LAND WITHIN CALIFORNIA’S GRANITE MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS STUDY AREA PROTECTED
View of the protected 80 acres in the Granite Mountain WSA
On October 19, 2006, the Trust purchased and protected 80 acres within the Granite Mountain Wilderness Study Area (WSA) in Mono County, California. This WSA was once threatened by the potential development of a geothermal plant as well as an open-pit gold mine. The Trust’s acquisition of the 80-acre property will facilitate the management of the Granite Mountain WSA and will further secure the wilderness values the area sustains.
The Granite Mountain WSA is located east of Mono Lake, between Highway 120 East and Highway 167 and consists of sagebrush habitat, migrating sand dunes, basaltic plateaus, and granite ridges within California’s Great Basin. The WSA contains several archaeological sites, including the historic wintering areas of the Mono Lake Paiutes. The 360-degree view from the top of the 9,000-foot Granite Mountain includes the Sierran scarp, the volcanic Mono Craters and Glass Mountain, the White Mountains, Adobe Valley, the Excelsior Range in Nevada, the Bodie Hills, and Mono Lake.
