Wild Lands & Rivers
Palen-McCoy Proposed Wilderness Additions
Size: 23,465 acres
Management Agency: Bureau of Land Management
Description:
The large Palen-McCoy Wilderness contains immense valleys and four steep mountain ranges, but oddly enough it does not include all of the Granite Mountains and the McCoy Mountains that are on the northwestern and southeastern boundaries of the wilderness respectively.
Adding these scenic and remote ranges to the wilderness would increase the size of Palen-McCoy by 20,320 acres and protect habitat for Bendire's thrasher, California leaf-nosed bat, California McCoy snail, desert tortoise, hepatic tanager, Le Conte's thrasher, Mojave fringe-toed lizard, Nelson's bighorn sheep, pallid bat, and prairie falcon. The region’s midland ironwood forest is the largest such ecosystem in the California desert.
The existing wilderness and the adjacent roadless land together comprise one of the largest remaining wild areas in southeastern California. Four mountain ranges, dunes, gigantic washes, large bajadas and other landforms come together in the region and help explain its diverse wildlife and plant habitat.
Part of the proposed wilderness additions are adjacent to Camp Granite, a World War II-era Army training facility.