Little Valley
(Looking Northward through the meadow in Little Valley, early Spring)
The Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area consists of a meadow in the valley bottom at an altitude of 6500 ft, surrounded by Jeffrey and lodgepole pine and white fir. The Whittell Forest rises to over 9,000 ft with a variety of species including sagebrush, Ceanothus , manzanita, bitterbrush, willow, aspen, red fir, western white pine, whitebark pine, and mountain hemlock. The total area is approximately 1000 ha. Franktown Creek traverses the meadow and drains out of the valley.
Little Valley is an ideal place to examine plant-animal interactions, and most of our research is carried out there. The valley is home to numerous common Sierra Nevada rodents, birds, and large mammals such as black bears, as well as a diverse flora. The large spatial extent of the valley (despite its name) allows us to look at various stages of successional pathways at a range of elevations. Many students visit the valley just to enjoy the scenery.
Link - Whittel Forest
(Looking eastward into Washoe Valley over a stand of Aspen, late fall)
Photos: Top - Steve Vander Wall, Bottom - Mark Enders