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29-554: In 1986, the U.S. National Park Service recognized the significance and natural beauty of Drumheller Channels by designating them a National Natural Landmark . The geologist who initially recognized and documented the evidence for the Ice-Age floods, J Harlen Bretz , wrote: Drumheller is the most spectacular tract of butte-and basin scabland on the plateau. It is an almost unbelievable labyrinth of anastamosing channels, rock basins, and small abandoned cataracts. Drumheller Channels connects

58-415: A flow depth of from 60 to 120 meters (200 – 400 ft) provided the energy to achieve flood flow velocities as high as 30 m/s (65 mph), which eroded the topsoil and underlying basalt, gouging the complex network of channels, basins, potholes and buttes that are found there even today. Examples of scabland features, such as large kolk -excavated potholes, provide evidence of the tremendous powers of

87-695: A result of seepage and a raised water table. Migrating waterfowl were drawn to the region by the water and by greatly increased food supplies from the adjacent farmlands. The Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is colocated with the Drumheller Channels. Adjacent areas are included in the Seep Lakes Wildlife Area . More than 200 species of mammals and birds can be found in the cliffs, marshes, grasslands, lakes, seeps, and other riparian areas. National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks ( NNL ) Program recognizes and encourages

116-701: A site must be one of the best examples of a natural region's characteristic biotic or geologic features. Since the establishment of the NNL program, a multi-step process has been used to designate a site for NNL status. Since 1970, the following steps have constituted the process. Prospective sites for NNL designation are terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; geological features, exposures, and landforms that record active geological processes or portions of earth history; and fossil evidence of biological evolution. Each major natural history "theme" can be further subdivided into various sub-themes. For example, sub-themes suggested in 1972 for

145-545: Is an underwater vortex causing hydrodynamic scour by rapidly rushing water past an underwater obstacle. High-velocity gradients produce a high-shear rotating column of water, similar to a tornado . Kolks can pluck multiple-ton blocks of rock and transport them in suspension for kilometres. Kolks leave clear evidence in the form of kolk lakes , a kind of plucked-bedrock pits or rock-cut basin . Kolks also leave downstream deposits of gravel-supported blocks that show percussion but no rounding. Kolks were first identified by

174-598: The February flood near Emden, a kolk of 31 m depth was created. The soil was saturated from here for a further 5 km inland. Kolks are credited with creating the pothole-like features in the highly jointed basalts in the channeled scablands of the Columbia Basin region in Eastern Washington . Depressions were scoured out within the scablands that resemble virtually circular steep-sided potholes. Examples from

203-556: The Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 666, 16 U.S.C. 641); the program is governed by federal regulations. The NNL Program does not have the protection features of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Thus, the designation of a National Natural Landmark presently constitutes only an agreement with the owner to preserve, as far as possible, the significant natural values of

232-813: The National Park Service , U.S. Forest Service , Bureau of Land Management , Bureau of Reclamation , Fish and Wildlife Service , Air Force , Marine Corps , Army Corps of Engineers , Navy , and others. Some NNLs has been designated on lands held by Native Americans or tribes. NNLs also have been designated on state lands that cover a variety of types and management, such as forest , park , game refuge , recreation area , and preserve. Private lands with NNLs include those owned by universities, museums , scientific societies, conservation organizations, land trusts , commercial interests, and private individuals. Approximately 52% of NNLs are administered by public agencies, more than 30% are entirely privately owned, and

261-616: The geological and ecological history of the United States. It also hopes to strengthen the public's appreciation of the country's natural heritage. As of July 2024, 605 sites have been added to the National Registry of Natural Landmarks. The registry includes nationally significant geological and ecological features in 48 states, American Samoa , Guam , Puerto Rico , and the U.S. Virgin Islands . The National Park Service administers

290-562: The Columbia river channel at Frenchman Coulee to the southwest, Potholes Coulee to the north central and Crater Coulee to the northwest. The bulk of the floodwaters took the easiest path, straight south through the Drumheller Channels stretch of Crab Creek. The elevation drop of the floodwaters as they passed through the Drumheller Channels was greater than 50 meters (160 ft) over a distance of 20 km (12 mi) with gradients locally ranging from 2–12 m/km). This hydraulic head combined with

319-568: The Drumheller Channels. Grand Coulee was only one part of the Columbia Basin Project , which included four major storage reservoirs, hundreds of pumping plants, 2,300 miles (3,700 km) of canals and laterals to irrigate the region. Irrigation began in 1951, raising the water table. By 1980, when the last stage of the project was completed, the area of wetlands in the Columbia Basin was at least 20 times larger than it had been earlier as

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348-539: The Dutch, who observed kolks hoisting several-ton blocks of riprap from dikes and transporting them away, suspended above the bottom. The Larrelt kolk near Emden appeared during the 1717 Christmas flood which broke through a long section of the dyke. The newly formed body of water measured roughly 500 × 100 m and was 25 m deep. In spite of the repair to the dyke, another breach occurred in 1721, which produced more kolks between 15 and 18 m deep. In 1825 during

377-562: The NNL Program and, if requested, assists NNL owners and managers with the conservation of these important sites. Land acquisition by the federal government is not a goal of this program. National Natural Landmarks are nationally significant sites owned by a variety of land stewards, and their participation in this federal program is voluntary. The legislative authority for the National Natural Landmarks Program stems from

406-559: The Quincy Basin, which lies to north, with the Othello Basin on the south. It can be reached most easily from Othello, Washington approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) northwest on McManamon Road, then north on Morgan Lake Road which passes through the Drumheller Channels region. The north/south Morgan Lake Road (gravel) passes through the heart of the channels following Crab Creek . Hikes can be taken, including an interpretive trail, from

435-528: The basalt bedrock, which are connected with Potholes Reservoir to the north. The impact of settlement was severe; in the 1860s overgrazing depleted most of the few native grasses. Government surveys of the 1880s identified much of the region as badlands . In 1934, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation initiated construction on the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River about 100 miles (200 km) north of

464-584: The conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States . It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in both public and private ownership. The program was established on May 18, 1962, by United States Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall . The program aims to encourage and support voluntary preservation of sites that illustrate

493-424: The designation. It is conceivable that state or local governments of their own volition could initiate regulations or zoning that might apply to an NNL. However, as of 2005 no examples of such a situation have been identified. Some states require planners to ascertain the location of NNLs. Listed by state or territory in alphabetical order. As of July 2024, there were 605 listings. Kolk (vortex) A kolk

522-476: The floods. There is a unique character to the Drumheller Channels; unlike most other Channeled Scabland zones, no single centralized channel or major cataracts were formed. In the Drumheller Channels the floodwaters passing through in a broad cascade of 13 – 20 km (8 to 12 miles) in width. Bretz recorded 150 distinct channels and over 180 rock basins in this region. Many of the low areas, including Upper Goose Lake, are filled by water seeping in through cracks in

551-464: The head of Grand Coulee and down through Foster Coulee to rejoin the Columbia River. As the glacier moved further south, Foster Coulee was cut off and the Columbia River then discharged through Moses Coulee , which runs southward slightly to the east of the ancient and current course of the Columbia. As the Okanogan lobe grew, it blocked Moses Coulee as well; the Columbia found the next lowest route through

580-593: The humble, impoverished, farming family that, in 1922, gave basic over-night hospitality to J Harlen Bretz and his three students who were mapping the area on foot. The Okanogan lobe of the Cordilleran Glacier moved down the Okanogan River valley and blocked the ancient route of the Columbia River , backing up water to create Lake Spokane . Initially water discharged from Lake Spokane by running up through

609-650: The main water gap in the Saddle Mountains, Sentinel Gap . The Missoula Floods discharged into Lake Spokane , through the Grand Coulee , greatly enlarging it, passed over Dry Falls and then ponded in and inundated the Quincy Basin , covering over 1500 km (585 mi) and creating the Ephrata Fan (a deposit of boulders, cobbles, and pebbles where the flood waters discharged into the basin). The discharge volume

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638-647: The overall theme "Lakes and ponds" included large deep lakes, large shallow lakes, lakes of complex shape, crater lakes , kettle lake and potholes, oxbow lakes , dune lakes, sphagnum-bog lakes, lakes fed by thermal streams, tundra lakes and ponds, swamps and marshy areas , sinkhole lakes, unusually productive lakes, and lakes of high productivity and high clarity. The NNL program does not require designated properties to be owned by public entities. Lands under almost all forms of ownership or administration have been designated—federal, state, local, municipal, and private. Federal lands with NNLs include those administered by

667-532: The property nor induce any encumbrances on the property. NNL status does not transfer with changes in ownership. Participation in the NNL Program involves a voluntary commitment on the part of the landowner(s) to retain the integrity of their NNL property as it was when designated. If "major" habitat or landscape destruction is planned, participation in the NNL Program by a landowner would be disingenuous and meaningless. The federal action of designation imposes no new land use restrictions that were not in effect before

696-534: The region which was eroded to become the modern Grand Coulee . Flowing across the current Grand Coulee & Dry Falls regions, the ice age Columbia then entered the Quincy Basin & joined Crab Creek, following Crab Creek’s course southward past the Frenchman Hills and turning west to run along the north face of the Saddle Mountains & rejoin the previous and modern course of the Columbia River just above

725-483: The remaining 18% are owned or administered by a mixture of public agencies and private owners. Participation in the NNL Program carries no requirements regarding public access. The NNL registry includes many sites of national significance that are open for public tours, but others are not. Since many NNLs are located on federal and state property, permission to visit is often unnecessary. Some private properties may be open to public visitation or just require permission from

754-420: The site manager. On the other hand, some NNL private landowners desire no visitors whatsoever and might even prosecute trespassers . The reasons for this viewpoint vary: potential property damage or liability , fragile or dangerous resources, and desire for solitude or no publicity. NNL designation is an agreement between the property owner and the federal government. NNL designation does not change ownership of

783-528: The site or area. Administration and preservation of National Natural Landmarks is solely the owner's responsibility. Either party may terminate the agreement after they notify the other. The NNL designation is made by the Secretary of the Interior after an in-depth scientific study of a potential site. All new designations must have owner concurrence. The selection process is rigorous: to be considered for NNL status,

812-551: The wetlands along Crab Creek to the views from an isolated butte, that allow the hiker to gain a sense of this unique landscape. The Drumheller Channels can also be seen from the paved State Route 262 which runs to the north of the area along the top of the Potholes Reservoir dam (which has inundated part of the scablands) and from the west side from the heights of the Frenchman Hills . The Drumheller Channels are named for

841-575: Was so great that water overflowed Lake Spokane in multiple places & also reached the Quincy Basin via the Telford-Crab Creek scablands and Lind Coulee (both entering the basin from the east). When floodwaters encountered the Frenchman Hills, their level was high enough that, although the bulk of the water passed through the Crab Creek drainage, some water spilled west over the low points of three divides along Evergreen and Babcock ridges to reach

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