Spend a day in the field with MDLT’s WISDOM interns

WISDOM
Written By Jessica Graybill

By Alejandra Escobar

Experience a day in the life of a Mojave Desert Land Trust WISDOM intern as they head into the field to gather data on bumblebees and tamarisk beetles within Mojave Trails National Monument.

MDLT's Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave (WISDOM) internship provides opportunities for women from underrepresented communities to participate in scientific research and gain work experience in conservation. From beetles to bighorn, springs to starlight, WISDOM interns have provided new baseline data about biodiversity within Mojave Trails National Monument.

Explore their findings

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Spend a day in the field with MDLT’s WISDOM interns
WISDOM
Spend a day in the field with MDLT’s WISDOM interns
WISDOM

Experience a day in the life of a Mojave Desert Land Trust WISDOM intern as they head into the field to gather data on bumblebees and tamarisk beetles within Mojave Trails National Monument.

WISDOM
Surveys show biodiversity in Mojave springs
WISDOM
Surveys show biodiversity in Mojave springs
WISDOM

In 2023 and 2024, interns with the Mojave Desert Land Trust’s Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave program (WISDOM) conducted a biological survey of four springs in Mojave Trails National Monument. Their findings help demonstrate the importance of protecting these natural water sources for the future.

WISDOM
Data highlights tamarisk beetle populations within Mojave Trails National Monument  
WISDOM
Data highlights tamarisk beetle populations within Mojave Trails National Monument  
WISDOM

Over four years, interns with the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave program returned to five data points within Mojave Trails National Monument to study the presence of the tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda spp.), introduced as a biocontrol against invasive tamarisk trees. Data collected illustrates that the tamarisk populations have changed dramatically during that time.

WISDOM
Data provides rare insights into Mojave summer birds, bees
WISDOM
Data provides rare insights into Mojave summer birds, bees
WISDOM

New data collected by interns offers rare insights into the summer bird populations at two oases in the Mojave Desert. Interns with the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave (WISDOM) program visited Arrowweed and Bonanza springs over a six-month period to study birds and bumble bees. The community science data collected by the interns is the first of its kind at these two oases.

WISDOM

WISDOM is a collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management supported by the Conservation Lands Foundation.

Jessica Graybill https://www.mdlt.org
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Surveys show biodiversity in Mojave springs