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Murderers Creek area is a beautiful place with wild flowers, open pine forests, meadows, willows and grassy banks of creeks.

There is a restoration project (OWEB?) along Deer Creek to correct cattle damage on old ranch land adjacent to the Murderers Creek region.  I've seen the stark difference between the vegetation in fenced areas and bare muddy unfenced areas along the creek.
 
Considering that elk and deer are wild and in their natural habitat – (my assumption) – human integrity and respect for natural habitats could not state that the elk and deer are causing too much damage and must leave the area.  So the equation for cattle carrying capacity in Murderers Creek region must include the presence of elk and deer, i.e. the elk and deer get first dibs.
 
What about the wild horses?  Or are they ‘feral’?  Are they now an integral part of the natural habitat?  Feral pigs, not ‘wild', cause greater damage.  They have been seen in north east/central Oregon.  If they move south, they trump the cow vs. horse debate.  (By chance, topic of tonight’s Oregon Field Guide.)
 
What are the natural population controls for horse, elk, deer: disease, food, wolves, other?
 
The human legacy of the region is complex: horses, cows, sheep, Nez Pierce, European settlers.  The Oregonian told the story behind ‘Murderers Creek’, there is another story in the creek name that runs past Deer Creek Guard Station.

posted 4 years, 3 months ago
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