Fish Slough, Fish Slough, Bishop, CA

www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/wildlife/watchable/areas/fishsl...

The 36,000-acre Fish Slough Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) was designated in 1982 as such in order to recognize, maintain, and enhance the area's unique resource values. It is a place where geographic isolation, geology, climate, and hydrology have created a rare and irreplaceable ecosystem. This lush oasis is located amid an otherwise arid landscape known as the Volcanic Tableland, on the southern edge of the Great Basin High Desert Plateau, at the north end of the Owens Valley and about five miles north of Bishop.

Directions:

From Bishop, take Highway 395 north to the "Y" with Highway 6. Drive north on Highway 6 about 1.5 miles. Turn west on Five Bridges Road and drive about 2.5 miles. Shortly after the sand and gravel plant, turn right at the information kiosk onto Fish Slough Road. Drive one mile, cross a cattle guard, and travel 5.5 miles to the fenced ponds. Marshlands will be on the east side of the road as you drive to the pond.

Located in the transition between the Mojave Desert and Great Basin biomes, Fish Slough encompasses an array of plant communities including wetlands, alkali meadows and uplands. With 126 wetland taxa described, Fish Slough represents one of the richest wetland floras in the Great Basin.

Less than six inches of rain falls annually on the area, and summer temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit are common. The rain passes easily through the porous surface of volcanic rock and flows underground. The slough (wetland) is created by three natural springs flowing to the surface from this underground water source.

The water that defines the slough is also the key to its varied plant and animal life, including several unique and sensitive species. The ACEC provides habitat for rare endemic plants, such as the Fish Slough milk-vetch and the alkali Mariposa lily.

The unusual geologic features that create the underground water basin, also create a colorful surface landscape with abrupt cliffs and volcanic terraces. The warm hues and pastel tones of these features are striking in the early morning and evening hours. Prehistoric rock carvings, called petroglyphs, are significant human features of the slough.

, CA