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Restoration in the El Paso Mountains Wilderness
Beyond fighting for public lands protection through legislative action,
the CWC is also applying for grant funding to help the Bureau of Land
Management implement on-the-ground restoration projects in some of our
important desert wilderness areas.
Siobhan Lavender, our desert intern and a senior at Pitzer College in
Claremont, CA, has dedicated her thesis project to crafting a unique and
worthy grant proposal to fund this work.
The El Paso Wilderness Restoration Project is currently undergoing
plans for implementation next year. In conjunction with the Student
Conservation Association (SCA) and the Ridgecrest Bureau of Land
Management office, the California Wilderness Coalition will be working to
restore 22 illegal off highway vehicle (OHV) trespass routes into the
designated wilderness. The El Pasos are a vast and alluring wild-space
that provides habitat to a wide range of native flora and fauna as well as
recreation opportunities for hikers, horseback-riders, and outdoor
enthusiasts with an admiration for the El Paso’s beautiful desert
landscape.
The restoration project will involve bringing in large boulders to
obstruct the illegal OHV route, and the use of SCA techniques to disguise
the routes and jumpstart rehabilitation. Such methods have been tried and
tested in other wilderness areas such as Golden Valley with positive
results. The El Pasos project, like many of its kind, will be looking to
community volunteers and activists to aid in the restoration efforts. Look
for upcoming events next fall for a chance to participate in protecting
amazing wilderness places in the California desert.
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Upcoming Hikes & Outings
Spring is wildflower season in the desert! Join us on an outing to
explore our wild desert lands, see native flora and fauna, and have fun.
All outings are free and open to the public.
For more info, or to carpool, please contact Laurel Williams at lwilliams@calwild.org or
909-260-8833.
Saturday April 11th
Kingston Mountains Mining Tour
Meet in Shoshone at 8am
See the famous Kingston Mountain mines, proposed wilderness additions,
and possibly some late blooming wildflowers. Meet at the Amargosa
Conservancy office in Shoshone at 8AM. We’ll spend a full day with easy to
moderate walking, 1-2 miles. This is an outing led by the Amargosa
Conservancy.
Hikers enjoy the view from the Soda
Mountains proposed wilderness.
Saturday April 18th
Deep Creek Day Hike
Meet in Hesperia at 9am at the Starbucks on Main
Street & 'E' Avenue
This is a kid-friendly 2-3 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail
overlooking the glittering Deep Creek, a tributary of the Mojave River.
This is the most biologically diverse drainage in the San Bernardino
Mountains. Bring your camera, picnic lunch, water, sturdy shoes and dress
for the weather! The CWC and Victor Valley College's Green Leif Project
have partnered to lead this hike.
May TBA
Castle Mountains Auto Tour and Hike
Join the CWC and the National Parks Conservation Foundation on a day of
exploration and hiking among castle-like rock formations, Joshua Tree
forests, and exquisite scenery. This will be a driving tour with a couple
short, easy hikes and lots of great photo opportunities! There will be
meeting locations in Victorville, Barstow and Baker for carpooling. Dress
for the weather, and bring 2 liters of water per person and a picnic
lunch. (Please note date change on this outing.)
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Join us
at our Annual Fundraiser in San Francisco!
This is the event you don’t want to miss. Socialize with old and
new friends, pay tribute to a distinguished honoree, and learn more about
CWC’s recent accomplishments and immediate priorities. This year we honor
Rick Ridgeway, pioneer of big
peak climbs in the Himalaya, author, filmmaker, and world class champion
for wildlands and wildlife.
This year's event is the evening of Friday, April 24th. To reserve a
ticket or become a sponsor, go to our event page 2009 Annual
Fundraiser. All sponsors receive free CWC memberships, tickets,
recognition, and our sincere thanks.
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Spotlight on the Kingston Range Proposed Wilderness Additions
The Kingston Range contains one of the highest concentrations of
endangered species and unusual plant assemblages in the California desert,
due to its extremely varied terrain and unusual mineral formations. A
relict stand of white fir trees can be found on the north slope, and other
rare plants thrive here. Visitors to the Kingston Range may encounter
animals as diverse as prairie falcons, bighorn sheep, Panamint chipmunks,
yellow-billed cuckoos, desert tortoises, pupfish, raptors, vermilion
flycatchers, and the banded Gila monster. Joshua trees and barrel cacti
are abundant, and the giant nolina, which grows to be about 15 feet high
and 10 feet in girth, is also found here.
The proposed wilderness additions would extend protection to the lower
slopes of the Kingston Range and Kingston Wash. The Kingston Range is of
interest to geologists because of its complex movements and rock
exposures. Some of the oldest rocks in California are exposed here, with
granite dating back more than a billion years, and limestone and dolomite
along the range's edges. A wide variety of minerals--including gold,
silver, copper, uranium, zeolite, bentonite, gypsum, talc, and
lead--provide unusual microhabitats for plants and animals, which helps to
explain the high concentration of endangered species found here.
Just 50 miles from Las Vegas and 50 miles from Baker, the Kingston
Range proposed wilderness additions offer wonderful opportunities for
solitude and backcountry recreation. The highpoint of the range offers
excellent views of the surrounding valleys, and the washes below are
favorite gemstone hunting areas.
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