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| Boyd Deep Canyon |
| Desert Research Center |
One of the largest NRS reserves, the Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center encompasses a major drainage system descending from the high peaks of the Santa Rosa Mountains down to Colorado Desert. Deep Canyon's tributaries begin in montane forests, flow across a rolling plateau covered with piñon-juniper woodland and chaparral, join at the head of a precipitous gorge, and plunge 1,180 feet into the canyon. From there, the mouth of the canyon opens out into a broad alluvial fan with sandy washes on the southern edge of the Coachella Valley. Except for a few permanent pools, the streambed in Deep Canyon's lower reaches is dry. However, winter storms can trigger dramatic flooding. The vertebrate fauna is exceptionally rich, with 46 reptile species, 228 birds, and 47 mammals. The reserve is part of the U.N. Mojave and Colorado Desert Biosphere Reserve. Desert research is also possible at serveral other NRS sites, including the Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve and the Jack and Marilyn Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center, and Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center.
Fire-recovery monitoring
The longterm recovery of piñon-juniper woodland is monitored using permanent transects established in burned and unburned areas after the 1994 fire.
Exotic species removal
A tamarisk and fountain grass management program was initiated in 1996.
Field courses
Site visits by university courses in ornithology, ecology, botany, plant physiological ecology, biology of ants, conservation biology, cactus and succulents, and others.
Selected Research
- Population biology of the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, a federally threatened species.
- Health and demography of the peninsular bighorn sheep, a federally endangered species.
- Mountain lion ecology.
- Rattlesnake ecology.
- Physiology of succulents.
- Hybridization of quail species.
Special Research of National Significance
- Optical Fiber Infrasound Sensor (OFIS)
- Physiological, Demographic, Competitive and Biogeochemical
Controls on the Response of California's Ecosystems to Environmental Change
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