Great Basin and Owyhee Uplands
Regional Overview
Geomorphology (references)
Fort Rock (extinct volcano)
Southeast Oregon is located on the northern edge of
the Great Basin section of the Basin and Range Province in western North
America. This part of Oregon includes a high lava plain interrupted by fault block mountains and fault troughs. Representative
of the high standing fault blocks are Steens Mountain, Hart Mountain, Abert
Rim, and Winter Ridge. Illustrative drawings of these mountains show a similar
repeating pattern on the landscape of high rim mountains and descending
valleys (troughs). (Jackson 1993)
Most of the basins in this region drain internally. Those waters from precipitation
and mountain snow packs which reached the basins before evaporating or soaking
into porous mountain soils formerly ran directly to lakes and marshes to
evaporate. Today, considerable naturally flowing water runoff is intercepted
to flood-irrigate wild hay meadows. This often reduces the quantity of water
that reaches the lakes and marshes, but to what extent is difficult to determine.
(Puchy 1993)
The physical landscape of Southeast Oregon is in large part the direct result
of recent geomorphic processes: faulting, volcanism, erosion of volcanoes
and uplifted crustal blocks, and deposition sediment in local enclosed basins.
(Hatton 1988)
The political boundaries on the landscape of Southeast Oregon consist mainly
of Lake, Harney, and Malheur counties, as well as portions of Klamath County,
and is a region that has been called "the empty quarter". For
instance Lake, Harney, and Malheur counties include 28,513 square miles
(29% state land area) yet the population in 1990 was about 40,000 or approximately
1.4% of the population of Oregon. (King 1992) The entire population of the
world - 5.4 billion people- could fit into Harney and Malheur counties alone
with 103 square feet per person, a population density little greater than
Hong Kong's. (Oregonian , July 25, 1993)
Great Basin and Owyhee Uplands
Oregon, USA
Regional Overview
Oregon's mid-latitude location
on the windward side of the North American continent provides a basic marine
west coast type of climate characterized by moderate temperatures with a
relative low annual rain for the latitude, regular precipitation with a
winter maximum, and a high degree of cloudiness for most of the year. This
climate is modified (less rain) with increasing distance inland, higher
elevation, and by the barrier effects of the Coast Range and Cascades. These
characteristics are all true of southeast Oregon and produce a strong rain shadow effect. (Dart 1981) For instance the
elevation of the region, both the valleys and basins, is over 4000 feet.
(Hatton 1989)
Night time frosts may occur any month of the year in southeast Oregon. This
precludes growing crops except hardy ones such as alfalfa and rye for hay
at the lowest elevation. (Puchy 1993) It is the late spring rains (May)
which are critically needed for growth of range grasses. In the summer ,
maximum temperatures in the region typically climb over 80 degrees Fahrenheit
with extremes reaching 100 degree Fahrenheit mark. In the winter this region
can be one of the coldest in Oregon and in the summer the warmest. (Court
1974)
Average precipitation in the valleys and basin of the southeast Oregon ranges
from 8.3 inches at Fremont to 12.6 inches at Lakeview. (Hatton, 1988, 1989)
Comparatively, in Eugene, Oregon approximately five times as much precipitation
is recorded annually.
Regional Overview
Vegetation (references)
Pine Mountain area, near Bend.
Southeast Oregon is desert and semi-desert and first impressions suggest
little vegetation compared to western Oregon. Once much of southeast Oregon
was covered by native bunchgrass however due to overgrazing by Euro-America
cattle it has been displaced by aggressive shrub-stepp
vegetation (King 1992) Old timers were known to say the grass was "...high
as the belly of a buckaroo's horse". The shrub-steppe today consists
of some native bunchgrasses but is dominated by native shrubs such as sagebrush,
rabbitbrush, and introduced species such as cheat grass and Russian thistle
(tumbleweed). (King 1992)
Compared to other regions of Eastern Oregon, southeastern Oregon shrub-steppes
are ; (1) located much higher in elevation; (2) where deep, loamy soils
are not common; and (3) desert schrub communities (e.g. western juniper)
are common enough to appear on regional vegetation maps. Plant communities
of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ) and bluebunch wheatgrass
(Agropyron spicatumare common ). (Franklin 1988) Basically
big sagebrush communities occur on the hills, low sagebrush communities
on the shallow soils of basalt flows, and silver sagebrush in
seasonally ponded valley bottoms.
Elevations have a strong impact on occurrence of vegetation species. For
instance quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides ) is conspicuous
between elevations of 6400 feet and 7,870 feet on Steens mountain in southeastern
Oregon. Similarly, a western juniper belt is at 5,741 feet to 6400 feet
on the Steens. (Franklin 1988)
Alkali flats and active sand dunes, some of which have little or no vegetation,
are in low areas around major basins. Expansive stands of black greasewood
are prominent in basin bottoms and around playa lakes in heavy alkaline
soils where water tables are high or water stands after heavy rains. Giant
wild rye occurs along the edges of such sites. Two other common shrubs of
alkaline soils are spiny hopsage and shadscale. (Puchy 1993)
Great Basin and Owyhee Uplands
Oregon, USA
Regional Overview
An Oregon Wildlife Environment Study Area (OWESA)
map shows fifteen notable and accessible places for wildlife viewing in
southeast Oregon that contribute to the uniqueness of this environment for
study and recreation. Two national wildlife refuges, Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge and Hart Mountain Antelope National Wildlife Refuge, are within thirty
miles distance of each other. From Warner Valley Wetlands, near Hart Mountain
Antelope NWR, it is another thirty miles to Summer Lake and the Chewaucan
Basin, an important stop on the Pacific Flyway
for migratory waterfowl. (Dart 1981)
Issues of primary importance related to wildlife in the region of Southeast
Oregon include management of private and public lands, including air and
water quality issues. (Young 1988) Several new and important problematic
topics have developed in the last few years, including gold mining (Oregonian
, June 19, 1994, C:1), forest health, grazing and a seven year drought by
1994. Gold mining and forest health have the potential to change large areas
of habitat and negatively affect wildlife.
Of the positive human impact on wildlife conservation one must keep in view
the important wildlife refuges in the region and the agricultural practice
of extensive flood irrigation of over 100,000 acres which results in both
ponding and sub-irrigated islands. The reactions by aquatic birds during
the spring flooding period makes these meadows of major significance to
the Pacific Flyway for migratory waterfowl. Grazing issues are ongoing (see
Human Settlements) with the general trend in habitat condition and livestock
management improving according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
(Puchy 1993)
Great Basin and Owyhee Uplands
Oregon, USA
Regional Overview
Indigeneous woman. ..............Euro-Americans.
The region of southeast Oregon has been
occupied by Northern Paiute Indian populations for thousands of years before
white settlers first traversed the area. (King 1992) Evidence gathered by archeologist
suggest that people have lived near Malheur Lake for at least 12,000 years.
Nearby excavations at Roaring Springs and Catlow Caves found objects of sagebrush
bark sandals, rabbitskin robes, twined baskets, soft bags, nets, bows, arrows,
and projectile points. (Aikens 1991) Other evidence from Blitzen Marsh, south
of Malheur Lake, shows that people camped there often over the last 2,500 years.
The bones of ducks, geese, suckers, chubs, and various mammals are evidence
of their hunting activities, while traces of a hard-packed floor and fireplace
suggest that a substantial house stood there. (Aikens 1991)
Euro-Americans arrived in the early 19th century but the area was first viewed
as a marginal location to homestead. In the 1870-80's land bordering lakes in
the Warner Valley and in the Harney Basin were designated swamp lands and a
nearly a half million acres of "swamp lands" were granted by the state
to one individual, perhaps setting a pattern of large grazing land use in this
region. (Hatton 1988) By this time cattle ranching had expanded rapidly though
cattle ranchers of the region were sometimes in conflict with Irish and Basque
sheepherders. Steens Mountain area was once heavily used for grazing sheep.
Early in the twentieth century, encouraged by the passage of the 1909 Revised
Homestead Act and promotional literature, hundreds of settlers flocked to these
desert lands. (Hatton 1988) However many arrived when precipitation was unseasonably
high and soon found the average precipitation inadequate for agriculture and
left by the 1920s. (Hatton 1989) Currently, irrigation, (both river diversion
and ground pumping) substituting for unavailable precipitation, is playing a
major role in human settlement
patterns in southeast Oregon. (Dart 1981; King 1991; Puchey 1993)
Southeast Oregon is ranching country and outside the major irrigated areas,
it is miles between ranches. Whitehorse Ranch south of the Steens is a well
known example. Hinds and Paisley support lumber mills, utilizing pine from nearby
mountains. Otherwise, the economy of the region is based on ranching, tourism
and, to a minor degree, farming. Small cities are on the edge of the region,
the largest being Burns and Hines , that had a combined population of 4,365
in 1990, a drop of about 850 since 1980. Adjacent to Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge and near the Steens Mountain is the Frenchglen, a reminder of Peter French's
"P" Ranch. Compared to Burns and Hines, the next largest town is Lakeview
with a population of 2755, and Paisley with 345 people and few small communities
such as Plush and Adel. (Puchy 1993, Oregon Blue Book 1987-88)
Today, a 12-member Steens Mountain Advisory Council (SMAC) has been appointed
by the Secretary of Interior starting on August 14, 2001 pursuant to the Steens
Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000. This noteworthy
US Congressional act is related to approximately 500,000 acres in the Steens
Mountain area of the Great Basin region of southeast Oregon. The SMAC's purpose
is to provide representative counsel and advice to the BLM regarding (1) new
and unique approaches to management of the land within the bounds of the Steens
Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA), (2) cooperative
programs and incentives for landscape management that meet human needs, maintain
and improve the ecological and economic integrity of the area and (3) preparation
and implementation of a management plan for the CMPA.(Contact Karla Bird, Designated
Federal Officer CMPA, Burns BLM District Office in Hines, Oregon for more information.)
Locals in southeast Oregon have strong feelings about the land and their sense
of place. Some area residents consider further designation of national park
status totally inappropriate for any part of southeast Oregon and an encroachment
on their lifestyle. In a recent newspaper supplement to the Burns Times-Herald
, May 26, 1993 the following short poem by Charlie Smit captures some of this
local view on their sense of place in the region.
Wrapped in a blanket,
By the candle of night,
It was January snow,
And a beautiful sight.
He's hoping to return,
To the feeling as he lay,
He got a good portion of
The cattle that day.
His horse snorting quietly,
As the smoke drifts along,
He as part of the prairie,
Dreams a wilderness song.
As he awakes in the morning,
To an early gray light,
He's thinking that cows,
Horses and dogs are all right.
As he takes the cattle home,
He is thinking of good food,
He is thinking of his wife,
He's in a very good mood.
Charlie Smit, Fourth Grader, Fields School.
Fields, Oregon
He lives at the Kueny Ranch.
fault block mountains -A mountain formed by block faulting. Faulting
is the process whereby displacement and fracturing occurs between two portions
of Earth's crust; usually associated with earthquake activity.
Orr, E.L., et. al., 1992. Geology of Oregon . Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque,
Iowa.
Jackson, P.L. and Kimerling, A.J., 1993. Atlas of the Pacific Northwest
. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis.
Puchy, C.A. and Marshall, D.B., 1993. Oregon Wildlife Diversity Plan
. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Salem. Valuable resource on the
geography of wildlife in Oregon.
Climate References and Terms
mid latitude -Approximately half way to the poles. A generalized geographic
zone, extending from 35 degrees to 55 degrees N and S latitudes, although
the limits of this zone are somewhat arbitrary, given the distribution of
land and water and differences in climate; home of a majority of the world's
population.
rain shadow - The area on the leeward slopes of a mountain range; in the
shadow of the mountains, where precipitation is greatly reduced compared
to windward slopes.
Dart, J.O. and Johnson, D.M. 1981. Oregon Wet, High and Dry . Hapi
Press, Portland.
Hatton, R.R., 1989.Climatic Variations and Agricultural Settlement In
Southeast Oregon . Dissertation, Department of Geography, University
of Oregon.
Puchy, C.A. and Marshall, D.B., 1993. Oregon Wildlife Diversity Plan
. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Salem.
Court, A., 1974. The Climate of the Conterminous United States .
Climates of North America. (eds. Bryson, R.A. and Hare, F.K.). 193-321.
Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, New York. Large collection of climate
maps.
Hatton, R.R. 1988. Oregon's Big Country . Maverick Publications,
Bend, Oregon.
Hatton, R.R. 1989. Climatic Variations and Agricultural Settlement In
Southeast Oregon . Dissertation, Department of Geography, University
of Oregon.
Vegetation References and Terms
aggressive shrub-stepped vegetation - Vegetation which displaces native
species. In this photo of southeast Oregon, larger perennial grasses have
been decreased under grazing pressure, although Poa sandbergii (Sandberg's
blue grass) may increase, and Artemisia tridentata appears little affected.
Franklin, J.F. and Dyrness, (1973) 1988. Natural Vegetation Of Oregon and
Washington . Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, Oregon. With pict.
seasonally ponded - Example of Krumbo Reservoir on Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge half way to Frenchglen on the Patrol Road from Malheur Lake. See
Malheur NWR Viewpoints.
King, L., et. al., 1992. Uniquely Oregon . Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque,
Iowa.
Franklin, J.F., and Dyrness, C.T., (1973) 1988. Natural Vegetation Of
Oregon And Washington . Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, Oregon.
Puchy, C.A., and Marshall, D.B., 1993. Oregon Wildlife Diversity Plan
. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Salem.
Wildlife References and Terms
(OWESA) - Oregon Wildlife Environment Study Area.
Pacific Flyway - Primary flight path for migratory waterfowl in this region
of North America..
Dart, J.O., and Johnson, D.M., 1981. Oregon Wet, High and Dry . Hapi
Press, Portland.
Young, C., 1988. Oregon Environmental Atlas . Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality, Portland, Oregon.
Puchy, C.A. and Marshall, D.B., 1993. Oregon Wildlife Diversity Plan
. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Salem.
Human Settlement References and Terms
settlement patterns - Note: See Fort Rock irrigated green fields in background
of wave-cut bench at Fort Rock in picture to left. Both wave-cut bench photos
reflect a past climate era when surrounding lake water was 200 feet above
present desert level and lapped at the edges of this present day eroding
volcano now known as Fort Rock. Ten thousand years ago this land form was
also a habitat, an island, for indigenous people. with two pict. wave cut
benches
King, L., et. al., 1992. Uniquely Oregon . Kendall/Hunt, Dubuque,
Iowa.
Baun, C.M., and Lewis, R, 1991. The First Oregonians . Oregon Council
For The Humanities, Portland. W/Pict.
Aikens, C.M. and Couture, M., 1991. The Great Basin. The First Oregonians
. (eds. by Baun, C.M. and Lewsi, R.). 21-26. Oregon Council For The Humanities,
Portland.
Hatton, R.R., 1988. Oregon's Big Country . Maverick Publications,
Bend.
Hatton, R.R., 1989. Climatic Variations and Agriculture Settlement in
Southeast Oregon . Dissertation, Department of Geography, University
of Oregon.
Dart, J.O., and Johnson, D.M., 1981. Oregon Wet, High and Dry. Hapi
Press, Portland.
King, L., et. al., 1992. Uniquely Oregon . Kenall/Hunt, Dubuque,
Iowa.
Puchey, C.A. and Marshall, D.B., 1993. Oregon Wildlife Diversity Plan
. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Salem.
Copyright
Phil Kessinger, 1997
Eugene,Oregon USA
All Rights Reserved
phil_k
at
efn.org
Revised December 2002