Crater Lake Historic Resource Study

V. Geological and Biological Information on Crater Lake Area (continued)

F. Other Natural Resources

1. Forests and Plant Life

It should not be presumed from the foregoing discussion that Crater Lake is a sterile expanse, encompassing only barren desert terrain, remnants of rugged volcanic cones, and high, impenetrable lava cliffs and precipices. Actually, a soil of great fertility has been created from the volcanic lava of the Cascades through the processes of time and weathering, permitting a profusion of forests and wildflowers. One approaches Crater Lake National Park through the lowlands outside the boundary where forests of ponderosa and lodgepole pine alternate with junipers, sagebrush, and antelope bitterbrush--an environment characteristic of the Great Basin desert which it adjoins on the east. Passing through this more arid zone onto the lower elevations of Mazama, one finds several varieties of pine (ponderosa, sugar) and fir (white, Douglas), as well as western hemlock, western yew, dogwood, and assorted bushes. The park's forests are unusual because of the heavy growth of fine virgin trees that have been undisturbed by man except for the removal of diseased members. On the higher slopes of Mount Mazama western white pine and lodgepole are slowly establishing themselves in thick growths. Still higher points introduce mountain hemlocks, red fir, and subalpine fir, but only whitebark pines grow on the high, windblown rim. Over the edge, sparse strips of vegetation descend to the lake in the lee of protecting rock ledges.

At least 570 species of flowering plants and ferns also thrive in the park, ranging from lichen at Palisade Point to the wildflowers of Castle Crest and Munson Meadows to the stunted vegetation of the Pumice Desert and Wizard Island. Water is supplied by springs outside the caldera on the west and southwest slopes, enabling dripping mossy cliffs, bogs, and lush meadows to proliferate. The blooming season here is short, however, from July 1 to mid-September at the latest. [21]

2. Wildlife

Crater Lake National Park has a wealth of animal and bird life also. Larger mammals include bear (found in moist areas, such as along Munson and Annie creeks), blacktail deer (in the wet meadows on the west side of the park) and mule deer (on the drier east side), an elk herd that summers in the park, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, and red fox. In addition, many smaller animals may be seen, such as pikas, marmots, golden-mantled ground squirrels, chipmunks, and porcupines. No fish of any kind are known to have existed in Crater Lake when it was first discovered by white men. In 1888 William G. Steel carried 600 fingerling rainbow trout in a bucket from the Rogue River to the lake and dumped them in, thirty-seven surviving to become almost certainly the first fish to swim in these waters. Subsequent plantings of rainbow and brown trout and of Kokanee salmon have established a self-perpetuating population. An interesting problem arose in securing enough food for the fish to live on due to the absence of tributary streams. Finally a small freshwater shrimp was found that grew rapidly in the lake environment, and the trout feeding on them soon thrived. Fish also feed on water fleas that live in the lake depths.

More than 120 kinds of birds have been seen in the park, including raptors such as golden eagles, American bald eagles, falcons, ospreys, and horned owls; water fowl; and smaller singers such as the western tanager and the hermit thrush. [22]

G. Will Mount Mazama Erupt Again?

No volcanic activity has been observed recently at Crater Lake, but there have been scares. On September 15, 1945, a fire spotter on The Watchman saw what she later described as a strange cloud of smoke or fog rising sharply from the lake's surface in a compact mass before mushrooming into a larger diameter. Two days later a similar cloud was spied from Garfield Peak's summit on the south side of the rim. A third was seen from a viewpoint near the Devils Backbone between Hillman Peak and Llao Rock on the northwest side of the lake. Each of these vapor "clouds" was described variously as being dust-colored or of a bluish-gray hue, each was seen on a clear day, and each was spotted at approximately the same location, over one of the deepest portions of the lake on an east-west line between Wizard Island and the Phantom Ship. [23]

Although no earthquakes that might presage volcanic activity had been reported, speculation immediately arose that the dormant volcano might blow its top again. Such alarm might not have arisen if there had not been in years past instances suggestive of continuing volcanic activity in this area of the Cascades. As early as 1896 J.S. Diller was stating that "the increase of temperature [in the lake] with the depth suggests that the bottom may yet be warm from volcanic heat. . ." A 1919 Oregonian (Portland) article noted an eruption in Diamond Lake that killed thousands of fish and discolored the waters. A month later an "underwater disturbance" in a lake near Albany, Oregon, was remarked upon, "similar to that reported in Crater and Klamath lakes." [24]

Despite reassurances from Dr. Howel Williams that "once collapse occurs there is little chance of violent activity in a caldera, although occasional periods of minor activity may occur for an indefinite period," [25] the Department of the Interior promised to send members of the Geological Survey to study the phenomenon. Both local and national interest were manifested in the supposed "eruptions," with a story appearing in Time magazine for November 12, 1945, and similar ones being disseminated by the Associated Press, the United Press, and the International News Service.

The government study involved planting a sounding device, a Navy hydrophone, in the lake, which operated well until a heavy January snowfall caused a landslide that snapped the cable connecting the device with the recording instruments sequestered in an observation station in Crater Lake Lodge. The cable was carried out into the lake, leaving the study unfinished and the hydrophone stranded inoperable in the water for the duration of the winter. Up to that point, however, no evidence of volcanic activity had been noted, and with the cessation of further "cloud" sightings, this potential threat from Mount Mazama seems to have had no further developments.