In my hiking/wandering/exploring ventures, I've realized and cultivated an "ability" (perhaps just good fortune) to attract wildlife. I like to think that that it is because I, over time, have become more in tune with my surroundings. In The Alchemist, a text I hold dearly, this is alluded to as a matter of one "speaking the same language" with the world. The desert is, curiously enough, the focus in the text and in the case of BMCP as well. Thus far, such attractions have been in good faith. Each of the creatures presented below regarded my presence with the utmost patience and mildness of reaction. in turn, I afforded them the fullness of my respect and the appropriate distance from which I could express my appreciation. Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is a rare gem - a marsh/wetland in the midst of the otherwise parched Mojave Desert. Now within the recently established Sand to Snow National Monument, this land serves its unique purpose of providing a reliable water source and wildlife corridor for imperiled desert species in perpetuity. Wildlife from the nearby San Bernardino mountains have even been known to make the journey downslope to this lush oasis in arid southern California. From sunrise to sunset one can experience more than the eye could possibly behold! Whether it is a variety of nature's iterations and manifestations, or simply a quiet stroll on the boardwalk and through a relief-providing canopy of mesquite, you never quite know what to expect to find in this magical place.
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