The Sylvania Mountains Wilderness is a federally designated
wilderness area
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...
located east of
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
in the state of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. The wilderness is 18,677acres in size and is managed by the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
The
California Desert Protection Act of 1994
The California Desert Protection Act of 1994 is a federal law () sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein, passed by the United States Congress on October 8, 1994, and signed into effect by President Bill Clinton on October 31 of the same year, that ...
created the Sylvania Mountains Wilderness and was added to the
National Wilderness Preservation System. The wilderness is bordered by
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
stateline on the east,
Piper Mountain Wilderness on the west and
Death Valley National Park to the south.
Geography
The
Sylvania Mountains 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 .
Flora and fauna
There are limited water sources, but the springs that do exist support
mule deer
The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer.
Unlike the related whi ...
,
desert bighorn sheep
The desert bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis nelsoni'') is a subspecies of bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') that is native to the deserts of the United States' intermountain west and southwestern regions, as well as northwestern Mexico. The ...
,
chukar, coyote, as well as ground squirrels and lizards.
The wilderness flora is a mixture of Mojave Desert and Great Basin plant life. Yucca brevifolia, Joshua trees are numerous, as well as Ephedra californica, desert tea, Grayia (plant), hop sage, Hymenoclea salsola, cheesebush, Cylindropuntia, deerhorn cholla and in the highest elevations, single-leaf pinyon, Artemisia tridentata, big sagebrush and Utah juniper. Rare plants in the area include Erigeron compactus, fernleaf fleabane (''Erigeron compactus''), a native perennial wildflower, and Eriocoma arida, Mormon needlegrass (''Eriocoma arida''), a native perennial that grows in Joshua Tree and Pinyon-juniper woodland, Pinyon-juniper 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 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 activity are still present both within the wilderness and along the mountain range into Nevada.
See also
*
Piper Mountain Wilderness
*
Death Valley National Park
* Pack it in, pack it out
* Environmental ethics
References
*
* http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ridgecrest/wilderness/sylvania_mountains.html
External links
Sylvania Mountains Wilderness- BLM
*
*
{{authority control
Protected areas of Inyo County, California
Wilderness areas of California
Protected areas of the Mojave Desert
Bureau of Land Management areas in California