North Fork John Day Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The North Fork John Day Wilderness is a wilderness
area within the Umatilla
and Wallowa-Whitman
National Forests, in the Blue Mountains
of northeastern Oregon
.
The Wilderness consists of four separate units: the main 85000 acres (34,398.3 ha) unit of the North Fork John Day drainage; the Greenhorn Unit to the south; the Tower Mountain Unit to the north; and the Baldy Creek Unit to the east. Approximately 6000 acres (2,428.1 ha) of the Vinegar Hill-Indian Rock Scenic Area
also lie within the Wilderness.
The North Fork John Day Wilderness is located within the larger Elkhorn Fire Management Area, and the area's fire plan allows for the use of Prescribed Natural Fire under certain circumstances.
The North Fork John Day Wilderness is composed of rolling benchlands, steep ridges, alpine lake basins, and the granite outcrops of the Greenhorn Mountains at an elevation of 8100 feet (2,469 m). It encompasses two entire subranges of the Blue Mountains - the Greenhorn Mountains and the ragged Elkhorn Mountains. A continuous vegetative canopy covers most of the land, including dense virgin stands of conifer species like Douglas-fir
, white fir
, western larch
and lodgepole pine
. The headwaters of several waterways are located in the Wilderness, including Bull Creek, Baldy Creek, and Crawfish Creek, as well as the North Fork John Day River
, 39 miles (62.8 km) of which is designated wild and scenic
.
in the Pacific Ocean
some 250 million years ago. As the crust of the earth shifted, the archipelago collided with the advancing North American Plate
approximately 200 million years ago. Later, bubbles of less dense granitic rock, or batholiths, rose through the sediment to form the granite
cores of the Elkhorn and Greenhorn Ranges. Columbia River basalt flows buried the region some 15 million years ago, the remains of which can be seen today in the rimrock on the benchlands in the western portion of the Wilderness.
and silver
mining operations in the mid-19th century, and traces of the thousands of miners who labored here are still visible. Old mining structures, building foundations, and dredged ditches and trash dumps left behind by the miners are all visible. Many of these features are being left in place to naturally disappear over time, consistent with Wilderness Act direction to have no permanent human works in Wilderness. The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
once excavated the riverbeds in the area, and is now restored as a state heritage site in Sumpter, Oregon
.
and mule deer
. There is currently an elk herd estimated to number beyond 50,000 and a herd of mule deer that reportedly exceeds 150,000. Bull elk here sometimes weigh more than 800 pounds and sport antlers spreading beyond five feet. There are over 130 miles (209.2 km) of perennial streams in the Wilderness, 40 miles (64.4 km) of which provide spawning habitat for Chinook salmon
and steelhead trout. Other wildlife in the North Fork John Day Wilderness include mountain goats.
s.
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
area within the Umatilla
Umatilla National Forest
The Umatilla National Forest, in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington, covers an area of 1.4 million acres . In descending order of land area the forest is located in parts of Umatilla, Grant, Columbia, Morrow, Wallowa, Union, Garfield, Asotin, Wheeler, and Walla Walla...
and Wallowa-Whitman
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is a United States National Forest in Oregon. Formed by a merger of the formerly separate Wallowa and Whitman national forests, it is located in the northeastern corner of the state, in Wallowa, Baker, Union, Grant, and Umatilla counties in Oregon, and includes...
National Forests, in the Blue Mountains
Blue Mountains (Oregon)
The Blue Mountains are a mountain range in the western United States, located largely in northeastern Oregon and stretching into southeastern Washington...
of northeastern 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...
.
The Wilderness consists of four separate units: the main 85000 acres (34,398.3 ha) unit of the North Fork John Day drainage; the Greenhorn Unit to the south; the Tower Mountain Unit to the north; and the Baldy Creek Unit to the east. Approximately 6000 acres (2,428.1 ha) of the Vinegar Hill-Indian Rock Scenic Area
Vinegar Hill-Indian Rock Scenic Area
The Vinegar Hill-Indian Rock Scenic Area is a high-elevation scenic area in the northeast portion of the Malheur National Forest. It provides vistas of the North Fork John Day Wilderness, the Middle and North Fork drainages of the John Day River, and the peaks of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness...
also lie within the Wilderness.
The North Fork John Day Wilderness is located within the larger Elkhorn Fire Management Area, and the area's fire plan allows for the use of Prescribed Natural Fire under certain circumstances.
Topography
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
, white fir
White Fir
White Fir is a fir native to the mountains of western North America, occurring at altitudes of 900-3,400 m. It is a medium to large evergreen coniferous tree growing to 25–60 m tall and with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m . It is popular as an ornamental landscaping tree and as a Christmas Tree...
, western larch
Western Larch
Western Larch is a species of larch native to the mountains of western North America, in Canada in southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta, and in the United States in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, northern Idaho and western Montana.It is a large deciduous coniferous tree...
and lodgepole pine
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
. The headwaters of several waterways are located in the Wilderness, including Bull Creek, Baldy Creek, and Crawfish Creek, as well as the North Fork John Day River
North Fork John Day River
The North Fork John Day River is a tributary of the John Day River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins in Grant County about northwest of Baker City near the crest of the Blue Mountains. It flows generally west to the community of Dale on U.S...
, 39 miles (62.8 km) of which is designated wild and scenic
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...
.
Geology
The granite and sedimentary rock that makes up much of the North Fork John Day Wilderness reflect the Blue Mountains' history as a volcanic island archipelagoArchipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
in 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...
some 250 million years ago. As the crust of the earth shifted, the archipelago collided with the advancing North American Plate
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, Bahamas, and parts of Siberia, Japan and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust...
approximately 200 million years ago. Later, bubbles of less dense granitic rock, or batholiths, rose through the sediment to form the granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
cores of the Elkhorn and Greenhorn Ranges. Columbia River basalt flows buried the region some 15 million years ago, the remains of which can be seen today in the rimrock on the benchlands in the western portion of the Wilderness.
History
The North Fork John Day drainage bustled with goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mining operations in the mid-19th century, and traces of the thousands of miners who labored here are still visible. Old mining structures, building foundations, and dredged ditches and trash dumps left behind by the miners are all visible. Many of these features are being left in place to naturally disappear over time, consistent with Wilderness Act direction to have no permanent human works in Wilderness. The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge
The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge is a historic gold dredge located in Sumpter, Oregon, United States. The dredge was built during the gold rush that consumed most of the western states throughout the mid-19th century. Gold was discovered in Sumpter in 1862, but the advent of using a large machine to...
once excavated the riverbeds in the area, and is now restored as a state heritage site in Sumpter, Oregon
Sumpter, Oregon
Sumpter is a city in Baker County, Oregon, United States. The population was 171 at the 2000 census. Sumpter is named after Fort Sumter by its founders.- History :...
.
Wildlife
North Fork John Day Wilderness is known for its big game and anadromous fish habitat. Dominant wildlife species include Rocky Mountain elkRocky Mountain Elk
The Rocky Mountain Elk is a subspecies of elk found in the Rocky Mountains and adjacent ranges of Western North America. The winter ranges are most common in open forests and floodplain marshes in the lower elevations. In the summer it migrates to the subalpine forests and alpine basins...
and mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
. There is currently an elk herd estimated to number beyond 50,000 and a herd of mule deer that reportedly exceeds 150,000. Bull elk here sometimes weigh more than 800 pounds and sport antlers spreading beyond five feet. There are over 130 miles (209.2 km) of perennial streams in the Wilderness, 40 miles (64.4 km) of which provide spawning habitat for Chinook salmon
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
and steelhead trout. Other wildlife in the North Fork John Day Wilderness include mountain goats.
Recreation
Primary recreational activities in the North Fork John Day Wilderness include hiking, camping, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, cross country skiing, rafting, kayaking, wildlife watching, and rock climbing the granite cliffs of the Elhorn Mountains. There are roughly 133 miles (214 km) of hiking trails in the Wilderness, three of which are National Recreation TrailNational Recreation Trail
National Recreation Trail is a designation given to existing trails that contribute to health, conservation, and recreation goals in the United States. Over 1,000 trails in all 50 U.S. states, available for public use and ranging from less than a mile to in length, have been designated as NRTs...
s.
See also
- 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...
- List of Oregon Wildernesses
- List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
External links
- Wallowa-Whitman National Forest - North Fork John Day Wilderness - US Forest Service
- Umatilla National Forest - Wilderness - US Forest Service
- North Fork John Day Wild and Scenic River Management Plan - US Forest Service
- North Fork of the John Day Wild and Scenic River - National Wild and Scenic Rivers System