The Mountain Region of California 2003-2004 Mountain Group Photo (Caitlin, Jonah, Ali, Chris, Kurt and Tasia) CA Region Project Home I SP Web Home
Vegetation (Plants)	4 Different Vegetation Areas Forest and Tree area Chaparral and Riparian areas Bush area Slope area Mountain Flowers and Shrubs Mountain Mahogany: shrub First Area (Forest/Tree Area) Short and tall trees, forest trees include black oak woodland, and mixed conifer	Second Area (Bush Area) Bushes include Sage Brush and Bitter Brush Third Area (Chaparral and Riparian Area) Western Cottonwood is a common tree in the Riparian area Fourth Area (Slope Area) Covered with moss, grass, bushes and dry weeds	Mountain Trees Incense Cedars: large tree with fibrous brown, grow from 50-150 ft., Habitat is mountain slopes between 1,000 - 8,000 ft. Sequoias are over 270 ft. tall and 3,800 old, average size 150-250 ft. Redwoods: mostly found on the coast but are occasionally found in the mountains; low redwood branches grow all the way to ground level Other trees include: Cedars, Cypresses, Junipers, Monterey Cypresses, Spruces, Hemlocks, Douglas Firs, Red Fir and Jeffrey Pine The Pine Belt gets about 25 inches of water yearly
Animals (Wildlife)	Mammals Wolverines are rare in the Cascade area. Black bears are vegetarians. Coyotes live in mountain desert & coast. Mountain lions eat squirrels, rabbits, & mice. Mountain coyotes are the biggest & coast coyotes are the smallest.	Hoofed Animals Male elks shed their antlers. People rarely see big horn sheep duel with their horns.	California Condor Weight: 16-23 lbs Life span: 60 yrs Body length: 46-55 inches
Natural Features (Landforms)	Mountains Mountains have steep slopes or sides and sharp or round peeks Half of the land in California is covered with mountains. Sierra Nevadas are the largest mountain range in California; nearly 400 miles long. Many snow peeks over 13,000 feet Cascade Range Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain. The height 14,000 feet long	Facts about Gold Gold and other valuable minerals are found in the mountain area! Gold was discovered in California in 1848 from rock in high stream banks Interesting Fact Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in the United States at 2,425 feet high	Important Landforms Mount Lassen Lake Tahoe Merced River Mount Whitney 5 National Parks
Natural Resources (Industry)	Industries Recreation (hiking and skiing, etc) Transportation Equipment machinery	Natural Resource Industry Soil Lumber Natural gas	Mining Industry Gold and copper mining Sand and gravel excavation About 37,000 thousand people work for the mining industry.
Recreation (Fun Activities)	Mountain Recreation Tubing Snow Sports Snow boarding Skiing Sledding Snow Shoeing Cross Country	National Parks Kings Canyon Sequoia Lassen Volcanic Yosemite Redwood	Summer Fun Camping Hiking River Rafting Water Skiing Mountain Biking Boat Rides Swimming Fishing Going to the beach
Climate; Weather; Natural Hazards; Population Density	Temperature Highest record recorded is 134 degrees Fahrenheit Lowest record recorded is 45 degrees Fahrenheit	Weather and Climate Cold and snowy winters Warm and hot summers It maybe the coldest place in California.	Important Cities South Lake Tahoe Ridgecrest Susanville Placerville