Bully Creek Reservoir
Encyclopedia
Bully Creek Reservoir is a reservoir
in Malheur County of the U.S. state
of Oregon
. It is an impoundment of Bully Creek
, a tributary of the Malheur River
.
It is a crescent-shaped reservoir located 9 miles (14.5 km) west of Vale
and a 45 minute drive from I-84
. The reservoir and its dam have paved road access by Bully Creek Road from Vale W Highway. The reservoir was constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1963 and has 985 acres (399 ha) with 7 miles (11.3 km) of shoreline and a total capacity of 31650 acre.ft. The dam is a zoned embankment dam
with a crest
length of 3070 feet (935.7 m), total height of 121 feet (36.9 m) and sits at 2500 feet (762 m) elevation. The Bully Creek park is open April through October, has 33 campsites, a day use area with two covered shelters, a swimming beach and a two-lane boat ramp with dock.
, largemouth bass
, black bass
, rainbow trout
, yellow perch
, white, and black crappie. The reservoir is used as a resting place by migratory waterfowl
with some duck
s remaining to nest. Sparse vegetative cover of sagebrush
and grass provides habitat for small mammal
s and bird
s.
Migrating birds flock the forested areas surrounding the reservoir. Loon
s, grebe
s, duck
s, and hawk
s are often seen year round. Rock Wren
s and Golden Eagle
s are occasionally spotted in a nearby red rock formation.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in Malheur County of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. It is an impoundment of Bully Creek
Bully Creek (Malheur River)
Bully Creek is a long tributary of the Malheur River, located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains of Malheur County. Arising in the Blue Mountains, it flows generally southeast to its confluence with the Malheur River near Vale.-Course:...
, a tributary of the Malheur River
Malheur River
The Malheur River is a tributary of the Snake River in eastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a high desert area, between the Harney Basin and the Blue Mountains and the Snake....
.
It is a crescent-shaped reservoir located 9 miles (14.5 km) west of Vale
Vale, Oregon
Vale is a city in Malheur County, Oregon, United States, about west of the Idaho border. It is at the intersection of U.S. Routes 20 and 26, on the Malheur River.Vale was selected as Malheur's county seat in 1955, 68 years after the county was founded...
and a 45 minute drive from I-84
Interstate 84 (west)
Interstate 84 is an Interstate Highway in the Western United States that runs from Portland, Oregon, to a junction with Interstate 80 near Echo, Utah. The highway originally served as a fork of I-80 to serve the Pacific Northwest, and was originally numbered Interstate 80N.The highway serves and...
. The reservoir and its dam have paved road access by Bully Creek Road from Vale W Highway. The reservoir was constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1963 and has 985 acres (399 ha) with 7 miles (11.3 km) of shoreline and a total capacity of 31650 acre.ft. The dam is a zoned embankment dam
Embankment dam
An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...
with a crest
Crest (hydrology)
In hydrology, crest is the highest level above a certain point that a river will reach in a certain amount of time. This term is usually limited to a flooding event and from ground level ....
length of 3070 feet (935.7 m), total height of 121 feet (36.9 m) and sits at 2500 feet (762 m) elevation. The Bully Creek park is open April through October, has 33 campsites, a day use area with two covered shelters, a swimming beach and a two-lane boat ramp with dock.
Natural history
Fish species include smallmouth bassSmallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, black bass
Black bass
Micropterus , is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is M. dolomieu, the smallmouth bass...
, rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
, yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
, white, and black crappie. The reservoir is used as a resting place by migratory waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
with some duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s remaining to nest. Sparse vegetative cover of sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
and grass provides habitat for small mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s and bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s.
Migrating birds flock the forested areas surrounding the reservoir. Loon
Loon
The loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia...
s, grebe
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
s, duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s, and hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s are often seen year round. Rock Wren
Rock Wren
The Rock Wren is a small songbird of the wren family. It is the only species in the genus Salpinctes.The 12 cm long adults have grey-brown upperparts with small black and white spots and pale grey underparts with a light brown rump...
s and Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
s are occasionally spotted in a nearby red rock formation.
External links
- Graphic that shows end of boat ramp elevations Bureau of Reclamation webpage.
- Fishing Forecast for Bully Creek Reservoir The Weather ChannelThe Weather ChannelThe Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day...
. - Bully Creek Reservoir Fishing Reports Angler Guide.