Carrizo Plain Marks 10 Years as Colorful National Monument
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By Chuck Graham, Noozhawk Contributor
Remote San Luis Obispo County grasslands teeming with endangered wildlife, haunting vistas
Tule fog hovered just above the grasslands of the Carrizo Plain, blanketing the entire valley between the Temblor and Caliente Mountains. A Ferruginous Hawk sliced through the dewy mist like a low-flying hang glider, spooking a San Joaquin antelope ground squirrel into its burrow.
April marks the 10-year anniversary of Carrizo Plain National Monument, 50 miles of natural wonder in southeastern San Luis Obispo County. Here’s a short list of reasons why Carrizo Plain is unique and deserves continued protection.
» The Carrizo Plain is the last of California’s historic grasslands.
» The plain resembles old California, what much of the state appeared like 200 years ago.
» It’s the last/best habitat for endangered critters like the San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, San Joaquin antelope ground squirrel and blunt-nosed leopard lizard.
» It’s prime foraging habitat for the endangered California condor.
» It’s the first region of California to reintroduce pronghorn antelope and Tule elk that were hunted to near extinction in the late 1800s.
» The Carrizo Plain was the borderland of the Chumash and Yokut Indians. They met on the Carrizo Plain to trade, hunt and hold ceremonies.
» The Carrizo Plain is one of the best wildflower hotspots in California. Last spring was virtually 50 miles of flowers.
» Soda Lake is the largest natural alkali lake in California, lying in the Pacific Flyway, and a major winter stopover for migrating birds.
» Soda Lake Road runs straight through the national monument for 50 miles, but there are many old ranch roads that lead to secluded overlooks, rock outcroppings and open book canyons. A mountain bike is a good alternative from the car or being on foot.
» The San Andreas Fault cuts a swath along the east side of the Carrizo Plain below the Temblor Mountains, and Caliente Range on the west side at 5,106 feet is the high point of the national monument.
Every time I come out to Carrizo Plain, I see something I didn’t see the time before. Last month I found a pair of barn owls perched on a lichen-covered sandstone boulder. The lichen and the barn owl’s feathers were very similar in color. For me that was enough to deem the trip a successful one — until next time.
— Noozhawk contributor and local freelance writer Chuck Graham is editor of Deep magazine.
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