Borrego Sun - Since 1949

If ever there was something really, really interesting to see and absorb in Borrego, it's the photo/information panels currently on display in the front courtyard of the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association (ABDNHA), just west of Carlee's on Palm Canyon Drive.

Using display titles, vivid photos by locals along with informative descriptions, the four-sided kiosk and other visuals, says panel designer and Education Program Director Mike McElhatton, "give people things to do in and around town (such as walking tours), and things to see," including the Ricardo Breceda Sculptures or the wonders of Font's Point."

"The concept is that someone needs only to glance at the heading text and the photos in a panel to understand the main message without having to read very much at all," he added.

Let's take an example. Did you know the spectacular and colorful Badlands sand/silt deposits (btw, best seen at sunrise/sunset from the Font's Point overlook) came from Grand Canyon outflows 120 miles to the southeast and emptied into the Sea of Cortex, but due to the three-million year northward migration of the land mass on the west side of the San Andreas fault (we're on far eastern edge of the Pacific Tectonic Plate), the deposits are now observed due west of the Salton Sea?! I did not know that. Although I do know that a speed averaging less than two and a half inches per year for 120 miles over three million years is sub-glacial.

Says McElhatton, "Topics include things to do around town, places to visit in the Borrego Badlands, hikes close to town, a full panel on the Borrego Palm Canyon Trail, birding, creative photography ideas, the annual Borrego Valley Hawk watch, and "The Many Blooms" of Anza-Borrego. This last sign talks about the cactus bloom, the ocotillo bloom, the Palo Verde bloom, desert lilies, along with the big spring bloom." Something to learn and admire for everyone!

In the courtyard, there is also a full map of the surrounding desert and points of interest, and maps and guidebooks are available inside the ABDNHA retail store.

The project was funded by a County grant originating in the office of 5th District Supervisor Jim Desmond, and the materials used in constructing the panels have a 10-year warranty against fading.

So, local folks have at least that much time to explore the many wonders of Borrego and our unique desert environment, seeing stuff they haven't seen and learning stuff they didn't know.