Amargosa vole
Tecopa’s Endangered Voles Tell a Water Story Written in DNA
A University of California research team found in 2016 that Tecopa’s California vole—Microtus californicus scirpensis—is one of the most genetically unique animals in the Mojave Desert, and that its survival depends on something deceptively simple: keeping local springs wet. The study, conducted by biologists from UC Berkeley and other institutions, used DNA samples to map how voles…
House Mice Bring Hidden Parasite Threat to Endangered Amargosa Voles in Tecopa
Welcome to our new science section — a weekly dive into the research shaping our understanding of the Amargosa Basin and the desert communities that call it home. Every Friday we will post a relevant article distilling peer-reviewed studies, field reports, and academic findings into clear, locally relevant stories about Tecopa’s ecology, geology, climate, and history. From…
Save the Vole: Borehole Spring BLM Lawsuit Explained
In a legal battle aimed at protecting one of North America’s most endangered mammals, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) filed a lawsuit in 2022 against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for failing to take necessary action to protect the Amargosa vole and its critical habitat at Borehole Spring in the Mojave Desert.…
Fire Devastates Borehole Spring, Endangered Amargosa Vole Habitat
A devastating wildfire broke out at Borehole Spring near Tecopa, California, overnight on February 11, inflicting catastrophic damage to the hot spring which is also a delicate wetland habitat of the endangered and endemic Amargosa vole (Microtus californicus scirpensis). The fire consumed a significant area of critical bulrush habitat surrounding the spring, posing a severe…
The New Yorker On Death Valley
The article titled “The Queen of the Desert” by Alex Ross, published on January 4, 2022, in The New Yorker, discusses Susan Sorrells and her transformative role in the small village of Shoshone, located in the Mojave Desert. Sorrells, the chief custodian of Shoshone, owns the village and surrounding land, dedicating her efforts to preserving…