| Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center | |
|---|---|
   | |
| Nearest city | Palm Desert, California |
| Coordinates | 33°38′N116°24′W / 33.633°N 116.400°W /33.633; -116.400[1] |
| Area | 2,469 hectares [ha] (24.69 km2)[2][a] |
| Created | 1958[4] |
| Operated by | University of California, Riverside |
| Website | deepcanyon |
ThePhilip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center is one of the original seven of the total 39 sites in theUniversity of California Natural Reserve System.[5] It contains lands originally donated to the university by regentPhilip L. Boyd in 1958.[6] The Research Center is contained withinUNESCO'sMojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve.[7]
Deep Canyon, immediately east of thePalms to Pines Scenic Byway, is located inside theSanta Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument at the western edge of theColorado Desert. The canyon cuts into the north face of theSanta Rosa Mountains creating cliffs 394 metres (1,293 ft) high.[8][9] The canyon, created by an intermittent stream carrying moisture from the mountains, extends 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) dropping 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in elevation down to 300 metres (980 ft) where analluvial fan pours into theCoachella Valley. The temporary flows of Deep Canyon Creek seldom reach the alluvial fan and never meetSalton Sea.[10] Because the canyon lies in arain shadow the climate is very arid and summertime temperatures reach 36 °C (97 °F).[11] The upper Sonoran, lower Sonoran, and transitionallife zones are represented across this expanse.[10] The flora includescreosote bushes,palo verde trees, andocotillo.[12] In places where water collectsCalifornia fan palms andbighorn sheep can be found.[13]
The first scientific expedition to the site was carried out in 1908 byHarry Swarth andJoseph Grinnell on behalf ofUniversity of California, Berkeley'sMuseum of Vertebrate Zoology.[14] Philip L. Boyd, aRegent of the University of California, leased the land for theLiving Desert Zoo and Gardens and invited faculty of the newly openedUniversity of California, Riverside to use the property for research. When the need for a non-public range became evident, Boyd donated the initial 1,701 acres (6.88 km2) of land in Deep Canyon in 1958 as well as the funding to spur the university to acquire other contiguous properties. Construction began on the first hard facilities on site in 1961 and commemoration of the site with a bronze plaque took place on March 7, 1970, naming the center after Boyd.[14] The first director of the research center was Irwin P. Ting.[15] As of 2015 the director of the research center is Dr. Chris Tracy.[16]
The cactusOpuntia acanthocarpa has been studied at Agave Hill.[17] In 2010 a study of 35 species ofMutillid wasps revealed four new species, two of which (Odontophotopsis hammetti andSphaeropthalma mankelli) are only known to exist at the center.[18] The center was the study ground for a 2013National Science Foundation grant to develop a new method for identifying species ofnematodes.[19] A series of five books (Mammals of Deep Canyon in 1968,Ants of Deep Canyon in 1973,Deep Canyon, a Desert Wilderness for Science in 1976,Birds of Deep Canyon in 1979, andBirds of Southern California's Deep Canyon in 1983) discuss thebiodiversity of the area.[20]
Because of the remoteness of Deep Canyon, it hosts one of the 300 worldwideoptical fiberinfrasound sensors (OFIS) used to implement theComprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.[21]