Courtesy Clark County
Third-grader Abigail Lemus is recognized in her classroom at Elaine Wynn Elementary School as the winner of the annual Mojave Max Emergence Contest for guessing when the desert tortoise would come out of his burrow this spring.
Thursday, April 14, 2011 | 5:01 p.m.
Clark County Commission Chair Susan Brager poses with third-grader Abigail Lemus after Brager announced that Lemus won the annual Mojave Max Emergence Contest for guessing when the desert tortoise would come out of his burrow this spring.
Map of Elaine Wynn Elementary School
Las Vegas third-grader Abigail Lemus was just six minutes off.
The Elaine Wynn Elementary School student won the annual Mojave Max Emergence Contest for her guess of when the desert tortoise would emerge from his burrow to begin spring.
Mojave Max is the mascot of the Clark County Desert Conservation Program.
Desert tortoises enter a burrow each fall to brumate, the reptilian form of hibernation. The timing of the tortoise’s exit marks the unofficial start of spring in Southern Nevada, as it is influenced by temperature, the length of days and the animal’s internal clock, officials said.
Lemus guessed that Max would come out at 1:57 p.m. on March 29. Max came out at 2:03 p.m.
It was the closest of more than 6,300 submissions in the annual contest in which students guess when Mojave Max will end his winter brumation.
Clark County Commission Chair Susan Brager visited Lemus’ class to announce the win Thursday and give the class T-shirts and medals. The class will also take a field trip and have a pizza party at the Red Rock National Conservation Area on May 5.
Lemus will receive an outdoor adventure backpack, a digital camera, a year pass to federal lands and a laptop computer. Her teacher will also get a laptop.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy