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Pahrump Valley Gazette, Thursday, July 10, 1997 27
i!i I
(
by Ed Tomehin
Possible conflicts between off-highway racing
Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
This historical cooperative effort in southern Ne-
vada made it possible to start the Silve? State 300 off-
highway vehicle (OHV) race as scheduled this past
June. The race occurred in one day, commencing
along Interstate 15 approximately 12 miles west of
Mesquite and ending 300 miles later in Ely. Ap-
proximately 50 miles of the race course ran through
habitat important to the threatened desert tortoise,
which is protected by the Federal Endangered Spe-
cies Act.
Federal biologists were concerned over the pos-
sible impact this popular race might have on the
desert tortoise and its habitat. However; the agree-
ment was reached in a timely
race to be
original course.
roads or
maximized the
ation
- toexeeed 20 mph for
pants. However,
located i
bureau land,
: highway events.
ement a monitoring program toevalu-
- ate tortoise injury or mortality, course widening
L and dust dissemination. The
BLM will also
monitoring
the desert tortoise
|11 iiiii iii iiiiiii iii i
Giant prehistoric sea creatures in Nye County
seas of the world with two other great groups of large
by Ed Tomchin
Travelers in Northern Nye County are usually surprised
to find the well-preserved ghost town of Berlin, Nev, and
the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, an archaeological dig
which has produced the largest known fossils of prehis-
toric reptiles. This remote area of Nye County hosts,
without a doubt,
Nevada's most unusual
recreational area.
HISTORY: In 1895,
silver was found in the
rugged foothills of
Toiyabe's Shoshone
Mountains and within a
short time the town of
Berlin was an estab-
lished community.
Within a short time the
town could boast a large
stamp mill and the ba- "
sics of any outback min-
ing community, includ-
ing an assay office, nu-
merous bars, a school-
house, and a bustling
population of 250.
By 1905 Berlin had a stage line which connected it to
other isolated mining camps in central Nevada. Sadly,
however, by 1909 the mines had been depleted of ore, the
mill closed down, and the townspeople had moved on to
richer areas of exploration.
In the years that followed many of the tailings were
worked and reworked to squeeze every last bit of silver ore
from the huge piles of rock which early mining operations
had removed from the mines during the original explora-
tion and processing.
In the early 1940s, Berlin's mill was stripped of ever),
bit of valuable and reclaimable scrap metal and machinery
for the war effort. The next few decades saw the remains
of Berlin standing empty and desolate. Fortunately, how-
ever, a caretaker for the original mining company pro-
tected the buildings from destruction by souvenir hunte,
which is why the site is so well preserved today.
In the early 1970s the town site was acquired by the
Nevada Division of State Parks, which worked to preserve
the remaining buildings in a "state of arrested decay."
Buildings which remain standing include a large and
impressive wood ore mill, ore cart tracks which lead to the
mines, the old assay office, the blacksmith shop, and
several of the old miner's homes.
THE FOSSILS: In the mid-1930s, archaeologists had
discovered fossil rib bones of the ancient ichthyosaur
close to the town site. Today this site, the Berlin-Ichthyo-
saur State Park which is located 2 miles south of Berlin,
contains a partially excavated digging containing an as-
semblage of nine ichthyosaurs and a campground.
Ichthyosaurs were large sea-going fish like reptiles
which roamed the oceans covering Nevada during the
Mesozoic era, about 225 million years ago. This remote
park contains the most complete, best preserved, and
largest ichthyosaurs in all of North America. The largest
fossil at the park is almost 35 feet long. Scientific extrapo-
lation, however, indicates this species probably grew as
large as 50 feet in length.
While dinosaurs ruled the land, ichthyosaurs shared the
marine reptiles, the plesiosaurs and mosasaurs. The earli-
est ichthyosaurs had long, flexible bodies and probably
swam by undulating, like eels. The more advanced ich-
thyosaurs, such as those found at the Berlin site, had
compact, very fishlike bodies with crescent-shaped tails.
The general shape of these ichthyosaurs is like that of
living porpoises, tunas
or mackerels, which are
among the fastest fish in
the ocean. These fish
were built for speed.
The animal's four paddle
like fins, which they
used for swimming, had
the same basic plan as
your hand and arm, but
the arm bones were very
short. Ichthyosaurs are
believed to have roamed
about in large schools
of 30 to 40 animals,
similar to the pods of
whales which now roam
our oceans.
Studies of their
streamlined, fishlike
bodies make it seem almost certain that ichthyosaurs never
left the water, yet they still breathed air and lacked gills,
very similar to modern whales.
Nevada State Park personnel offer discussions of the
fossilization process, the physical structure as revealed by
photomicrographs, and studies of mineral composition,
chemical composition, and analytical techniques used by
archaeologists. The enclosed and air-conditioned exhibit
also includes a large piece of the ichthyosaur fossil itself,
which can be picked up and examined by the public.
Although numerous ichthyosaur localities are known
around the world, the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park con-
tains one of the only partial excavations where the bones
have been left in the rock in their original configuration.
The ichthyosaur was designated in 1977 as the state
fossil on the recommendation of Professor James R. Firby,
Associate Professor of Geology with the MacKay School
of Mines. Since Nevada is the only state to possess a
complete skeleton of this extinct marine animal, it is only
fitting that it be recognized as the state fossil.
DIRECTIONS: This extremely unusual and remote
Nevada State Park is open for tours from Memorial Day
weekend to Labor Day weekend each year. There is a
$3.00 entrance fee and tours are conducted daily at 10 a.m.,
2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The park is certainly a rewarding
experience for anyone with geological interests and the
town of Berlin provides a well-preserved look at some of
Nevada's glorious mining past. Information about tours
can be acquired by calling the park at (702) 964-2440.
To get to this fascinating ghost town and state fossil site,
which is about 270 miles north of Pahrump, take US 95 five
miles past Tonopah to the junction of SR 89. Then travel
north on SR 89 some 65 miles to SR 361. Continue north
on SR 361 past Gabbs to SR 844 (approx. 6 miles) and
follow SR 844 east through Toiyabe's Paradise Range and
across Brunton Pass to the entrance of Berlin-Ichthyosaur
State Park and the ghost town of Berlin, Nev. The last 15
miles of this road is a weU-maintained dirt road, passable
by all vehicles.
Fishing Report
by Geoff Sehneider
Nevada Division of Wildlife
LAKE MEAD -,Striped bass fishing continues to improve while the
action for largemouth bass is getting more difficult by the day, according
to the Nevada Division of Wildlife.
Boaters are faring better than shore anglers for stripers as the fish are
generally being found feeding in open water, The fish have been slurping
small thrcadfin shad on the lake's surface.
Some of the better success is being found in open water from Pyramid
Island to the Hemenway Wall. Schools of stripers are roaming the area
and can be caught throughout the day.
Excellent action is also being found at night around the water intake
tower near Lake Mead Marina. Cut anchovies are the ticket for catching
the fish.
The largernouth bass fishing is in the summer doldrums as the fish
have taken to the cool confines found in deep water. Channel catfish are
being caught during the evening and early morning hours in shallow
coves.
LAKE MOHAVE -° The lake's big news continues to be the fine
fishing for rainbow trout that is taking place above Willow Beach. A pair
of boaters reported catching 15 rainbows late last week while trolling
flatfish lures,
Boaters are also reporting they are connecting with trout by drifting
and casting spinners toward shore. There is a l0 trout limit at the lake.
Striped bass fishing is still slow around Willow Beach. However,
small stripers are being caught by boaters who are trolling the area
immediately south of the north power lines near Cottonwood Cove.
On Saturday 18 anglers competing in a Southern Nevada Bassmasters
fishing toumanmnt caught 30 largemouth bass. The largest fish weighed
nearly 4 1/2 pounds.
WAYNE E. KIRCH WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA --
Largemouth bass fishing is reported to be good at Adams-McGill Reser-
voir while trout fishing has only been fair to poor.
Anglers fishing in small boats and float tubes report catching bass with
surface lures and worms with weedless hooks. Bass must be a minimum
of 10 inches before they can be kept.
EAGLE VALLEY RESERVOIR - Rainbow trout fishing has been
fair to good in the early morning and late aft_emoon hours, but slow during
the mid-day hours. Weed growth in the lake is causing problems for
anglers,
ECHO CANYON RESERVOIR - Fishing has been slow for
rainbow trout and crappie, Fair success is being found for small large-
mouth bass, The water level is low and aquatic vegetation in the lake is
hampering the fishing.
SCtIROEDER RESERVOIR -. Rainbow trout fishing has gener-
ally been slow in the lake. Limited action is taking place early mornings
and evenings.
