Northern Basin and Range ecoregion

Northern Basin and Range ecoregion
Northern Basin and Range ecoregion
	Salt deposits at Summer Lake
	Northern Basin and Range (80)
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Borders	List Wasatch and Uinta Mountains (19);
Geography
Country	United States
States	Oregon; Idaho; Nevada; Utah; California;
Coordinates	43°N 117°W / 43°N 117°W

The Northern Basin and Range ecoregion is a

Central Basin and Range to the south. Its southern boundary is determined by the highest shoreline of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, which once inundated the Central Basin and Range. The western part of the region is internally drained; its eastern stream network drains to the Snake River system.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

The valleys support

cropland are found in some areas, but in general the soils are less suitable for agriculture than those in the Columbia Plateau and the Snake River Plain ecoregions. Most public lands in the region are managed by the Bureau of Land Management.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

The Northern Basin and Range ecoregion has been subdivided into fourteen Level IV ecoregions, as described below. Level IV mapping is not yet complete in California, and the information below includes only the sections in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah.

Level IV ecoregions

Dissected High Lava Plateau (80a)

The Dissected High Lava Plateau ecoregion is a broad to gently rolling

wildlife habitat. Contiguous areas in California have not been mapped yet.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Semiarid Hills and Low Mountains (80b)

The Semiarid Hills and Low Mountains ecoregion is higher and more rugged than the sagebrush plains and basins of neighboring regions. It is composed of

Caribou-Targhee national forests.^[2]^[3]^[4]

High Elevation Forests and Shrublands (80c)

The High Elevation Forests and Shrublands ecoregion is composed of steep, rugged, unglaciated mountains with cold winters, at an elevation of 6,000 to 9,900 feet (1,829 to 3,018 m). It is characterized by a mix of

subalpine fir may be found in upper canyons. The region covers 943 square miles (2,442 km²) in southeastern Idaho and 126 square miles (326 km²) in northwestern Utah, including land within the Sawtooth and Caribou-Targhee national forests.^[2]^[4]

Pluvial Lake Basins (80d)

The Pluvial Lake Basins ecoregion contained vast

rubber rabbitbrush, Great Basin wildrye, bottlebrush squirreltail, Indian ricegrass, Sandberg's bluegrass, Thurber's needlegrass, and cheatgrass. The land is used for rangeland and sprinkler-irrigated alfalfa farming. The region covers 2,092 square miles (5,418 km²) in Oregon and 342 square miles (886 km²) in Nevada.^[1]^[3]

High Desert Wetlands (80e)

The nearly level High Desert Wetlands ecoregion consists of

meadow barley, creeping wildrye, and Nevada bluegrass occur in wetter areas. Drier areas support basin big sagebrush, Wyoming big sagebrush, silver sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, basin wildrye, Idaho fescue, Thurber's needlegrass, and cheatgrass. The region covers 1,651 square miles (4,276 km²) in Oregon, including the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and land surrounding Malheur Lake, Paulina Marsh, Summer Lake, Lake Abert, and the Warner Lakes. It also includes 105 square miles (272 km²) in Idaho and 56 square miles (145 km²) in Nevada, on and around the Duck Valley Indian Reservation .^[1]^[2]^[3]

Owyhee Uplands and Canyons (80f)

The Owyhee Uplands and Canyons ecoregion is a sagebrush steppe containing deep river canyons, barren

Lake Owyhee and the Owyhee, Malheur, and Succor drainages.^[1]^[2]

High Lava Plains (80g)

The High Lava Plains ecoregion is a vast, nearly level to undulating sagebrush steppe containing scattered

opal mines and clay quarries. It contains the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge and lower elevations in the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. Contiguous areas in California have not been mapped yet.^[1]^[3]

Saltbush-Dominated Valleys (80h)

The Saltbush-Dominated Valleys ecoregion, externally drained by the Snake River, is composed of gently sloping valley bottoms and alluvial fans dominated by salt-tolerant vegetation that distinguishes it from the sagebrush steppe of surrounding regions. Elevation varies from 4,500 to 6,000 feet (1,372 to 1,829 m). Light-colored soils with high salt and alkali content are common; they are dry for extended periods and may be leached of salt by irrigation water. Potential natural vegetation is mostly saltbush-greasewood, featuring Nuttall sagebrush, squirreltail,

winterfat, and greasewood. Basin sagebrush, Wyoming big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, needlegrass, bluegrass, and Indian ricegrass are also present. The region covers 438 square miles (1,134 km²) in Idaho and 52 square miles (130 km²) in Utah, in the Raft River drainage. The land is used primarily for rangeland and irrigated agriculture.^[2]^[4]

Sagebrush Steppe Valleys (80i)

The Sagebrush Steppe Valleys ecoregion consists of gently sloping, unforested terraces, basin rims, valley bottoms, footslopes, bajadas, and alluvial fans, with an elevation of 4,600 to 6,500 feet (1,403 to 1,981 m). Less rugged than the surrounding hills and mountains, it is dominated by sagebrush grassland and lacks the woodlands, open conifer forests, and saltbush–greasewood vegetation of neighboring regions. The valleys drain mostly to the Snake River and fish assemblages are unlike those of the internally drained basins to the south. Potential vegetation includes bluebunch wheatgrass, Wyoming big sagebrush, cheatgrass, and Sandberg bluegrass. The steppe valleys are less suitable for cropland agriculture and have less available water than many parts of the Snake River Plain, but non-irrigated wheat and barley farming is common. The region covers 1,865 square miles (4,830 km²) in southeastern Idaho and 7 square miles (18 km²) across the Utah border.^[2]^[4]

Semiarid Uplands (80j)

The disjunct Semiarid Uplands ecoregion includes scattered hills, low mountains, volcanic cones, buttes, and rocky outcrops that rise out of the drier Dissected High Lava Plateau and High Lava Plains, as well as midelevation zones in the

Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Partly Forested Mountains (80k)

The Partly Forested Mountains ecoregion occupies the elevational belt above the Semiarid Uplands on the Jarbidge,

alpine meadows are found at the highest elevations. On Steens Mountain, above the juniper woodland zone of the Semirarid Uplands, the landscape is almost treeless; broad areas of mountain big sagebrush alternate with scattered groves of aspen. Alpine areas on Steens Mountain were seriously eroded following intense grazing by domestic sheep in the late 19th century. The region covers 105 square miles (272 km²) in Nevada, 103 square miles (267 km²) in Oregon, and 38 square miles (98 km²) in Idaho, and contains the Jarbidge Wilderness in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Salt Shrub Valleys (80l)

The Salt Shrub Valleys ecoregion is composed of arid basins formerly inundated by Pleistocene lakes. Elevation varies from 3,500 to 5,200 feet (1,067 to 1,585 m) The nearly flat to gently sloping basins and playas are poorly drained, have a high

spiny hopsage, rabbitbrush, Thurber needlegrass, Indian ricegrass, Sandberg bluegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail. The region covers 725 square miles (1,878 km²) in Oregon and 355 square miles (919 km²) in Nevada, including a small part of the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge.^[1]^[3]

Limber pine
Utah juniper
Western chokecherry
leaves and berries
Big sagebrush
Bottlebrush squirreltail
Needle-and-thread grass
Rubber rabbitbrush
Spiny hopsage

Fauna

Pinyon jay, found in juniper-pinyon woodlands
Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the Snake River system
American avocet at Summer Lake
Sage grouse
in shrub-steppe habitat

Landscapes

Sagebrush-Steppe in south-central Idaho along Three Creek Road
Bunchgrasses on Hart Mountain

The cracked playa surface of the Alvord Desert
Cheatgrass covers the fault scarp of Abert Rim.
Sagebrush steppe in northeastern Nevada along US 93

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k This article incorporates public domain material from Thorson, TD; Bryce, SA; Lammers, DA; et al. Ecoregions of Oregon (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k This article incorporates public domain material from McGrath, CL; Woods, AJ; Omernik, JM; et al. Ecoregions of Idaho (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j This article incorporates public domain material from Bryce, SA; Woods, AJ; Morefield, JD; et al. Ecoregions of Nevada (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g This article incorporates public domain material from Woods, AJ; Lammers, DA; Bryce, SA; et al. Ecoregions of Utah (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).

[oregon4-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k This article incorporates public domain material from Thorson, TD; Bryce, SA; Lammers, DA; et al. Ecoregions of Oregon (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).

[idaho4-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k This article incorporates public domain material from McGrath, CL; Woods, AJ; Omernik, JM; et al. Ecoregions of Idaho (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).

[nevada4-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j This article incorporates public domain material from Bryce, SA; Woods, AJ; Morefield, JD; et al. Ecoregions of Nevada (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).

[utah4-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g This article incorporates public domain material from Woods, AJ; Lammers, DA; Bryce, SA; et al. Ecoregions of Utah (PDF). United States Geological Survey. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs; with a Reverse side).

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v t e Level III Ecoregions in the United States
Marine West Coast Forest	1 Coast Range 2 Puget Lowland 3 Willamette Valley 111 Ahklun and Kilbuck Mountains 113 Alaska Peninsula Mountains 115 Cook Inlet 119 Pacific Coastal Mountains 120 Coastal Western Hemlock-Sitka Spruce Forests
Northwestern Forested Mountains	4 Cascades 5 Sierra Nevada 9 Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills 11 Blue Mountains 15 Northern Rockies 16 Idaho Batholith 17 Middle Rockies 19 Wasatch and Uinta Mountains 21 Southern Rockies 41 Canadian Rockies 77 North Cascades 78 Klamath Mountains 105 Interior Highlands 116 Alaska Range 117 Copper Plateau 118 Wrangell Mountains
Mediterranean California	6 Southern and Central California Chaparral and Oak Woodlands 7 Central California Valley 8 Southern California Mountains
North American Deserts	10 Columbia Plateau 12 Snake River Plain 13 Central Basin and Range 14 Mojave Basin and Range 18 Wyoming Basin 20 Colorado Plateaus 22 Arizona/New Mexico Plateau 24 Chihuahuan Deserts 80 Northern Basin and Range 81 Sonoran Basin and Range
Temperate Sierras	23 Arizona/New Mexico Mountains
Great Plains	25 Western High Plains 26 Southwestern Tablelands 27 Central Great Plains 28 Flint Hills 29 Central Oklahoma/Texas Plains (Cross Timbers) 30 Edwards Plateau 31 Southern Texas Plains 34 Western Gulf Coastal Plain 40 Central Irregular Plains 42 Northwestern Glaciated Plains 43 Northwestern Great Plains 44 Nebraska Sand Hills 45 Piedmont 46 Northern Glaciated Plains 47 Western Corn Belt Plains 48 Lake Agassiz Plain
Eastern Temperate Forest	32 Texas Blackland Prairies 33 East Central Texas Plains 35 South Central Plains 36 Ouachita Mountains 37 Arkansas Valley 38 Boston Mountains 39 Ozark Highlands 51 North Central Hardwood Forests 52 Driftless Area 53 Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains 54 Central Corn Belt Plains 55 Eastern Corn Belt Plains 56 Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains 57 Huron/Erie Lake Plains 59 Northeastern Coastal Zone 60 Northern Appalachian Plateau and Uplands 61 Erie Drift Plain 63 Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain 64 Northern Piedmont 65 Southeastern Plains 66 Blue Ridge 67 Ridge and Valley 68 Southwestern Appalachians 69 Central Appalachians 70 Western Allegheny Plateau 71 Interior Plateau 72 Interior River Valleys and Hills 73 Mississippi Alluvial Plain 74 Mississippi Valley Loess Plains 75 Southern Coastal Plain 82 Laurentian Plains and Hills 83 Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands 84 Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens
Northern Forests	49 Northern Minnesota Wetlands 50 Northern Lakes and Forests 58 Northeastern Highlands 62 North Central Appalachians
Tropical Wet Forests	76 Southern Florida Coastal Plain
Southern Semi-Arid Highlands	79 Madrean Archipelago
Taiga	101 Arctic Coastal Plain 102 Arctic Foothills 103 Brooks Range 104 Interior Forested Lowlands and Uplands 106 Interior Bottomlands 107 Yukon Flats 108 Ogilvie Mountains
Tundra	109 Subarctic Coastal Plains 110 Seward Peninsula 112 Bristol Bay-Nushagak Lowlands 114 Aleutian Islands
as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency [1]

v t e Level III Ecoregions in Oregon
Marine West Coast Forest	1 Coast Range 3 Willamette Valley
Northwestern Forested Mountains	4 Cascades 9 Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills 11 Blue Mountains 78 Klamath Mountains
North American Deserts	10 Columbia Plateau 12 Snake River Plain 80 Northern Basin and Range
as defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency [2]