endorheic basin

The Harney Basin is an endorheic basin in southeastern Oregon in the United States at the northwestern corner of the Great Basin.

an arid and flat stretch of land that has no natural outlet to the sea

The Harney Basin, a part of the larger Great Basin region of the western United States, is an arid and flat stretch of land that has no natural outlet to the sea.

an example of arid climate in the Pacific Northwest

The Harney Basin of Oregon is an example of arid climate in the Pacific Northwest.

largest of many depressions

The Harney Basin was the largest of many depressions in which lakes formed in southeastern Oregon during the late Pleistocene.

a closed river basin in southeastern Oregon

The Harney Basin is a closed river basin in southeastern Oregon.

a large valley formed by an ancient lake

The Harney Basin, a large valley formed by an ancient lake, lies at the heart of Harney County.

a massive bathtub, a miles-wide receptacle surrounded by snow-crowned mountains in which all waterways lead to a series of lakes that rise and fall with the weather

The Harney Basin is a massive bathtub, a miles-wide receptacle surrounded by snow-crowned mountains in which all waterways lead to a series of lakes that rise and fall with the weather.

alluvial basin containing numerous lakes

Harney County is an alluvial basin containing numerous lakes, remnants of a single lake that covered the valley floor up to deep during the Pleistocene epoch.

a mosaic of productive ranchlands and wetland habitats

Southeast Oregon's vast Harney Basin is a mosaic of productive ranchlands and wetland habitats, with Malheur National Wildlife Refuge at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge's center.

a sparsely populated, semi-arid region in southeast Oregon where groundwater pumpage has increased since the 1990s, resulting in declines in groundwater levels during the past two decades

The Harney Basin is a sparsely populated, semi-arid region in southeast Oregon where groundwater pumpage has increased since the 1990s, resulting in declines in groundwater levels during the past two decades.

one of the three most important areas left in the western United States for spring migratory birds stopping on their way north

Harney Basin is one of the three most important areas left in the western United States for spring migratory birds stopping on their way north.

the largest of these Oregon desert basins

The Harney Basin, in which lie Malheur and Harney lakes, is the largest of these Oregon desert basins and contains the most diverse and greatest amount of redband trout habitat.

wetlands

Increasingly recognized as one of the most important places on the continent for migratory birds, the Harney Basin is the northern anchor of a string of wetlands that extends across the Southern Oregon/Northeast California (SONEC) region.

the heart of the Burns Paiute tribal homeland, where archaeological evidence points to a tribal history spanning more than 750 generations

The Harney Basin in Eastern Oregon is the heart of the Burns Paiute tribal homeland, where archaeological evidence points to a tribal history spanning more than 750 generations.

containing numerous lakes, remnants of a single great lake that covered the valley floor up to deep during the Pleistocene epoch

Harney County is an alluvial basin containing numerous lakes, remnants of a single great lake that covered the valley floor up to deep during the Pleistocene epoch.

one of four pilot place-based planning areas that receive state funding and have state-imposed sideboards to develop locally tailored plans to manage their water resources through collaborative planning processes

The Harney Basin is one of four pilot place-based planning areas that receive state funding and have state-imposed sideboards to develop locally tailored plans to manage their water resources through collaborative planning processes.

to the west of the Portland metropolitan area

The basin is in northwestern Oregon to the west of the Portland metropolitan area (fig. 1).

largest wetland

The Basin is the largest wetland in the United States.

This area of approximately 5,000 km2

This area of approximately 5,000 km2 comprises most of the southern half of Harney County, Oregon.