Discover Modoc Wildlife - Modoc National Wildlife Refuge
N 41° 28.291 W 120° 32.761
10T E 704913 N 4594009
This scenic vista point road turnout is located along Hwy 395 just south of Alturas, CA and within the Modoc National Wildlife Refuge.
Waymark Code: WMJMX8
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 12/06/2013
Views: 3
Located just off Hwy 395 south of Alturas is a scenic vista point that contains placards of the abundant wildlife to be found within the Modoc National Wildlife Refuge. This local wildlife include the Pronghorn, geese, mallards, sandhill cranes and migrating shorebirds such as sandpipers, yellowlegs, dowitchers and phalaropes. One of the placards here welcomes visitors to the Refuge and reads:
Welcome to Modoc National Wildlife Refuge
Water is the key to attracting migratory birds and other wildlife in this scenic high desert area. Modoc National Wildlife Refuge lies in the Pit River Valley at an elevation of 4,365 feet. It is one in a chain of national wildlife refuges along the Pacific Flyway extending from Alaska to Mexico that provide important resting and feeding areas for migratory birds.
Historically, the Pit River Valley has always been important to wildlife, especially migratory waterfowl and greater sandhill cranes. Before European settlement, the Achumawi (A-JOO-moo-we), or Pit River Indians, were the inhabitants of this area. They depended upon the wildlife, fish, and vegetation for food, shelter, and spiritual needs.
The first settlers arrived in 1870, when Presley A. Dorris, Henry Fitzhugh, and several other Dorris family members drove cattle and horses into the area. With land granted under the U.S. Homestead Act, the Dorris family established a livestock ranch which they operated until 1960.
Using Duck Stamp money, the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) bought 5966 acres from the Dorris heirs to establish Modoc National Wildlife Refuge. many wetlands were restored and created to enhance wildlife use of the area. Today, the Service manages this area for the protection of migratory waterfowl and other wildlife.
I was excited to see a group of Pronghorn while driving through the Refuge further south from this vista point. I also visited this area during late Fall, so didn't see too many bird species but can only imagine how busy this area is with wildlife during the summer months.