Bruneau – Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Bruneau – Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness is located on the high basalt
plateau
s of Owyhee County
in southwestern Idaho
in the western United States
. The wilderness area is named after and protects much of the Bruneau
and Jarbidge River
s and their canyons. Whitewater rafting is a popular recreational activity in this wilderness area, which has rivers up to Class V. About 40 miles (64.4 km) of the Bruneau River
and about 28.8 miles (46.3 km) of the Jarbidge River
are classified as a wild river
.
Barack Obama
on March 30, 2009. Also created in the Omnibus Land Act were five additional southwestern Idaho wilderness areas in Owyhee County, collectively known as the Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness Areas:
The Act of 2009 added 517025 acres (209,232.8 ha) of wilderness within the state of Idaho.
Wilderness areas do not allow motorized
or mechanical
equipment including bicycle
s. Although camping
and fishing
are allowed with proper permit, no roads or buildings are constructed and there is also no logging
or mining
, in compliance with the 1964 Wilderness Act
. Wilderness areas within National Forests and Bureau of Land Management
areas also allow hunting
in season.
, part of the northern Basin and Range ecoregion, although hydrologically
the wilderness area is within the Snake River
– Columbia River
drainage. The wilderness area is home to a small population of threatened bull trout
, as well as redband trout
, bobcat
, river otter, and bighorn sheep
.
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
s of Owyhee County
Owyhee County, Idaho
Owyhee County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Idaho. In area it is the second largest county in Idaho, behind Idaho County. As of the 2000 Census, Owyhee County had a population of 10,644...
in southwestern Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
in the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The wilderness area is named after and protects much of the Bruneau
Bruneau River
The Bruneau River is a tributary of the Snake River, in the U.S. states of Idaho and Nevada. It runs through a narrow canyon cut into ancient lava flows in southwestern Idaho...
and Jarbidge River
Jarbidge River
The Jarbidge River is a , high altitude river in northern Nevada and southwest Idaho in the United States. The Jarbidge originates as two main forks in the Jarbidge Mountains of northeastern Nevada and then flows through basalt and rhyolite canyons on the high plateau of the Owyhee Desert before...
s and their canyons. Whitewater rafting is a popular recreational activity in this wilderness area, which has rivers up to Class V. About 40 miles (64.4 km) of the Bruneau River
Bruneau River
The Bruneau River is a tributary of the Snake River, in the U.S. states of Idaho and Nevada. It runs through a narrow canyon cut into ancient lava flows in southwestern Idaho...
and about 28.8 miles (46.3 km) of the Jarbidge River
Jarbidge River
The Jarbidge River is a , high altitude river in northern Nevada and southwest Idaho in the United States. The Jarbidge originates as two main forks in the Jarbidge Mountains of northeastern Nevada and then flows through basalt and rhyolite canyons on the high plateau of the Owyhee Desert before...
are classified as a wild river
Wild river
A Wild River or Heritage River is a :river or a river system designated by a government to be protected and kept "..almost untouched by development and .. therefore in near natural condition, with all, or almost all, ....
.
Geography
The wilderness area includes the Bruneau River from about five miles upstream of the Jarbidge confluence down nearly to the confluence with Hot Creek, as well as portions of Sheep Creek and Clover Creek. On the Jarbidge River, the wilderness spans the entire length from the confluence of the West and East Forks of the Jarbidge to the Bruneau confluence. In places the wilderness boundary is defined by the rim of the river canyon; elsewhere it includes some plateau country beyond the rim in addition to the river canyon. The wilderness area is bisected into two units by a small road at Indian Hot Springs, just north of the Bruneau-Jarbidge confluence.Legislative history
The Bruneau – Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 and signed into law by PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
on March 30, 2009. Also created in the Omnibus Land Act were five additional southwestern Idaho wilderness areas in Owyhee County, collectively known as the Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness Areas:
- Big Jacks Creek WildernessBig Jacks Creek WildernessThe Big Jacks Creek Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. Little Jacks Creek Wilderness is on its northwest border. About miles of Big Jacks Creek is classified as a wild river....
- 52826 acres (21,377.9 ha) - Little Jacks Creek WildernessLittle Jacks Creek WildernessThe Little Jacks Creek Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. Big Jacks Creek Wilderness is on its southeast border. About miles of Little Jacks Creek is classified as a wild river....
- 50929 acres (20,610.3 ha) - North Fork Owyhee WildernessNorth Fork Owyhee WildernessThe North Fork Owyhee Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. The rivers within it offer whitewater rapids up to Class IV. About miles of North Fork of the Owyhee River is classified as a wild river.-Geography:The...
- 43413 acres (17,568.6 ha) - Owyhee River WildernessOwyhee River WildernessThe Owyhee River Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. The wilderness area is named after and protects the upper Owyhee River, its tributaries, and the surrounding desert canyon landscape. Whitewater rafting is a...
- 267328 acres (108,183.9 ha) - Pole Creek WildernessPole Creek WildernessThe Pole Creek Wilderness is located on the high basalt plateaus of Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho in the western United States. Its whitewater rapids are a popular attraction.-Geography:...
- 12533 acres (5,071.9 ha)
The Act of 2009 added 517025 acres (209,232.8 ha) of wilderness within the state of Idaho.
Wilderness areas do not allow motorized
Motor vehicle
A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...
or mechanical
Machine
A machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...
equipment including bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s. Although camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
are allowed with proper permit, no roads or buildings are constructed and there is also no logging
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
or mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, in compliance with the 1964 Wilderness Act
Wilderness Act
The Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...
. Wilderness areas within National Forests and Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
areas also allow hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
in season.
Natural history
The Bruneau – Jarbidge Rivers Wilderness lies within the Owyhee DesertOwyhee Desert
The Owyhee Desert ecoregion, within the Deserts and xeric shrublands Biome, is in the Northwestern United States. The Owyhee Uplands Bypass passes through the desert.-Geography:...
, part of the northern Basin and Range ecoregion, although hydrologically
Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...
the wilderness area is within the Snake River
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
– Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
drainage. The wilderness area is home to a small population of threatened bull trout
Bull trout
The bull trout, Salvelinus confluentus, is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, S. confluentus has been known as the "Dolly Varden" , but was re-classified as a separate species in 1980. Bull trout are listed as a threatened species under the U.S....
, as well as redband trout
Redband trout
Redband trout is a fish name that may be a synonym for the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, but is also used more narrowly for inland subspecies with well-defined geographical distributions in the United States...
, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
, river otter, and bighorn sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
.
See also
- Jarbidge WildernessJarbidge WildernessThe Jarbidge Wilderness is located in the upper elevations of the Jarbidge Mountains in northern Elko County, in northeastern Nevada in the western United States. Established in 1964, it was the first wilderness area in the state...
- List of largest wilderness areas in the United States
- List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
- Wilderness ActWilderness ActThe Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...
External links
- Owyhee Uplands Backcountry Byway - Bureau of Land Management