Protected wilderness area in California, United States
The
Otay Mountain Wilderness
is a
U.S. Wilderness Area
located in
San Diego County, California
, 12 miles east of the community of
Otay Mesa
and just north of the Mexican border. Some parts of the wilderness area rise quickly from sea level, reaching a peak of just over 3,500 feet (1,100 m) at the summit of Otay Mountain.
[3]
Wilderness status was conferred on October 7, 1998, effectively preserving 18,500 acres under protection of the
Wilderness Act
, a component of the
National Wilderness Preservation System
.
[4]
The legislation was signed by President
Bill Clinton
[5]
: 306
on December 11, 1999.
[6]
The wilderness is managed by the
Bureau of Land Management
.
Geography
[
edit
]
The wilderness lies in the
San Ysidro Mountains
,
[3]
of which
Otay Mountain
is the highest summit at 3,566 feet (1,087 m).
[7]
The mountain, and its immediate surroundings, are extremely rugged and include steep, often precipitous, canyon walls and hills.
[8]
The public lands within the Otay Mountain Wilderness are one of the last remaining pristine locations in western San Diego County. Adjacent to the Mexican border, it is internationally known for its diversity of unique and sensitive plants. The area plays a critical role in San Diego's multi-species conservation plan.
[4]
: 306
Natural history
[
edit
]
The San Ysidro Mountains are remnants of a chain of ancient volcanoes from which
meta-volcanic soils
form, sustaining a diverse
chaparral
community dominated by
chamise
(
Adenostoma fasciculatum
),
[9]
mixed chaparral and coastal
sagebrush
habitats.
[10]
Flora
[
edit
]
The world's largest stand of
Tecate cypress
(
Cupressus forbesii
) are found at Otay Mountain Wilderness, as are at least 15 plant species that are candidates for
federal listing
as threatened or endangered species. In all 37 plant species found on Otay Mountain are listed as sensitive by the
California Native Plant Society
, at least five, including the Tecate cypress, occur only on Otay Mountain or in the immediate area.
[10]
Particularly important species include:
[9]
Endangered species
[11]
[
edit
]
Rare species
[11]
[
edit
]
Fauna
[
edit
]
The diversity of habitats within the wilderness area maintains a variety of indigenous fauna, including a number of rare or endangered species. The most numerous large animal is the
mule deer
.
[4]
: 11?12]
Species of special concern on Otay Mountain include:
[10]
Endangered species
[
edit
]
Protected species
[4]
: 11?12]
[
edit
]
Border wall
[
edit
]
In the mid 1990s, as part of
Operation Gatekeeper
,
[13]
Department of Homeland Security
contractors began to build a border wall,
[14]
and associated access roads.
[15]
The initial phase of wall building extended from San Diego only as far as the foothills of Otay Mountain.
[16]
An
environmental impact statement
carried out prior to a
waiver
of an environmental law, required to allow construction within the wilderness area, concluded that the work on the border wall would have long-term impacts on plant, animal and water courses within the area. Grading and construction of roads in the wilderness area would result in removal of layers of topsoil and delicate, intertwined root systems that protect dry chaparral habitat from erosion.
[12]
The wall itself disrupts the ability of migratory animals, like the
javelina
, to roam freely across its natural range.
[17]
In December 2008 work began to continue the wall's progress through the wilderness area,
[17]
under the auspices of the
Secure Fence Act of 2006
.
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
IUCN category obtained from
Protected Planet: Otay Mountain State Ecological Reserve entry
. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Otay Mountain Wilderness, CA"
. recreation.gov. March 2015.
Archived
from the original on April 2, 2015
. Retrieved
March 7,
2015
.
- ^
Backpacker
, (May 2001) Vol. 29 No. 195
page 82
Archived
2022-09-02 at the
Wayback Machine
Active Interest Media, Inc. ISSN 0277-867X Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
a
b
Longmire, S. (2014)
Border Insecurity: Why Big Money, Fences, and Drones Aren't Making Us Safer
page 62
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
Palgrave Macmillan.
ISBN
1137443731
Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Congress (U.S.) (2004)
Congressional Record
, V. 144, Pt. 17, October 7, 1998 to October 9, 1998,
page 24176
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
Government Printing Office.
ISBN
0160680832
Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
Schad, J. (2007)
Afoot and Afield: San Diego County: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
Wilderness Press.
ISBN
0899974287
Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
Harmon, D., McManamon, F.P. & Pitcaithley, D.T. (2006)
The Antiquities Act: A Century of American Archaeology, Historic Preservation, and Nature Conservation
page 127
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
University of Arizona Press.
ISBN
0816525617
Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
"Otay Mountain information"
. summitpost.org. July 2010.
Archived
from the original on December 11, 2014
. Retrieved
March 7,
2015
.
- ^
Arnold, K.R. (Ed.) (2011)
Anti-Immigration in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia
page 690
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
ABC-CLIO.
ISBN
0313375224
Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
a
b
Faber, P.M. (2005)
California's Wild Gardens: A Guide to Favorite Botanical Sites
page 194
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
University of California Press.
ISBN
0520240316
Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
a
b
c
United States. Bureau of Land Management. California State Office
California Wild!
, Fish & wildlife 2000 series publication
page 40-41
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
The Bureau. Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
a
b
United States. Bureau of Land Management. California Desert District (1985)
Preliminary Wilderness Recommendations for the Western Counties Wilderness Study (western San Diego and Western Riverside Counties), California ; Prepared by Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, California Desert District
Appendix A
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
The District. Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
a
b
c
"Otay Mountain Wilderness"
. attheedges.com. March 7, 2015.
Archived
from the original on March 29, 2015
. Retrieved
March 7,
2015
.
- ^
Eastman, C.L.S (2008)
Civil Society on the Line: Examining the Relationship Between Media and Activist Groups Along the Arizona/Sonora Border
page 93-94
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
ProQuest.
ISBN
0549508554
Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
Azaransky, S. (2013)
Religion and Politics in America's Borderlands
page 169
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
Lexington Books.
ISBN
0739178636
Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
Adamson, J. & Ruffin, K.N. (Eds)(2013)
American Studies, Ecocriticism, and Citizenship: Thinking and Acting in the Local and Global Commons
page 152
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
Routledge.
ISBN
1135078831
Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
Tuer, D. (2005)
Mining the Media Archive: Essays on Art, Technology, and Cultural Resistance
page 162
Archived
2015-04-02 at the
Wayback Machine
YYZ Books.
ISBN
0920397352
Retrieved March 7, 2015
- ^
a
b
"Bulldozing Nature"
. utsandiego.com. February 2009.
Archived
from the original on September 2, 2022
. Retrieved
March 7,
2015
.
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