Oregon Badlands Wilderness

Oregon Badlands Wilderness
IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)
Oregon Badlands with sagebrush in bloom, Juniper trees, and proximity to Oregon Cascades
Location	Deschutes / Crook counties, Oregon, USA
Nearest city	Bend, Oregon
Coordinates	44°00′N 121°02′W / 44°N 121.04°W / 44; -121.04Coordinates: 44°00′N 121°02′W / 44°N 121.04°W / 44; -121.04
Area	29,301 acres (11,858 ha)
Established	United States Bureau of Land Management

Oregon Badlands Wilderness is a 29,301-acre (11,858 ha) wilderness area located east of Bend in Deschutes and Crook counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2009.^[1]

The wilderness is situated on high desert terrain and is associated with a volcanic rootless shield.^[2][3] This broad 10–12 km volcanic shield issued lava from a rootless vent.^[2] The lava flow dates to about 80,000 years old and comes from a main vent further up the slopes of Newberry Volcano.^[2][4] This main vent was located near Lava Top Butte and the lava that came out of this vent travelled through the Arnold Lava Tube System to arrive at the current location of the Badlands.^[2] An irregularly-shaped pit crater at the top of the shield marks the site where lava flowed in all directions to create the Badlands.^[4] Lava tubes acted as conduits for the lava in some instances and are evidenced on the surface by tumuli, also known as pressure ridges.^[3][5] Soils in the Badlands were largely formed from ash associated with the eruption of Mount Mazama some 2500 years ago.^[6]

It is the northwesternmost part of the Northern Basin and Range ecoregion, described as Pluvial Lake Basin, and shares many characteristics of the Great Basin. The land is BLM-administered.^[7]

The area is known for igneous castle-like rock formations, harsh terrain, ancient Juniper trees, sagebrush, and extensive arid land. Desert wildflowers, dry river canyons, and Native American pictographs can be found.^[8] The blind iditarod racer Rachel Scdoris trained in the area.^[7]

The Deschutes County commissioners disagreed over designating the area as wilderness since doing so would exclude vehicles.^[9]

Vegetation

Native vegetation in the Oregon Badlands Wilderness have adapted to the less than 12 inches (30 cm) of annual rainfall. Western juniper can live to be over 1,000 years old in the region. The oldest dated tree in Oregon - estimated to be over 1,600 years old - grows near the wilderness.^[4]

Other common plants found in the Badlands wilderness include big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and various bunchgrasses, including Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass. In the spring, the area blooms with a variety of wildflowers, including Oregon sunshine, dwarf monkeyflower, sulfur buckwheat, indian paintbrush, and mariposa lily.^[4]

Wildlife

Oregon Badlands Wilderness is home to a variety of wildlife, including black-tailed jackrabbit, mule deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, cottontail rabbit, coyote, bats and six species of lizard. More than 100 species of bird live in the area, including golden eagle, sage grouse, and prairie falcon.^[4]

See also

• List of Oregon Wildernesses
• List of U.S. Wilderness Areas

References

1. ^ "Obama signs public lands reform bill". CNN. 30 March 2009. http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/30/obama-signs-public-lands-reform-bill/. Retrieved March 30, 2009. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Donnelly-Nolan, Julie M. (2004, abstract). "Magnetic Excursion Recorded in Basalt at Newberry Volcano, Central Oregon". http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004AGUFMGP43B0861C. Retrieved 2009-07-19. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests". http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/geology/sites/badlands.shtml. Retrieved 2009-08-18. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} Badlands Natural History - Oregon Natural Desert Association
5. ^ "Oregon High Desert Grotto". Skeels. http://www.ohdgrotto.com. Retrieved 2009-08-06. 
6. ^ Badlands WSA brochure - Oregon BLM
7. ^ ^{a b} "Wyden announces wilderness legislation for Badlands in Deschutes County". Press Release of Senator Wyden. U.S. Senate newsroom. 2008-05-27. http://wyden.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=5f733e32-e635-406e-8a61-f30ca2eb0f37. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
8. ^ "Badlands Proposed Wilderness". Oregon Natural Desert Association. http://onda.org/defending-desert-wilderness/badlands-proposed-wilderness/badlands-proposed-wilderness. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 
9. ^ Tom DeWolf, Chair, Deschutes County Commission (2005-03-30). "Deschutes County Commissioner DeWolf supports Badlands Wilderness". http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/News_Badlands_DeWolf.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-10. 

External links

• hiking the Badlands
• Badlands petroglyphs page 1
• Badlands petroglyphs page 2
• BLM map