§460ppp Findings

Summary

Congress finds that the Black Rock Desert and High Rock Canyon protect some of the last nationally important, mostly untouched parts of the old California emigrant Trails, with wagon ruts, old inscriptions, and landscapes little changed since pioneer times. These places let people today and in the future see and feel the emigrant journey. The area shows many kinds of Great Basin landforms and wildlife, including golden eagles, sage grouse, mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, wild horses and burros, threatened fish, and sensitive plants. It also includes sites that could be named National Historic or Natural Landmarks, such as part of the 1843–44 John Charles Fremont route and the place where Peter Lassen died. The region has many Native American archaeological sites, fossil finds like wooly mammoths, huge natural potholes, and a remnant dry lakebed where the Earth’s curvature can be seen. Nearby wilderness lands give solitude and protect trail views. Public lands here have been grazed for over a century, and grazing is expected to continue under the area’s management plan and laws. The Black Rock playa is the main visitor area, and large permitted events there are also expected to be run under the management plan and laws.