North Fork John Day Wilderness Air Quality Report
Wilderness ID: 223
Wilderness Name: North Fork John Day Wilderness
North Fork John Day Wilderness Air Quality Report
National Forest: Umatilla National Forest, Wallowa National Forest, Whitman National Forest
State: OR
Counties: Grant, Umatilla
General Location: Eastern Oregon
Acres: 120,560
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Page 1 of 4
North Fork John Day Wilderness Air Quality Report
Wilderness ID: 223
Wilderness Name: North Fork John Day Wilderness
Wilderness Categories
Information Specific to this Wilderness
Year Established
1984
Establishment Notes
Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984
Designation
Clean Air Act Class 2
Administrative
Umatilla National Forest, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
Unique Landscape Features
The North Fork John Day drainage bustled with gold and silver mining operations in
the mid- 1800s, and traces of the thousands of hopefuls who made off with an
estimated 10 million dollars in ore are still visible in this Wilderness. As you hike on
one of the many trails you will see old mining structures, building foundations, and
dredged ditches as well as the trash dumps left behind by the miners. But the rolling
benchlands, granite outcroppings, and the rugged gorge of the North Fork John Day
River have recovered enough to provide an excellent Wilderness setting here in the
Blue Mountains.
The Wilderness encompasses two entire subranges: the Greenhorn Mountains and the
ragged Elkhorn Mountains. A 39-mile segment of the North Fork John Day River has
been designated as a Wild and Scenic River. This area deserves its fame for big-game
animals, which currently include a herd of Rocky Mountain elk 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.
The area's anadromous fish population (fish that spawn in fresh water and swim to the
sea) include vast numbers of chinook salmon and steelhead with runs that peak in
August. More than 130 miles of perennial streams provide at least 40 miles of
spawning habitat.
Lakebed Geology Sensitivity
High
andesite dacite diorite phylite (68%), basalt gabbro wacke argillite undifferentiated
volcanic rocks (21%), amphibolite hornfels paragneiss undifferentiated metamorphic
roc (5%), Unknown buffering capacity (6%), GC 1+2 (68%), GC 1+2+3 (89%), GC
4+5+6 (11%)
Not reported in the database.
Not reported in the database.
Lakebed Geology Composition
Visitor Use
Mean Annual Precipitation
Elevation Range
Mean Max Aug Temp
Mean Min Dec Temp
Lake Acres
Pond Acres
Lake Count
Pond Count
TES Flora
TES Wildlife
TES Fish
Ozone Sensitive Plants
964 - 2575 (meters)
Not reported in the database.
Not reported in the database.
34
4
2
6
Botrychium pinnatum, Bruchia bolanderi, Harpanthus flotovianus, Helodium
blandowii, Lophozia gillmanii, Pellaea bridgesii
Bald Eagle, Gray Wolf
Not reported in the database.
Blue elderberry, Ponderosa pine, Quaking aspen, Red elderberry, Scoulers willow,
Snowberry, Thinleaf huckleberry
Thursday, May 17, 2012
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North Fork John Day Wilderness Air Quality Report
Wilderness ID: 223
Wilderness Categories
Air Quality Sensitive Lichens
Cultural Resources
Status/Trends: Acid Deposition:
Status/Trends: Nutrient
Enrichment:
Status/Trends: Ozone Impacts:
Wilderness Name: North Fork John Day Wilderness
Information Specific to this Wilderness
Not reported in the database.
Not reported in the database.
Not reported in the database.
Not reported in the database.
Not reported in the database.
AQRV's
Fauna
Fauna Priority: Medium
Fauna Receptor: Fish
Fauna Indicator: Concentration of methyl mercury
Fauna Trends: Not reported in the database.
Fauna Actions:
Sample fish for mercury concentrations in waterbodies receiving the most fishing pressure. Collect water samples at same
water bodies for anions, cations, and nutrients.
Flora
Flora Priority: High
Flora Receptor: Lichens
Flora Indicator: Changes in community composition
Flora Trends: Not reported in the database.
Flora Priority 2: High
Flora Receptor 2: Lichens
Flora Indicator 2: Concentrations of N, S, P, Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg, Ni, Ti, V and Zn
Flora Trends 2: Not reported in the database.
Flora Priority 3: Low
Flora Receptor 3: Ozone
Flora Indicator 3: Visible injury on ozone-sensitive plants
Flora Trends 3: Not reported in the database.
Flora Actions:
Increase number of lichen plots from 4 to 6 to achieve desired spatial density of 1 plot/20,000 acres. Repeat sites visits once
every 10 years.
Visibility
Visibility Priority: Medium
Visibility Receptor: Scenic Views
Visibility Indicator: Regional haze
Visibility Trends: Not reported in the database.
Visibility Actions
The IMPROVE visibility monitor at Starkey Experimental Forest (STAR1) is the most representative of this area.
Water
Water Priority: Medium
Water Receptor: Water Chemistry
Thursday, May 17, 2012
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North Fork John Day Wilderness Air Quality Report
Wilderness ID: 223
Wilderness Name: North Fork John Day Wilderness
Water Indicator: ANC
Water Trends: Not reported in the database.
Water Priority 2: Medium
Water Receptor 2: Water Chemistry
Water Indicator 2: DIN: TP
Water Trends 2: Not reported in the database.
Water Priority 3: Low
Water Receptor 3: Diatoms
Water Indicator 3: Community Composition
Water Trends 3: Not reported in the database
Water Actions:
Sample headwater lakes for anions, cations, and nutrients. Consider collecting fish for mercury analysis while at these
lakes.
Challenge Points
Fauna Challenge Points: Not reported in the database.
Flora Challenge Points: 4
Total Plots: 4
Desired Plots: 6
Additional Plots Needed: 2
Data Type: Baseline
Round 1 Visits: 0
Round 2 Visits: 4
Baseline %: 66
Trends %: 0
Visibility Challenge Points: Not reported in the database.
Water Challenge Points: Not reported in the database.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
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