Indio Hills Palms
Encyclopedia
Indio Hills Palms State Reserve and the Coachella Valley Preserve, located in the Indio Hills
, contain the 1,000 Palms Oasis, and are a protected area in the Coachella Valley
, located east of Palm Springs
near Palm Desert, California
. The Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge
is contained within the Coachella Valley Preserve, and all are in the Colorado Desert
section of the Sonoran Desert
, and adjacent to the Lower Colorado River Valley
region.
. The Coachella Valley Preserve, a 2,206-acre (8.93 km²) area, is maintained by the non-profit Nature Conservancy, is one of the few in the desert with natural spring
s feeding oasis
that support the only California native
palm, the Washingtonia filifera
or California Fan Palm. The San Andreas Fault
, visible from the valley floor as a line of greenery along the base of the hills, captures groundwater that nurtures the palms. The 1,000 Palms Oasis grove is easily reached by foot from the trailhead.
pond
s provide habitat for the Desert pupfish, a small, endangered species
of freshwater fish - roughly the size of a young goldfish. These ponds are part of the self-guided tour among the California Fan Palm groves.
is a restricted access habitat
for the Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard
, listed as an endangered species
in California, a threatened species in the United States
and the IUCN classifies it as endangered.
:Category:Fauna of the Colorado Desert
:Category:Images of flora of the Lower Colorado River Valley
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Indio Hills
The Indio Hills are a mountain range in Riverside County, California.The Indio Hills are along the San Andreas Fault, with natural springs supporting a native California Fan Palm - Washingtonia filifera oasis. The Indio Hills Palms State Reserve and Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge are...
, contain the 1,000 Palms Oasis, and are a protected area in the Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
, located east of Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
near Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
. The Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area in the Coachella Valley, located east of Palm Springs near Palm Desert, California...
is contained within the Coachella Valley Preserve, and all are in the Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
section of the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
, and adjacent to the Lower Colorado River Valley
Lower Colorado River Valley
The Lower Colorado River Valley is the river region of the lower Colorado River of the southwestern United States in North America that rises in the Rocky Mountains and has its outlet at the Colorado River Delta in the northern Sea of Cortez in northwestern Mexico, between the states of Baja...
region.
California Fan Palm oasis
The Indio Hills Palms State Reserve is managed by the California Department of Parks and RecreationCalifornia Department of Parks and Recreation
The California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 278 parks and 1.4 million acres , with over of coastline; of lake and river frontage; nearly 15,000 campsites; and of hiking, biking, and...
. The Coachella Valley Preserve, a 2,206-acre (8.93 km²) area, is maintained by the non-profit Nature Conservancy, is one of the few in the desert with natural spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
s feeding oasis
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
that support the only California native
California native plants
California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
palm, the Washingtonia filifera
Washingtonia filifera
Washingtonia filifera , with the common names California Fan Palm , Desert Fan Palm, Cotton palm, and Arizona Fan Palm. It is a palm native to southwestern North America between an elevation range of , at seeps, desert bajadas, and springs where underground water is continuously available...
or California Fan Palm. The San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
, visible from the valley floor as a line of greenery along the base of the hills, captures groundwater that nurtures the palms. The 1,000 Palms Oasis grove is easily reached by foot from the trailhead.
Desert pupfish
Naturally occurring artesianArtesian aquifer
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. This causes the water level in a well to rise to a point where hydrostatic equilibrium has been reached. This type of well is called an artesian well...
pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
s provide habitat for the Desert pupfish, a small, endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
of freshwater fish - roughly the size of a young goldfish. These ponds are part of the self-guided tour among the California Fan Palm groves.
Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard
The Coachella Valley National Wildlife RefugeCoachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area in the Coachella Valley, located east of Palm Springs near Palm Desert, California...
is a restricted access habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
for the Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard
Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard
The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard is a species of phrynosomatid lizard.-Conservation status:It is listed as an endangered species in California, a threatened species in the United States, and the IUCN classifies it as endangered.-Habitat:The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard is restricted...
, listed as an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in California, a threatened species in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the IUCN classifies it as endangered.
See also
:Category:Geography of the Colorado Desert:Category:Fauna of the Colorado Desert
:Category:Images of flora of the Lower Colorado River Valley
External links
- Official Coachella Valley Preserve website
- Coachella Valley Preserve trail maps
- Coachella Valley Preserve: McCallum trail hiking
- 1,000 Palms Oasis historical photographs
- 1,000 Palms Oasis birds checklist
- Indio Hills Palms State Park
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