Natural ResourcesBird Species List (PDF) / Mammal Species List (PDF) ClimateThe Hanford Reach National Monument is located within the driest and hottest portion of the Columbia Basin. Most precipitation occurs during the winter, with more than half the amount occurring from November through February. Snowfall accounts for about 38% of all precipitation from December through February. Average monthly temperatures range from a low of 30°F (-0.9°C) in January to a high of 76°F (24.6°C) in July. (For more information, see Weather.) Vegetation
The Nature Conservancy's Biodiversity Report (2MB PDF)
Fish and WildlifeThe diversity of habitats across the Monument support a diverse assemblage of wildlife species. The shrub-steppe ecosystem supports an unusually high diversity of native plant and animal species, including significant breeding populations of nearly all steppe and shrub-steppe dependent wildlife. Mature sagebrush/bunch grass and riparian areas are of particular importance for wildlife. The sagebrush is either a food source or provides nesting, resting, thermal and escape cover for a wide variety of species. Other value for wildlife includes the thick canopy which protects under story vegetation (forbs) that can be a valuable food source for wildlife. Riparian areas provide structure and diversity critical for nesting, resting thermal and escape cover, as well as abundant water. Numerous wildlife species depend upon the Monument’s intact ecosystems—43 species of fish, including threatened and endangered salmon and trout; 40 mammal species; 246 bird species; 4 amphibian species; 11 reptile species; and over 1500 invertebrate species have been documented on the Monument. |
|
The Monument is located within the Columbia Basin Ecoregion, an area that historically included over 14.8 million acres (6 million hectares) of steppe and shrub-steppe vegetation across most of central and southeastern Washington State, as well as portions of north-central Oregon. Native, pre-settlement vegetation consisted primarily of shrubs, perennial bunchgrass, a variety of forbs and a living soil crust composed of lichens, moss and algae. The state of Washington has designated shrub-steppe communities as a priority habitat because of their significance to a number of wildlife species and the scarcity of this habitat type. In addition, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has identified native shrub and grassland steppe in Washington and Oregon as an endangered ecosystem.