Mendi Gore Playa RNA

Mendi Gore Playa Research Natural Area (RNA) was established to represent a black sagebrush (Artemisia nova)/bunchgrass plant community. The topography is flat and gentle with rolling foothills. The playa is made of soils and clays while the foothills are made of shallow loams over basalts. The dry lakebed in the basin is dominated by an almost pure stand of winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata). Extensive stands of black sagebrush (Artemisia nova) with a variety of bunchgrasses dominate the surrounding foothills.