California statewide wilderness study report: Silurian Valley, v.5

582 Pages·1991·141.4 MB·English

by  United States. Bureau of Land Management

BLM LIBRARY
8^708
Management
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CALIFORNIA STATEWIDE
WILDERNESS STUDY*
REPORT
Part 4
Volume 5
Contains WSA's: CDCA-222A through CDCA-272
Silurian Valley Cinder Cones South Bristol Mountains
CDCA-222A CDCA-239 CDCA-258A
North Mesquite Mountain Soda Mountains Marble Mountains
CDCA-223 CDCA-242 CDCA-259
Mesquite Mountains Old Dad Mountain Clipper Mountains
CDCA-225 CDCA-243 CDCA-260
Stateline Raintx)w Wells South Providence Mountains
CDCA-225A CDCA-244 CDCA-262
Ciarl( Mountain Eight-MileTank Providence Mountains
CDCA-227 CDCA-245 CDCA-263
Hollow Hills Kelso Mountains Mid Hills
CDCA-228 CDCA-249 CDCA-264
ShadowValley Keiso Dunes New York Mountains
CDCA-235A CDCA-250 CDCA-265
Magee/Atl(ins Cady Mountains Castle Peaks
CDCA-237 CDCA-251 CDCA-266
Deer Spring Mesquite Spring Fort Piute
CDCA-237A CDCA-251A CDCA-267
Valley View Sleeping Beauty Mountains Table Mountain
CDCA-237B CDCA-252 CDCA-270
Teutonia Peak Bristol/Granite Mountains Woods Mountains
CDCA-238A CDCA-256 CDCA-271
Cima Dome Lava Hills Signal Hill
CDCA-238B CDCA-258 CDCA-272
BLM MISSION STATEMENT
The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the balanced management of Public Lands and
resources and their various values so that theyare consideredin the combination ofuses thattakes Into
account the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and nonrenewable resources. These
resources includerecreation, range, timber, minerals, watershed, fishandwildlife, wildernessandnatural,
scenic, scientific and cultural values.
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^LM-CA-PT-90-006-8520
74 5
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1/.5
Supplemental Information to these reports Includes Environmental Documents, Mineral
Survey Reports, and maps. To review these supplemental data, or to obtain additional
information, please contact:
Bureau of Land Management
Branch of Wilderness Resources
Room 3360
Main Interior Building
18th and C Streets
Washington, D.C. 20002
[phone]
or
Bureau of Land Management
Branch of Lands and Recreation
Federal Building
2800 Cottage Way
Sacramento, CA 95825
[phone]
Printed on Recycled Paper

Silurian Valley
CDCA 222A

.
snilREAN VATTrv wrrnRRMFyK groro AREA fWSA)
(aXA-222A)
1. 1HE STUDY AREA 19,435 acres
The Silurian Valley WSA is located in San Bernardino County within the north
central portion of the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) The
.
community of Baker is 12 road miles to the south. The WSA includes 18,318
acres of public land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management
(BIM) 632 acres owned by the State of California, and 485 acres of private
, M^
land (see 1 and Table 1)
This triangular-shaped WSA is bounded on the west by State Route 127. The
north and northeastern boundaries are gravel roads used to access the
patented Silver Lake Mine properties. The southeastern boundary consists of
a gravel road used to access other patented mining prcperties. The southern
boundary is located along an imaginary line 400 feet north of three high
voltage power transmission lines vdiich were in place in 1979, except v*iere
the service road extends beyond the 400 feet and then the boundary is the
service road. These pcwer lines, and portions of the WSA, are located within
a utility corridor designated in the CDCA Plan that is two miles in width.
The VKA consists predominately of a creosote covered bajada that slc^jes west
toward the Amargosa River drainage. The southeastern portion of the WSA
contains rocky, rolling hills. The Riggs Wash drains throu(^ the northeast
portion of the area. The WSA contains approximately 75% cLLluvial fans, 20%
hills, and 5% pediments. The tcfpograptiy ranges from 700 to 2250 feet in
elevation.
The WSA was studied under Section 603 of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act (FLFMA) Four alternatives were analyzed in the Draft
.
Environmental Iitpact Statement (EIS) for the CDCA Plan: protection, use,
balanced and no action; a summary of the area's wilderness values was
inclixied in ^pendix III of the Final EIS.
2. REOOMMENDATTOJ AND pattomatf: acres reccramended for
wilderness
18,318 BIM acres reccattmended for
nonwildemess
No wilderness is the reconmendation for the Silurian Valley VISA. The entire
acreage in this WSA is released for uses other than wilderness. Future
activities in the area will be controlled by moderate intensity, multiple use
management guidelines as prescribed in the CDCA Plan. This reccramendation
will be iirplemented in a manner v^iich will use all practical means to avoid
or minimize environmentcil iitpacts.
The BcLLanoed Alternative is the environmentally preferable alternative as
outlined in the CDCA Plan and further explained in the California Wilderness
Stuc^ Overview.
Ihe genercil lack of quality wilderness values was the primary reason for the
nonsuitable recxOTmendaticai. If designated, this area would ocame ncMhere
close to meeting the cciliber of other wilderness areas already within the
National Wilderness Preservaticxi System. Existing and potential raotorized
recreaticMi use and the need to ke^ the land available for ejq>ansion of a
designated utility corridor also influenced the nonsuitable reccanmendation.
Designaticai of the area as wilderness would not contribute any additioncLL
unique or distinct features to the National Wilderness Preservation System
(NWPS) Other WSAs in the California Desert that arie reccramended suitable
.
offer a much more extensive and diverse r^resentation of desert wilderness
values.
The scenic values of the area are uipretentious. Ihe area is lacking in
variety of landform, color, and vegetation and has no unique features. An
abandoned railroad grade divides the area into two distinct units.
Opportunities for solitude and primitive and unconfined types of recreation
are available, but primarily in the small hilly region in the southern
portiCTi of the area. Ihere are approximately eight miles of routes of travel
including primitive ways, washes and other unmaintained routes of access
v*iich will remain available for vehicular use.
Ihe wildlife and vegetative resources within the area are typical of the
surrounding desert. Ihe vegetative ccarposition includes the typiccil creosote
bush scrub assentolage that may be interrupted by saltbush at the Icwer
elevations. Ihe area contains no unusual plants or State or Federally listed
threatened or endangered plant or animal species. Ihere are no significant
cultural resource values or Native American concerns.
Ihe California Off-Hi^way Vehicle (OiN) Draft Statewide Motorized Trails
System Plan indicates that a portion of the bajada within the WSA could be
included in a statewide trails system. Current recreational use in the WSA
consists of motorized vehicle travel adjacent to an abandoned railroad grade.
Ihe WSA itself is not a destination point, but rather contains portions of a
north-south link for CtN travel. Althou^ current use levels are considered
low, the potentials for increase are high.
Wilderness designation would prchibit full develcpnent of the energy and
transmission corridor identified in the 1980 CDCA Plan and EIS. Ihis two-
mile wide corridor overlaps the southern boundary of the WSA for
approximately one mile and the southeastern boundary to a lesser degree.
Ihis corridor, along with others in the CDCA, were designated to acccxtmodate
the long-term energy and ccamraunication needs of the southwestern IMited
States. D^)ending i:^x3n the juxtaposition of the WSAs ultimately designated
wilderness within the CDCA, there may or may not be constraints to full
development of such corridors.
The minercil potential of the WSA is largely unknown due to lack of field
data. However, the area's boundaries are directly adjacent to known
minercilized locations and past producing mines. In additicxi, 2,660 acres of
the WSA are currently encumbered with 67 mining claims.
The WSA would be best managed and maintained under nonwildemess and moderate
intensity management guidelines cis prescribed in the CDCA Plan. Mining and
motorized recreational pursuits would be allcwed to continue without
sacrifice of desert resource values. Future scenarios regarding develcpment
of energy and communication corridor in this area would not be constrained.
TABLE 1 - Land Status and Acreage Summary of the Stucfy Area
Within Wilderness Studv Area Acres
BLM (surface and subsurface) 18,318
Split Estate (BIM surface only)
Iriholdings
State 632
Private 485
Total 19,435
Within the Recommended Wilderness Boundary Acres
BIM (within WSA)
BIM (outside WSA)
Split Estate (within WSA)
Split Estate (outside WSA)
Total BIM Land Peccmmended for Wilderness
Inholdings
State
Private
Within the Area Not Recommended for Wilderness Acres
BIM (surface and subsurface) 18,318
Split Estate (BIM surface only)
Total BIM Land Not Reccramended for Wilderness 18,318