Existing comment:
Because the Mono Basin is poised on the edge of the forested mountains of the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin Desert, it supports a unique diversity of plants and animals. The Sierra Nevada's proximity to moisture-laden storms from the Pacific ocean provides water to the desert from snowmelt in the mountains, resulting in a diversity of wet and dry habitats.
Although heavily impacted by fire suppression and grazing, this desert still holds remnants of its former wildness. Wild rye, rice grass, buffalo berry, and aspens still flourish in areas of the Mono basin. Some of the local residents include deer, mountain lions, sage grouse, blue herons, Canadian geese, golden eagles, and coyotes. |