I recently rediscovered "The Nevada Trivia" book by Richard Moreno (published in 1998 by Gem Guides book Company) while rearranging some books on the shelf. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.
We've all heard this area referred to as the Great Basin, but did you know that it was explorer John C. Fremont who gave it the name? He was referring to the area between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. He was incorrect in saying it was one basin because it is closer to 75 basins all separated by various mountain ranges. What's unusual about all of the rivers found in the Great Basin? They flow inland into large sinks or lakes as opposed to emptying into an ocean like other rivers do.
The eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Range has the most variety of tree species. The Utah juniper is the most widespread variety, covering close to 25 million acres in Nevada and Utah. The lodgepole pine, used for furniture and firewood, is the most widespread pine. It extends from Baja to Alaska and east to South Dakota. The rarest pine in Nevada is the Washoe pine. You can find a grove of these pines at the head of Galena Creek on Mt. Rose.
The single leaf pinon tree does not grow north of the Humboldt River. The reason is unclear, though. It is possible that an unknown condition makes the area an unfriendly growing place or it could be that the birds that carry the seeds simply have not gone into that area. The Clark's nutcracker eats the pine seeds from the limber pine and whitebark pine. This bird also stores them underground and the seeds will sometimes germinate and grow into trees. This is the only way these two tree species reproduce and spread.
The sugar pine is the largest tree variety in the Sierra Nevada and may reach 200 feet in height. They also have the longest pine cones which can reach two feet long. Of course, the oldest living tree species is the bristlecone pine found in the Great Basin National Park and a few other mountain ranges. They have been known to live longer than 4,000 years.
Did you know we are the driest state with only nine inches of rainfall on average per year? Most of that comes in the form of snow falling on the mountains. A quick conversion is 10 inches equals an inch of rain. So that means we would need more than seven feet of snow a year. Hopefully we get a good snowfall this year. We could use it.
Have a ramblin' good week.
n To reach Gail Davis, e-mail RuhenstrothRamblings@yahoo.com or call 265-1947.
