Carrizo Plain National Monument

Vast and quiet, ringed by abrupt mountain ranges, the Carrizo Plain supports a mix of plant and animal communities that once existed throughout the San Joaquin Valley. Protecting and enhancing these living resources will help ensure a balanced ecosystem, one that can persist for future generations to enjoy.

 

The Carrizo Plain National Monument is managed by The Nature Conservancy, the Bureau of Land Management and the California Department of Fish and Game, who cooperate to maintain native species interacting in a dynamic and fully functioning ecosystem--and to conserve unique natural and cultural resources while allowing research, recreation and appreciation.

 

Soda Lake is the largest remaining natural alkali wetland in California. Hugging its shores is the alkali sink community, nurturing a narrow band of salt-tolerant plants such as alkali heath and iodine bush. The saltbush scrub community is composed of spiny saltbush and other interesting salt-tolerant plants. Grasslands include alien grasses, with a few rare native grasses still waving among them, and native wildflowers that create swaths of color in the springtime after a good wet season.

 

The Plain has more rare and endangered vertebrates than any other place in California. The San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, blunt-nosed leopard lizard and San Joaquin antelope squirrel live in the saltbush scrub and grassland habitats, still interacting as they have for thousands of years.

Submitted by: Eric Goodill