By Linda Tancs
The Mojave and Colorado Desert regions within California were included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO in 1984, one of only 46 ecosystems in the United States with this special designation. One of the core areas comprising this reserve is Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The park’s name comprises a pairing of famed Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza (who crossed this desert in 1774) and the Spanish word for sheep (“borrego”), referring to the region’s native bighorn sheep. The state’s largest park, its attractions include a desert garden just outside the Visitor Center that identifies vegetation typical of the 600,000-acre park. The desert garden also includes a pupfish pond, a unique species of fish that flourishes in extreme and isolated environments.
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