Silver Creek (Harney County, Oregon)
Encyclopedia
Silver Creek is an 87 miles (140 km) stream of Oregon which drains a portion of the endorheic Harney Basin
to Harney Lake
. Arising in the Blue Mountains
, it flows generally southeast, although much of the stream is intermittent. The Silver Creek Volcanic Field
is associated with the creek's watershed.
in the southern Blue Mountains, Silver Creek flows south through the Ochoco National Forest
and is feed by tributaries and, at the base of the mountains, large springs feed the creek. The creek meander
s through a broad alluvial plain
and turns southeast near Chickahominy Reservoir
, traveling through the unincorporated community
of Riley
, where it is crossed by Highway 20
and Highway 395
, respectively. Past Riley Silver Creek flows through a canyon with 200 to 300 ft (61 to 91.4 m) tall walls made of volcanic basalt
. The creek is impounded several miles downstream, forming Moon Reservoir. It then splits into two streams; one portion heads southwest into the usually dry Silver Lake
, while the other portion flows southeast through Warm Springs Valley into the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
, and finally Harney Lake.
, including Ponderosa Pine, White Fir, Douglas-fir
, and Western Juniper
. The lower regions are primarily desert rangeland
s.
Fish such as Tui Chub
, Speckled Dace
, Redside Shiner
, Mottled Sculpin
, and Redband Trout
are native to Silver Creek and its tributaries. Others, including Rainbow Trout
, Largemouth Bass
, Bluegill
, and Yellow Perch
were introduced to the watershed by humans.
Large mammal
s such as Deer
, Elk
, and Antelope
have been spotted in the lower regions during winter.
Harney Basin
The Harney Basin is a structural basin in southeastern Oregon in the United States at the northwestern corner of the Great Basin. One of the least populated areas of the contiguous United States, it is located largely in northern Harney County, bounded on the north and east by the Columbia Plateau,...
to Harney Lake
Harney Lake
Harney Lake is a shallow alkali lake basin located in southeast Oregon, United States, approximately thirty miles south of the town of Burns. The lake lies within the boundary of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and is the lowest point in the Blitzen Valley drainage.- History :The lake has been...
. Arising 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...
, it flows generally southeast, although much of the stream is intermittent. The Silver Creek Volcanic Field
Columbia River Basalt Group
The Columbia River Basalt Group is a large igneous province that lies across parts of the Western United States. It is found in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and California...
is associated with the creek's watershed.
Course
From its headwatersSource (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
in the southern Blue Mountains, Silver Creek flows south through the Ochoco National Forest
Ochoco National Forest
The Ochoco National Forest is located in Central Oregon in the United States, north and east of the City of Prineville, location of the National Forest Headquarters. It encompasses of rimrock, canyons, geologic oddities, dense pine forests, and high desert terrain, as well as the headwaters of...
and is feed by tributaries and, at the base of the mountains, large springs feed the creek. The creek meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
s through a broad alluvial plain
Alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a relatively flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms...
and turns southeast near Chickahominy Reservoir
Chickahominy Reservoir
Chickahominy Reservoir is located on U.S. Highway 20 east of Bend, Oregon and west of Burns, Oregon. It was built as an irrigation reservoir, but is now managed by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as a recreational fishery...
, traveling through the unincorporated community
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
of Riley
Riley, Oregon
Riley, Oregon is an unincorporated community in Harney County, Oregon, United States. The center of the community is at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 395 and U.S. Highway 20, milepost 104. Riley is about west of Burns, the seat of Harney County. The elevation of Riley is .Riley is farming and...
, where it is crossed by Highway 20
U.S. Route 20 in Oregon
U.S. Route 20 in Oregon is a major east–west cross-state highway, especially east of the Cascade Mountains. It connects U.S. Route 101 in Newport on the central Oregon Coast to the Idaho state line east of Nyssa.- Route description :...
and Highway 395
U.S. Route 395 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, U.S. Route 395 traverses the desert and rural areas on the eastern side of the state. The largest cities that US 395 passes through are Pendleton, the county seat of Umatilla County, and Hermiston, also in Umatilla County....
, respectively. Past Riley Silver Creek flows through a canyon with 200 to 300 ft (61 to 91.4 m) tall walls made of volcanic 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 creek is impounded several miles downstream, forming Moon Reservoir. It then splits into two streams; one portion heads southwest into the usually dry Silver Lake
Silver Lake (Oregon)
Silver Lake is a lake in Lake County, Oregon, United States. It is east of the community of Silver Lake. It is unknown who first gave the lake its descriptive name. Central Oregon residents attribute it to John C. Frémont, although no proof has been found, and he would not have seen the lake on...
, while the other portion flows southeast through Warm Springs Valley into 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....
, and finally Harney Lake.
Flora and fauna
The upper regions of the Silver Creek watershed are forested; the most common plant species are coniferousPinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
, including Ponderosa Pine, White Fir, Douglas-fir
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...
, and Western Juniper
Juniperus occidentalis
Juniperus occidentalis is a shrub or tree native to the western United States, growing in mountains at altitudes of 800-3,000 m .-Description:...
. The lower regions are primarily desert rangeland
Rangeland
Rangelands are vast natural landscapes in the form of grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts. Types of rangelands include tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, desert grasslands and shrublands, woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras...
s.
Fish such as Tui Chub
Tui chub
The Tui chub, Gila bicolor, is a cyprinid fish native to western North America. Widespread in many areas, it is an important food source for other fish, including the cutthroat trout.- Range :...
, Speckled Dace
Speckled dace
The speckled dace , also known as the spotted dace and the carpita pinta, is a member of the carp family. It is found in temperate freshwater in North America, from Sonora to British Columbia....
, Redside Shiner
Richardsonius
Richardsonius is a genus of cyprinid fish consisting of two species native to western North America. Commonly known as redside shiners, that term is also used to refer to Richardsonius balteatus specifically....
, Mottled Sculpin
Mottled sculpin
The mottled sculpin, Cottus bairdii, is a freshwater sculpin found widely although unevenly throughout North America.As the name suggests, its coloration is a combination of bars, spots, and speckles randomly distributed. The large pectoral fins are banded...
, and 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...
are native to Silver Creek and its tributaries. Others, including 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....
, 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...
, Bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, and 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...
were introduced to the watershed by humans.
Large 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 such as Deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, Elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
, and Antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
have been spotted in the lower regions during winter.