Malheur Lake Research Articles

Controlling invasive fish in fluctuating environments: Model analysis of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in a shallow lake

AbstractClimate change can act to facilitate or inhibit invasions of non‐native species. Here, we address the influence of climate change on control of non‐native common carp (hereafter, carp), a species recognized as one of the “world's worst” invaders across the globe. Control of this species is exceedingly difficult, as it exhibits rapid population growth and compensatory density dependence. In many locations where carp have invaded, however, climate change is altering hydrologic regimes and may influence population demography and efficacy of human control efforts. To further evaluate these processes, we employed a modified version of an age‐based population model (CarpMOD), to investigate how hydrologic variability (change in lake area) influences carp population dynamics and control efforts in Malheur Lake, southeastern Oregon, USA. We explored how changes in lake area influence carp populations under three control scenarios: (1) no carp removal, (2) carp removal during low water years, and (3) carp removal during all years. Lake area fluctuations strongly influenced carp populations and the efficacy of carp control. Modeled carp biomass peaked when the lake transitioned from high‐to‐low levels, and carp biomass declined when lake area transitioned from low‐to‐high. Removing carp during low water periods—when fish were concentrated into a smaller area—reduced carp populations almost as much as removing carp every year. Furthermore, the effectiveness of control efforts increased with the prevalence and severity of low lake conditions (longer durations of very low lake area). These simulations suggest that a drier climate may naturally decrease carp populations and make them easier to control. However, drier conditions may also negatively affect aquatic ecosystems and potentially have a greater impact than non‐native species themselves.

Effects of common carp on water quality and submerged vegetation: results from a short-term mesocosm experiment in an artificial wetland

Bioturbation by non-native common carp (carp) can facilitate an ecosystem phase shift from clear to turbid water in shallow lakes and ponds, with negative effects on abundance of aquatic animals and plants. Management of carp often involves reducing populations below a threshold biomass at which important components of the aquatic ecosystem, like submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), recover. To evaluate control targets for a nuisance carp population in Malheur Lake in SE Oregon, USA, we conducted a mesocosm experiment in a small wetland within the lake’s drainage basin. We stocked 200-m2 enclosures with individual or multiple carp of different age classes at target biomasses of 50, 100, and 300 kg ha−1. We measured turbidity, total suspended sediments, nutrients, chlorophyll-a, and surface coverage of SAV four times within a single growing season. Turbidity increased through time and soluble P was higher in 300 kg ha−1 carp treatments compared to the control, but few changes were observed for any of the other variables at any biomass. Results suggest that with well established SAV, a maintenance carp biomass threshold of <200 kg ha−1 will not result in a phase shift from a clear- to turbid-water state in the short-term.

Modeling control of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) in a shallow lake–wetland system

The introduction of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) into North American waterways has led to widespread alteration of aquatic ecosystems. Control of this invader has proven extremely difficult due to its capacity for rapid population growth. To help understand how Common Carp can potentially be controlled we developed a population dynamics model (CarpMOD) to explore the efficacy of active and passive control measures that impose mortality on multiple life stages (embryos, juveniles and adults). We applied CarpMOD to Common Carp in Malheur Lake, a large shallow lake in Southeast Oregon, USA. Simulated control measures included commercial harvest of adults, trapping of juveniles, embryo electroshocking, and passive removal imposed via avian predation. Results from CarpMOD suggest that no single active removal method would decrease Common Carp biomass below the targeted 50 kg/ha threshold. Combinations of two or all three active removal methods could, however, reduce biomass below the desired threshold due to cumulative mortality on multiple life stages. CarpMOD simulations suggest that the level of carp removal necessary to reach the desired biomass threshold is approximately 40% at each life-stage, which may be unrealistic to maintain over longer time scales. Passive removal via avian predation may also contribute to suppression of Common Carp, but was not sufficient in isolation to reduce biomass below the desired threshold. Collectively, our results indicate control of Common Carp as a sole means of ecosystem restoration is unlikely to be effective in the system we modeled. This suggests additional means of restoration may be warranted, perhaps in combination with control of Common Carp, or development of more effective control measures.

Exploring Emergent Vegetation Time-History at Malheur Lake, Oregon Using Remote Sensing

The extent of emergent vegetation can be a useful indicator of lake health and identify trends and changes over time. However, field data to characterize emergent vegetation may not be available (especially over longer time periods) or may be limited to small, isolated areas. We present a case study using Lands at data to generate indicators that represent emergent vegetation extent in the near-shoreline and tributary delta areas of Malheur Lake, Oregon, USA. Malheur Lake has a large non-native carp population that may significantly affect emergent vegetation and adversely impact reservoir health. This study evaluates long-term trends in emergent vegetation and correlation with common environmental variables other than carp, to determine if emergent vegetation changes can be explained. We selected late June images for this study as vegetation is relatively mature in late June and visible, but has not completely grown-in providing a better indication of vegetation coverage in satellite images. To explore trends in historic emergent vegetation extent, we identified eight regions-of-interest (ROI): three inlet areas, three wet-shore areas (swampy areas), and two dry-shore areas (less swampy areas) around Malheur Lake and computed the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) using 30 years of Lands at images from 1984 to 2013. For each ROI we generated time-series data to quantify the emergent vegetation as determined by the percent of area covered by pixels that had NDVI values greater than 0.2, using cutoff as an indicator of vegetation. For correlation, we produced a corresponding time series of the lake area using the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) to identify water pixels. We investigated the correlation of vegetation coverage (an indicator of emergent vegetation) with lake area, June precipitation, and average daily maximum temperatures for a period from two months prior to one month after the June collection (April, May, June, and July); all parameters that could affect vegetation growth. We found minimal correlation over time of the vegetative extent in any of the eight ROIs with the selected parameters, indicating that there are other factors which drive emergent vegetation extent in Malheur Lake. This study demonstrates that Landsat data have sufficient spatial and temporal detail to provide insight into ecosystem changes over relatively long periods and offers a method to study historic trends in reservoir health and evaluate potential influences. We expect future work will explore other potential drivers of emergent vegetation extent in Malheur Lake, such as carp populations. Carp were not considered in this study as we did not have access to data that reflect carp numbers over this 30 year period.

Oregon Places: The P Ranch House Fire: An Eyewitness Account

Oregon Places Clarence A.Oster The P Ranch House Fire AnEyewitness Account IOHN William (Peter) French was twenty-three years old when he arrived in eastern Oregon in 1872 with sixMexican vaqueros, a Chinese cook, and twelve hundred head of cattle. Dr. Hugh J. Glenn, a California wheat baron, sent French to the Harney Basin to establish a cattle ranch. Glenn financed the initial operation, and he and French eventually became partners in the French-Glenn Livestock Company.1 French was a dynamic and complex individual, small in stature but large in ambition and drive. A wiry five-feet-five-inches tall, he never weighed more than 135pounds. He had dark hair, with brilliant gray eyes set in a large head. By all accounts, he was a shrewd businessman and an industrious and skilled cattleman.2 A tireless worker himself, French expected much from his employees. "He was not a drinking man and did not approve of gambling," his biographer, Giles French, explained, but he "liked to dance and women liked to dance with him."3 French settled in the Blitzen Valley, where he eventually created a massive operation based at the P Ranch. He claimed or purchased land, established a large cattle herd, and built fences and a system of dams and canals to channel the water of the marshy lowlands. By the 1880s, the French-Glenn operation controlled more than a hundred thousand acres of land and owned around forty-five thousand head of cattle.4 By the 1880s and 1890s, conflicts over land and water rights had developed between large cattlemen and smaller farmers who claimed 284 OHQ vol. 106, no. 2 ? 200$ Oregon Historical Society QHS neg.,OrHi 56187(detail) ?- '.?.V .-v -. " . . . - ,-. -y - ? - . r %*;: : * The Harney Basin, shown here in 1939, supported a number of large cattle ranching operations in the late nineteenth century, including Peter French's French-Glenn Livestock Company. Oster, P Ranch House Fire 285 OHS neg.,OrHi 4277 Peter French and some of his crew eating dinner in the 1890s. French is leaning on the tailgate. homesteads in theHarney Basin. French had initiallymaintained friendly relations with homesteaders, sometimes hiring them, offering them beef when they needed food, and buying them out if they failed, reportedly at a fairprice. As he continued to aggressively seek control of land, however, animosity toward him grew. In addition to buying out homesteaders, French also acquired land bymanipulating the Swamp Land Act, direct ing his employees and others to establish homestead claims that he could then purchase, and fencing land in the public domain.5 In 1894, French filed a lawsuit to evict homesteaders who had settled on land he claimed around Malheur Lake, which served to escalate the hostility. Finally, in 1897, a homesteader named Ed Oliver shot and killed French.6 At the time of French's death, the P Ranch ran some seventy miles from the foothills of Steens Mountain to the south edge l. ofMalheur Lake. French's partners had little expertise or inter est in the cattle industry, and after French's death, the income from the P 286 OHQ vol. 106, no. 2 Ranch dwindled. Eventually the ranch was sold, but the land continued to be used for livestock production. The ranch was located along the Pacific Flyway and the lands within the meander lines ofMalheur, Mud, and Harney lakes were already a national bird refuge. InMay 1935, the federal government, interested in making the land into a bird sanctuary, purchased nearly sixty-five thousand acres of the former P Ranch from the Eastern Oregon Livestock Company. Additional small tracts of land were added to create theMalheur National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largestwildlife sanctuaries in theUnited States. The P Ranch land purchase included Peter French's home at the ranch headquarters, which was located near the southern end of the refuge, about amile east of Frenchglen.7 Different stories exist about the construction of the P Ranch house. One holds that French wanted tohave a nice home for his socialite bride, Ella Glenn, his partner's daughter. Royal Jackson and JenniferLee, who compiled an inventory of historic properties inHarney County, claim that the house was patterned after one of theGlenn...

Late Quaternary Variations in the Level of Paleo-Lake Malheur, Eastern Oregon

The highest shoreline features of paleo-Lake Malheur are undated gravelly barrier beaches south of Harney Lake that lie ca. 3.5 m higher than the hydrographic outlet of Harney Basin at Malheur Gap (1254 m). The earliest Quaternary record for Lake Malheur consists of occurrences of water-deposited tephra dated to ca. 70,000–80,000 yr ago. The next identified lake interval is dated by shells with ages of ca. 32,000 and 29,500 yr B.P. No dates are available for the terminal-Pleistocene Lake Malheur. Lake(s) were present between ca. 9600 and 7400 yr B.P., although periodic low levels or desiccation are suggested by a paleosol dated as ca. 8000 yr B.P. The lake system probably dried further after 7400 yr B.P., although dates are lacking for the period between ca. 7400 and 5000 yr B.P. Dune deposits on the lake floor are ca. 5000 yr old and indicate generally dry conditions. Fluctuating shallow lakes have probably characterized the last 2000 years. A date of 1000 yr B.P. gives a maximum age for beach deposits at 1254 m, near the basin threshold elevation. Thus, the Malheur Lake system may have drained to the Pacific Ocean by way of Malheur Gap during the latest Holocene.

Nests and Eggs of Colonial Birds Nesting in Malheur Lake, Oregon, with Notes on DDE

ABSTRACr-We describe the nests and eggs of 7 species of colonial birds that nested on Malheur Lake in Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, in 1980 and 1981. All nests were constructed over water in stands of hardstem bulrush (Scirpus acutus). We compared nest measurements among species and found significant differences. Nest size was highly correlated with bird body mass. The heavier the bird, the larger the nest and the higher the nest crown was above water. Egg volume was also highly correlated with body mass. We found evidence of shell thinning and DDE residues in great egret eggs and low levels of pesticide residues in eggs of Franklin's Gull. We summarize all available DDE and shell thickness data from colonial bird eggs collected from Malheur Lake.

Recent Sightings and a Specimen Record of the Trumpeter Swan in the Willamette Valley, Oregon

The range and population of the Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) in the United States and Canada have been greatly reduced because of a number of factors. The major nesting areas today are in Alaska where the population is increasing; there are only remnant nesting populations elsewhere (Banko 1960, Hansen et al. 1971, Palmer 1976). The Trumpeter Swan's status in Oregon in the late 1970's was listed as occasional in the coastal areas and in the high desert east of the Cascade Mountains (Eltzroth and Ramsey 1979). The only breeding records in Oregon are from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) where transplanted birds from Red Rock Lakes NWR in Montana established a small breeding population in 1958 (Cornely et al. 1985). Gabrielson and Jewett (1940) listed about 12 sources for sight records in Oregon from 1806 to 1940, including several from the Willamette Valley. They considered this species near extirpation and reported no sight records in Oregon after 1929. The scarcity of Trumpeter Swans in western Oregon was reflected by (1) unsubstantiated reports of wintering birds on the Columbia River (Marshall 1969), (2) no verified observations from 1929 to the late 1950's (Banko 1960), and (3) suspected, but unverified, wintering in Oregon and as far south as the Sacramento Valley in California (Hansen et al. 1971). Other than the transplanted birds and their progeny at Malheur NWR (first transplanted in 1939), only two specimens of Trumpeter Swans are known for Oregon. One specimen (current location unknown) was reportedly collected at Malheur Lake (now Malheur NWR) in 1877 and one was taken in April 1881 on the Columbia River about 5 km west of Portland (Gabrielson and Jewett 1940). In this paper, we describe the first Trumpeter Swan specimen from the Willamette Valley. Also, we list post-1974 winter sight records that were obtained from American Birds; Oregon Birds; newsletters from bird clubs and Oregon Audubon chapters including Warbler, Sandpiper, Corvallis Chat, Grapeleaf, and Quail; and R. L. Jarvis (pers. comm.). We acquired a juvenile male Trumpeter Swan from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on 9 April 1986. The swan was found freshly dead on a road shoulder near Airlie (Polk County) on 6 March 1986; it was then stored in a freezer. After the bird thawed for 2 days at room temperature, weights and measurements were taken, the liver and kidneys were removed for contaminants analysis, and the gizzard was opened and inspected. Gross examination revealed no signs of disease; a good supply of body fat was present. We found an apparently lethal wound from a bullet that penetrated one wing and the breast. The plumage was gray except for white on the tail and underside of the body. A small penis was present. The mandibles were black except for a small area that was dark pink. The legs and feet were dark gray and splotched with orange-yellow. The huge gizzard (120 x 76 mm) contained mostly sand with a little grit and plant material. No lead or steel shot was detected in the gizzard contents. Weights (g) were: whole body-11,890, liver-138.6, kidneys54.4, and heart (approximately 160.5). Measurements in cm (following procedures of Baldwin et al. [1931]) were: bursa depth-4.2, body with feathers-159.0, wing chord-63.4, tail-17.8, tarsus13.8, middle toe with claw-17.8, and exposed culmen-10.7. Body weight and measurements were within the range listed for Trumpeter Swans, but most were much larger than those of Tundra Swans (Palmer 1976). A flock of 16 Trumpeter Swans was sighted near Airlie on 17 January 1986. This is the same area where our specimen was found in March. The swan was donated to the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University (Specimen #FW 5152). Recent sight records by experienced birdwatchers indicate that the Trumpeter Swan is an uncommon winter resident in the Willamette Valley (Table 1). Although Trumpeter Swans are frequently confused with Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) that commonly spend the winter there (Eltzroth and Ramsey 1979) the two species usually form segregated flocks in Oregon. These sightings indicate that wintering Trumpeter Swans may be increasing in the Willamette Valley.

Velvet Mesquite Seedling Development in Three Southwestern Soils

Knowledge of the effects of saturated soils and flooding on Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata wyomingensis), green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus), and black greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus) can enhance our understanding of their distribution. The responses of these 3 species to elevated water tables were studied on 4 contours bordering an expanding lake in southeast Oregon during the 1983 and 1984 growing seasons. When plants were initially selected for study, contours were 0, 10, 20, and 40 cm above the lake surface. Continued expansion of the lake flooded the lower contours and elevated the water tables under the upper contours. Wyoming big sagebrush rapidly succumbed to surface flooding and elevated water tables within 10 cm of the surface. Green rabbitbrush behaved similarly, but responses lagged about 1 week behind sagebrush. Black greasewood tolerated surface flooding for 40 days before effects were apparent. Water tables within 25 to 30 cm of the surface had no effect on greasewood. Given adequate topography and water supplies, water spreading techniques could be used to control Wyoming big sagebrush and green rabbitbrush. Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. subsp. wyomingensis Beetle and Young) and black greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus (Hook.) Torr.) are dominant or codomninant shrubs on large expanses of western rangelands (Tisdale and Hironaka 1981, Franklin and Dyrness 1973, Romo 1985). Green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (Hook.) Nutt.), typically a minor shrub component in climax communities, may also dominate areas where fire, overgrazing, or other disturbances have reduced the competitive ability of the accompanying vegetation (Young and Evans 1974). These 3 species, either singularly or collectively, shape the character and competitively control large areas within the Great Basin. Due to the importance of these shrubs in the region, land manAuthor is range scientist, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Squaw Butte Station, Burns, Oregon 97720. This article is Technical Paper No. 7592. Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. Manuscript accepted 21 October 1985. agers must consider the biotic and abiotic factors affecting their establishment, health, or distribution. Water relations play a particularly prominent role in influencing the distribution of plants in this arid region, and abundances of water are typically not a concern. Several workers have noted, however, that excessive soil moisture is detrimental to big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) (U.S. Dept. Agr., Forest Serv. 1937, Branson 1956, Vallentine 1971) and speculated that anaerobic conditions in some soils prevent successful colonization of big sagebrush (Fosberg and Hironaka 1964). Lunt et al. (1973) found root growth of big sagebrush hindered by oxygen concentrations of 5% or less and observed low rates of recovery of big sagebrush after weakened plants were returned to ambient oxygen concentrations. These same workers speculated big sagebrush was excluded from fine textured and poorly drained soils by its high oxygen requirements. Greasewood has been classified as a phreatophyte (Robinson 1958), and Romo (1985) found water tables ranging from 3.5 to 15 m below greasewood dominated communities in Oregon. No information was found, however, regarding tolerances of greasewood or green rabbitbrush to saturated soils or low oxygen concentrations in the rooting zone. Given this lack of information, the objective of this study was to evaluate the relative tolerances of Wyoming big sagebrush, greasewood, and green rabbitbrush to elevated water tables and surface flooding. Study Area and Methods Studies were conducted on 6 locations bordering Malheur Lake in Harney County, Oregon. Elevations were approximately 1,245 meters. Harney Basin is internally drained and annually receives between 20 and 30 cm of precipitation. The historic meander of Malheur Lake encompasses approximately 25,000 ha; however, above-normal precipitation between 1978 and 1984 expanded the lake to 68,000 ha, inundating large areas of shrub-steppe vegetation in the process. Three study sites, approximately 2 km apart, were evaluated during the 1983 growing season. Rapid expansion of the lake in 1984 blocked access to the original study areas and 3 334 JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT 39(4), July 1986 This content downloaded from 40.77.167.124 on Mon, 17 Jul 2017 15:35:13 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

A Summary of Trumpeter Swan Production at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon

Prior to 1939, only 2 records of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) had been reported from Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and no records of breeding swans were known. Attempts to establish a breeding population at Malheur NWR with transplants from Red Rock Lakes NWR, Montana, began in 1939. Several transplants were made before the first broods of swans were produced in 1958. From 1958 through 1984, 288 cygnets fledged at Malheur NWR. Most Trumpeters nested in the Blitzen Valley, but some nested on Malheur Lake, in the Double-O area, and on the Island Ranch north of the refuge. The population now appears to be stable, but the limiting factors are largely unknown. Circumstantial evidence suggests that some young swans are leaving the area prior to sexual maturity. There were no records of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) nesting in Oregon prior to the establishment of a population at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Although the species was not described until 1832 (Swainson and Richardson 1832), accounts by Lewis and Clark indicated that they observed both Trumpeter and Tundra (Cygnus columbianus) Swans near the mouth of the Columbia River in 1806 (Banko 1960, Burroughs 1961). Other early migration records included those of Townsend (1829), Newberry (1857), Bendire (1877), Mearns (1879), Johnson (1880), Anthony (1886), Wood- cock (1902) and Prill (1922). Bendire (1877) collected a Trumpeter Swan at Malheur Lake on 24 March 1877. Johnson (1880) reported Trumpeter Swans to be common migrants in the Willamette Valley. Prill (1922) observed a pair of Trumpeters on the Blitzen River The information in this report is derived from letters, memos, reports and unpub- lished data in the biological files at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Each of us was involved at one time or another in acquisition and summarization of Trumpeter breed- ing data at the Refuge. Waterfowl census techniques and coverage have changed occa- sionally since active refuge management began in the mid-1930's. From 1935 to 1955 waterfowl were censused predominantly along ground routes at irregular intervals. Since 1955 Trumpeter Swan production has been determined by using aerial surveys. These flights were conducted in August in fixed-wing aircraft. All aquatic habitat was surveyed and an attempt was made to count all cygnets. Beginning in the late 1970's three aerial counts were made annually. A late May flight was used for counting breed- ing pairs, an early July flight was used to locate active nests, and in August cygnets were counted. Flights were made in Cessna 182 or 185 aircraft at 30 to 60 m above the ground at about 150 kph. Information from these flights was supplemented by obser- vations made during other field activities throughout the year.

Observations of a Large Roost of Common Ravens

Observations of a Large Roost of Common Ravens