Ventana Wilderness

Ventana Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Location	Los Padres National Forest, Monterey County, California, United States
Nearest city	Monterey, CA
Coordinates
Area	240,026 acres (971 km2)
Established	1969
Governing body	U.S. Forest Service / Bureau of Land Management

The Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest is a Federally designated wilderness area located in the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Central Coast of California. This wilderness was established in 1969 when the Ventana Wilderness Act abolished the 55,800-acre (226 km²) Ventana Primitive Area and replaced it with the 98,000-acre (400 km²) Ventana Wilderness. In 1978, the Endangered American Wilderness Act added 61,000 acres (250 km²), increasing the total wilderness area to about 159,000 acres (640 km²). The California Wilderness Act of 1984 added about 2,750 acres (11 km²). In 1992, the Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act created the approximately 14,500-acre (59 km²) Silver Peak Wilderness and added about 38,800 acres (157 km²) to the Ventana Wilderness.

The bill also designated the Big Sur River as a wild and scenic river. Most recently, the Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act of 2002 expanded the wilderness for the fifth time, adding nearly 35,000 acres (140 km²), increasing the total acreage of the wilderness to its present size of 240,026 acres (971 km²). A very small part of it, 736 acres (3 km²), is located on Bureau of Land Management territory.

Name origin

The "Window" seen from the Ventana Doublecone peak in the Ventana Wilderness.

The Ventana Wilderness is named for the unique notch called "The Window" on a ridge near Ventana Double Cone. According to local legend, this notch was once a natural stone arch.

Topography

The topography of the Ventana Wilderness is characterized by steep-sided, sharp-crested ridges separating V-shaped youthful valleys. Most streams fall rapidly through narrow, vertical-walled canyons over bedrock or a veneer of boulders. Waterfalls, deep pools and thermal springs are found along major streams. Elevations range from 600 feet (180 m), where the Big Sur River leaves the Wilderness, to about 5,750 feet (1,750 m) at the wilderness boundary near Junipero Serra Peak.

Vegetation

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus (white form) at the University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley, California

Marked vegetation changes occur within the Wilderness, attributable to dramatic climatic and topographic variations coupled with an extensive fire history. Much of the Ventana is covered by dense communities of chaparral, a group of fire-prone plant species, consisting largely of chamise and various species of manzanita and ceanothus. Other plant communities found in area include oak woodland (Coast Live Oak, Valley Oak, etc.) and pine woodlands (Coulter Pine and Knobcone Pine). Poison oak is found throughout the area. Deep narrow canyons cut by the fast moving Big Sur and Little Sur rivers support stands of coastal redwood (some old growth), Big Leaf Maple, and Sycamore. Small scattered stands of the rare, endemic Bristlecone Fir may be found on rocky slopes and canyon bottoms. Mountain lion, bear, deer, fox and coyotes range the wilderness, as does the California condor, reintroduced to the region by the Ventana Wildlife Society.

Human use

Main article: Esselen

Pico Blanco

The area was first occupied by the Esselen American Indians who followed local food sources seasonally, living near the coast in winter, where they harvested rich stocks of mussels, abalone and other sea life. In the summer and fall they moved inland to harvest acorns gathered from the Black Oak, Canyon Live Oak and Tanbark Oak, primarily on upper slopes in areas on the upper slopes of the steep canyons.

Pico Blanco, which splits the north and south forks of the Little Sur River, was sacred in the native traditions of the Rumsien and the Esselen, who revered the mountain as a sacred place from which all life originated. The Spanish mission system led to the virtual destruction of the Indian population. Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. Alfred L. Kroeber suggests a 1770 population for the Esselen of 500. Sherburne F. Cook raises this estimate to 750. A more recent calculation (based on baptism records and density) is that they numbered 1,185-1,285.

During the 1930s, the United States Civilian Conservation Corp constructed an extensive network of trails and trailheads that provide access to the Wilderness. The Pine Ridge trailhead at Big Sur Station near Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is by far the most popular starting point. Other trailheads include Bottchers Gap, Los Padres Dam, China Camp, and Arroyo Seco. Much of the area is very rugged and trails within the Wilderness are frequently overgrown and challenging to follow. Off-trail travel can be extremely difficult due to the steep, unstable terrain, and dense vegetation, like Madrone, manzanita, and Ceanothus. As is the case in most designated Wilderness areas, motorized equipment and mechanized transport are not allowed. Hunting of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) or European boar, which were introduced into the Carmel Valley area in 1927, is permitted by license.

Government

At the county level, The Ventana Wilderness is represented on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors by Supervisor Dave Potter.

In the California State Legislature, The Ventana Wilderness is in the 17th Senate District, represented by Democrat Bill Monning, and in the 30th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Luis Alejo.

In the United States House of Representatives, The Ventana Wilderness is in California's 20th congressional district, represented by Democrat Sam Farr.

See also

• Wilderness Areas, Los Padres National Forest
• A Brief Land Status History of the Monterey Ranger District, David Rogers (2002)
• Hiking the Big Sur Country, Jeffrey P. Schaffer (1988) ISBN 0-89997-083-4
• Map of Ventana Wilderness, Los Padres National Forest, USDA Forest Service (1987)
• Trail Guide to Los Padres National Forest, Ventana Chapter, Sierra Club (2003) ISBN 0-9650652-0-0

External links

• Ventana Wilderness Alliance
• Ventana Chapter, Sierra Club