Document Actions
Cow and Batch Lakes
-
Cow and Batch Lakes
-
Location: Approximately 15 miles west-northwest of Jordon Valley, east-central Malheur County.
Description: These are flat, playa lakes, that were formed when the Jordon Craters lava flow blocked stream flows. The area contains large areas of open water and emergent vegetation. Exposed mudflats are present in late summer. Large numbers of moist soil dependent plants are present.
Outstanding Features: This cluster of lakes and marshes regularly has several thousand waterfowl and over 100 shorebirds in season (Marty St. Louis pers. comm.). In addition, several dozen pairs of Black-crowned Night-Herons breed in dense marshes in the Batch L. complex near Cow Lakes (Contreras and Kindschy 1996). The Cow Lakes area is also considered important as a Shrub-Steppe Bird Conservation Area (Altman and Holmes 2000).
Conservation Issues: Enforcement of existing land use policies on BLM land may be inadequate: too many cattle too long, ORV use is high. Exotic plants are common at this site.
Links: • Summary Pageof Audubon Society of Portland data in National Audubon Society database
• City of Jordan Valley - 43.0312549287 -117.10395813
Location: Approximately 15 miles west-northwest of Jordon Valley, east-central Malheur County.
Description: These are flat, playa lakes, that were formed when the Jordon Craters lava flow blocked stream flows. The area contains large areas of open water and emergent vegetation. Exposed mudflats are present in late summer. Large numbers of moist soil dependent plants are present.
Outstanding Features: This cluster of lakes and marshes regularly has several thousand waterfowl and over 100 shorebirds in season (Marty St. Louis pers. comm.). In addition, several dozen pairs of Black-crowned Night-Herons breed in dense marshes in the Batch L. complex near Cow Lakes (Contreras and Kindschy 1996). The Cow Lakes area is also considered important as a Shrub-Steppe Bird Conservation Area (Altman and Holmes 2000).
Conservation Issues
: Enforcement of existing land use policies on BLM land may be inadequate: too many cattle too long, ORV use is high. Exotic plants are common at this site.
Links: • Summary Page
of Audubon Society of Portland data in National Audubon Society database
• City of Jordan Valley