The Juniper Dunes Wilderness is a protected wilderness area comprising 7,140 acres (28.9 km²) in Franklin County, Washington. Established in 1984, it is noteworthy for the northernmost growth of western juniper trees that live among the area's large sand dunes.[1]
| Juniper Dunes Wilderness | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Juniper Dunes | |
 | |
| Location | Franklin County, Washington, United States |
| Nearest city | Pasco, WA |
| Coordinates | 46°23′30″N 118°51′20″W / 46.39167°N 118.85556°W |
| Area | 7,140 acres (28.9 km²) |
| Established | 1984 |
| Governing body | United States Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management |
Flora and fauna
editCommon wildlife found in Juniper Dunes Wilderness include mule deer, bobcat, coyote, badger, skunk, weasel, porcupine, pocket gopher, kangaroo rat, several species of mouse, hawk, owl, raven, quail, partridge, pheasant, dove, numerous songbirds, and rattlesnakes.[1]
Other than the namesake junipers, no trees grow in significant numbers here.[1] Other vegetation found in the Wilderness include rubber rabbitbrush, green rabbitbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, white sand-verbena, Franklin sandwort, sicklepod milkvetch, turpentine cymopterus, hymenopappus, prickly pear cactus, sand-dune penstemon, lanceleaf breadroot, sand dock, Carey balsamroot, wild-hyacinth, larkspur, wild flax, snow buckwheat, desert parsley Indian-potato, and silverleaf phacelia.[2]
Access
editAs the wilderness area is surrounded by privately-owned land an agreement was reached in early 2007 with landowners that allows visitors, with permission, to travel on one of several old jeep trails that end near the Wilderness boundary.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Juniper Dunes Wilderness". Archived from the original on 2003-11-11. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ^ Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area, Franklin County, Washington - Botanical Electronic News
External links
edit- Eric Degerman (2002-04-24). "The Sahara of Washington Juniper Dunes Wilderness, just 15 miles (24 km) north of Pasco, seems a world away". Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2006-06-29.
- Anna King (2007-02-15). "Access deal met at Juniper Dunes". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved 2007-02-15. [dead link]
- Karen Sykes (1997-03-20). "Head east to escape the rain at Juniper Dunes Wilderness". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-02-21.[permanent dead link]
- Map of Juniper Dunes Wilderness
- Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area - BLM page
