Chuckwalla Mountains Endangered Desert Legacy
Location: The Chuckwalla Mountains area is located in the Colorado Desert, in Riverside County, south of the town of Desert Center. The existing Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness has Interstate 10 to its north and the Chocolate Mountains and Chocolate Mountains Aerial Gunnery Range to its south, and The Little Chuckwalla Mountains to the east. This area, which lies to the south/southeast of the existing Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness, is threatened by renewable energy development.
Management Agency: Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office
Description: The area has a seemingly endless number of landforms, geologic textures, and delightful colors, making it a scenic feature along Interstate 10, the Chuckwalla Road, and the Bradshaw Trail. Steep-walled canyons, broad valleys, washes of all sizes, solitary rock outcroppings, and vast expanses of desert combine to create a constantly changing panorama for visitors. The area contains the “Chuckwalla Bench,” an area of gentle terrain between the Chuckwalla Mountains and the Chocolate Mountains. Elevations range from about 450 feet to about 4,500 feet.
Wildlife and Plants: The varied terrain of the Chuckwalla Mountains supports a stunning array of animals and plants. The Chuckwalla Mountains area, which has been designated as critical habitat for the threatened desert tortoise (photo above), is an extremely important stronghold for the species. Many other species make this area their home, including the endangered elf owl, the protected desert bighorn sheep, and numerous species of special concern, including the American badger, Mojave fringe-toed lizard, Crissal thrasher, Le Conte's thrasher, prairie falcon, pallid bat, and western mastiff bat.
Scientists have long noted the Chuckwalla Bench’s great biological diversity. The flora on the Bench is one of the richest in the Colorado Desert within California, with at least 158 plant species occurring here. Four rare or endangered plants occur here, among them the Munz’s cholla (photo above). This rare cactus occurs on the Chuckwalla Bench, as well as a few populations in the Chocolate Mountains up to 2,300 feet elevation, and nowhere else in the entire U.S.
Activities: This is an excellent area for camping, ridge scrambling, peak bagging, wash exploring, rock collecting, photography, and star gazing. The area is considered one of the top 10 locations for star gazing in the low desert. Corn Springs Campground, which lies within this area, was a major occupation site of prehistoric Native Americans. The petroglyphs at Corn Springs are considered one of the finest examples of rock art in the Colorado Desert and date as far back as 10,000 years. Rock collectors also enjoy hunting for chert, jasper, agate, chalcedony, and geodes in this area.
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