Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness

Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness
IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)
Location	Washington County, Utah, USA
Nearest city	Leeds, UT
Coordinates	37°12′22″N 113°28′33″W / 37.2062094345°N 113.475756°W / 37.2062094345; -113.475756Coordinates: 37°12′22″N 113°28′33″W / 37.2062094345°N 113.475756°W / 37.2062094345; -113.475756[1]
Area	11,712 acres (47.4 km2)
Established	March 30, 2009
Governing body	Bureau of Land Management

Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness is a 11,712-acre (47.4 km²) wilderness area in the US state of Utah. It was designated March 30, 2009, as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. Located adjacent to the southern edge of the Dixie National Forest, it encompasses and protects a transition zone between the Colorado Plateau to the east and the Mojave Desert to the west.^[2] It is bordered by the Cottonwood Forest Wilderness to the northeast and the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area to the east, south, and west.

Vegetation

Vegetation in Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness includes pockets of yucca, cholla, and mesquite, as well as riparian vegetation such as Fremont cottonwood along several intermittent streams. Higher up toward the Pine Valley Mountains are pinyon pine and juniper. The endangered purple-spined hedgehog cactus (Echinocereus engelmannii var. purpureus) may occur in the area.^[2]

Wildlife

Chuckwalla

A variety of wildlife is found in Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness, including mule deer, mountain lion, bobcat, and kit fox, as well as gila monster and chuckawalla - both of which are on the State of Utah's list of sensitive species due to shrinking habitat. Common bird species include Gambel's quail, mourning dove, prairie falcon, golden eagle, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and the more common red-tailed, Cooper's, and sharp-shinned hawks.^[2]

See also

• List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
• Wilderness Act

References

1. ^ "Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness Map". Wilderness.net. http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&latitude=37.2062094345&longitude=-113.475756&zoom=12. Retrieved 2011-08-13. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "The Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness". Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. http://suwa.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=WATE_cottonwoodcn. Retrieved 2011-08-13. 

External links

• "Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness". Wilderness.net. http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&WID=717. 
• "Map of wilderness areas in north-central Washington County, Utah". U.S. Forest Service. http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/Wilderness-Act-2009/Maps/Utah/RedCliffsNCANov1208.pdf.