The many deserts that surround Southern California are some of my favorite places to camp and spend a lot of time. With its miles of vast landscapes, it looks like an inhospitable place that doesn’t support much, if any life. But, as we also know, that is the furthest from the truth. What you might not know, is that a lot of the life of the desert is right there on the surface of the ground. From Biocrust, with Love is a documentary by the Radavist’s John Watson that explores how important this biocrust is and how extremely delicate it is, despite its harsh environment.
This soil surface also referred to as cryptogamic, or biological soil crust, is alive with “vibrant, charismatic organisms”. Living in the spaces between the plants, these living communities of lichens, mosses, cyanobacteria, and other soil-dwelling creatures anchor the desert sands in place and thrive.
John Watson of the Radavist teams up with dryland ecologist, Dr. Kristina Young and goes on a bike tour around the remote desert landscapes surrounding Moab, Utah. They encounter biocrust around nearly every corner… check out the documentary below for all of the skinny on protecting our beloved deserts and how to “shred lightly”.
From Biocrust, With Love
There is also a link here to go to The Radavist and read the article that Kristina and John wrote.
