Klamath-Siskiyou Region

The Oregon portion of the Klamath Mountains ecoregion covers much of southwestern Oregon, including the Umpqua Mountains, Siskiyou Mountains and interior valleys and foothills between these and the Cascade Range.

Several popular and scenic rivers run through the ecoregion, including: the Umpqua, Rogue, Illinois, and Applegate. Within the ecoregion, there are wide ranges in elevation, topography, geology, and climate. The elevation ranges from about 600 to more than 7400 feet, from steep mountains and canyons to gentle foothills and flat valley bottoms. This variation along with the varied marine influence support a climate that ranges from the lush, rainy western portion of the ecoregion to the dry, warmer interior valleys and cold snowy mountains.

Unlike other parts of Oregon, the landscape of the Klamath Mountains ecoregion has not been significantly shaped by volcanism. The geology of the Klamath Mountains can better be described as a mosaic rather than the layer-cake geology of most of the rest of the state. In the Klamath Mountains, serpentine mineral bedrock has weathered to a soil rich in heavy metals (including chromium, nickel, and gold), and in other parts mineral deposits have crystallized in fractures. In fact, mining was the first major resource use of the ecoregion, and Jacksonville was Oregon’s most classic “gold rush” town.

Partly because of this unique geology, the Klamath Mountains ecoregion boasts a high rate of species diversity, including many species found only locally. In fact, the Klamath-Siskiyou region was included in the World Wildlife Fund’s assessment of the 200 locations most important for species diversity world-wide. The region is particularly rich in plant species, including many pockets of endemic communities and some of the most diverse plant communities in the world. For example, there are more kinds of cone-bearing trees found in the Klamath Mountains ecoregion than anywhere else in North America. In all, there are about 4000 native plants in Oregon, and about half of these are found in the Klamath Mountains ecoregion. The ecoregion is noted as an Area of Global Botanical Significance (one of only seven in North America) and world “Centre of Plant Diversity” by the World Conservation Union. The ecoregion boasts many unique invertebrates, although many of these are not as well studied as their plant counterparts.

While panning for gold first drew European settlers to the Klamath Mountains ecoregion, today’s communities have a wide range of industries and economies including agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism.

text taken from the Oregon Conservation Strategy, 2006, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Update

The Oregon Master Naturalist Program is currently developing a statewide curriculum. In time, the Klamath Mountains ecoregion will have a specific regional supplement that will give participants a more in depth look at the region. Continue to check this web site for an update as regionally specific supplements are added.