Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area in
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a County (United States), county located in the southern California, southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most ...
's
Coachella Valley
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, map_caption = Coachella Valley
, location = California, United States
, coordinates =
, width =
, boundaries = Salton Sea (southeast), Santa Rosa Mountains (southwest), San Jacint ...
. It lies within the unincorporated community of
Thousand Palms, just north of
Palm Desert
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has been ...
. The refuge contains the majority of critical habitat for the
Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard
The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (''Uma inornata'') is a species of Phrynosomatidae, phrynosomatid lizard.
Phylogeny and evolution
The species is most closely related to Uma notata, the Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard. Genetic variat ...
(''Uma inornata'') within the Coachella Valley Preserve and
Indio Hills Palms State Reserve.
Refuge habitat
The
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
of this
threatened species
Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...
is restricted to the refuge's
dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
system and a few other small areas. This dune system is in jeopardy as development threatens sand sources and the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard's
travel corridors.
Access
The refuge, managed by the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
, provides for the only significant habitat acreage that is not available for multiple recreating uses by the public. The Coachella Valley Refuge is almost entirely closed to the public to protect the federally listed threatened Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard. However, there is a trail that runs through a section of the refuge available for
horseback riders.
See also
*
List of Sonoran Desert wildflowers
The wildflowers of the Sonoran Desert typically appear after a rain, some after the winter rains, and some after the summer "monsoons."
'' Amsinckia menziesii''
* Common name: common fiddleneck
* Flowers bloom March through May
Image:Amsinckia i ...
References
External links
Official Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge websiteOfficial Coachella Valley Preserve website
External links
Indio Hills Palms State Park
*
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Protected areas of the Colorado Desert
Thousand Palms, California
Coachella Valley
National Wildlife Refuges in California
Protected areas of Riverside County, California
Dunes of California
Landforms of Riverside County, California