Unit 231, Nevada

Elevations range from approximately 4,743 feet near Panaca (Lincoln County valley floor) to 9,301 feet on Mount Wilson in the Wilson Creek Range. The Fortification Range in the north is predominantly volcanic, with rugged, rocky ridgelines and sheer cliffs on its northern end. The White Rock Peak area, Government Peak, and Table Mountain are key high-elevation drainages in the central and eastern portions of the unit. Lake Valley, Hamlin Valley, South Spring Valley, Eagle Valley, Rose Valley, Dry Valley, and Meadow Valley are the primary low-elevation basins. The unit is bounded west by US Highway 93 at Lake Valley Summit, south by State Route 319, north by Atlanta Mine Road from Lake Valley Summit to the Lincoln-White Pine county line, and east by the Utah state line.

Administered primarily by the BLM Ely District (Caliente Field Office) with approximately 97% public land; private inholdings do not materially restrict hunter access. Major vehicle access points: (1) US Highway 93 forms the west boundary — Atlanta Mine Road junction at Lake Valley Summit provides the primary north entry; (2) Atlanta Farm Road off US-93; (3) State Route 322 off US-93 (central access); (4) Delmue Ranch Road off State Route 319 (south entry). Major access roads allow passenger vehicles towing trailers to reach primitive camping areas. Numerous two-track roads cross the unit interior, accessible by passenger vehicle, OHV, and ATV. Roads also cross from the Utah state line on the east. Developed campsites are available at Echo Canyon State Park and Spring Valley State Park. Three federally designated Wilderness Areas within the unit prohibit motorized equipment and mechanized transport: Parsnip Peak Wilderness, White Rocks Range Wilderness, and Fortification Range Wilderness (30,656 acres, BLM, established 2004, Lincoln County). Nearest services: Pioche and Panaca (Lincoln County). Eagle Valley Resort is located within the unit interior.

Lower to middle elevations (roughly 4,700-6,500 ft) support pinyon pine, Utah juniper, mountain mahogany, and big sagebrush. Higher elevations host grassy meadows, Gambel oak, mountain mahogany, quaking aspen, and spruce. The Fortification Range north end has ponderosa pine, pinyon pine, juniper, aspen, and riparian cottonwood. Bristlecone pine occurs on upper ridges. Riparian corridors with willows and cottonwoods thread the valley bottoms. The unit is subject to ongoing pinyon-juniper encroachment. The BLM conducted a large-scale chaining in 2023 to restore understory habitat for big game and sage grouse. Feral horses (Eagle Herd Management Area, AML 100-210) continue to degrade sagebrush and riparian areas at population levels well above management targets.

Mule deer occupy higher elevations (Mount Wilson, Table Mountain, White Rock Peak, Government Peak) as summer range, descending to lower valley benchlands surrounding Eagle, Rose, Dry, and Meadow Valleys and the Panaca Hills area for winter. Rocky Mountain elk are present year-round; NDOW aerial surveys in January 2023 classified 508 elk across the White Rock and Wilson Creek Mountain Ranges (35 bulls:100 cows:40 calves). Some elk move seasonally between Unit 231 and adjacent Management Area 22 and across the Utah border in the White Rock Mountains. A depredation-hunt program manages elk near private agricultural lands in Lake Valley, Eight Mile Farms, and Flatnose Ranch. Pronghorn antelope concentrate in open shrub-steppe habitat of Lake Valley, Hamlin Valley, and South Spring Valley near reliable water sources. Mountain lion are present throughout the unit. Sage grouse, chukar partridge, and other upland game birds use appropriate elevation bands. Wild horses occupy the Eagle Herd Management Area within the unit at levels well above management targets.