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Map Satellite On the eastern edge of the Madeline Plains, which is the dried basin of a Pleistocene lake, is a series of dunes composed of fine sand, blown from the lake bed.
Of particular interest is the relic population of ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa, which is found here; the nearest population is some 24 kilometers (15 miles) north at an altitude of some 300 meters (1,000 feet) higher. There are several mature trees, one with a 145-centimeter (57-inch) diameter, as well as clumps of younger trees.
Much of the dune area is bare, though there are occasional clumps of mountain mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius, basin sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata, squaw currant, Ribes cereum, antelope bush, Purshia tridentata, and rabbit brush, Chrysothamnus sp.
In the swales, the Cercocarpus are very large and old. There is a seep within the dunes with a tiny meadow on it. A spring in the area supports a colony of quaking aspen, Populus tremuloides.
Wildlife, though not abundant, is typical of the Modoc Plateau area.
Integrity: Some of the pines have been logged. There is an old homestead in the area, as well as a road.
Use: Research, educational, observational. Some private.
July 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
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