Little Blitzen River
Encyclopedia
Little Blitzen River is a 12.5 miles (20.1 km) tributary of the Donner und Blitzen River
in the U.S. state
of Oregon
. Little Blitzen River rises on the west flank of Steens Mountain
about 20 miles (32.2 km) southeast of Frenchglen
and about 70 miles (112.7 km) south of Burns
in Harney County
. Flowing west in a steep-walled canyon, it joins the South Fork Donner und Blitzen River at 42.6737752°N 118.7935277°W to form the Donner und Blitzen main stem, which continues north about another 40 miles (64.4 km) to its mouth at 43.291542°N 118.8199273°W in Malheur Lake
. The Donner und Blitzen River was named by soldiers of German origin and translates as "thunder and lightning". Little Blitzen River brings to mind one of Santa Claus's reindeer.
As part of the Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1988, Congress
designated "the 12.5-mile segment of the Little Blitzen from its headwaters to its confluence with the South Fork Blitzen" as a National Wild and Scenic River
. It is part of the nation's first redband trout
reserve, established by Congress in 2000. The American Hiking Society has listed Little Blitzen Gorge Trail among its 10 "hidden gems".
. Although its eastern face is almost vertical, its western face slopes more gradually. Cut through basalt
, the western canyons are up to 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) deep. Little Blitzen River begins at about 9000 feet (2,743.2 m) above sea level
near the top of the mountain and loses about 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) in elevation between source and mouth.
Much of Little Blitzen's watershed lies within the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area (CMPA), established in 2000 to protect the region's long-term environment
al integrity. The CMPA encompasses about 425000 acres (171,991.6 ha) of public land managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) and the Steens Mountain Advisory Council. About 100000 acres (40,468.6 ha) along the top of the mountain are protected as "livestock-free wilderness". Little Blitzen Research Natural Area
(RNA), a protected area of 2540 acres (1,027.9 ha), lies at the head of Little Blitzen Gorge. The RNA protects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem
s as well as individual plant species such as wedgeleaf saxifrage
, Steens Mountain whitlow grass
, and Davidson's penstemon
. The Donner und Blitzen system, including Little Blitzen River, provides habitat for a unique population of redband trout
, protected in the nation's first-ever redband trout reserve. The reserve consists of "the public land portion of the Donner und Blitzen River and tributaries upstream of its confluence with Fish Creek to the longitudinal extent of current and future redband trout distribution, and the
width of the flood prone area."
, a designation applied to the Donner und Blitzen River and all of its major tributaries from the headwaters to the southern boundary of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
near Frenchglen. Recreational opportunities along the river include wildlife watching, camping, fishing, and hiking. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
limits fishing on Little Blitzen to catch-and-release throughout the year. The American Hiking Society and American Rivers have listed Little Blitzen Gorge Trail, with its wildflowers and waterfalls, among their "Ten Hidden Gems of the National Landscape Conservation System".
Donner und Blitzen River
The Donner und Blitzen River is a river on the eastern Oregon high desert which drains a relatively arid basin, the southern portion of Harney Basin, from roughly 20 to 80 miles south-southeast of Burns including Malheur National Wildlife Refuge...
in 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...
. Little Blitzen River rises on the west flank of Steens Mountain
Steens Mountain
Steens Mountain is a large fault-block mountain in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. Located in Harney County, it stretches some and rises from an elevation of about above the Alvord Desert to its peak at...
about 20 miles (32.2 km) southeast of Frenchglen
Frenchglen, Oregon
Frenchglen is an unincorporated community in Harney County, Oregon, United States. It is south of Burns on Oregon Route 205 and its population is approximately 12....
and about 70 miles (112.7 km) south of Burns
Burns, Oregon
Burns is a city in and the county seat of Harney County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 2,806.-History:Burns was established in the early 1880s and incorporated upon Harney county's creation in 1889...
in Harney County
Harney County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Malheur National Forest *Malheur National Wildlife Refuge*Ochoco National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,609 people, 3,036 households, and 2,094 families residing in the county. The population density was 1 people per square mile...
. Flowing west in a steep-walled canyon, it joins the South Fork Donner und Blitzen River at 42.6737752°N 118.7935277°W to form the Donner und Blitzen main stem, which continues north about another 40 miles (64.4 km) to its mouth at 43.291542°N 118.8199273°W in Malheur Lake
Malheur Lake
Malheur Lake is a lake in an arid region of eastern Oregon, United States near Burns, Oregon. The lake is fed by Donner und Blitzen River from the south and the Silvies River from the north. Malheur Lake has no outlet, though water escapes through ground seepage and by evaporation; widespread...
. The Donner und Blitzen River was named by soldiers of German origin and translates as "thunder and lightning". Little Blitzen River brings to mind one of Santa Claus's reindeer.
As part of the Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1988, Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
designated "the 12.5-mile segment of the Little Blitzen from its headwaters to its confluence with the South Fork Blitzen" as a National Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...
. It is part of the nation's first 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...
reserve, established by Congress in 2000. The American Hiking Society has listed Little Blitzen Gorge Trail among its 10 "hidden gems".
Geology
Little Blitzen Gorge, down which the river flows, is one of four huge U-shaped trenches carved by ice on the western face of Steens Mountain during the most recent glacial period. The mountain, 30 miles (48.3 km) long, is the largest fault-block mountain in the northern Great BasinGreat Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
. Although its eastern face is almost vertical, its western face slopes more gradually. Cut through basalt
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...
, the western canyons are up to 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) deep. Little Blitzen River begins at about 9000 feet (2,743.2 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
near the top of the mountain and loses about 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) in elevation between source and mouth.
Conservation
Environment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
al integrity. The CMPA encompasses about 425000 acres (171,991.6 ha) of public land managed by the federal 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...
(BLM) and the Steens Mountain Advisory Council. About 100000 acres (40,468.6 ha) along the top of the mountain are protected as "livestock-free wilderness". Little Blitzen Research Natural Area
Research Natural Area
Research Natural Area is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.Research Natural Areas are part of a nationwide network of ecological areas set aside for both research and education. The network includes areas managed by many Federal agencies...
(RNA), a protected area of 2540 acres (1,027.9 ha), lies at the head of Little Blitzen Gorge. The RNA protects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s as well as individual plant species such as wedgeleaf saxifrage
Saxifrage
Saxifraga is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 440 species of Holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages. The Latin word saxifraga means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin + ...
, Steens Mountain whitlow grass
Draba
Draba is a large genus of cruciferous plants, commonly known as whitlow-grasses. There are over 400 species:*Draba abajoensis Windham & Al-Shehbaz*Draba × abiskoensis O.E.Schulz*Draba × abiskojokkensis O.E.Schulz...
, and Davidson's penstemon
Penstemon
Penstemon , Beard-tongue, is a large genus of North American and East Asian plants traditionally placed in the Scrophulariaceae family. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae...
. The Donner und Blitzen system, including Little Blitzen River, provides habitat for a unique population of 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...
, protected in the nation's first-ever redband trout reserve. The reserve consists of "the public land portion of the Donner und Blitzen River and tributaries upstream of its confluence with Fish Creek to the longitudinal extent of current and future redband trout distribution, and the
width of the flood prone area."
Recreation
Little Blitzen River is a National Wild and Scenic RiverNational Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...
, a designation applied to the Donner und Blitzen River and all of its major tributaries from the headwaters to the southern boundary of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is located roughly south of the town of Burns, Oregon. The refuge area is roughly T shaped with the southernmost base at Frenchglen, the left top at Malheur Lake and the right top at Harney Lake....
near Frenchglen. Recreational opportunities along the river include wildlife watching, camping, fishing, and hiking. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for programs protecting Oregon fish and wildlife resources and their habitats....
limits fishing on Little Blitzen to catch-and-release throughout the year. The American Hiking Society and American Rivers have listed Little Blitzen Gorge Trail, with its wildflowers and waterfalls, among their "Ten Hidden Gems of the National Landscape Conservation System".