Welcome to JKs Rough String Ranch

Welcome to the Rough String, and thanks for stoppin' by!! Grab a hot cup of coffee and sit a spell!
10/22/18 You will see a name change on the blog. Lots of things have changed in my life in the past few years, and I feel compelled to share my story.

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Friday, June 24, 2011

Malheur Wildlife Refuge 'n Ranching

~When I try not to say bad things about someone, I feel better.~
~Vera Loader 1872~

Participating in:
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The Malheur Wildlife Refuge is one of the highlights of Harney County in SE Oregon. There is an interesting mix of uses in the area since private ranches boarder the refuge and the water level goes up and down through the years. In the 1980's, homes were flooded so badly, that many gave up their land and moved to higher ground.

"Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was established on August 18, 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt as the Lake Malheur Bird Reservation. Roosevelt set aside unclaimed lands encompassed by Malheur, Mud and Harney Lakes “as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds.” The newly established “Lake Malheur Bird Reservation” was the 19th of 51 wildlife refuges created by Roosevelt during his tenure as president. At the time, Malheur was the third refuge in Oregon and one of only six refuges west of the Mississippi."

With regard to the flooding this year:

"Considering the amount of water remaining on Steens Mountain to the south and Snow Mountain to the north, the Refuge is predicting that Malheur Lake will increase in elevation to 4098 feet – a rise of 4.5 feet since the beginning of the year! At this elevation Malheur Lake will extend across 81,100 acres."


Malheur Lake
Standing at the southern end of Harney Lake looking north 
toward Burns Oregon, you can feel the amazing expanse of land
and water that the Wildlife Refuge encompasses.

Flooded Fields
In this "finger" of shoreline of Harney Lake you can see the fences
of a local rancher's field. Natural meadow grass is cut for dry hay
for cattle and then grazed in the fall.
It's questionable if they will get a hay crop this year.


Giving Way to Time
The ol' tree at The Narrows stood for decades even though it was dead.
It finally gave in to Mother Nature a few weeks ago.
This location is where Harney Lake, Mud Lake
and Malheur Lake come together.

Have a great Friday and a super weekend!!

7 comments:

  1. I've always liked the high desert, and it's sure pretty when there's water.
    You have a great weekend.

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  2. What a grand vista. It would be cool if you could get a chunk of that old tree for a historical piece of garden decor.

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  3. That is just breath taking! Thank you sharing some of our rich history.

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  4. What beautiful photos! Love the segmented look of the first photo, and the expanse of land (it gave off this feeling even before I read the caption!).

    And that tree looks really interesting!

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  5. Your pictures are breathtaking! It certainly is a beautiful place.

    Teresa

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  6. We have had way too much rainfall here too. Many farmers are worried about their crops, and some didn't even get to seed as the fields never dried up enough.
    I AM READY FOR SOME DRY AND HEAT.

    ReplyDelete

I love your comments! Let me know what's on your mind~~