Hart Mountain

Hart Mountain NWR https://www.fws.gov/refuge/hart_mountain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart_Mountain_National_Antelope_Refuge Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, located in southeastern Oregon, protects more than 300 species of wildlife, including pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mule deer, sage grouse, and Great Basin redband trout. The refuge spans habitats ranging from high desert to shallow playa lakes, and is among the largest wildlife habitats containing no domestic livestock.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge More than 30 million pronghorn once roamed North America. By the turn of the 20th century, only a few small bands were left. Hart Mountain was one of the last strongholds of this fleetfooted species. Set aside as a home for pronghorn, the Refuge is renowned as a dramatic landscape rich in wildlife diversity. Pronghorn with Beaty Butte in the background. Aaron Collins The Landscape Looming high above the surrounding rangelands, Hart Mountain is a massive fault block ridge that rises to an elevation of 8,017 feet. The west side ascends abruptly some 3,600 feet from the floor of the Warner Valley in a series of rugged cliffs, steep slopes, and knifelike ridges. Ruth Miller/USFWS The Refuge Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (NAR) was established in 1936 to provide range for remnant pronghorn herds. Refuge management has since been broadened to include conservation of all wildlife and native plant species characteristic of this high-desert habitat. Public enjoyment, education, and appreciation for the species and habitat found here is encouraged. Hart Mountain NAR is one of over 560 National Wildlife Refuges located throughout the country. The blue goose insignia represents this system of lands established for the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, and plant resources for the benefit of present and future generations. All photos pages 4-5 Bill Stormont/USFWS, unless otherwise noted. The east side of the mountain is less precipitous, descending in a series of hills and low ridges to the sagebrushgrass ranges typical of southeastern Oregon and the Great Basin. The Refuge is an oasis in the desert. Snow melt and springs feed many seasonal and year-round creeks. A natural hot spring nestled against the eastern base of Warner Peak provides a soothing retreat for area visitors. Water is a valuable commodity in this dry desert landscape. Precipitation (an average of 12” annually) comes primarily as winter snow or spring rains. Temperatures vary between extreme cold in the winter and hot, dry summer conditions. Pronghorn Able to run up to 60 miles-per-hour, pronghorn are the fastest land animal in North America. Their great speed evolved thousands of years ago at a time when two species of chee­tahs hunted in North America. Healthy pronghorn can outrun any modernday predator. Coyotes, bobcats, and golden eagles are a threat only in the first few weeks of a pronghorn’s life. About the size of a large house cat at birth, pronghorn grow to over 100 pounds. Most of this weight is amassed in their thick bodies with extremely large lungs necessary for distance running. Pronghorn rely on speed and keen vision for protection. Their large eyes see the world as you would if using binoculars with 8 power magnification. Female pronghorn give birth to singles or twins each year in May or early June. Until they are able to run with the herd, fawns are kept hidden in the low sagebrush and grasses of the fawning grounds. Wildlife Diversity Red-naped sapsucker C. Reeb/USFWS Ground squirrels Common poorwill R. Blacker/USFWS Diversity in habitat creates variety in wildlife. Hart Mountain NAR’s diverse landscape and habitat are alive with over 340 species of wildlife, primarily birds (246 species) and mammals (69 species). Mammals such as California bighorn sheep, coyotes, and rabbits are generally year-round residents of the Refuge while most pronghorn, birds and even many deer come and go with the seasons. Hart Mountain NAR is renowned for its upland habitat and wildlife: prong­horn race across the low sagebrush expanses of the Refuge’s east side, Greater sage-grouse nest under large sagebrush bushes in the heart of the Refuge, mule deer roam the mountain mahogany and bitterbrush habitats found at higher elevations, and California bighorn sheep nimbly scale the rocky cliffs of the Refuge’s west face. Other important areas on the Refuge for wildlife include shallow playa lakes, grassy meadows watered by snowmelt and streams, riparian areas along stream­sides, aspen stands, and secluded pine groves. Habitats closely associated with water support the greatest richness of wildlife species. Horned lizard Killdeer K. Voget/USFWS Mule deer buck Blyth Brown California bighorn Agile California bighorn sheep move skillfully in the steep and rugged sheep terrain on the west face of Hart Mountain and Poker Jim Ridge. A ram’s massive, curled horns, which can weigh nearly 30 pounds, set it apart from the female sheep whose horns are much smaller. Greater sage-grouse The drumming chest and elaborate strut of the male sage-grouse is a renowned spectacle of the high desert. This early morning courtship dance occurs on numerous refuge strutting grounds (leks) in late March and April. Hens build a nest, generally under a sagebrush bush, and lay about 9 eggs. Sage-grouse were once so plentiful that settlers gathered buckets of eggs for camp f

Black Rim Hart Mountain Bluejoint Lake id ge Gray Buttes Visitor Information Ji m R National Antelope Refuge Sn y hglen de Frenc r C an ker n yo S ix Po Turpin Lake es 28 mil le D mi r a Pok Upper Campbell Lake Warner Valley Overlook Warner Pond llow Cre ek eek k Cr S pr Roc th Ho t Valet Spring d Swede Knoll Adams Butte Bo D nd Cre e k No r d oa ky R oa s S ing N N Antelope Spring Piaute Reservoir d Hot Springs n anyo on rmo a ny C Potter C yo n e Ga Flook Lake eR on rk DeGa rmo Fo C u Mo ak ny Arsen ic C a n yon ad k Ro glen B lue Ca Anderson Lake Mulk ey Canyon C r ee nch - Fre kL Fl o o Ju n i pe r Wi rt Ha in nta Blizzard Ridge Wil low Visitor Information Camp Hart Mountain Swamp Lake Roc k ttl e snake D raw Mugwump Lake Petroglyph Lake eek Cr Ra Flagstaff Lake Jim er Ro a 3-11 Reservoir Lake Ro ad Campbell Lake Poker Jim Lake Road Poker Jim Spring w Flook Knoll Stone Corral Lake Miles Miles 0 0 Kilometers Kilometers 4 4 4 Legend Black Canyon Indian Springs Legend n Road Bl ack C anyo Lookout Point 00 an ck Refuge Boundary Bla 4 on Can y View Points Refuge Boundary Warner Wetlands an yo Warner Peak (elev.-8,017 ft.) n ad d Ha oa Area Closed to Hunting Intermittent / Dry Lake Private Inholdings C no oad eR Lak Thunderbird sh i Lake n a Sp k ree n Lo Big Flat Ri ffl e Mound Lake Wire Corral Flat C a ny on Wool Lake Fisher Canyon Crump Lake Cat Butte Reservoir Lake May L ake Refuge Headquarters Area Closed to Hunting Observation/Photography Dobyns Lake Fred Pond Long Lake Cat Forty-four Lake (Do Not Trespass) Proposed Wilderness Desert Lake ad Ro ake gL The Narrows (see State Regulations) Streams / Creeks Waterbodies Open to Fishing Intermittent / Dry Lake Waterbodies Spanish Flat Gua (June 15 - Dec. 1 & Barnhardy Rd. Aug. 1Openunless to Fishing Dec.1 posted otherwise) Proposed Wilderness kR ad Ro Spanish Lake Streams / Creeks Seasonal Roads (see State Regulations) ir Sh ar y st M e Po Martin Canyon d un Bo th Post Meadows W ar C ree rt oad ary R Twin Lake Milit Old Fitzgerald Link Lake Lake Blue Sky ek o ws Road ain unt c k ade Cre Sou Mo Sto k Hart La ke Road (Subject to conditions) View Points West RoadSeasonal Roads Gulch Open (June 15Roads - Dec. 1 & Barnhardy Rd. Aug. 1Dec.1 unless posted otherwise) (Subject to conditions) k C ree Deer Old Camp Warner (Historic Site) ne r Alkali Flat D rive d Roa Guano Creek Hart Lake Open Roads Skyli n e 3-12 Hart C Barn h ardy Plush 10 miles Private Inholdings (Do Not Trespass) Refuge Headquarters Alger Lake Observation/Photography Lone Grave Butte Lakes Billy Burr Lake Coffee Pot Reservoir Jacobs Reservoir G ua Cr e o n ek Guano Valley Clover Swale 6-14-2014 

WEAVER FINCH MAMMALS CANIDS VOLES AND MUSKRATS REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS FISHES ____ House Sparrow (1) Visibility of mammals varies seasonally because of hibernation, migration between summer and winter ranges, or snow cover. Coyote Mountain Vole Red Fox Long-tailed Vole FELIDS Sagebrush Vole SHREWS Muskrat Fish on the Refuge are limited to drainages that support perennial flows. Fish are present in Rock, Willow, and Guano Creeks and their tributaries. Rainbow trout are stocked in Warner Pond. Mountain Lion Malheur Shrew Bobcat OLD WORLD RATS AND MICE Reptiles usually are found on upland sites and amphibians live closer to or in water. Both reptiles and amphibians hibernate during the winter and therefore are only seen during the warmer months. Because they are relatively small, secretive animals, they are not highly visible. Merriam’s Shrew SQUIRRELS, CHIPMUNKS & House Mouse Trowbridge’s Shrew MARMOTS JUMPING MICE AMPHIBIANS Yellow-bellied Marmot Western Jumping Mouse FROGS & TOADS ACCIDENTAL SPECIES Species listed below have been recorded only a few times on the Refuge. White-winged Scoter Gyrfalcon Parasitic Jaeger Yellow-billed Cuckoo Snowy Owl Vagrant Shrew Northern Water Shrew Townsend’s Ground Squirrel PORCUPINES Great-basin Spade-foot Toad Belding’s Ground Squirrel Porcupine Pacific Tree Frog Little Brown Myotis Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel PIKAS, HARES & RABBITS Yuma Myotis White-tailed Antelope Squirrel Pika Long-eared Myotis Least Chipmunk White-tailed Jackrabbit Fringed Myotis Yellow-pine Chipmunk Black-tailed Jackrabbit SNAKES California Myotis Chickaree Mountain Cottontail Rubber Boa Small–footed Myotis POCKET GOPHERS Pygmy Rabbit Racer Townsend’s Pocket Gopher DEER Striped Whipsnake Northern Pocket Gopher Mule Deer Gopher Snake POCKET MICE, KANGAROO MICE & KANGAROO RATS Rocky Mountain Elk Western Terrestrial Garter Snake White-headed Woodpecker Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Prothonotary Warbler Tennessee Warbler Virginia’s Warbler Silver-haired Bat Black-throated Blue Warbler Western Pipistrel Bay-Breasted Warbler Big Brown Bat American Redstart Hoary Bat Tricolored Blackbird Western Big-eared Bat Common Grackle Pallid Bat Scarlet Tanager Summer Tanager FREETAIL BATS Little Pocket Mouse Great Basin Pocket Mouse PRONGHORN Pronghorn (Antelope) SHEEP Dark Kangaroo Mouse California Bighorn Sheep Western Toad Spotted Frog REPTILES Western Rattlesnake LIZARDS Leopard Lizard Western Fence Lizard Freetail Bat Ord’s Kangaroo Rat Big Free-tailed Bat Great Basin Kangaroo Rat Side-blotched Lizard Mountain Quail RACOONS MUSTELIDS Desert Horned Lizard Mountain Quail Raccoon Beaver Short Horned Lizard Northern Hawk-Owl WEASELS, SKUNKS, & HARVEST MICE Western Skink Grasshopper Sparrow BADGERS Western Harvest Mouse Harris’ Sparrow Short-tailed Weasel WHITE FOOTED MICE Long-tailed Weasel Canyon Mouse Mink Deer Mouse Badger Pinyon Mouse Lapland Longspur Upland Sandpiper White-throated Sparrow Spotted Skunk Striped Skunk GRASSHOPPER MICE Northern Grasshopper Mouse WOODRATS Desert Woodrat Bushytailed Woodrat Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Rainbow (Redband) Trout PLAIN-NOSED BATS Pileated Woodpecker W IL D L IF E o f H A R T M O UNT A IN N A R Sagebrush Lizard Western Whiptail Northern Alligator Lizard This wildlife list includes more than 330 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish that occur or are thought to occur on the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge and in the adjacent Warner Valley. A list of insects and spiders has not yet been compiled. About 245 resident and migratory bird species could be observed on the Refuge and on adjacent lands. Riparian corridors, such as along Rock and Guano Creeks, are good areas to find birds. Another outstanding area, Blue Sky Grove, supports an unique group of birds because it is an isolated stand of Ponderosa pine. When flooded, the lakes and wetlands in Warner Valley provide abundant habitat for wetland-dwelling species. About 70 species of mammals could occur on the Refuge. Mammals are considered resident species with the exception of migrant bats. Pronghorn are widespread and can be seen in the sagebrush uplands and meadows throughout the refuge. Mule deer can be seen in the higher elevation shrub areas and near aspen stands. Bighorn sheep are difficult to see as they use the highest elevation areas and the escarpment on the west side of the Refuge. About 19 species of reptiles and amphibians and two fish species occur on the Refuge. Morning and evening hours are the best times to observe wildlife. Binoculars and/or a spotting scope greatly assist in identifying wildlife and observing their behavior. Using your vehicle as a blind increases viewing opportunities. Common bird name are listed followed by an abundance code. ____ Ferruginous Hawk (2) ____ Pectoral Sandpiper (2) HUMMINGBIRDS ____ Steller’s Jay (1) ____ Varied Thrush (