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Breaking News

On April 7, 2023, Senator Rosen released a working draft of the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act. A portion of this act includes permanent conservation protection for the 121,740 acres of the former Massacre Rim and Sheldon Contigous Wilderness Study Areas, re-branded as the Massacre Rim Dark Sky National Conservation Area (NCA).

Services, Getting There

The easiest access is from unpaved Nevada Route 34 in Long Valley. The nearest services are in Cedarville, California, 50 miles to the southwest and Adel, Oregon, 20 miles north. The best times to visit are late summer and fall, as snow and spring/summer mud make roads in this area impassable. Be prepared to be entirely self-sufficient when visiting this area, as it is extremely remote. Breaking News- April 7, 2023

Map Information:
Rye Creek and Coleman Canyon 7.5-minute maps. Vya 1:100,000 map.

Wilderness Study Area (Pending part of Massacre Rim Dark Sky Nation Conservation Area)

Acres: 23700
State Region: Northwest Nevada
County Regions: Washoe   

Management

Managing Agency: Bureau of Land Management
Local District: Surprise Field Office
Contact Info: (530) 279-6101

602 Cressler St  Cedarville, CA96104
Visit the website (will open a new window)

Area Description

If solitude is what you seek, you'll find it in Sheldon Contiguous Wilderness Study Area.

Although the name is not the most inspiring, it accurately describes the rolling hills, benches and seasonal lakes tucked up against the northwest boundary of the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge. This WSA, roughly a square 6 miles on a side, protects the wildlands that cross from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service jurisdiction to BLM. But on the ground, and in the eyes of wildlife and visitors, its all part of the same landscape.

The mixed community of low sage, native grasses and forbs provide excellent forage for pronghorn, mule deer, sage grouse, pygmy rabbits, raptors and other birds. Nestled among the basalt rimrock are juniper trees, many of which are majestic and easily hundreds of years old.

There is a volcanic cone in the southern half. Wildlife includes antelope, mule deer, pygmy rabbits, red-tailed hawks, prairie falcons and other birds.

According to the Nevada Department of Wildlife, a majority of this WSA contains critical and irreplaceable habitat for the greater sage grouse. Friends of Nevada Wilderness believes that full wilderness status for this area, and restoration of important lek, nesting and brood-rearing habitat could help stave off a listing of the bird under the Endangered Species Act and help the bird’s population to recover.

The easiest access is from unpaved Nevada Route 34 in Long Valley. The nearest services are in Cedarville, California, 50 miles to the southwest and Adel, Oregon, 20 miles north.

The best times to visit are late summer and fall, as snow and spring/summer mud make roads in this area impassable. Be prepared to be entirely self-sufficient when visiting this area, as it is extremely remote.

According to the Nevada Department of Wildlife, a majority of this WSA contains critical and irreplaceable habitat for the greater sage grouse. Friends of Nevada Wilderness believes that full wilderness status for this area, and restoration of important lek, nesting and brood-rearing habitat could help stave off a listing of the bird under the Endangered Species Act and help the bird's population to recover.

This Wilderness Study Area is a component of the Bureau of Land Management's National Conservation Lands.

Wildlife: pronghorn, mule deer, sage grouse, pygmy rabbits, raptors and other birds.