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~ a u c o b a WewsSponsored by The Bishop Museum & Historical Society, Bishop, Ca. 93514Founded and Edited by Enid A. Larson, Box 265, Big Pine, Ca. 93513

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WAUCOBA: A Paiute word for "pine tree" - also, highest peak in Inyo " ts . , 11,02] ft .WAUCOBA NEWS Subscription: Send 4 stamped, self-addressed envelopes, Box 265, Big Pine Ca.

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Vo I ume I I, No. IWinter -- 19784 issues per year

SAND DUNES - EUREKA VALLEYphoto by ea l" ' * * H * + * ~ * * " " * " " H - *

Dune systems are focal points wherever they oeeur. Not only are they Interestingeeologlcal Islands but, regardle ss of size and form, they have great aesthetle appeal. Thoseof Eureka and Saline valleys differ considerably, even though they are not far apart In a ir,. miles. I t is worthwhile to vis i t both, to enjoy their beauty and to make thoughtful eomparlsons of thel r various features. 'The prlnelpal Eureka Dunes oeeurs a t th e low southeast e o ~ n e r of th e valley a t anelevatIon of about 3000 feet. ",/The Sal ine Vall ey dunes are Ju . t north of the salIne s Ink a tI ~ O f t . e l . The Eureka Dunes form a somewhat stabilIzed ridge almost 700 ft . hIgh, west ofand perall lpl touswall of the Last Chanee "ts . The SalIne Valley dunel are IlUchlowe r and ' They oeeupy a round Ish a rea below the steep eas t faee of the I nyo Mti.The formtt ' generous amount of any pr,eelp I tatlon caught by the Last Chanee Hts., and,due to .form of th e high rl dge, retains" I t through the dry months. The moistureII fed I y t o th e dune borders. this supports numerous perennials, as well a. annuals,and exten& th e b,loomlng leason well beyond that of the surroundIng desert. SalIne Vall eydunes, cl_ In title raIn shadow of th e Inyo Hts., receIve 11 t t le preclpl tatlon, and theIr low,widely Ip"e.dform allowl, ready evaporlzatlon. 'DIfferences In elevatIon, precIpItatIon, and capabIlIty fo r water storage have resultedIn decfded, ecologIcal dIfferences. The rIch f lora' and fauna of the Eureka Dunes Is In greatcontrast to th e Iparse populations found on th e dunes In SalIne Valley.

Sw.H.DI ' . ~ . n d r . . Most famous of th e Eureka Dunes Plantsl photo by 'a l are th e 2 endemIcs: Swi',lnl& . 'lx'Ddr.1the Eureka dune-grass and Ocnotbcrassp, .yr'k!D.ls, the EurekaprImrose. The dune-grass forms darkaccents al nos t to the sll" ' l t of t"'e hI ghest rl dge. I t grows from 'rh izomes orspreads by seeds. Leaf-blades areshort and rIgId. thIs coarse grass Isvaluable as a sand stabIlIzer . TheEureka prlmrose, .. l a perennIal, Iscommon t h r o u g h o u ~ ndy perImeterof the dunes 'ftcl' lowest slopes.Its lovely whl . leal of

the whIte even Isplant ,has develsume growth frombecome burled byplant may b ~ , IlJrof offsprIng.

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PLAtH LISTSLists of plants -For the Eureka and Sal ine sand dunes will appear in the Spring issue of \oI/;UCOBi-\ N E \ ~ S . ed. "tt'tt111-i"'tnliThe Eureka Dune-grass usually occupies widely spaced hummocks on the Dunes. New hummocks can appear, others disappear, and

some are stab 1e. Between Ap r i 1 197 L and Nov. 1976 the losses of established Dunegrass hummocks were greater than the gain in new hummocks. Of the original 37 hummocks I am studying, of all kinds present in April 1974, 26 remained in Nov. 1976, a 30% loss. Only 8 new hummocks appeared. This grass flowers in April; seeds germinate in the autumn. Between Oct. 1975 - March 1976 there Was 89.2% mortal ity of new seedl ings. 1J --Mary i\nn Henry, Ri dgecrest, Ca.' t ' t t 1 1 1 - ~ r t

81 RDS OF EUREKA & SAL INE V.1\LLEYSThe 1 is t of resident species is notlarge . .1. resident may be defined as one thatis there all year, though these may not be thesame individuals. Just about 2 dozen birdsfall into this category. They are:Pied-billed ~ r e b e Great Horned .ndrews andAlan Hardy, Dept. Food and Agri., Sacramento,Ca. In a comparison of Eureka and Sal inevalleys, ~ a l i n e possesses a greaternumber of insect species because of i tsdiversity of habitats. Yet when theirdunes are compared Eureka Dunes supports atleast 5 times the number of genera ofsand-restricted Coleoptera.When the tedious and lengthy processof identification is completed by specialists, and habitats of these insects areclearly delimited, I ists of s p e c i ~ s willbe reported in WAUCOBA NEWS as the knowledgebecomes available. - - ~ e r h a m Giul iani

DESERT KIT FOXThe Desert Kit Fox ( ~ s macrotis) inCal ifornia is a protected species and cannotbe taken except by scientific permit. Capt.Ken Brown, D.F.&G., warden, tells me th e finefo r taking or possessing any animal, i tsoverflow of an artes ian well, a man-made reservoi r, pelt , or remains, is subject to FINE of

and in streambeds in canyons at irregular $500.- and/or 6 months in ja i l . Nowhere" I ' i ~ e . r v a 1s water reaches the surface before in Inyo County is this mammal abundant.... b'e.it'g lost o ~ l l uvial fans. The above photo is of a den entrance of this" , : --Tom & Jo Heindel, Big Pine. Fox. (Photo by ea 1.) --Enid A. Larson