FODM: Community Involvement Programs

Full Moon Hikes

Each month during the full moon, Friends of the Desert Mountains conducts a full moon hike through a wash in the La Quinta Cove area. FODM's goal is to stoke a passion for the environment through recreation programs, like these one. With the help of hike leaders and volunteers, this safe family friendly night time hike focuses on fun and educates people about the desert plants and creatures that call this place home. These hikes are wildly popular.

As you would expect, this hike relies on moonlight to guide people through the mountain wash. However, volunteers carry black lights and flashlights if it's necessary to light up stairs and hilly sections of the hike. For safety reasons, attendees are separated into smaller groups of 10-15 people so they can better enjoy the experience.

Since the winter of 2020, Dave and I have been volunteering to lead or act as sweeps for these community hikes.

The program was extended in 2021 and 2023 to feature moonlight hikes in Rancho Mirage and Indio. Unlike the hikes in La Quinta Cove and Indio, the Rancho Mirage moonlight hike offers an urban adventure, with the main attraction being the ascent to a hilltop to view the city lights. It's a unique nighttime experience that remains very popular.

Monument Night Adventures

Throughout the summer and early fall, FODM sponsors night time hikes with the opportunity to find scorpions and other creatures that change color under black lights. Kids love these night adventure while most adults tolerate the 'opportunity' to encounter a scorpion.

Most years Dave and I aren't around during night adventures but in 2022 we were lucky to be able to participate in one of these events. As a hike leader it felt like I was constantly herding cats, but everyone enjoying hunting with the black lights.

Despite their typical short attention span, kids are always the best scorpion spotters and Dave benefitted when his group spotted these 1-2 inch gems crawling in the night.

Bat Night Adventures

Did you know the National Park Service annually promotes Bat Week to highlight the importance of bat conservation? In celebration of this event, the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto National Monument Visitors Center, along with Friends of the Desert Mountains, organizes a Bat Night Adventures hike.

More than 50 adults and children usually participate in the event. As evening falls, we start with a short discussion on the crucial role bats have in our ecosystem, along with some fascinating facts about the bats inhabiting the Coachella Valley.

1. There are over 1,300 species of bats in the world.

2. Bats represent over 20% of all mammals on the planet.

3. There are over 20 different bat species found in the Coachella Valley.

4. Rather they use the membrane of their wings and tail to “basket-catch” prey.

The group sets out with black lights, powerful flashlights and bat detectors.

The bat detector is an iPad equipped with an ultrasonic microphone and software. The microphone captures the ultrasonic sounds emitted by bats, and the software transforms these sounds into ones that humans can hear.

The detector employs an algorithm to determine the bat species, which in this instance was identified as a Canyon Bat.

During the hour long walk, groups typically see and hear at least 20-30 bats.