As the Japanese American internees discovered, Manzanar feels like the middle of nowhere. Today we reap the benefits of this distance from "civilization." Although Manzanar is only 814 acres, we are surrounded by some of the largest tracts of public lands in the country. This allows nature to flourish.

The Owens Valley lies at the western side of the Great Basin, the northern edge of the Mojave Desert, and the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Our species represent all of these ecosystems, creating a unique and rich diversity of life.