Mojave Max a Better Predictor of Spring than Groundhog
On Thursday, “Groundhog Day,” Southern Nevada will be embarking on the “Mojave Max Watch.”
Although the live Mojave Max is still sleeping, the public is invited to visit the desert tortoise at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Visitor’s Center and join the Mojave Max Watch between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily. A special display has been set up where everyone can participate in predicting and watching for his emergence.
Media are also invited to attend the Mojave Max school assembly at Gwendolyn Woolley Elementary School, located at 3955 Timberlake Drive near Alexander and Pecos roads, on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 9:30 a.m. There, students will learn about the tortoise and how to make a good guess for the Mojave Max Emergence Contest.
While Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog, is pulled from his burrow and asked if he sees his shadow, Mojave Max simply waits for the moment when the daylight and weather are just right before coming out from his burrow and proclaiming spring.
Like all desert tortoises, Mojave Max goes to sleep in October or November of each year. He sleeps for five or six months and then emerges sometime in the spring, signaling the beginning of the season.
Clark County hosts the annual Mojave Max Emergence Contest, education programs and school assemblies in support of Mojave Desert environmental education. As part of the contest, students are encouraged to guess when Mojave Max will first exit his burrow each year. Mojave Max usually emerges in March, but has emerged since 2000 as early as February 14 and as late as April 14.
The Clark County student who guesses closest to the actual time of the tortoise’s emergence wins the contest for his or her classroom, whose students receive medals, T-shirts, a pizza party and a field trip to Red Rock National Conservation Area.
The Mojave Max Education Program is provided by a partnership among Clark County, the Clark County School District, the Bureau of Land Management and the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association.
For more information and to enter the Mojave Max Emergence Contest, visit www.ClarkCountyNV.gov or www.mojavemax.com.
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Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability. With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 14th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to more than 2 million citizens and 40 million visitors a year. Included are the nation’s 7th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The county also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to almost 900,000 residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.