Natural History of the Columbia River Gorge

Robert Hogfoss

Description

A Natural History of how the Columbia River Gorge was formed, what plant and animal life use this place as habitat and how people have lived here over time.
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area encompasses 292,500 acres in an 85-mile run of the Columbia River, beginning at the Sandy River about 17 miles east of Portland, Oregon, extending just beyond the Deschutes River to the east. It is bounded on either side of the river by more than fifty peaks and high points, giving it a fjord-like appearance.
This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the natural history of the Columbia River Gorge, focusing on its geology, hydrology, geomorphology, weather, plants, animals and people.
The beginning of each chapter includes recommended reading, and additional information and references are included throughout the text and in chapter notes. The book is intended to be supplemented with use of the field guides for those who want to learn more about the Gorge’s geology and how to identify its birds, plants and animals.
The text helps readers understand how the Gorge was formed, what makes it special, and how people have lived there over time.

Sujets

• Natural History
• Sciences et techniques
• Columbia River Gorge
• Regional
• Nature

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 22 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663242600
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE
ROBERT HOGFOSS


NATURAL HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE
 
 
Copyright © 2022 Robert Hogfoss.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
 
 
iUniverse
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4259-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4260-0 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022913185
 
 
 
 
iUniverse rev. date: 08/18/2022
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Preface: Natural History
How to Become A Naturalist
Chapter 1Rocks
A.The Rising Landscape: Plate Tectonics and Subduction
B. Basalt Lava Floods
C. Volcanism and Uplift
D. Earthquakes and Landslides
E. Soils
F. Major Landforms in the Gorge Present Day
Chapter 2Water & Its Effects
A. Origins of the Columbia River
B. Lake Missoula and the Glacial (Bretz) Floods
C. Characteristics of the Modern Columbia River
D. Dams
E. Waterfalls
F. Wild and Scenic Rivers
Chapter 3Weather & Its Effects
A.Gorge Wind: Orographic Influences and Pressure Gradients
B. Eastside-Westside: Weather Norms and Extremes
C. Fire Occurrence and Natural Fire History
D. Floods, Erosion and Mudflows
E. The Water Cycle
F. Climate Change
Chapter 4Plants
A. Trees and Shrubs
B. Flowering Plants
C. Grasses
D. Ferns
E. Lichens and Mosses
F. Mushrooms and Fungi
Chapter 5Animals
A. Mammals: Marine & Land
B. Fish
C. Birds
D. Amphibians and Reptiles
E. Butterflies, Spiders and Other Insects
F.Animal Populations Extirpated from the Gorge (No Longer Present)
Chapter 6People
A.Prehistory: 15,000+ years Before Present to the 1500s
B.Exploration: 1579 – 1824 (including first ocean contacts, Lewis & Clark, trappers & naturalists)
C.Settlement: 1825 – 1889 (establishment of Fort Vancouver, the Oregon Trail, establishment of cities and the creation of Territories and States)
D.Growth & Development: 1890 - 1985 (establishment of agriculture and industry; construction of roads, railroads and dams)
E.Current Life & Protection of the Gorge: 1986 to present
F. Looking Ahead
 
Timeline
Travel in the Gorge: Be Prepared, Be Safe
Glossary
 
The hills have now become mountains, high on each side [and] rocky steep .
Meriwether Lewis describing the Gorge
(Journal entry, April 9, 1806)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author thanks the many individuals who have reviewed and commented on drafts of various sections. The book is all the better for their input. Any errors or omissions in the text are solely those of the author. 1
FOREWORD
This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the natural history of the Columbia River Gorge. It is not a field guide, but a history that tells the story of the Gorge. There are six chapters, discussing the following:
Rocks (geology)
Water (hydrology and geomorphology)
Weather (meteorology, fire and floods)
Plants (flora)
Animals (fauna), and
People (prehistory, history and current life)
Recommended reading is suggested at the beginning of each chapter, and additional information and reference is included in the text and chapter notes. The book is intended to be supplemented with use of field guides for those who want to learn more about geology, bird, plant and animal identification in the Gorge (e.g., Wildflowers of the Columbia River Gorge , by Russ Jolley, Trees & Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest , by Turner & Kuhlmann; In Search of Ancient Oregon , by Ellen Morris Bishop, etc.) An excellent collection of historic photographs of the Gorge is Wild Beauty (Oregon State Univ. Press 2008), by Terry Toedtemeier.
T aken together this information should help the reader understand how the Gorge was formed, what plant and animal life uses this place as habitat and how humans have lived here over time.
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area encompasses 292,500 acres along either side of the Columbia River, beginning at the Sandy River about 17 miles east of Portland, Oregon, extending east another 85 miles to just beyond the Deschutes River. It is bounded by more than 50 peaks and high points, giving it a fjord-like appearance.
 
Please Leave No Trace
…of your visits to the Gorge. As the saying goes: “leave only footprints; take only pictures” (but go light on the footprints, too, OK?) Your actions and your thoughtfulness help preserve this unique landscape, and the varied life within it.
A Note About Maps
Many different maps of the Gorge are available. The Gorge Commission (GC) makes free maps of the Scenic Area available at many locations, including the GC/Forest Service offices in Hood River and White Salmon, Skamania Lodge, The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum, Multnomah Falls visitor center, Bonneville Dam, and other locations. You can also access maps on the GC’s website ( www.gorgecommission.org ), some of which are interactive with GIS data and others that can be downloaded. The Forest Service also makes maps available, and there are many maps of specific focus out there (such as maps showing only roads, trails, vineyards and wineries, etc.). A large, detailed map of the Scenic Area showing topographic lines, trails and place names (printed on waterproof paper) is available for sale by National Geographic. That map can usually be purchased from most of the above locations, as well as bookstores and REI.
 


PREFACE: NATURAL HISTORY
If you are reading this you are already curious about the natural world around you and about the history of place. I spent most of my youth asking questions about the natural world and history of place and studied everything I could about natural history in schools and in the field. The main thing I learned was that no single school or course taught an integrated knowledge about the natural world, and how people have lived in a given place over time. I learned that people inevitably gain that knowledge on their own, by listening and observing and learning, by living among others who have bits and pieces of such knowledge and learning from them, by finding mentors along the way.
I have had many mentors along the way. I meet new ones all the time. The best are those First Peoples and others who have lived in one place for a long time, who maintain traditional knowledge about the world around us and the history that has brought us to this place on this day. Natural history is more a way of life than an academic discipline, but it is a life filled with beauty and wisdom. It begins with an interest in learning about the world around us, and it never ends.

The Columbia River Gorge is a special place. It is likely that people have lived here continuously as long or longer than anywhere else in the Americas. Yet the Gorge remains wild, filled with beauty.
Although this book is intended to be a comprehensive introduction to the Gorge, it is inevitably just an introduction. There is a vast amount of information that resides in oral history, historical documents, books and articles about the Gorge. You are encouraged to pursue those resources (many referenced in the text or Chapter notes), and you are encouraged to get out and enjoy the Gorge itself. There is much to learn from this place and its natural history.
Robert Hogfoss 2022
HOW TO BECOME A NATURALIST
Not that many generations ago we were all naturalists to varying degrees. Through much of the 1800s people in the United States still obtained the bulk of their food by hunting, catching, gathering or growing it. Many people worked out of doors, and everyone lived in houses that were more in contact with the environment than at present (no refrigeration, indoor plumbing or air conditioning). Life required a more immediate understanding of the natural environment than it does today.
Until a century ago most Americans still lived in rural environments. Sometime during the 1910s that ratio changed, with the majority of America’s population moving to the cities (that same shift of majority population to the cities did not occur globally until 2007). At present, a majority of Americans live in cities. Only 1 in of 5 of us still live in rural environments.
Today we are a more urban people and our contact with the natural world is more occasional and recreational. We all nonetheless remain dependent on the natural world for sustenance, both physical and spiritual. Many of us still hearken to the out of doors and remain eager to learn more about the natural world around us. Many of us would love to become naturalists, if only in our local environments.
So how do you become a naturalist? The answer is this: spend as much time as possible out of doors, watch, listen and learn. Observe animals and birds when they move, then come