A Tour of Palm Springs

The Whitewater Preserve will be CLOSED today and tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8th and Wednesday, September 9th. There is a Red Flag Warning for this area due to... extreme fire weather. This closure includes river access at the Whitewater Preserve bridge. The rest of Whitewater Canyon is still under Fire Closure Order by the Riverside County, Cal Fire and Bureau of Land Management. Day to day updates will be posted as conditions in the El Dorado burn area change. For more information, call 760-325-7222. See more

**Warning: Video may be difficult to watch.** There has been much to do here after the Water Fire partially burned the preserve three weeks ago. We thank every...one who has shown their support and patiently awaited updates. Everyone made it out safe during the fire. Much of the riparian wetlands and northern meadow have burned, but all buildings and the park/picnic area were saved. We thank CAL FIRE, CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management Fire and Aviation, and all the many crews and stations that responded. More photos and information are to come, but for now here some video stitched together from our wildlife camera that kept filming as the flames surrounded it. During this current summer monsoon season, there is a heightened risk of flash flood danger due to the Apple Fire burn scar in the mountains above us. This danger potential will likely close the preserve often through September so please check if the preserve is open before visiting. When visiting, in addition to our usual leave no trace rules, please avoid the burned areas for your safety and to not further impact the scorched soil. The post-fire regrowth has already begun and there will be future volunteer efforts as we continue the restoration process. We look forward to watching and sharing the beauty of nature unfold anew with all our visitors. If you are interested in giving: https://getinvolved.wildlandsconservancy.org/give/179489/ Thank you - Whitewater Staff

Whitewater Preserve will be CLOSED due to flash flood danger TODAY Monday, August 31st. This closure includes the river area accessed from Whitewater Canyon Roa...d. The rest of Whitewater Canyon is still under Fire Closure Order by the Riverside County, Cal Fire and Bureau of Land Management. Day to day updates will be posted as conditions in the Apple Fire burn area change. Water access should be open the rest of this week as long as weather conditions remain clear and safe. For more information, call 760-325-7222. See more

Walking through desert scrub, the only way you may know one of these Black-tailed Gnatcatchers (Polioptila melanura) is around is from their wheezy, scolding ca...lls and their constant movement in the catclaw! Black-tailed Gnatcatchers are characterized by their white eyering, and slight white on their tail feathers. The breeding males sport a black cap, while non-breeding males, such as this one, show a faint eyebrow, and females often have no eyebrow at all. They can easily be confused with the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, though the Blue-gray has much more white in the tail, no black cap, and is less common in desert and arid scrubland. The call of the Blue-gray is also higher pitched and squeakier than the Black-tailed. Black-tailed Gnatcatchers eat many small insects, swallowing them whole unless they are too large, then they rip off the wings before eating them! The next time you see a tiny bird flitting through branches and flashing its tail, check to see if it’s a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher! **The Visitor Center, park, restrooms, and parking lot remain closed at this time. Hiking trails are still open, though access has been modified. For updates, visit our website: https://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_whitewater.ht

Male Summer Tanagers are the only completely red bird in North America. They come to the dense cottonwood and willow forests of the preserve to breed in the sum...mer, after migrating all the way from South America where they spend their winters. They are excellent insect hunters, feasting on wasps, bees, and other insects in the brush. **The Visitor Center, park, restrooms, and parking lot remain closed at this time. Hiking trails are still open, though access has been modified. For updates, visit our website: https://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_whitewater.ht

I cannot tell you how much I miss this magical oasis. I’m living vicariously through Whitewater Preserve’s posts. Whitewater, we will be back!

Did you know Rattlesnakes give birth to live young? Rattlesnakes are considered ovoviviparous. This means that females will produce eggs and hold them inside th...eir body until the eggs hatch. Once hatched inside the female, she will then give birth to fully developed baby snakes. Ovoviviparous reproduction results in a higher success rate for offspring! Since rattlesnakes hatch their eggs inside of their bodies, they do not have to worry about their eggs being eaten by predators. **The Visitor Center, park, restrooms, and parking lot remain closed at this time. Hiking trails are still open, though access has been modified. For updates, visit our website: https://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_whitewater.ht

This Coastal Rosy Boa (Lichanura orcutti) is one of the few snakes that give birth to live young! This form of reproduction is called viviparity and is quite ra...re in snake species. Viviparous snakes do not have eggs, they nourish their young using a placenta and a yolk.This form of reproduction is also how mammals give birth. The gestation period for Coastal Rosy Boas is approximately 130 days, with females giving birth between October and November. Adult Coastal Rosy Boas reach lengths of about 17- 44 inches. Due to its size the Coastal Rosy Boa pictured here is most likely a juvenile! **The Visitor Center, park, restrooms, and parking lot remain closed at this time. Hiking trails are still open, though access has been modified. For updates, visit our website: https://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_whitewater.ht

Whitewater Preserve is home to a pair of American Coot babies! Also called cooties these babies display a very interesting development. When hatched, cooties ...look fairly silly with a bald head, orange feathers around their necks and a red bill. As they grow, they lose the orange color, and gain grey feathers over their whole bodies. Their bill also begins to lose the red color as it develops into the unique white beak of an adult. The newly hatched cooties rely upon their parents for food, but they begin to dive for their own food (sedges and grasses) at only a few weeks! It takes about 75 days for coots to fledge and fully leave the nest. Click through to see how our resident cooties are developing! **The Visitor Center, park, restrooms, and parking lot remain closed at this time. Hiking trails are still open, though access has been modified. For updates, visit our website: https://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_whitewater.ht

Nelson's Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) are a highly elusive species. Here at Whitewater bighorn sheep camouflage perfectly against the cliff side and ...often go undetected. More photos on our instagram page @whitewaterpreserve Photo By: Ranger Abby **The Visitor Center, park, restrooms, and parking lot remain closed at this time. Hiking trails are still open, though access has been modified. For updates, visit our website: https://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_whitewater.ht

The Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is now open daily 7:30 a.m. until dusk. The Parking lot and restrooms are open. The Marsh, Mesquite and Desert Willow Trails ...are now designated One Way to allow for mandated safe distancing. Masks are required in public when you are within 6 feet of others from a different household. Bird walks and Education Center hours are cancelled until further notice.