Editing Inyokern, California (section)

==Environment==
{{unreferenced section|date=March 2023}}
Characterized by extreme aridity, Inyokern is situated in a wide valley at the base of the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  Rugged mountains more than {{Convert|9000|feet|}} in elevation west of the area create a pronounced rain-shadow effect, resulting in a shrub-steppe habitat zone with annual rainfall of less than {{convert|3|in|mm}}.  The flora of the valley floor consists primarily of [[Creosote Bush]] (''Larrea tridentata''), [[Burrobush]] (''Ambrosia dumosa''), and several varieties of native bunch grasses.  The transition zone of the nearby foothills also contain mixtures of [[pinyon pine]], [[Joshua tree]] forests, and concentrated riparian habitat surrounding the small streams descending from the mountain peaks.

Wildlife ranges from [[American black bear|black bear]], [[mountain lion]], and [[whitetail deer]] in the mountain and transition zones to the [[kangaroo rat]] and the endangered [[desert tortoise]] on the valley floor.  A special note on the local wildlife is the local subspecies of rattlesnake, the [[Mojave rattlesnake]] (also called the Mojave green rattlesnake). This snake, which is common in the area, produces  pit viper venom common to the general species but also produces a neuro-toxin that paralyzes the victim within 15 minutes. The subspecies is docile, and fatal bites are rare.
Indigenous animals that found in the valley floor are [[kit fox]]es, [[coyote]]s, [[bobcat]]s, and [[roadrunner]]s. Bears and mountain lions occasionally descend from the Sierra Nevada Mountains seeking food.{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}}