Sylvania Mountains Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Sylvania Mountains Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located 30 miles (48.3 km) east of Bishop
in the state of California
. The wilderness is 18,677acres in size and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM). The California Desert Protection Act of 1994
created the Sylvania Mountains Wilderness and was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System
. The wilderness is bordered by Nevada stateline on the east, Piper Mountain Wilderness
on the west and Death Valley National Park
to the south.
are a subrange of the Last Chance Mountains
and straddle the California-Nevada border. There is no distinct crest, only rounded summits and ridges with many canyons, drainages and bahadas (fans of alluvial soil that have combined at the base of canyons). Elevations range from 4640 foot.
, desert bighorn sheep
, chukar, coyote
, as well as ground squirrels and lizards.
The wilderness flora is a mixture of Mojave Desert
and Great Basin
plant life. Joshua trees are numerous, as well as desert tea
, hop sage
, cheesebush
, deerhorn cholla
and in the highest elevations, single-leaf pinyon
, big sagebrush
and Utah juniper. Rare plants in the area include fernleaf fleabane
(Erigeron compactus), a native perennial wildflower, and Mormon needlegrass
(Achnatherum aridum), a native perennial that grows in Joshua Tree and Pinyon-juniper
woodland communities.
Relics of mining
activity are still present both within the wilderness and along the mountain range into Nevada.
Bishop, California
Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of 4147 feet . The population was 3,879 at the...
in the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The wilderness is 18,677acres in size 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...
(BLM). The California Desert Protection Act of 1994
California Desert Protection Act of 1994
The California Desert Protection Act of 1994 is a federal law , signed by President Bill Clinton, and passed by the United States Congress on October 8, 1994, that established the Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks and the Mojave National Preserve in the California...
created the Sylvania Mountains Wilderness and was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System
National Wilderness Preservation System
The National Wilderness Preservation System of the United States protects federally managed land areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. It was established by the Wilderness Act upon the signature of President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964...
. The wilderness is bordered by Nevada stateline on the east, Piper Mountain Wilderness
Piper Mountain Wilderness
The Piper Mountain Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located in the White Mountains northeast of Big Pine, California in Inyo County, California....
on the west and Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
to the south.
Geography
The Sylvania MountainsSylvania Mountains
The Sylvania Mountains are located in Inyo County, California and Esmeralda County, Nevada in the United States. The range trends in an east-west direction north of the Last Chance Range at the northern end of Death Valley National Park....
are a subrange of the Last Chance Mountains
Last Chance Range
for the mountain range of the same name in Nye County, Nevada.The Last Chance Range of California is located near the Nevada state line in eastern Inyo County in the United States....
and straddle the California-Nevada border. There is no distinct crest, only rounded summits and ridges with many canyons, drainages and bahadas (fans of alluvial soil that have combined at the base of canyons). Elevations range from 4640 foot.
Flora and fauna
There are limited water sources, but the springs that do exist support mule deerMule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, 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...
, chukar, coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
, as well as ground squirrels and lizards.
The wilderness flora is a mixture of Mojave Desert
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...
and Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
plant life. Joshua trees are numerous, as well as desert tea
Ephedra californica
Ephedra californica is a species of Ephedra known by the common names California jointfir, California ephedra, desert tea, and cañatillo. It is native to southern California, Arizona, and Baja California, where it grows in varied scrub and open habitats, including chaparral and grassland...
, hop sage
Grayia (plant)
Grayia is a monotypic genus of plants containing the sole species Grayia spinosa, which is known by the common names hop sage and spiny hop sage.-Distribution:...
, cheesebush
Hymenoclea salsola
Hymenoclea salsola is a flowering plant in the daisy family known by several common names, including white burrobrush, cheesebush, and desert pearl. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it is a common plant of the local deserts, where it thrives on sandy soil,...
, deerhorn cholla
Cylindropuntia
Cylindropuntia is a genus of cacti , containing the chollas. They were formerly treated as a subgenus of Opuntia but have now been separated based on their cylindrical stems and the presence of papery epidermal sheaths on the spines...
and in the highest elevations, single-leaf pinyon
Single-leaf Pinyon
The Single-leaf Pinyon, ', is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to the United States and northwest Mexico. The range is in southernmost Idaho, western Utah, Arizona, southwest New Mexico, Nevada, eastern and southern California and northern Baja California.It occurs at moderate altitudes from...
, big sagebrush
Artemisia tridentata
Artemisia tridentata is a shrub or small tree from the family Asteraceae. Some botanists treat it in the segregate genus Seriphidium, as S. tridentatum W. A. Weber, but this is not widely followed...
and Utah juniper. Rare plants in the area include fernleaf fleabane
Erigeron compactus
Erigeron compactus is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names cushion daisy and fernleaf fleabane....
(Erigeron compactus), a native perennial wildflower, and Mormon needlegrass
Achnatherum aridum
Achnatherum aridum is a species of grass known by the common name Mormon needlegrass. It is native to the southwestern United States from the Mojave Desert in California east to Colorado and New Mexico.-Description:...
(Achnatherum aridum), a native perennial that grows in Joshua Tree and Pinyon-juniper
Pinyon-juniper woodland
A Pinyon-juniper woodland is a forest type characteristic of many parts the Western United States, often in higher elevations of desert ecoregions.-Locations:...
woodland communities.
Recreation
The hiking trails are closed four-wheel-drive roads and rise gradually from the bahada to pinyon woodlands in the higher elevations. The most rugged area is the White Cliff Canyon in the eastern portion with cliffs rising 800 feet (243.8 m) above the canyon floor. The wilderness is very seldom visited due to a lack of water and extreme temperatures in the summer months. Wildflower season is from March through May.Relics of mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
activity are still present both within the wilderness and along the mountain range into Nevada.
See also
- Piper Mountain WildernessPiper Mountain WildernessThe Piper Mountain Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located in the White Mountains northeast of Big Pine, California in Inyo County, California....
- Death Valley National ParkDeath Valley National ParkDeath Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
- Pack it in, pack it out
- Environmental ethicsEnvironmental ethicsEnvironmental ethics is the part of environmental philosophy which considers extending the traditional boundaries of ethics from solely including humans to including the non-human world...