Silvies, Oregon

Terrain transitions from Great Basin desert lowlands around the Silvies River Valley (approximately 4,200 ft elevation) up through rolling forest highlands to roughly 7,200 ft. The forested ranges are characterized by ODFW as mostly mountainous land that is not particularly steep, high, or rugged. The Silvies River drains the valley floor. The unit boundary runs from Burns west along US-20, north through Glass Buttes, east along the Twelvemile Creek and Grindstone Creek corridors to the Paulina-Suplee Road, south to the South Fork John Day River, and then back south along US-395 to Burns.

Primary highway access is via US Highway 20 (west from Burns toward Glass Buttes) and US Highway 395 (north from Burns), which form two sides of the unit boundary. State Road 27 (Silvies Valley Road) runs north through the heart of the unit toward Paulina. The Paulina-Suplee Road connects to the Ochoco National Forest interior. Within the Malheur National Forest (Emigrant Creek Ranger District, headquartered in Hines adjacent to Burns), Forest Road 37 and Forest Road 3750 are the main numbered corridors in the eastern portion of the unit; the forest provides more than 240 miles of trails. The Ochoco National Forest (Snow Mountain and Paulina Ranger Districts) covers the northwest quadrant; Motor Vehicle Use Maps produced from the 2011 Ochoco Travel Management Project designate the legal motorized road system. BLM Burns District lands cover the lower-elevation sagebrush-juniper portions and are generally accessible by dirt and gravel roads. No designated Wilderness areas fall within the unit boundary. Private land concentrations occur in the Silvies Valley bottomlands, around Burns, and in agricultural valleys; some private-land access is available through landowner permission or ODFW's Access and Habitat program. ODFW Hines office: 541-573-6582.

Lower elevations support sagebrush-steppe and bunchgrass grasslands, transitioning to western juniper woodlands at mid-elevations. Ponderosa pine forms open, parklike forests across drier slopes and benches. Higher and more mesic slopes carry mixed-conifer stands of Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, white fir, and western larch. Riparian corridors along the Silvies River and its tributaries hold cottonwood and willow. Isolated aspen pockets occur in moister drainages. The interior valley and basin floors contain some wetland and marsh habitat. The vegetation mosaic supports the unit's diverse big-game community.

Rocky Mountain elk are present unit-wide, with populations concentrated on Malheur and Ochoco National Forest lands. Elk numbers are stable but below management objective; bull ratios have declined in recent years, reducing hunter success. Mule deer occupy all elevations seasonally, wintering heavily on the sagebrush-juniper flats of the Silvies Valley — deer numbers during October hunting seasons are lower than winter survey counts suggest. Deer populations are below management objective across Harney County; buck-to-doe ratios are above objective. Pronghorn antelope inhabit the sagebrush flats and open basin lands, particularly in the western and southern portions of the unit. Black bear range throughout the ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer zones of the Malheur and Ochoco NF portions; bear harvest has been relatively stable. Mountain lion are present unit-wide as a year-round resident predator following deer and elk. Sage-grouse, raptors, and other non-game wildlife are present on the basin flats.