Siskiyou Wilderness

Infobox_protected_area | name = Siskiyou Wilderness
iucn_category = Ib


caption =
locator_x =
locator_y =
location = California, USA
nearest_city = Crescent City, California
lat_degrees = 41
lat_minutes = 41
lat_seconds = 08
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 123
long_minutes = 45
long_seconds = 03
long_direction = W
area = convert|182802|acre|km2
established = 1984
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = U.S. Forest ServiceThe Siskiyou Wilderness is a federal wilderness area designated by the passage of the California Wilderness Act of 1984. Originally, the land area was 153,000 acres [Wild84appendix.PDF p.5 The text of the Act.] An additional 30,122 acres was incorporated with the 2006 Northern California Wild Heritage Act for yhe current total of convert|182802|acre|km2|0. All of the wilderness is in Northern California and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The wilderness spans three national forests; Siskiyou, Klamath, and the Six Rivers.

The Siskiyou Mountains form one of the longest continous crests in the Klamath Mountains region. Elevations range from 770 feet to 7,309 feet above sea level. Trending in a north-south direction from the Oregon state border down to near the town of Weitchpec and 20 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, the Siskiyous are dotted by rocky peaks rising over 6,000 feet from the surrounding lowlands. [Adkinson p.292]

Flora and fauna

The Siskiyou Wilderness contains more conifer species than any other wildland in the United States. It is notable for the vast amounts of old-growth forests and many endemic species of wildflowers, shrubs and trees as well as one of the world's largest concentrations of lilys. [Adkinson p.294]

The wilderness is home to several rare species, including wolverine, martin, fisher, northern spotted owl and Roosevelt elk. There is also black bear, black-tailed deer, and many varieties of birds. The clear streams provide spawning grounds for steelhead, coho and chinook salmon. [Adkinson p.294-5]

Recreation

The wilderness is very lightly used,even though it porvides 16 trailhead access points.The Clear Creek National Recreation Trail is the only maintained trail, crosses convert|20.5|mi|km|1 of the northern portion and provides access to some of the more scenic parts of the wilderness. Human use is light and concentrated on the trails that lead to lakes. Much of the area lacks trails and is difficult to access cross country because of the dense brush. cite web | title=Wilderness.net: Siskiyou Wilderness | url=http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&wname=Siskiyou| accessdate=2007-12-21]

Footnotes

References

Adkinson, Ron "Wild Northern California". The Globe Pequot Press, 2001

External links

[http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/ Official website of Klamath National Forest] accessed 10-1-08