During the late Pleistocene (approximately 10,000 years ago), interconnected lakes and rivers covered much of the Great Basin. At the westernmost edge of the Great Basin, the Owens River filled the Owens Lake basin to a depth of approximately 250 feet and overflowed it, continuing as far south as China Lake. As these glacial waters … Read more
Owens Valley mammals include species from several different biogeographic regions–including the Great Basin, Mojave Desert, White-Inyo mountains, and Sierra Nevada mountains–as well as species unique to the groundwater-dependent alkali meadows on the valley floor. The Owens Valley vole (Microtus Californicus vallicola), a nocturnal short-tailed vole, makes its home in groundwater-dependent meadows on the valley floor. … Read more