Rovner, Dean 2005 Journal "Fourth of July Chutes," Ellis Peak area, Eldorado NF, Placer Co. and Conness Lakes, dryer NF, Mono Co., CA (cont) Aug. 12 We searched another big snowpatch to the south but found nothing. The rest of the slope was too dry. The cliffs had mossy blocks that might be good habitat earlier in the season. This habitat is unlike any I have seen before, since the salamanders are actually in the talus or soil, and are confined to the snow's edge without any seeps. It makes me think that there could be many more sites like this one in the northern Sierra that could have salamanders. To Ellis Peak trail along ridgetop cliffs snow talus our route trail paved road pavement ends I drove from Tahoe south to Mosemite and hiked from Daddleslag Lake to Conness Lakes, dryer NF. I camped and went out at night to look for salamanders. I started searching on the north side of the basin at 2050 and found 1 Notrisia (37.979772°N, 119.30847°W [WGS84, 8m acc.], 3215m elev.). I walked west to a small seep zone where I found 3 subadult and 2 juvenile E. platycephalus at 2130. The seeps were along cracks in the granite, had very little water and had Minulus and moss growing in them. I kept the two largest subadults (SMR148+149: 37.97705°N, 119.30956°W [WGS84, 11m acc.], 3275m elev.). I got swabs from the other subadult and one large juvenile; the other juvenile was too small to swab.