Fish Slough Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Encyclopedia
The Fish Slough Area of Critical Environmental Concern is a Slough
located near Bishop
, California
on the western side of the Chalfant Valley (or north Owens Valley
). Its 36000 acres (14,568.7 ha) were designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern
(ACEC) in 1982. The ACEC is an oasis in the middle of the otherwise arid volcanic tableland.
and Great Basin
biomes. One plant, Fish Slough milk vetch (Astragalus lentiginosus var. piscinensis), is not found anywhere outside of the Fish Slough ACEC. The Alkali Mariposa Lily
(Calochortus striatus) is also a rare plant found in the ACEC.
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
located near Bishop
Bishop, California
Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of 4147 feet . The population was 3,879 at the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on the western side of the Chalfant Valley (or north Owens Valley
Owens Valley
Owens Valley is the arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States, to the east of the Sierra Nevada and west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains on the west edge of the Great Basin section...
). Its 36000 acres (14,568.7 ha) were designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Area of Critical Environmental Concern
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern is a conservation ecology program in the western United States, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The ACEC program was conceived in the 1976 Federal Lands Policy and Management Act , which established the first conservation ecology mandate for the BLM...
(ACEC) in 1982. The ACEC is an oasis in the middle of the otherwise arid volcanic tableland.
Plants and biomes
The ACEC is located in the transition zone between the Mojave DesertMojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
and Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
biomes. One plant, Fish Slough milk vetch (Astragalus lentiginosus var. piscinensis), is not found anywhere outside of the Fish Slough ACEC. The Alkali Mariposa Lily
Calochortus striatus
Calochortus striatus is a species of mariposa lily known by the common name alkali mariposa lily. It is native to California and Nevada where it grows in the Mojave Desert....
(Calochortus striatus) is also a rare plant found in the ACEC.