food
age daily high temperature was was brought back on the return
between 95 and 100 degrees,” said trip. ;
“We camped at Texas Springs,
Snively. “Also, there was no wind,
making the heat all the more back in the ashflows and mud
noticeable,” he added. One of the deposits, where it was absolutely
students, Jay Patterson (a third- devoid of vegetation,” continued
year Death Valley veteran), com Patterson. Both he and Snively
mented that “Tuesday night was remarked on the changes in the
really warm. The thermometer read resort and campground area. “It
80 degrees in the tent at midnight” . was ecologically a bummer because
Mentioning the heat, Snively Texas Springs had been bulldozed
added that the “Death Valley over and diverted to irrigate a date
region is now going into its third orchard,” Patterson said. “They
summer of drought. This has re even filled in the only natural pond
sulted in almost no wildflowers, in the campground area. We used
which usually appear after winter to come here and cool off in the
rains. The few flowers observed evening, when we had spare time.
included one trumpet eriogonum, However, we did get to use the
a brittle bush, and a turtleback swimming pool at the resort on
the last day.”
plant.”
Two years ago the draws were
“In terms of being on track
flowing with streams of purple and for continuous observation, this
gold from the phacelia and desert has been one of the best groups,”
gold daisies. Creosote bush, which said Snively. “The traveling libraiy
grows over much of the valley, of field books was in constant use
were burned and parched look by the students. There was a con
ing. Usually, at least a few have sistent attitude throughout all of
some dark green leaves and bright the students. No one on this trip
yellow flowers. “Even the cacti had a Vacation concept.*”
were dying in places,” stated Sni
“A good time was had by
vely.
everybody,” according to Jay Pat
“However, there is an advan terson. “One of the reasons that
tage to the lack of herbaceous this group was so good was be
plants. One can get a better view cause everyone pitched in to help
of distinct plant communities-these and there was a real team effort.”
being determined by the domi Finally in closing, Patterson gave
nant shrub species at a given loca the byline of the expedition: “like
tion and/or elevation. Also, there awesome man!”