| Wallowa–Whitman National Forest | |
|---|---|
 The Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon | |
  Location in Oregon and Idaho | |
| Location | Oregon /Idaho, United States |
| Nearest city | Baker City, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 45°20′00″N117°00′05″W / 45.33333°N 117.00139°W /45.33333; -117.00139 |
| Area | 2,392,508 acres (9,682 km2) |
| Established | May 6, 1905[1] |
| Visitors | 505,000 (in 2006)[2] |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Wallowa-Whitman National Forest |
TheWallowa–Whitman National Forest is aUnited States National Forest in theU.S. states ofOregon andIdaho. Formed upon the merger of the Wallowa and Whitman national forests in 1954, it is located in the northeastern corner of Oregon, inWallowa,Baker,Union,Grant, andUmatilla counties, and includes small areas inNez Perce andIdaho counties in Idaho.[3][4] The forest is named for theWallowa band of theNez Perce people, who originally lived in the area, andMarcus andNarcissa Whitman,Presbyterianmissionaries who settled just to the north in 1836. Forest headquarters are located inBaker City, Oregon with ranger districts inLa Grande,Joseph and Baker City.
The national forest may be divided into several distinct sections, which together cover 2,300,000 acres (9,300 km2) of land, including 600,000 acres (2,400 km2) ofdesignated wilderness.[5]
A large section of the forest is located in the ruggedWallowa Mountains, south ofJoseph, Oregon, in the upper reaches of theWallowa,Minam, andImnahadrainage basins. Thealpine area in the heart of the mountain range is designated as theEagle Cap Wilderness. Bordering the national forest on the north,Wallowa Lake State Park is located on the shore ofWallowa Lake.
A smaller section of the forest is located north ofEnterprise, Oregon, alongJoseph Canyon. This section is joined to the first by theHells Canyon National Recreation Area, which protects the stretch of theSnake River known asHells Canyon, the deepestgorge in North America. The recreation area includes portions of theNez Perce,Payette, and Wallowa–Whitman national forests, but is managed solely by the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest.[6] It contains theHells Canyon Wilderness, jointly managed by theForest Service and theBureau of Land Management. TheHells Canyon Scenic Byway passes through the national forest on Forest Service Road 39.[7]
Another large section of the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is located west ofLa Grande andBaker City, Oregon, in theElkhorn Mountains, a sub-range of theBlue Mountains. It borders theMalheur National Forest on the southwest and theUmatilla National Forest on the northwest. This area includes the upper reaches of theJohn Day andGrande Ronde rivers. TheNorth Fork John Day andMonument Rock wildernesses are jointly managed by the adjacent national forests. The historicgold mining city ofSumpter is surrounded by the Wallowa–Whitman on all sides.
The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is home to 36fish species, 236 bird species, over 90 mammal species, 26 reptile-amphibian species, and roughly 1,500 plant species.[8]
Wildlifehabitat is affected bylogging andgrazing, but significant stands ofold-growth forest have survived. A 1993 Forest Service study estimated that the extent of old growth in the forest was 173,000 acres (70,000 ha).[9] Large mammal species include Shiras moose,[10]Rocky Mountain elk,Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep,mountain goat,white-tailed deer,mule deer,black bear,timber wolf,[11]cougar, andbobcat.[12][13][14][15] Several sightings ofwolverines, rare within the United States, have been recorded since the 1990s.[16] Smaller mammals include thepika,marten,badger,mink,beaver,river otter, andmarmot. Bird species include theperegrine falcon,bald eagle,golden eagle,ferruginous hawk,goshawk,gray-crowned rosy finch,chukar partridge,pileated woodpecker,American dipper, andgreat gray owl. Rivers and creeks supportsteelhead andtrout.[12][13][14][15]
Plant communities range from low-elevationgrasslands andponderosa pine forest toalpine meadows.Engelmann spruce,mountain hemlock,subalpine fir andwhitebark pine can be found in the higher elevations, withDouglas-fir,white fir,western larch, andlodgepole pine elsewhere. Wildflowers includeclarkia,Indian paintbrush,sego lily,elephanthead,larkspur,shooting star, andbluebell. Rocky bluffs in the Hells Canyon area supportprickly pear cactus andpoison ivy.[12][13][14][15]
The Forest Service usescontrolled burns before thewildfire season to reduce the natural fuel on the forest floor as part of its management of the forest.[17]
The land that is now the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest was first occupied by theNez Perce people around 1400 CE. The area was the summer home of the Joseph Band of the Nez Perce tribe. TheCayuse,Shoshone andBannock tribes arrived in the area some time later. The native people hunted deer, elk and bighorn sheep in theWallowa Valley and surrounding mountains. The first European settlers arrived in the Wallowa Valley in 1860.[18] In 1887, a gang of horse thieves murdered 34 Chinese miners inChinese Massacre Cove along the Snake River.[19]
In 1905, the Wallowa Forest Reserve and Chesnimnus Reserve were established by PresidentTheodore Roosevelt. The two reserves were later merged to create theImnaha National Forest on March 1, 1907. On July 1, 1908, the name was changed toWallowa National Forest, and in 1954 the Wallowa was administratively combined with theWhitman National Forest to create the Wallowa–Whitman. The Whitman had been established on July 1, 1908, from part of theBlue Mountains National Forest. On June 20, 1920, part ofMinam National Forest was added.[20]
The Eagle Cap primitive area was established in 1930. The area was designated as a wilderness in 1940. TheWilderness Act in 1964 placed theEagle Cap Wilderness in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Eagle Cap was enlarged by 73,410 acres (297 km2) in 1972 and by an additional 67,711 acres (274 km2) in 1984. Its area now totals 350,461 acres (1,418 km2).[18][21]
The Wallowa Mountains Visitor Center and district office for the national forest, a 20,500-square-foot (1,900 m2)log building in Enterprise, burned to the ground on July 11, 2010.[22]
The forest works with theNez Perce Tribe of Idaho and theConfederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation on cultural and natural resources issues.
The Wallowa–Whitman National Forest is used for hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, and other recreational activities.Anthony Lakes Ski Area is within the forest. The ski area is 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Baker City and 45 miles (72 km) southwest of La Grande. It has groomed slopes foralpine skiing andsnowboarding and trails forcross-country skiing andsnowshoeing. The forest also has many miles of trail specifically designated forsnowmobile use.[23]
The forest has 52 developed campgrounds and 9 day-use picnic areas. Most campgrounds are open from May to October. The Forest Service also operates five rental cabins. Hikers have the choice of 66 trails, with vista points along many of the routes, and 26 interpretive sites. The national forest has seven areas where visitors can enjoy swimming, power boating,rafting, canoeing, andkayaking. There are numerous fishing streams, and hunting is allowed during specific seasons. TheOregon Department of Fish and Wildlife regulates hunting and fishing activities on national forest land.[24][25]
Some forest activities require permits. The type of permit and its cost depends on the specific recreational activity. A Northwest Forest Pass is required for parking at some high-use trailheads. The cost is $30 for an annual pass or $5 for a day pass. The Forest Service uses the permit revenue for trail maintenance. Permits are also required for firewood cutting,Christmas tree harvesting, andmushroom gathering. A special permit is required to raft on the Snake River.[24][26]
The forest is home to the annual Eagle Cap Extreme Dog Sled Race, a three-day race that qualifies winners for theIditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and the Yukon Quest race inAlaska and Yukon Territory.[27] It is also home to theWallowa Lake Tramway.[28][29]
There are four designatedwilderness areas within the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest. Three of these extend into neighboring national forests or onto land that is managed by theBureau of Land Management.
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