Product Description
Zumwalt Prairie Preserve Canvas Prints
Zumwalt Prairie Preserve Canvas Prints
Zumwalt Prairie is a grassland area located in Wallowa County in northeast Oregon, United States. Measuring 330,000 acres, much of the land is used for agriculture, with some portions protected as the Zumwalt Prairie Preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy. Part of that portion is designated as a National Natural Landmark. The high altitude prairie is along the west edge of Hells Canyon on the Oregon-Idaho border. The Zumwalt Prairie grassland is situated on a basalt plateau which varies in elevation from 3,500 to 5,500 feet and is dominated by several native bunchgrasses, including Idaho Fescue, Bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg's Bluegrass and many species of wildflowers. The Zumwalt Prairie is a piece of a once extensive temperate grassland system west of the Rocky Mountains which extended into Canada. The Zumwalt Prairie grassland system remains largely intact unlike most other prairies in North America. This fact can be attributed to its high elevation, harsh climate, and poor soils which made agriculture difficult. Because most of the Zumwalt Prairie escaped the plow, much of the important habitat remains for the plants and animals. The Chief Joseph band of the Nez Perce were the original human inhabitants of the Zumwalt Prairie who used the area for hunting and gathering in the spring and fall.
