Old Woman Mountains Wilderness
Encyclopedia
Old Women Mountains Wilderness is a wilderness area located south of Essex, California
. This 163120 acres (660 km²) wilderness was established in 1994 and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management
.
The 1975 discovery of the Old Woman Meteorite
is located in the Old Woman Mountains and is the largest meteorite found in California and the second largest in the United States.
The area consists of bajada
s (extensive flat aprons of alluvium) and the massive, fault-lifted Old Woman Mountains
that extend some 35 miles (56 km) north-south and up to 28 miles (45 km) in an east-west direction. The elevations within the wilderness range from 800 feet (243.8 m) in the drainage bottoms to over 5300 feet (1,615.4 m) at the top of Old Woman Peak. The mountains take their name from a granite monolith resembling the figure of an old woman, known as the Old Woman Statue (5,000 feet high).
The Old Woman Mountains Wilderness falls within a transition zone between the Lower Colorado
and Mojave
deserts and encompasses many different habitat types. Creosote bush
scrub dominates the lower elevations, grading into mixed desert scrub at middle elevations with juniper-pinyon woodland at the higher elevations. The dry washes are characterized by catclaw acacia, cheesebush, desert lavender, little-leaf ratany, and desert almond.
Wildlife is typical for the Mojave Desert; including a permanent population of bighorn sheep
, mule deer, bobcat, cougar, coyote, black-tailed jackrabbit, ground squirrels, kangaroo rats, quail, chuckar, roadrunners, rattlesnakes, and several species of lizards. Numerous raptor species are likely to be found in the area; including prairie falcons, red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, Cooper's hawks, American kestrels, as well as several species of owls. The washes and canyons provide good habitat for several species of songbirds, and the bird densities and diversity is further enhanced by the presence of the known 24 springs and seeps.
The bajadas provide excellent desert tortoise
habitat; 49683 acres (201 km²) of the wilderness area have been identified as critical habitat for the threatened desert tortoise.
Essex, California
Essex is a small unincorporated town in San Bernardino County, California. Essex lies on Old National Trails Highway - part of the old Route 66 - just south of Interstate 40 in the Mojave Desert.-History:...
. This 163120 acres (660 km²) wilderness was established in 1994 and 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...
.
The 1975 discovery of the Old Woman Meteorite
Old Woman Meteorite
The Old Woman Meteorite is the largest meteorite found in California and the second largest in the United States. It was discovered in the Old Woman Mountains in southern California in late 1975. It is 38 inches long, 34 inches high, and 30 inches wide...
is located in the Old Woman Mountains and is the largest meteorite found in California and the second largest in the United States.
The area consists of bajada
Bajada
Bajada may refer to:*Bajada a festival common to the Canary islands* Bajada, a compound Alluvial fan* La Bajada, an escarpment of the Caja del Rio, New Mexico, USA* Clint Bajada , Maltese TV and radio personality...
s (extensive flat aprons of alluvium) and the massive, fault-lifted Old Woman Mountains
Old Woman Mountains
The Old Woman Mountains are located south of the town of Essex, California, and north of Danby Dry Lake. The range reaches an elevation of at the northeastern end , and lies in San Bernardino County in the Mojave Desert.-Geography:...
that extend some 35 miles (56 km) north-south and up to 28 miles (45 km) in an east-west direction. The elevations within the wilderness range from 800 feet (243.8 m) in the drainage bottoms to over 5300 feet (1,615.4 m) at the top of Old Woman Peak. The mountains take their name from a granite monolith resembling the figure of an old woman, known as the Old Woman Statue (5,000 feet high).
The Old Woman Mountains Wilderness falls within a transition zone between the Lower Colorado
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
and Mojave
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
deserts and encompasses many different habitat types. Creosote bush
Creosote 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...
scrub dominates the lower elevations, grading into mixed desert scrub at middle elevations with juniper-pinyon woodland at the higher elevations. The dry washes are characterized by catclaw acacia, cheesebush, desert lavender, little-leaf ratany, and desert almond.
Wildlife is typical for the Mojave Desert; including a permanent population of bighorn sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
, mule deer, bobcat, cougar, coyote, black-tailed jackrabbit, ground squirrels, kangaroo rats, quail, chuckar, roadrunners, rattlesnakes, and several species of lizards. Numerous raptor species are likely to be found in the area; including prairie falcons, red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, Cooper's hawks, American kestrels, as well as several species of owls. The washes and canyons provide good habitat for several species of songbirds, and the bird densities and diversity is further enhanced by the presence of the known 24 springs and seeps.
The bajadas provide excellent 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...
habitat; 49683 acres (201 km²) of the wilderness area have been identified as critical habitat for the threatened desert tortoise.