Arrow Canyon Wilderness
Encyclopedia
Arrow Canyon Wilderness is a 27530 acres (11,141 ha) wilderness area located in Clark County
in the U.S.
state of Nevada
. It received wilderness designation with the passage of the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 and protects the northern portion of the Arrow Canyon Range
. The Arrow Canyon Wilderness is managed by the Bureau of Land Management
.
; wide valleys; and deep canyons. The Arrow Range lies along the west edge of the wilderness. This craggy block of tilted sedimentary carbonate rock
exposes the underlying strata along the west side of the ridge. This fault scarp is several thousand feet high and is marked by black and white bands of carbonate rock and quartzite
that run the length of the entire range. The northeastern central portion of the wilderness area contains a wide valley cut by numerous washes, while the east side is characterized by a series of deep washes, including Arrow Canyon with nearly vertical sides several hundred feet deep.
panels on the rock walls of Pahranagat Wash, above, below, and in Arrow Canyon. Other evidence of prehistoric use includes agave roasting pits, shelter caves, rock alignments, lithic
scatters, stone scrapers, and broken arrowheads. The Moapa
Band of Paiutes still resides in the area just east of the Arrow Canyon Range.
, yellow bat, western red bat
, hoary bat
, desert five-spot
, desert tortoise
, desert bighorn sheep
, chuckwalla
, cactus wren
, canyon wren
, rock wren
, and ash-throated flycatcher
.
, white bursage, mojave yucca
, and barrel cactus
, as well as blackbrush at higher elevations. Honey mesquite
, catclaw acacia
, and saltcedar are common in washes in the central and eastern portions of the Wilderness. The uncommon butterfly bush
(Buddleja utahensis) is also quite common here.
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. It received wilderness designation with the passage of the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 and protects the northern portion of the Arrow Canyon Range
Arrow Canyon Range
The Arrow Canyon Range is a small, narrow Basin and Range faulted mountain range that runs south to north in Clark County, Nevada, United States. Its length is approximately 25 miles at a latitude 36˚35' - 36˚47', and its width is roughly 7 miles at a longitude of 114˚54' - 114˚47'. The base...
. The Arrow Canyon Wilderness is managed by the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
.
Topography
Arrow Canyon Wilderness is made up of three distinct landforms: the craggy Arrow Canyon RangeArrow Canyon Range
The Arrow Canyon Range is a small, narrow Basin and Range faulted mountain range that runs south to north in Clark County, Nevada, United States. Its length is approximately 25 miles at a latitude 36˚35' - 36˚47', and its width is roughly 7 miles at a longitude of 114˚54' - 114˚47'. The base...
; wide valleys; and deep canyons. The Arrow Range lies along the west edge of the wilderness. This craggy block of tilted sedimentary carbonate rock
Carbonate rock
Carbonate rocks are a class of sedimentary rocks composed primarily of carbonate minerals. The two major types are limestone, which is composed of calcite or aragonite and dolostone, which is composed of the mineral dolomite .Calcite can be either dissolved by groundwater or precipitated by...
exposes the underlying strata along the west side of the ridge. This fault scarp is several thousand feet high and is marked by black and white bands of carbonate rock and quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
that run the length of the entire range. The northeastern central portion of the wilderness area contains a wide valley cut by numerous washes, while the east side is characterized by a series of deep washes, including Arrow Canyon with nearly vertical sides several hundred feet deep.
Archeology
There are extensive petroglyphPetroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
panels on the rock walls of Pahranagat Wash, above, below, and in Arrow Canyon. Other evidence of prehistoric use includes agave roasting pits, shelter caves, rock alignments, lithic
Lithic
Lithic may refer to:*a stone tool*Lithic analysis*Lithic stage*Lithic core *Lithic reduction *Lithic technology *Lithic flake *Lithic fragment...
scatters, stone scrapers, and broken arrowheads. The Moapa
Moapa River Indian Reservation
Moapa River Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located northeast of Las Vegas, near Moapa. It is the land-base for the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians, a local band of Southern Paiute Indians. Moapa River Indian Reservation consists of 71,954 acres .As of the year 2000, the population was 206...
Band of Paiutes still resides in the area just east of the Arrow Canyon Range.
Wildlife
Common wildlife found in Arrow Canyon Wilderness include California myotisCalifornia Myotis
The California Myotis is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.It is found in British Columbia in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, and in the western United States, including California....
, yellow bat, western red bat
Desert red bat
The desert red bat, also known as the Western Red Bat, is one of many species of bats. This particular one is from the Vespertilionidae family which is the largest family. It includes 35 genera and 318 species...
, hoary bat
Hoary bat
The hoary bat is a species of bat in the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae. It occurs throughout most of North America and much of South America, with disjunct populations in the Galapagos and Hawaiian Islands...
, desert five-spot
Desert five-spot
Desert five-spot , is a flowering plant in the family Malvaceae, native to the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States, where it is found between 50 and 1,500 m altitude in open places, sandy and rocky areas, and in washes...
, desert tortoise
Desert Tortoise
The desert tortoise is a species of tortoise native to the Mojave desert and Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. They can be located in western Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah. The species name agassizii is in honor of...
, desert bighorn sheep
Desert Bighorn Sheep
The Desert Bighorn Sheep is a subspecies of Bighorn Sheep that occurs in the desert Southwest regions of the United States and in the northern regions of Mexico. The trinomial of this species commemorates the American naturalist Edward William Nelson...
, chuckwalla
Chuckwalla
Chuckwallas are large lizards found primarily in arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Some are found on coastal islands...
, cactus wren
Cactus Wren
The Cactus Wren is a species of wren that is native to the southwestern United States southwards to central Mexico.-Description:...
, canyon wren
Canyon Wren
The Canyon Wren is a small North American wren, and is about 14.5 cm long. It ranges from far southern British Columbia and Montana south through much of Mexico to western Chiapas and east to Oklahoma and Texas...
, rock wren
Rock Wren
The Rock Wren is a small songbird of the wren family. It is the only species in the genus Salpinctes.The 12 cm long adults have grey-brown upperparts with small black and white spots and pale grey underparts with a light brown rump...
, and ash-throated flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
The Ash-throated Flycatcher, Myiarchus cinerascens, is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in desert scrub, riparian forest, brushy pastures and open woodland from the western United States to central Mexico. It is a short-distance migrant, retreating from most of the U.S....
.
Vegetation
Common vegetation found in Arrow Canyon Wilderness include creosote bushCreosote bush
Larrea tridentata is known as Creosote bush as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and as "gobernadora" in Mexico, Spanish for "governess," due to its ability for inhibiting the growth of nearby plants to have more water. In Sonora, it is more commonly called "hediondilla." It is a flowering...
, white bursage, mojave yucca
Mojave yucca
Yucca schidigera, also known as the Mojave yucca or Spanish Dagger, is a flowering plant that is native to the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert of southeastern California, Baja California, southern Nevada and western Arizona....
, and barrel cactus
Barrel cactus
Barrel cacti are classified into the two genera Echinocactus and Ferocactus, both of which are found in the Southwest Desert of North America. Their pineapple-shaped fruits can be easily removed but are not recommended for eating. The barrel cactus may reach over a metre in height. Its ribs are...
, as well as blackbrush at higher elevations. Honey mesquite
Honey Mesquite
Prosopis glandulosa, commonly known as honey mesquite, is a species of small to medium-sized flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to the Southwestern United States and Mexico, growing as far north as southern Kansas and as far east as the eastern fifth of Texas, where...
, catclaw acacia
Acacia greggii
Acacia greggii is a species of Acacia native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, from the extreme south of Utah south through southern Nevada, southeast California, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas to Baja California, Sinaloa and Nuevo León in...
, and saltcedar are common in washes in the central and eastern portions of the Wilderness. The uncommon butterfly bush
Buddleja utahensis
Buddleja utahensis is a species of butterfly bush native to the southwestern United States, where it is known by the common names Utah butterfly bush and Panamint butterfly bush.-Description:B...
(Buddleja utahensis) is also quite common here.
See also
- List of wilderness areas in Nevada
- List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
- Wilderness ActWilderness ActThe Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...
External links
- Arrow Canyon Wilderness - Wilderness.net
- Arrow Canyon Wilderness - Friends of Nevada Wilderness
- Arrow Canyon Wilderness - Nevada Bureau of Land Management
- Arrow Canyon Wilderness Area - BirdAndHike.com