Slate Range Endangered Desert Legacy

Location: The Slate Range area is located in the Mojave Desert, in Inyo County, east/northeast of the town of Trona. The area is north of the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, south of the Panamint Valley, east of Searles Valley and Trona Wildrose Road, and west of the Manly Peak Wilderness and Death Valley National Park.

Management Agency: Bureau of Land Management, Ridgecrest Field Office

Description: The area has varied topography, including smooth and jagged ridges, sharp peaks, flat mountain tops, steep canyons, and shallow washes. Elevations range from about 2,000 feet to about 5,200 feet.

Wildlife and Plants: The Slate Range area is habitat for the endangered Inyo California Towhee (photo above), the protected desert bighorn sheep and golden eagle, the threatened Mohave ground squirrel and desert tortoise, and other species of animals and plants, including Le Conte’s thrasher, pallid bat, prairie falcon, Townsend’s big-eared bat, western mastiff bat, Borrego milk-vetch (photo above), Death Valley sandpaper-plant, desert bird’s-beak, and Emory’s crucifixion-thorn.

Activities: Visitors to this area include nature enthusiasts, bird watchers, photographers, hikers, backpackers, campers, hunters, and others seeking to enjoy the beauty and solitude of this area. Off roaders enjoy traversing the Slate Range Trail, Mengel Pass Trail, Pleasant Canyon Loop Trail and other trails in and around this area. Rockhounds collect onyx at nearby mines

Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan – California Wilderness Coalition Like us on facebook For more information contact: Linda Castro, 760.221.4895, [email protected] to get involved