Valley of Death (10 page)

D
eath Valley, in spite of its name, is a land of life. It is also a land of self-discovery, where people have been able to live their lives free from the restraints of more populated areas. The boom-and-bust cycle of desert mining is one of the most colorful parts of Death Valley's past. Silver, gold, copper, borax, and other minerals were mined well into the 20th century, by “single-blanket jackass prospectors” and by large mining companies. The mine at Skidoo, mentioned in
Valley of Death
, produced more than a million dollars before the hardships of desert mining forced it to close.

Death Valley National Park is part of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve. Its plant and animal communities thrive in a variety of life zones, ranging from a vast salt pan on the valley floor to bristlecone pine forests at the higher elevations. Nearly 500 vertebrate species, including the endangered desert tortoise and the Devils Hole pupfish, have adapted to the extreme conditions.

The coyote is one of my favorites. This wily predator has gained respect for its intelligence, hunting skills, and ability to adapt to the steady increase of humans. Olivia's observation that it's a “bad, bad situation when wild animals become dependent on handouts” is especially true in the case of this charming desert “song dog.” Coyotes often run alongside roads looking for an easy meal. Visitors who stop to feed them often forget that they are dealing with wild animals and are bitten. Then park officials must remove or—in extreme cases—kill the coyote. Educating people about the importance of letting wild animals find their own food is an ongoing activity.

Desert bighorn sheep are a different story. They are so shy that it is a rare treat even for park rangers to see one. So, when sheep die, it makes us worry about the population's long-term well-being. The sheep deaths that Olivia is asked to investigate in this story still have not been explained in real life, but they do not appear to have been caused by disease or any unnatural event. But we carefully monitor these animals and will keep our eyes open for bogus “salt licks!”

What we
are
sure of is the impact the activities of feral burros have had on native desert bighorn sheep. This furry little beast arrived in the area with the earliest gold seekers, serving as their beasts of burden and companions. When the boom times ended, the burros were left behind to fend for themselves—and multiply. These voracious plant-eaters destroyed native plant communities, polluted waterholes, trampled stream banks, and eroded hillsides with their crisscross paths. The native sheep population, unable to compete with the burros for food and water, began to move out. To prevent an ecological disaster, park managers started the burro roundup program.

It really was a treat for the Landons and Leesa to witness a roundup. The complex logistics of using wranglers and helicopters to corral the burros and trucks to remove them from the park make it impossible to open these events to the public. Roundups, which usually take place twice a year, are done with the utmost care and with as little stress to the animals as possible. After the roundup, the burros are given to the Bureau of Land Management or to a private animal rescue group for adoption. This program has led to the creation of a more productive and ecologically sound environment for the bighorn sheep and other native species. This, in turn, helps ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the extraordinary natural wonders of Death Valley National Park.

Linda W. Greene
Chief, Division of Resources Management
Death Valley National Park

An award-winning mystery writer and an award-winning science writer—who are also mother and daughter—are working together on
Mysteries in Our National Parks!

 

ALANE (LANIE) FERGUSON'S
first mystery,
Show Me the Evidence,
won the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America.

 

GLORIA SKURZYNSKI'S
Almost the Real Thing
won the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award.

 

Lanie lives in Elizabeth, Colorado. Gloria lives in Boise, Idaho. To work together on a novel, they connect by phone, fax, and e-mail and “often forget which one of us wrote a particular line.”

 

Gloria's e-mail: [email protected]

Her Web site:
www.gloriabooks.com

Lanie's e-mail: [email protected]

Her Web site:
www.alaneferguson.com

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