Distribution and intensity of hunting and trapping activity in the East Mojave National Scenic Area, California

The Mojave Desert supports a diversity of habitats and a concomitant divers ity of wildlife species, many of which are of interest to hunters or have c ommercial value. In 1980, the East Mojave National Scenic Area (EMNSA) was delineated by the Bureau of Land Management in its California Desert Conser vation Area Plan. As a result of Congressional action during October 1994, the EMNSA became the Mojave National Preserve, to be administered by the Na tional Park Service. During 1982-1994, we quantified hunting and trapping a ctivity in the EMNSA. The intensity of these activities varied annually, ge ographically, and with the species pursued. Hunting effort for Gambel's qua il, Lophortyx gambelii, and mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus, has trended upw ard since 1990. These data provide a baseline against which future changes in land management policies and their effects on hunting and trapping activ ities can be evaluated.