Excelsior

Name: Excelsior
Acreage: 9,100
WSA Complex: Granite Mountain
Location: northeast of Mono Lake

Natural Values:

A sea of Great Basin shrubs broken by an occasional juniper or pinyon pine grow in the deep deposits of ancient Lake Russell. There is no permanent source of water in this WSA, and thus the vegetation is mainly desert shrubs. Big sagebrush and Indian ricegrass grow in the western portion of this WSA, juniper and sagebrush grow in the southeast, and bitterbrush and big sagebrush grow in the northeast section. Wild horses have been known to frequent the area. There are a few volcanic bluffs which break up the landscape.

Cultural Values:

This WSA is in the ethnographic territory of the Mono Lake Paiute Tribe. There are some seed collections sites found in the WSA.

Recreational Values:

Camping, hiking, hunting, horseback riding