Panoche, Tumey, and Griswold Hills Are Limited to 14 Days Within Any 30-Day Period at a Particular Location

BLM/CA/GI-2009-026+8350 REV 3/19 3/19 REV BLM/CA/GI-2009-026+8350

blm.gov/california blm.gov/california

[email protected] [email protected]

(831) 582-2200 582-2200 (831)

Marina, CA 93933 93933 CA Marina,

940 2nd Avenue Avenue 2nd 940

Bureau of Land Management Management Land of Bureau

(800) 346-2711 346-2711 (800)

Gustine, CA 95322 95322 CA Gustine,

31426 Gonzaga Road Road Gonzaga 31426

Recreation Area Area Recreation

San Luis Reservoir State State Reservoir Luis San

(209) 826-0463 826-0463 (209)

CA Department of Fish and Game Game and Fish of Department CA

Little Panoche Reservoir, California 93622 93622 California Reservoir, Panoche Little

Little Panoche Wildlife Area Area Wildlife Panoche Little

(209) 826-0463 826-0463 (209)

Los Banos, CA 93635 93635 CA Banos, Los

18110 Henry Miller Rd Rd Miller Henry 18110

Los Banos Wildlife Area Area Wildlife Banos Los

(559) 655-4645 655-4645 (559)

CA Dept of Fish and Game Game and Fish of Dept CA

4333 Santa Fe Grade, Mendota, CA 93622 93622 CA Mendota, Grade, Fe Santa 4333

Mendota Wildlife Area Area Wildlife Mendota

Other Local Resources Resources Local Other

e e Guid & p Ma

Tumey Hills Hills Tumey

Griswold Hills Hills Griswold

Panoche Hills Hills Panoche

Bureau of Land Management Management Land of Bureau U.S. Department of the Interior Interior the of Department U.S. Desert Hills of the San Joaquin Valley

Bureau of Land Management public lands in the Panoche, Griswold and Tumey hills of southern San Benito and western Fresno counties provide a wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities, including hunting, target shooting, camping, hiking, stargazing and wildlife viewing.

The rugged hills west of Interstate 5 provide habitat for many rare and endangered species, such as the San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Vegetation consists of annual grassland, with saltbrush, Mormon tea shrubs, and yucca. Typical plants found growing on the gypsum barrens found in and protruding buckwheat.

Blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Photo by Ryan O’Dell, BLM.

RESTRICTIONS • mid-April to mid-October. • No shooting zone within 150 yards of any developed area. • There is no night hunting. • Vehicles are restricted to designated routes. • Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) are prohibited.

Panoche Hills

The Panoche Hills provide a “badlands” experience just a few hours from the Bay Area. Panoche Access Road winds east from Little Panoche Road (J-1 County Road), up the side of the valley and crests on a windswept plateau dotted with Mormon tea and juniper. Further south and east, the hills become a succession of razor- backed ridges and plunging canyons. The southern end of the hills encompass a series of terraces, along Panoche Creek, densely covered with saltbrush. The low ambient light in the region creates ideal conditions for stargazing, and both amateur and professional astronomers travel every year to the hills to view the Perseid meteor shower in August.

Griswold Hills

South from Panoche Road and north of the Vallecitos Valley, are the Griswold Hills. A foot trail from the day use area parking lot zigzags up the hillside to the ridgetop above. The Griswold Hills are a destination for hunters seeking upland game birds. Rock outcrops provide homes for the yellow-backed spiny lizard, which sports a bright black-and yellow collar and can grow to more than12 inches long. In the spring, the hills are covered with mariposa lilies, Indian paintbrush, poppies and wild sage. There is also good habitat for the foothill yellow-legged frog and the western pond turtle. Tumey Hills

South of the Panoche Hills are the Tumey Hills, a series of bare rolling hills and valleys dotted with saltbush. Two entrances along Panoche Road give access to the area. Both entrances have pedestrian walk-through gates for access when entrance gates are closed. Annual grasslands are lovely in springtime,

protected San Joaquin kit fox, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and giant kangaroo rats make their homes in these hills. Visitors enjoy a day use facility with parking, shade structures, picnic benches, vault toilets and an interpretive kiosk with a map and information about the area.

Photo by Michael Westphal, BLM. Griswold Hills—Geology

The Griswold Hills are an east-west trending ridge complex completely located within the north-south trending Coast Range Geomorphic Province of Central California. In a general sense this east –west trending ridgeline is bounded; to the north by the Panoche Valley, to the east by the Tumey and Ciervo Hills, to the south by the Vallecitos Valley and to the west by the San Andreas Fault system.

Located approximately thirty-four (34) miles northwest

southwest of the city of Fresno – the Griswold Hills provide some of the best exposures of the sedimentary units making up the Coast Range’s Diablo Range. The largest component of the exposed sedimentary terrain in this east-west trending anticline is the late Cretaceous aged Panoche Formation. On the

successive sequential sections (with the exception of the regionally missing Oligocene-aged strata) from the aforementioned Panoche Formation to the Pliocene- aged Oro Loma Formation. In essence, other than the regionally absent strata from the Oligocene – one can view the sedimentary record left from over 90 million years of the Earth history in this area.

Traces of the Past

The Panoche, Griswold and Tumey Hills are underlain by marine sedimentary rocks primarily of Cretaceous age (65 million years ago). During the Cretaceous, most of California that we see today was underwater. Small islands, representing the very highest points of the present day Coast Range, had just begun to emerge from the ocean. The present day Central Valley was a shallow sea. Large sea-dwelling reptiles, such as Mosasaurs and Plesiosaurs, swam the shallow seas along with sea turtles and other marine animals near the islands.

Both the Tumey Hills and Panoche Hills have produced important fossil discoveries, including mosasaurs and hadrosaurs. Removal of vertebrate fossils is prohibited without a permit from BLM.

Plesiosaur Vertebrae Photo by Ryan O’Dell, BLM.

Camping & Hiking

Primitive, dispersed camping opportunities on BLM public lands in the Panoche, Tumey, and Griswold Hills are limited to 14 days within any 30-day period at a particular location. Motor vehicles must stay within 15 feet (roughly 1 vehicle length) of designated routes. Hiking opportunities are available along existing routes that are not designated for motor vehicle use.

Please practice Leave No Trace® principles when visiting all public lands.

RULES REGUARDING FIRE USE

other activities that have the potential to cause a

Additional responsibilities include carrying water and

Livestock Grazing

Photo by Ryan O’Dell, BLM.

Livestock grazing has occurred on public lands in the Panoche, Tumey and Griswold Hills since the 1800’s and continues today under the BLM grazing leases authorized by the Taylor Grazing Act of 1942. Please do not disturb or harm the livestock animals grazing on public lands.

Hunting

Hunting opportunities on BLM public lands within the San Joaquin Valley consist primarily of game birds (chukar and quail), wild pig and deer. The BLM and California Department of Fish and Game manage Panoche Hills Wilderness Study Area. Photo by Michael Westphal, BLM.

game animals for hunting by providing watering sites (guzzlers) and planting cover shrubs. All areas are known for the bird and pig opportunities, with deer being found primarily in the Griswolds.

Special Designations Two Wilderness Study Areas (WSA):

Panoche Hills North and Panoche Hills South, are managed for their wilderness qualities until Congress

designation. No motorized access is allowed within the WSA to prevent impacts to these values.

Much of these public lands are also part of the Panoche-Coalinga Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and the Monvero Dunes Research Natural Area (RNA), which are managed to preserve and protect many special status plants and animal species that inhabit the region. Sightings of endangered San Joaquin kit fox, blunt-nosed leopard lizard and giant kangaroo rats are not unusual; however, wildlife viewers should take care and avoid disturbing these sensitive species in their natural habitats.

Photo by Michael Westphal, BLM.

The region has long been known to bird enthusiasts for the uncommon species that can be seen, such as phainopepla and mountain plover. Other animal species, like the San Joaquin antelope squirrel with its distinctive stripes, can also be seen by the alert wildlife watcher. The rare Ciervo aegialian scarab beetle and the San Joaquin dune beetle are found only in the Monvero Dunes.

How Can I Help?

Anyone can volunteer. Youths must volunteer with a parent/guardian, or be a part of an organized group such as a school, civic or church with written consent. To become a volunteer, apply at Volunteer.gov and/or

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269 41 Lockwood 41 RESTRICTIONS • Closed to motorized use during fire season from mid-April to mid-October. k • No shooting zone within 150 yards of any developed area. • There is no night hunting.

P7 • Vehicles are restricted to designated routes. • Park within 15 feet of designated routes. P2 • Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) are prohibited.

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P9 P1 269 T 41 T I Lockwood 41 L 1.Vertebrate fossils (any animal with a backbone)

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Mine Creek For plant fossils: P11 M 1. Collecting plant fossils of scientific interest including e rc ey P7 C re ek fossilized leaves or needles, plant reproductive structures (cones, flowers, seeds), and fossilized P2 logs (> 6 inch diameter) is PROHIBITED.

Vasquez Creek Bureau of Land Management 2.Small diameter (< 6 inches) fossilized branch P4 P1 fragments CAN be collected. Panoche Hills State P3 k e re C e South WSA ch Wilderness Study Area no Any and all fossil collection must be Pa No Motorized Access Year Round !] P5 ¹! Vasquez Creek !] P8 County Boundary for personal use only. !3 P22 Mercy HotJ Springs P13 L P6 as A P g A Rules Regarding Fire Use u N !] Kiosk i O P10 la A C s C H C C E re S E P1 e ou S k th S Panoche Hills F !3 Picnic Area - Trailhead o rk A California Campfire Permit is required for any L i tt le North WSA §¨¦5 P a n P12 o Services c !3 !¹ h P16 e dispersed campfire on public lands. This free permit can C r e P1 e k TU1 !] J Mercy Hot Springs be obtained from the Central Coast Field Office, or on- P14 P18 line at www.preventwildfireca.org. ek

P9 e P1 r C e ch Trail o an P20 P Seasonal fire restrictions may prohibit campfires and BLM Roads other activities that have the potential to cause a County Roads wildland fire. Know before you go. P11 Interstate r k e PANOCHE e v e

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P1 Panoche Hills TU2 the fire is dead out. Never attempt to build a campfire South WSA during windy conditions or leave a campfire unattended. ¹! TU4 P22 TU4 P13 L Restriction on Lead Ammunition as Ag ui la s C r P1 N e e k TU7 In order to prevent the accidental poisoning of California !3

TU1 !] condors, lead ammunition had been banned for hunting in California. er ek v re il G1 C S ek e re ch C TU1 !3 o an P !] TU1 Tips for Responsible Recreational Shooting

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TU6 dumped r e k v e l Pimental Creek i e r S C TU10 TU12 • Practice target shooting only in areas open to recreational shooting

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