Wildlife & Plant Reserve Has An 'Open Door-Leave No Trace' Policy
The Red Cliffs Desert Reserve Protects Several Endangered Species While Offering 14 Trails For Hiking, Biking & Horseback Riding
Red Cliffs Reserve, one of south Utah's lesser-known red rock regions, boasts a uniqueness as a mixing zone of three eco-regions - the Mojave Desert, Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin Desert.
This desert reserve is only 14 miles from the city of St. George, is part of the Dixie National Forest, publicly owned, administered by the BLM, and has over 100 miles of non-motorized trails crisscrossing the area.
Red Cliffs Recreation Area is centered on the year-round stream of Quail Creek. Not far downstream the red rock layer forms a reservoir, within Quail Creek State Park, but in the recreation area the stream soon becomes enclosed, and for a quarter of a mile flows through a series of pools, cascades and chutes, all surrounded by a narrow, smooth walled sandstone gorge known as Water Canyon - the highlight of the park.
The area has a campground, a day-use area, the large White Reef trailhead parking area for hikers/bikers/equestrians, multiple historic sites, interpreted archeological sites, two paleontological sites, drainages for Quail Creek and Leeds Creek, old mining ruins, protected habitat for federally-listed endangered plants, and 14 trails accessible for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Visitors can enjoy views of the spectacular red rock cliffs and monuments directly to the west, the restored 1860s-era Adams House off the main entrance road, the remains of the 1950s-era “They Came to Cordura” movie set, dinosaur footprints, and the ruins of the old McMullin homestead and silver mining operations.
“The great thing about this park is that it’s close to town and people who are passing through get the chance to experience it,” said Mike Connor of St. George. “The people of St. George are very invested in enjoying Red Cliffs and protecting it.”
The towering Pine Valley Mountains and Dixie National Forest lie to the north, while the communities of Ivins, Santa Clara, St. George, Washington, and Leeds ring the NCA. The NCA is an important component of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, a multi-jurisdictional land base that has been collaboratively managed by BLM, the State of Utah, Washington County, and local municipalities since 1996 to protect populations and habitat of the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise and other at-risk native plant and animal species.
In 2005-2006, wildfires destroyed about 25 percent of the tortoise habitat within the Red Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash national conservation areas. The result was a sharp drop in tortoise populations - up to 50 percent.
“Seeding of native species has been tried in the past but was not successful because the seeds dried out, were blown away or were eaten,” biologist Ann McLuckie of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said. “Turning the soil to bury the seeds isn’t an option because it risks harming the burrowing tortoises.”
Biologists are hopeful that planting established native plant species will work. Native shrubs and grasses will be planted in islands, which, when established, will hopefully provide seeds which will spread to the surrounding area.
If the project is successful, it will be expanded to other areas of tortoise habitat, McLuckie said.
“The Mohave desert landscape is not adapted to wildfires, and invasive species like cheat grass have made the land vulnerable by providing vegetation that carries fire between shrubs like creosote, which are naturally fire-resistant,” she said. “This has biologists searching for ways to restore damaged habitat.”
Approximately 10,000 native plants for the project have been growing in a nursery at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, part of a joint project with University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Creosote and white bursage, several grass species and intermediate plants like globemallow, desert four-o’clock and desert marigold are among the native species, which will be planted.
The project will track the number of plants that survive in each plot, the impact of native plants on non-native plants, different planting methods and the most cost-effective methods.
Two 100-acre plots have been chosen for the project, both of which were severely affected by fire.
One plot is along Cottonwood Road in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, an area that has been overrun with cheat grass and Russian thistles — also known as tumbleweeds.
The goal is to plant 5,000 native plants at each site.
“I think the community really comes together when it comes to protecting this area not only for the people who live here, but from visitors all over the world,” Connor said.
Candice Reed
A graduate of Kelsey-Jenny College in Communications as well as a certified grant writer, Candice has written for The Los Angeles Times & The New York Times. She loves entertaining and all things French.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Willow Wind RV Park, where you can enjoy all the benefits of exciting outdoor activities with the convenience of modern amenities. It is surrounded by the beautiful red rocks of Southern Utah.