Cummins Creek Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Cummins Creek Wilderness is a 9300 acres (3,763.6 ha) wilderness area
in the Siuslaw National Forest
on the Oregon coast
. It is one of three wilderness areas created in the Siuslaw in 1984, along with Drift Creek
and Rock Creek
. It is "dedicated to preserve in a wilderness state, the last remaining virgin stands of Sitka spruce, western hemlock and Douglas-fir, in Oregon's coast lands." Cummins Creek and nearby Cummins Ridge are named for F.L. Cummins, an early homesteader.
in two. Cummins and Bob Creeks drain west through the dense rainforest to the Pacific Ocean
.
forest in the Oregon Wilderness system. Some of these trees have a diameter of up to nine feet. Cummins and Bob Creeks are lined with red alder
and bigleaf maple
trees, and understory vegetation consists of rhododendron
, salal
, sword fern, salmon berry, and elderberry
. Wildflowers in the Wilderness include monkey flower, aster
, candy flower,and foxglove.
and steelhead and cutthroat
trout, which spawn in the creek waters. Roosevelt elk
, black-tailed deer
, black bear
, and spotted owl
make their home in the Wilderness.
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...
in the Siuslaw National Forest
Siuslaw National Forest
Siuslaw National Forest is a national forest in western Oregon, United States. Established in 1908, the Siuslaw is made up of a wide variety of ecosystems, ranging from coastal forests to sand dunes.- Geography :...
on the Oregon coast
Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...
. It is one of three wilderness areas created in the Siuslaw in 1984, along with Drift Creek
Drift Creek Wilderness
Drift Creek Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Siuslaw National Forest on the Oregon Coast. It was created in 1984, along with two other small wilderness areas in the Forest - Cummins Creek Wilderness and Rock Creek Wilderness. The elevation of Drift Creek ranges from , and is characterized...
and Rock Creek
Rock Creek Wilderness
The Rock Creek Wilderness is a wilderness area comprising within the Siuslaw National Forest on the Oregon Coast. It was created in 1984, along with the Drift Creek Wilderness and Cummins Creek Wilderness.-Topography:...
. It is "dedicated to preserve in a wilderness state, the last remaining virgin stands of Sitka spruce, western hemlock and Douglas-fir, in Oregon's coast lands." Cummins Creek and nearby Cummins Ridge are named for F.L. Cummins, an early homesteader.
Topography
Cummins Creek Wilderness ranges in elevation from 100 to 2400 ft (30.5 to 731.5 ). Cummins Ridge, which peaks at almost 2,000 feet, splits the rainforestRainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
in two. Cummins and Bob Creeks drain west through the dense rainforest to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Vegetation
Annual precipitation along this part of the Oregon Coast ranges from 80 to 100 in (203.2 to 254 ), three quarters of this falls between October and June. The Cummins Creek Wilderness features the only old growth Sitka SpruceSitka Spruce
Picea sitchensis, the Sitka Spruce, is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 50–70 m tall, exceptionally to 95 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 5 m, exceptionally to 6–7 m diameter...
forest in the Oregon Wilderness system. Some of these trees have a diameter of up to nine feet. Cummins and Bob Creeks are lined with red alder
Red Alder
Alnus rubra, the Red alder, is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America.-Description:It is the largest species of alder in North America and one of the largest in the world, reaching heights of 20–35 m. The official tallest red alder stands 32 meters tall in Clatsop County, Oregon...
and bigleaf maple
Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum is a large deciduous tree in the genus Acer.It can grow to be up to 35 m tall, but more commonly grows 15 m to 20 m tall. It is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska to southern California...
trees, and understory vegetation consists of rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
, salal
Salal
Gaultheria shallon is a leathery-leaved shrub in the heather family , native to western North America. In English it is known as salal, shallon, or in Britain simply Gaultheria.-Ecology:...
, sword fern, salmon berry, and elderberry
Elderberry
Sambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence...
. Wildflowers in the Wilderness include monkey flower, aster
Aster
Aster may refer to:* Aster , a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae* Callistephus, another genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly called Aster or Chinese Aster...
, candy flower,and foxglove.
Wildlife
Notable wildlife in Cummins Creek Wilderness include salmonSalmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and steelhead and cutthroat
Cutthroat
Cutthroat is a three-player pocket billiards game, played on a pool table using cue sticks. Each player is assigned a set of numbered balls. The object is to be the last player with at least one ball still on the table...
trout, which spawn in the creek waters. Roosevelt elk
Roosevelt elk
The Roosevelt elk , also known as Olympic elk, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America...
, black-tailed deer
Black-tailed Deer
Two forms of black-tailed deer or blacktail deer occupying coastal temperate rainforest on North America's Pacific coast are subspecies of the mule deer. They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain they are subspecies...
, black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, and spotted owl
Spotted Owl
The Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, is a species of true owl. It is a resident species of forests in western North America, where it nests in tree holes, old bird of prey nests, or rock crevices. Nests can be between 13 and 66 yards high and usually contain two eggs...
make their home in the Wilderness.