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Finding the Wild Way in Lower Burro Creek

Brian Andersen led three intrepid hikers - Steve Larson, Brian Leibold, and Jeff Glessing – into the remote and rugged Lower Burro Creek area the second week of March. The group’s off-trail adventure had a purpose, to analyze the area as potential Lands with Wilderness Characteristics under Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Policy 6310. Eventually, reports from trips like these will support proposals to the BLM to preserve the wilderness characteristics of deserving areas.

Brian shares some of his experience below:


by Brian Andersen, AWC Intern

Lower Burro Creek possesses all of the characteristics laid out in BLM Policy 6310. The area is an incredible zone ….Saying that an area is natural is an interesting claim, especially when anthropogenic impacts are ubiquitous throughout almost all of the world’s landscapes. It is true, that Lower Burro Creek will be impacted by climate change, and potentially the water quality could be affected by the Bagdad mine which resides upstream of this area. However, the area is uniquely natural by many standards. This specific area does not have any trails, or man-made structures. It also has one of the highest amounts of wildlife of any area that I have ever observed, with their own impacts on the landscape. Although humans will have an impact on this zone in the grand scheme of things this area seems relatively pristine, or as pristine as possible currently. One indicator of this natural condition is the presence of several species of frogs, which are decreasing throughout the Southwest (Hayes and Jennings 1986; Fellers and Drost 1993; Corn 1994).

The area is an incredible area for many forms of primitive recreation including backpacking, observing birds and other animals / plants, swimming, and an area for reflection. There is also potential for Wilderness climbing in the zone however, this has not been explored. The area is relatively challenging to navigate as there are no trails and the terrain is uniformly uneven and rough. This challenge makes the area that much more rewarding to venture into.

The ecology of this area is unique. It is the convergence of the Mojave, Sonoran and Great Basin deserts and with this convergence there is a huge amount of biodiversity. There are also several springs and with this emergence of water in the desert life flourishes. We were able to notice a huge amount of wildlife, inventoried springs, and enjoyed unique geologic features in the area. This area would be an incredible zone for environmental education courses.


Check out a few photos from their exploratory trip:
 

 

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