Onaqui-Ault, Candidate Core Site for Domain 15

Location within domain: Latitude: 40.20 Longitude: -112.45 Elevation: 1670 Ownership: Onaqui - BLM & Ault - USFS Access: Public Aquatic features: N/A Contributions to national gradients: Climate change, dust, water, and invasive species

History: The "basin" of the IRON basin and range is the Onaqui-Ault site, lands currently managed by the BLM (Onaqui Hills) and USFS (Ault, a section within the Benmore location). Both site are dominated by big basin sagebrush steppe; the landscape transitions into juniper woodlands where fires have been excluded and into annual grassland domnated by invasive species, where fire has been a factor

Key characteristics: The vegetation at this steppe site is typical of the lower elevation "basins" of the basin and range vegetation of the Intermountaine West (domain 15). The dominant species include Artemisia tridentata, Juniperus osteosperma, and Bromus tectorum.

Climatic location within the gradient is in dark blue.   Contributions to national gradients: Climate: dust, water, invasives

Existing infrastructure relevant to NEON: This site is currently a primary observation and experiment site for SageStep.

 Facilities: None, but a BLM Fire Station is located nearby in Vernon, Utah.