Mayhew Photo Transects

PHOTO SITES
Nineteen marked photo sites have been established within the Deep Canyon Transect (Map1). These sites are used to record photographically the changes that occur in these habitats seasonally as well as over the years. Locations were obtained using high accuracy GPS and are given in degress lat./long. (meters UTM).

Some photo sites are marked with an orange plastic stake. The number of the site is marked in black on the top of the stake. A series of black notches are present around the edge of the top of the stake, each indicating a compass bearing that is photographed from that site. If north (0°) is photographed, there is a black dot beneath the notch pointing north (inner end of the notch).
Some photo sites are marked by a black number painted on the top of rock. Around this number are black lines that indicate the compass bearings used at the site. There is a black dot beneath the line pointing north on the end nearest the site number.

Since the advent of digital photographic technology the sites can be photographed without regard to compass bearing as long as sufficient overlap among photos is maintained.

Photo Site 1

Location: N 33.670305? (3,725,777 m), E -116.372915? (558,133 m)

Elevation 710 feet (215 meters)

Habitat Rocky creosote bush scrub
Compass bearings 0° 30° 60° 85° 115° 155° 180° 195° 225° 255° 285° 320°

This site, marked by an orange stake, is 42 meters southeast (160°) of the main gate at the north boundary fence of the Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center. It is about 10 meters east of the road.

Photo Site 2

Location: N 33.669631? (3,725,706 m), E -116.367447? (558641 m)

Elevation 710 feet (215 meters)

Habitat Rocky creosote bush scrub
Compass bearings 0° 30° 60° 90° 125° 155° 180° 210° 235° 270° 305° 320° 340°

This site, marked by an orange stake, is approximately 150 meters south of the boundary fence and about 30 meters south of the perimeter road for the Campground. This site is approximately 125 meters west of the main channel of Rubble Canyon. The stake is near the base of a creosote bush (Larrea tridentata.)

Photo Site 3

Location: N 33.647715? (3,723,270 m), -116.377549? (557,719 m)

Elevation 1,013 feet (307 meters)

Habitats Desert wash, Rocky creosote bush scrub
Compass bearings 225° 250° 270° 315° 345° 0° 45° 65° 90° 125°

This site, marked by an orange stake, is approximately 2 meters north of the ramada ruins situated immediately above the Deep Canyon Laboratory.

Photo Site 4

Location: N 33.649147? (3,723,430 m), E -116.376468? (557,818 m)

Elevation 950 feet (288 meters)

Habitats Desert wash, Rocky creosote bush scrub
Compass bearings 0° 30° 60° 90° 120° 165° 180° 210° 240° 270° 305° 335°

This site, marked by an orange stake, is approximately 10 meters east of the old paved road to the Deep Canyon Laboratory, and at the north side of a small parking lot about 200 meters northeast of the laboratory.

Photo Site 5

Location: N 33.640161? (3,722,422 m), E -116.397352? (555,887 m)

Elevation 2,745 feet (832 meters)

Habitat Yucca-galleta grass
Compass bearings 335° 0° 30° 60° 90° 130° 170° 190°

This site, marked by an orange stake, is located east of the north end of the road on Agave Hill (“Lucky” on topographic maps). There is a cleared bare area overlooking Deep Canyon below.

Photo Site 6

Location: N 33.638229? (3,722,207 m), E -116.398287? (555,802 m)

Elevation 2,765 feet (838 meters)

Habitat Yucca-galleta grass
Compass bearings 0° 35° 80° 100° 130° 165° 190° 230° 270° 290° 315° 335°

This site, marked by an orange stake, is located on Agave Hill approximately 45 meters south-southeast (155°) of the weather station shelter. The stake is located on a low ridge just south of the weather station shelter.

Photo Site 7

Location: N 33.631924? (3,721,507 m), E -116.400400? (555,610 m)

Elevation 2,855 feet (865 meters)

Habitat Yucca-galleta grass
Compass bearings 0° 35° 65° 95° 115° 150° 180° 205° 230° 260° 295° 330°

This site is marked by an orange stake, and is located on Lookout Hill (hill immediately south of Agave Hill) approximately 244 meters (by road) from the gate on Highway 74. The stake is in place on the top of a large rock pile north of the dirt road. This rock pile is beside the concrete base (4 ft. x 4 ft. x 2 ft.) that originally supported an aircraft lookout tower during World War II.

Photo Site 8

Location: N 33.631903? (3,721,506 m), -116.398279? (555,807 m)

Elevation 2,785 feet (844 meters)

Habitats Rocky slopes, Yucca-galleta grass
Compass bearings 0° 20° 40° 70° 100° 130° 170° 195° 215° 265° 295° 325°

This site, marked by an orange stake, is located on a rocky knoll that overlooks Deep Canyon from Lookout Hill. It is approximately 200 meters east (77°) of the eastern end of Transect 5.

Photo Site 9

Location: N 33.669047? (3,725,645 m), E -116.360170? (559,316 m)

Elevation 785 feet (238 meters)

Habitat Rocky creosote bush scrub
Compass bearings 0° 40° 75° 110° 145° 175° 215° 250° 300° 330° 350°

This site, marked by an orange stake, is located on a ridge between Quail Canyon and Indio Canyon. The stake is in an open area on a flat portion of this ridge. The eastern end of the boundary fence between sections 4 and 9 is approximately 250 meters due north (0°) of the stake.

Photo Site 10

Location: N 33.654453? (3,724,008 m), E -116.393502? (556,235 m)

Elevation 1,568 feet (475 meters)

Habitats Rocky creosote bush scrub, yucca-galleta grass
Compass bearings 0° 20° 45° 75° 100° 135° 175° 210° 240° 270° 300° 325°

The location of this site is indicated by a black number painted on a low flat rock near a creosote bush (to northeast). The number is surrounded by a series of black lines that identify compass bearings.

The site is near the north-eastern corner of section 18, and is located on a ridge east of a bend in Highway 74 that has a large cleared area at the west edge of the highway. The ridge is a continuation to the northeast of the ridge on which the 1600 feet elevation weather station shelter is located. The site is approximately 150 meters east-northeast (60°) of the weather station shelter itself (the weather station is approximately 100 meters east of the highway.)

Photo Site 11

Location: N 33.649587? (3,723,465 m), E -116.400680? (555,573 m)

Elevation 2,402 feet (728 meters)

Habitat Yucca-galleta grass
Compass bearings 290° 320° 340° 10° 30° 60° 85° 115

This site is located at Vista Point on Highway 74. The site is a rock just below the rim of the ridge on which the parking area is located. It is north of the rock wall surrounding the parking area, 7 meters north of the 7th pylon from the uphill end of the parking area wall. Remnants of an asphalt ramp for hang glider launching can be seen on the rocks uphill from the photo site.

Photo Site 12

Location: N 33.651184? (3,723,660 m), E -116.367531? (558,645 m)

Elevation 1,317 feet (399 meters)

Habitats Rocky creosote bush scrub, Desert wash, Rocky slopes
Compass bearings 0° 30° 60° 90° 120° 150° 175° 210° 235° 265° 290° 320° 340°

This site, marked by an orange stake, is located on the top of Packrat Hill. This hill is several hundred meters east-northeast (55°) of the Deep Canyon Laboratory near the entrance to Coyote Canyon.

Photo Site 13

Location: N 33.605451? (3,718,548 m), E -116.445687? (551,425 m)

Elevation 4,366 feet (1,323 meters)

Habitat Pinyon-juniper woodland
Compass bearings 0° 210° 165° 180° 330° 40° 65° 100° 140° 245° 280° 295°

This site is marked in black paint on the top of one of a series of rock outcrops on the east side of section 30 in Pinyon Flats. The site is approximately 110 meters southwest (225°) of a Telephone microwave repeater station.

The site also is about 50 meters south of a rather poorly defined dirt road that crosses section 34 just south of the repeater station (Transects 13 and 14 occur on this road).
A rock that contains a rather deep Indian grinding hole (metate) on it is about 6 meters east of the photo site.

Photo Site 14

Location: N 33.599881? (3,717,924 m), E -116.459016? (550,192 m)

Elevation 4,174 feet (1,265 meters)

Habitat Pinyon-juniper woodland
Compass bearings 0° 25° 55° 80° 100° 130° 155° 175° 205° 235° 265° 300° 330°

This site is located on top of a rather large rock outcrop that is situated approximately 200 meters north of Pinesmoke Road, and about 85 meters east of the west section boundary in the southwestern corner of section 34. The site is marked with black paint on the top of a rock at the top of the large rock outcrop.

Photo Site 15

Location: N 33.612218? (3,719,292 m), E -116.459872? (550.105 m)

Elevation 4,236 feet (1,284 meters)

Habitat Pinyon-juniper woodland
Compass bearings 90° 115° 140° 170°

This site, marked by an orange stake, is located beside the southeast steps of the seismic trailer laboratory located beside the University of California (San Diego) Green Pinyon Flat Geophysical Laboratory. This laboratory is situated in the northwest corner of section 34.

Photo Site 16

Location: N 33.676922? (3,726,515 m), E -116.365152? (558,848 m)

Elevation 640 feet (195 meters)
Habitat Rocky creosote bush scrub, Desert wash, Artificial ponds, Golf course
Compass bearings 0° 25° 55° 95° 120° 140° 165° 190° 220° 255° 280° 305° 330°

This site, marked with black paint on the top of a flat rock, is located on a knoll near the southeast corner of the Ironwood Country Club’s south golf course (near the 14th hole).
The site is at the exact center of section which is at the top of the knoll.

Photo Site 17

Location: N 33.611331? (3,719,216 m), E -116.414806? (554,287 m)

Elevation 3,382 feet (1,025 meters)

Habitat Yucca-galleta grass
Compass bearings 0° 30° 65° 95° 130°185° 220° 255° 295° 330°

This site is located on the top of a large rock outcrop (the highest outcrop at the vicinity) approximately 50 meters east of Highway 74. It is across the road from highway marker 84 33, and immediately east of the highway pull-off that is crossed by Transect 19. The site is marked with black paint on the top of the highest rock.

Photo Site 18

Location: N 33.619581? (3,720,120 m), E -116.434994? (552,409 m)

Elevation 3,900 feet (1,182 meters)

Habitats Riparian, Yucca-galleta grass, Pinyon-juniper woodland
Compass bearings 0° 30° 60° 90° 120° 150° 180° 210° 240° 270° 300° 330°

This site is located on the top of the highest rock outcrop about 75 meters northeast (20°) of the western end of Transect 26 and the southern end of Transect 27 in Pinyon Flats.
The site is marked with black paint on the top of the highest rock.

Photo Site 19

Location: N 33.779744? (3,727,951 m), E -116.307004? (564,162 m)

Elevation 162 feet (49 meters)

Habitats Sand dunes, sandy creosote bush scrub
Compass bearings 0° 30° 60° 90° 120° 150° 180° 210° 240° 270° 300° 330°

This site is located at the northwest end of Transect 24 within the Thousand Palms Preserve, and is marked by the same orange plastic stake that indicates the end of Transect 24. The compass bearings are indicated by notches around the edge of the top of the stake.