Natural Resource Condition Assessment, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center Natural Resource Condition Assessment John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Natural Resource Report NPS/UCBN/NRR—2010/174 ON THE COVER Map of three park units in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument located in north-central Oregon with insets of pictures from the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument website. Natural Resource Condition Assessment John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Natural Resource Report NPS/UCBN/NRR—2010/174 Jack Bell Northwest Management, Inc. PO Box 9748 Moscow, ID 83843 Dustin Hinson AMEC Earth and Environmental, Inc. 11810 North Creek Parkway N Bothell, WA 98011 January 2010 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Program Center Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received informal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data. Data in this report were collected and analyzed using methods based on established, peer-reviewed protocols and were analyzed and interpreted within the guidelines of the protocols. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the National Park Service. This report is available from the Upper Columbia Basin Network website (http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ucbn/reports/) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM). Please cite this publication as: Bell, J. and D. Hinson. 2010. Natural resource condition assessment: John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Natural Resource Report NPS/UCBN/NRR—2010/174. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 177/100904, December 2010 ii Contents Figures........................................................................................................................................... vii Tables ............................................................................................................................................ xi Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... xiii Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... xv Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose and Scope ..................................................................................................................... 1 Study Area .................................................................................................................................. 2 Park Setting ......................................................................................................................... 2 Land Cover.......................................................................................................................... 6 Upland Habitats/Species ................................................................................................... 15 Watersheds ........................................................................................................................ 15 Aquatic Habitats/Species .................................................................................................. 20 Climate .............................................................................................................................. 21 Methods......................................................................................................................................... 25 GIS and Geodatabases.............................................................................................................. 25 NPS Data Sources .................................................................................................................... 27 Upland Assessment .................................................................................................................. 28 Aquatic Assessments ................................................................................................................ 29 Fire ........................................................................................................................................... 33 Noxious Weeds ........................................................................................................................ 34 Upland Assessment Results .......................................................................................................... 35 GIS and Geodatabase ............................................................................................................... 35 Unit Specific Assessments ....................................................................................................... 35 Sheep Rock Unit ............................................................................................................... 36 Painted Hills Unit .............................................................................................................. 54 Clarno Unit........................................................................................................................ 62 Aquatic Assessment Results ......................................................................................................... 71 John Day River ......................................................................................................................... 72 iii John Day River R14A ....................................................................................................... 72 John Day River R14B ....................................................................................................... 75 John Day River R14C ....................................................................................................... 75 Rock Creek ............................................................................................................................... 76 Rock Creek R08 ................................................................................................................ 76 Rock Creek R15 ................................................................................................................ 78 Bridge Creek ............................................................................................................................ 78 Bridge Creek R11 ............................................................................................................. 78 Threats and Stressors .................................................................................................................... 81 Upland Resources..................................................................................................................... 81 Fire .................................................................................................................................... 81 Noxious Weeds ............................................................................................................... 103 Aquatic Resources .................................................................................................................. 109 Flow Diversions .............................................................................................................. 109 Recreational Land Use .................................................................................................... 109 Agricultural Land Use..................................................................................................... 110 Fine Sediments ................................................................................................................ 110 Climate Change ...................................................................................................................... 110 Summary and Recommendations ............................................................................................... 115 Upland Assessment ................................................................................................................ 115 Aquatic Assessment ............................................................................................................... 115 Threats and Stressors.............................................................................................................