The Desert Food Chain
A food chain constitutes a complex network of organisms, from plants to animals, through which energy, derived from the sun, flows in the form of organic matter and dissipates in the form of waste heat.

 

The Desert Food Chain: The Role of Energy
Energy is the power to cause change. Plants use energy from the sun to grow and to flower. Animals use energy from plants to grow, reproduce and move. View the video to learn more!

 

Dust Devils
Born of the battle between the sun and sand, the dust devil is a rapidly rotating column of air that has wrapped itself around a rising thermal. The average dust devil is ten to fifty feet in diameter. The chief ingredients for a good dust devil are clear skies, a bright sun, and a dry hot surface.

Desert Wind and Windmills
As the sun heats the earth's surface it also creates wind. As the air over land warms, it rises, and cooler, heavier air rushes in to takes its place. This process creates wind. In the 1920s and 30s, windmills were the single source of power for farmers and ranchers. Today windmills are being used to generate electricity.

Joshua Tree National Park - Geology Tour Road
The Geology Tour Road is an 18-mile long road that goes through some of Joshua Tree Park's most fascinating landscapes. There are 16 stops along the dirt road and it takes approximately 2 hours to make the round trip. Follow the road through Queens Valley, see the twin peaks of Malapai Hill, and learn about the geologic processes that created the beautiful rock formations at Joshua Tree.

2008 Wildflower Retrospectives
The 2008 Wildflower Season was the best in several years. We have made a video retrospective for each area:
Arizona | Anza Borrego Desert SP | Death Valley NP
Joshua Tree NP | Mojave Desert & So. California |
Nevada & Utah

Formation of Arches at Arches National Park
Massive beds of Entrada sandstone, where most of the arches occur, were deposited about 200 million years ago. This type of sandstone is especially susceptible to exfoliation, exposing the rock to the elements. Eventually the rock is breached, causing the formation of windows, which are gradually enlarged to form the arches, which themselves eventually collapse.

Movie Preview: Secrets of the Stone Tablets
In Search of Montezuma's Treasure - Secrets of the Stone Tablets is an amazing journey into one family's quest to decipher and locate the hidden secrets of the Peralta Stone Tablets, perplexing rock maps that were found just outside the "Superstition Mountains" in Apache Junction, Arizona. They were rumored to be linked to the world famous mines of "The Lost Dutchman," Jacob Walsch, and the Don Miguel Peralta family.