The John Day River in north-central Oregon’s high desert country is an outlier in the American West. From its birth high in the Strawberry Mountains to its merger with the mighty Columbia River, the John Day’s entire 500 miles flow unimpeded by dams. This relatively unique characteristic makes it the second-longest free-flowing river in the continental United States.
Much of the Lower John Day flows through proposed wilderness areas, while the upper river provides critical habitat for the largest and most diverse native fish populations in Oregon. Among the species that call this river home are endangered bull trout and summer steelhead, along with chinook salmon, redband trout, and westslope cutthroat trout.
The John Day — 200 miles of which has been recognized as a federal wild and scenic river since 1988 — provides Oregonians with some of the best boating and flyfishing in the state.
Earlier this year, Congress designated the Spring Basin Wilderness Area — the first such designation of Bureau of Land Management land anywhere along the river (and only the second in all of eastern Oregon). Now, Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA), Young Life Christian ministries, and local landowners propose to designate the 10,000-acre Coffin Rock area, immediately south of Spring Basin, as wilderness. In addition, the proposal would include the approximately 8,000-acre Horse Heaven located about four miles upland from the river.
Together, these areas encompass dramatic basalt cliffs and rolling hills of juniper, sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass. The landscape offers key habitat for mid-Columbia summer steelhead, pygmy rabbit, and Ferruginous Hawk. It is also an important wintering habitat for deer, elk, and antelope. Perhaps most importantly, it is a critical corridor connecting the habitats of a large number of key wildlife species. In addition, this rugged area is home to 36 sensitive plant and animal species, including spring chinook salmon, pacific lamprey, Mountain Quail, Yellow-breasted Chat and arrow-leaf thelypody.
The Lower John Day’s Coffin Rock and Horse Heaven are rich in human history and tell a vibrant story of prehistoric and modern life in the West. The area hosts a significant number of archaeological treasures, including pithouse villages and stone tool sites. Numerous rock-art pictographs of the area’s first human inhabitants adorn the landscape.
More recently, sheepherders heavily occupied the Big Muddy Ranch beginning in the 19th Century. Wild-West shootouts erupted — one resulting in a murder conviction at the historic courthouse in Prineville. The ranch is best known for its 1980s purchase (at 30 times its assessed value) and occupation by the Guru Rajneesh (Osho). Tens of thousands of red- and purple-robed followers grew vegetables and built substantial infrastructure, but ultimately the Rajneeshpuram was disbanded after leaders poisoned a salad bar in the nearby city of The Dalles for political reasons.
The current occupant of the ranch, Young Life, thankfully has a less checkered agenda. With great success, the group creates an unforgettable camp experience for thousands of youth each year.
Streamside grazing along the John Day has contributed to some ecological damage of the area, including water pollution, soil compaction, bank erosion, and increased water temperatures — all of which have significant impacts on native fish populations. ONDA is working to reduce this impact through voluntary permit retirement and by enforcing protection mandated by its Wild and Scenic status.
Other private landowners, who through land exchanges would like to see their property become part of the wilderness designations, manage their land with a light touch. The thick bunchgrasses are intermittently dotted with junipers, some of which are burned, suggesting recent lightning fires — a process that naturally reinvigorates the grasses. The few fences in the area can easily be rolled up and carried out by local ONDA volunteers, and Mother Nature is hard at work to naturally revegetate and reclaim the two-track route through Coffin Rock. Once completed, these private lands will be welcome and worthy additions to the wilderness system.
Coffin Rock, Horse Heaven, and the John Day River are finally receiving the attention these natural wonders should demand. With hard work and the continued support of such a diverse group of local stakeholders, one day these areas will receive the wilderness protection they so richly deserve.
