discover mojave
Once part of an ancient sea, the Mojave Desert spans 22,000 square miles of Southern Nevada and California, northwest Arizona, and extreme southwest Utah. The desert was formed by volcanic action and by materials deposited by the Colorado River. Mojave is home to an abudance of wildlife, including desert bighorn sheep, coyotes, foxes, rabbits, desert tortoises, roadrunners, ravens, and other birds, and various lizards and snakes. The Joshua tree is the signature plant of the Mojave Desert.
It’s important that we all learn about the desert in which we live. Then we can understand and protect the animals and wildlife in their natural habitat. It will also increase our desire to explore the millions of acres of public lands surrounding Las Vegas and the natural areas and trails created by Clark County and the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas.
The main feature of the Discover Mojave website is stories – online comics and graphic novels about animals on display at the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas, or can be found onsite at the Springs Preserve and elsewhere in the Las Vegas Valley. You can also discover more natural and cultural history facts about the animals and their relationship to the Mojave Desert. A teacher’s lounge helps teachers make curricular connections and gain supplemental activities.
Experiencing the Mojave firsthand will help us understand the amazing ways life adapts to the desert climate. It will also help us recognize the demands people put on the environment, and suggest ways to minimize those demands.
Discover Mojave is conducted by the Public Lands Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on behalf of the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service and funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act.
NEW! Teacher Kits now available for checkout!
If you are interested in Curriculum Extensions related to the "Story of Gill" - especially if you are a CCSD teacher in grades 5-9 - then check out these student activities.