Geography 368: Field Seminar
Day 2 | Mt. Hood, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, & BLM
Panorama Point
On Friday, September 28th, we started our day off bright and early, arriving at Panorama Point County Park in Hood River at 8:30 am. From Panorama Point, we had a spectacular view of a v-shaped valley and an ancient flood plain, which are now covered by lush orchards. Mount Hood looked like a small speck in the distance, so we set off to get a closer look.
Photo by Ezra Zeitler
Photo by Adria Slade
Our motel was located in Hood River, a small, mountain town.
Photo by Caroline Saksefski
Photo by Ezra Zeitler
Photo by Adria Slade
The lava cooled so quickly during the eruption that gasses became trapped inside it, forming the lightweight and porous basalt in the area today.
Mount Hood
At 9:00 am, we reached White River Winter Park at the east side of Mount Hood. A lateral moraine covered in pine trees lead up to the snow capped peak of the mountain. We hopped out of the vans to explore an old debris flow of basalt rocks, ranging in size from pebbles to much larger boulders. Mount Hood erupted only 10,000 years ago at maximum, so it is still considered a primarily active volcano.
Photo by Andrew Moen
Timberline Lodge
After taking in the scenery, the class arrived at Timberline Lodge at 9:40 am. Timberline Lodge was built in 1936-1937 and was designed by famous architect, Stanley Underwood. It was a project completed as part of the Second New Deal and administered by the Works Progress Administration to employ workers, artists, and craftspeople during the Great Depression. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the president at the time, saw a need for a lodge on the south slope of Mount Hood to house park visitors.
Photo by Kayla Moothart
Photo by Ezra Zeitler
While exploring the building, we had the opportunity to meet two very special and adorable lodge residents- Heidi and Bruno the Saint Bernards.
Photo by Haley Churchill
Museum at Warm Springs
During our drive to our next stop, the Warm Springs Native American Reservation, the landscape quickly changed from forest and mountains to desert and gorges. At 11:40 am, we arrived at the Museum at Warm Springs. Throughout our visit, we learned about the history of the three tribes that were forced to live together on the reservation by the government. However, only 1% of the land today is owned by non-Indians despite government attempting to split it up for further allotment. We learned about the importance of timber and water to the area and how the residents are incredibly sustainable in using their natural resources. We then had a picnic lunch outside the museum that included pears and apples we bought from a roadside produce store.
Photo by Ezra Zeitler
Photo by Andrew Moen
Photo by Ezra Zeitler
Warm Springs Power & Water Enterprises
After being briefly introduced to the importance of natural resources to the Warm Springs residents at the museum, we met with Jim Manion at 1:30 pm who further discussed the regulation of fish and water on the reservation. Jim is the general manager of Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprises, which is a corporate entity that oversees energy development on Tribal lands. He discussed how the nearby Pelton and Round Butte dams do a great service by providing energy to the area (448 megawatts to be exact), but also cause problems with fish passage. To combat this, fish ladders were created for the dams, and sometimes fish are even trucked nine miles downstream. Jim explained how the company has to comply with federal law but also interacts with state policy makers and other private entities. Many people contact the Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprises for insight because they are so effective with their management of resources. Jim and his team plan seven generations ahead to ensure a healthy ecosystem for the future of their tribe.
Photo by Ezra Zeitler
Prineville
Around 5:00 pm, we met with Mark Gonzales, a fluvial geomorphologist who works for the Bureau of Land Management. Specifically, he focuses on studying riparian land, which is the zone between the highlands water. Riparian land only accounts for 1-3% of land in west, but for 90% of problems. Mark touched on some of these problems, the most detrimental activity being grazing from cows. He also mentioned other threats like the increasing number of forest fires, the move towards dispersed camping, off highways vehicles, runoff from roads, and the e-coli presence in streams from people and dogs. After saying our goodbyes to Mark, we drove to Bend, Oregon during sunset and wrapped up our night with a meal at the popular Deschutes Brewery.
Photo by Rachel Roth
Photo by Cari Dowden
Photo by Ezra Zeitler
The Bureau of Land Management was created in 1996 and started as a collaboration with the forest service.