Juniper Dunes Wilderness

Juniper Dunes Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Juniper Dunes
Location Franklin County, Washington, USA
Nearest city Pasco, WA
Coordinates 46°23′30″N 118°51′20″W / 46.39167°N 118.85556°W / 46.39167; -118.85556Coordinates: 46°23′30″N 118°51′20″W / 46.39167°N 118.85556°W / 46.39167; -118.85556
Area 7,140 acres (28.9 km²)
Established 1984
Governing body United States Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management

The Juniper Dunes Wilderness is a protected wilderness area comprising 7,140 acres (28.9 km²) in Franklin County, Washington. Established in 1984, it is noteworthy for the northernmost growth of western juniper trees that live among the area's large sand dunes.[1]

Flora and fauna

Common wildlife found in Juniper Dunes Wilderness include mule deer, bobcat, coyote, badger, skunk, weasel, porcupine, pocket gopher, kangaroo rat, several species of mouse, hawk, owl, raven, quail, partridge, pheasant, dove, numerous songbirds, and rattlesnakes.[1]

Other than the namesake junipers, no trees grow in significant numbers here.[1] Other vegetation found in the Wilderness include rubber rabbitbrush, green rabbitbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, white sand-verbena, Franklin sandwort, sicklepod milkvetch, turpentine cymopterus, hymenopappus, prickly pear cactus, sand-dune penstemon, lanceleaf breadroot, sand dock, Carey balsamroot, wild-hyacinth, larkspur, wild flax, snow buckwheat, desert parsley Indian-potato, and silverleaf phacelia.[2]

Juniper Dunes as viewed from the east with grasslands in the foreground and Rattlesnake Mountain in the hazy distance behind.

Access

Currently no legal access to Juniper Dunes Wilderness exists, as the entire surrounding land is privately owned. An agreement in early 2007 with landowners allows visitors, with permission, to travel on one of several old jeep trails that end near the Wilderness boundary.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Juniper Dunes Wilderness". Archived from the original on 2003-11-11. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  2. ↑ Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area, Franklin County, Washington - Botanical Electronic News
  • Eric Degerman (2002-04-24). "The Sahara of Washington Juniper Dunes Wilderness, just 15 miles (24 km) north of Pasco, seems a world away". Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2006-06-29.
  • Anna King (2007-02-15). "Access deal met at Juniper Dunes". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  • Karen Sykes (1997-03-20). "Head east to escape the rain at Juniper Dunes Wilderness". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
  • Map of Juniper Dunes Wilderness
  • Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area - BLM page


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