| The Pit River Watershed: more about California's unique upside down river
The Pit River is the largest river in northeastern California. The Pit River watershed is located at the eastern end of the Great Basin Province. In all, there are 21 named tributaries, totaling approximately 1,050 miles of perennial stream, and encompassing over 4,300 square miles. Land use in the watershed is primarily forestry, agriculture, and livestock grazing. Forested habitat types in the mountain areas include northern juniper woodland, eastside yellow pine forest, Sierran mixed conifer forest, lodgepole pine forest, westside ponderosa pine/mixed hardwood forest, and gray pine/oak woodland. At lower elevations, juniper woodlands occur and grade into sagebrush scrub. In the valleys, principal agriculture crops include meadow hay, irrigated alfalfa, and wild rice. Secondary crops include garlic, mint, and strawberries. Approximately 60 percent of the Pit River watershed is owned by the public (U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the California Department of Fish and Game). Forty percent is privately owned by a few large timberland owners and several hundred private ranches. The north fork of the Pit starts at Goose Lake, while the south fork begins high in the Warner Mountains. The two converge near Alturas, California. The river flows through large mountain valleys and cuts its way through massive basalt flows to form incredible canyons. These canyons exhibit unusual geological formations that promote a variety of wildlife species unique to these landscapes. The wildlife varies with the landscape, resulting in great bird watching opportunities. The watershed is well known for supporting some of the best hunting and fishing in the State. It is less known, however, for the presence of several threatened and endangered fish, bird, mammal, plant, and invertebrate species. Some of these species can be found in other regions of the state or adjacent states (e.g., northern spotted owl, bank swallow, and wolverine). Other species occur primarily in the watershed and in adjacent states, but are less frequent and abundant in other parts of California (e.g., greater sandhill crane). Finally, a handful of species are only found in the Pit River watershed (e.g., Modoc sucker, Goose Lake redband, and Shasta crayfish). Six threated or endangered species found in the Pit River Watershed are birds. These species include the greater sandhill crane, American peregrine falcon, bald eagle, Swainson’s hawk, bank swallow, and northern spotted owl. In addition, one aquatic invertebrate—the Shasta crayfish—is state and federally listed as endangered. For more information on the Pit River, California Biodiversity News: Volume 9, Number 2 |
