Owens Peak Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Owens Peak Wilderness is a 73767 acres (298.5 km²) wilderness area comprising the rugged eastern face of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Owens Peak
(8,445 ft) is the high point. The land was set aside with the passage of the California Desert Protection Act of 1994
(Public Law
103-433) by the US Congress.
The mountainous terrain has deep, winding, open and expansive canyons, many which contain springs with extensive riparian vegetation. This area is a transition zone
between the Great Basin
, Mojave Desert
and Sierra Nevada ecoregion
s. Vegetation varies considerably with a creosote
desert scrub community on the bajadas
, scattered yucca
s, cacti
, annuals, cottonwood and oak
trees in the canyons and valleys and a juniper
-pinyon
woodland with sagebrush
and digger/gray pine
on the upper elevations.
Wildlife includes mule deer
, golden eagle
and prairie falcon
. Evidence of occupation by prehistoric peoples has been found throughout the wilderness.
The Pacific Crest Trail
passes through the wilderness along the crest and western side.
and Owens Peak wilderness areas is being conducted by the University of California
, Davis' Student Conservation Corps. By March 1997, 15 miles (24.1 km) of closed roads had been restored by relieving soil compaction with hand tools or a dozer-drawn ripper, installing waterbar
s, placing vertical mulch (woody debris and rocks) and scarifying disturbed area surfaces to increase water absorption and seed collection. Despite continued monitoring, illegal off-highway vehicle (OHV) use is a problem in some areas.
Owens Peak
Owens Peak is the highest point in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains at more than 8,400 feet. The peak stands near the center of the Owens Peak Wilderness which was designated by United States Congress in 1994, and it now has a total of...
(8,445 ft) is the high point. The land was set aside with the passage of 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...
(Public Law
Public law
Public law is a theory of law governing the relationship between individuals and the state. Under this theory, constitutional law, administrative law and criminal law are sub-divisions of public law...
103-433) by the US Congress.
The mountainous terrain has deep, winding, open and expansive canyons, many which contain springs with extensive riparian vegetation. This area is a transition zone
Transition zone
The transition zone is part of the Earth’s mantle, and is located between the lower mantle and the upper mantle, between a depth of 410 and 660 km...
between the 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...
, 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 Sierra Nevada ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
s. Vegetation varies considerably with a creosote
Creosote
Creosote is the portion of chemical products obtained by the distillation of a tar that remains heavier than water, notably useful for its anti-septic and preservative properties...
desert scrub community on the bajadas
Alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing stream flattens, slows, and spreads typically at the exit of a canyon onto a flatter plain. A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial...
, scattered yucca
Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
s, cacti
Cacti
-See also:* RRDtool The underlying software upon which Cacti is built* MRTG The original Multi Router Traffic Grapher from which RRDtool was "extracted".* Munin -External links:******...
, annuals, cottonwood and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees in the canyons and valleys and a juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
-pinyon
Pinyon pine
The pinyon pine group grows in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. The trees yield edible pinyon nuts, which were a staple of the Native Americans, and are still widely eaten...
woodland with sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
and digger/gray pine
Gray Pine
Pinus sabiniana , with the common names gray pine, California foothill pine, and the more historically and internationally used digger pine, is a pine endemic to California in the United States...
on the upper elevations.
Wildlife includes mule deer
Mule 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...
, golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
and prairie falcon
Prairie Falcon
The Prairie Falcon is a medium-sized falcon of western North America.It is about the size of a Peregrine Falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm , wingspan of 1 metre , and weight of 720 g...
. Evidence of occupation by prehistoric peoples has been found throughout the wilderness.
The Pacific Crest Trail
Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...
passes through the wilderness along the crest and western side.
Area restoration
Starting in 1992, an ongoing effort to restore the environment in both the KiavahKiavah Wilderness
The Kiavah Wilderness is a federally designated wilderness area located in the Mojave Desert, Scodie Mountains, and Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains in Kern County, California, United States...
and Owens Peak wilderness areas is being conducted by the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, Davis' Student Conservation Corps. By March 1997, 15 miles (24.1 km) of closed roads had been restored by relieving soil compaction with hand tools or a dozer-drawn ripper, installing waterbar
Waterbar
A water bar or interceptor dyke is a road construction feature that is used to prevent erosion on sloping roads, cleared paths through woodland , or other accessways by reducing flow length...
s, placing vertical mulch (woody debris and rocks) and scarifying disturbed area surfaces to increase water absorption and seed collection. Despite continued monitoring, illegal off-highway vehicle (OHV) use is a problem in some areas.
Mountain peaks
- Backus Peak
- Five Fingers (Aquila)
- Mount JenkinsMount JenkinsMount Jenkins is a mountain, 1,705 m, standing 7 nautical miles northeast of Mount Edward in the Sweeney Mountains, Palmer Land. Discovered and photographed by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition , 1947-48. Mapped by United States Geological Survey from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos,...
- Morris PeakMorris PeakMorris Peak is a prominent peak marking the northwest end of the Duncan Mountains, at the east side of the mouth of Liv Glacier where the latter enters Ross Ice Shelf. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Lieutenant Commander H.C. Morris, U.S. Navy, commanding officer of the USS...
- Owens PeakOwens PeakOwens Peak is the highest point in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains at more than 8,400 feet. The peak stands near the center of the Owens Peak Wilderness which was designated by United States Congress in 1994, and it now has a total of...
- Russell Peak