Hall Natural Area

The Hall Natural Area or Harvey Monroe Hall Natural Area is a region on the eastern border of Yosemite National Park in California. The area is located about 1.25 miles (2.0 km) northwest of Tioga Pass, and is approximately four miles (6.4 km) long from north to south and 2.75 miles (4.4 km) wide at its widest point. It lies completely within the Inyo National Forest.

Geography

The Natural Area covers Convert|3883|acre|ha. Elevations range from Convert|9600|ft|m along
Lee Vining Creek to Convert|12590|ft|m atop Mount Conness. The entire area isdrained by Lee Vining Creek, which flows from northwest to southweast. Glaciation stronglyaffected the topography. Several deeply glaciated northeast-facing cirques are present, with steep headwalls and flats or lakes at their floors. Much of the lower elevationarea is stepped topography resulting from differential erosion along jointing planesin the granitic bedrock.cite web|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/programs/rna/gtr_chapters_pdf/harvey_monroe_hall_rna.pdf|title=Harvey Monroe Hall|work=Research Natural Areas|publisher=Pacific Southwest Research Station|author=Taylor, D.W.|quote=public domain source]

The climate is high Sierran montane with copious winter snowfall. Average annual precipitation is estimated to be more than Convert|25|in|mm. There is great variation in temperature and growing season.

History and purpose

The Research Natural Area (RNA) program is a nationwide system created to protect a network of federally administered public lands for the primary purposes of maintaining biological diversity, providing baseline ecological information, and encouraging research and university natural history education. In California, the RNA program is administered jointly by the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station and Pacific Southwest Region cite web|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/programs/rna/|title=Research Natural Areas|Publisher=Pacific Southwest Research Station|quote=public domain source]

The Hall Natural Area was one of the first established in California (in 1933). The
Carnegie Institute of Washington’s studies on genotype-environment interactions made much use of the transplant gardens at the south end of the Natural Area. Sincethen, other researchers have used the area, studying social organization of Belding ground squirrels, dynamics of wind-blown detritus in snow banks, and community structuring of subalpine forest birds.

References