Reservations are being accepted for a San Bernardino County Museum Association day trip to the Mojave Desert to Pleistocene Lake Manix, east of Barstow in the Mojave Desert. The trip, scheduled for Saturday, March 16, will be led by Senior Curator Kathleen Springer and Curator of Paleontology Eric Scott. The deadline for reservations is March 12.

During the Pleistocene Epoch–the “Ice Ages”–the area now known as the Mojave Desert was populated by an amazing variety of strange and wonderful large mammals. These great beasts visited Lake Manix frequently during the Pleistocene, making use of the abundant fresh water and its attendant forage. Early humans are interpreted by some to have inhabited the region towards the latter part of the last Ice Age, but the evidence for these ancient peoples is far more inconclusive.

Field trip leaders Scott and Springer will meet trip participants at the Victor Valley Museum in Apple Valley and lead them to the ancient shoreline of Lake Manix to explore the ancient lake beds there. The trip will then proceed to the Afton Canyon region to see where the ancient lake drained away thousands of years ago. The trip leaders will discuss fossils of extinct animals and the geology of the region, relating the Lake Manix site to other localities throughout the Mojave Desert.

The day trip costs $70 per person or $60 per SBCMA member; the fee includes transportation, lunch, beverages, and snacks. Call LaWanda Avery-Brown at (909) 307-2669 ext. 225 to make reservations, or visit the museum’s website, http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/museum/, to download a reservation form.

The Victor Valley Museum is a branch of the San Bernardino County Museum located at 11873 Apple Valley Road in Apple Valley. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 (adult), $4 (senior or military), and $2.50 (student). Children under 5 and San Bernardino County Museum Association members are free. Parking is free. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assistive listening devices or other auxiliary aids are needed in order to participate in museum exhibits or programs, requests should be made through Museum Visitor Services at least three business days prior to your visit. Visitor Services’ telephone number is 909-307-2669 ext. 229 or (TDD) 909-792-1462.