Waldo Lake a Sacred Place

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Waldo Lake a Sacred Place

• Waldo Lake is one of the purest lakes in the
  world.
• On a clear day, visibility reaches as far as 100
  feet!

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Waldo Lake The Basics

• Waldo Lake is the second largest lake in the
  Oregon Cascades. 
• At an elevation of 5414 feet, Waldo forms the
  headwaters of the wild and scenic North Fork of
  the Middle Fork of the Willamette River. 

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Waldo Lake The Basics

• Where is it?
• One hour from Eugene
• The water chemistry of the lake has been compared
  to that of distilled water

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Waldo Lake History

• Archaeological sites containing scatters of
  ancient stone tools and artifacts indicate that
  Native Americans inhabited the area thousands of
  years before white settlers arrived.

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Waldo Lake History

• It is thought that Waldo Lake was discovered by
  Charlie Tufti, a Molala Indian
• Waldo Lake was later renamed for Judge John
  Breckenridge Waldo.

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Waldo Lake History

• Judge Waldo helped map The Cascade Range Forest
  Reserve, established by President Grover
  Cleveland on September 28, 1893.

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Can We Drain the Lake?

• The Klovdahl Dam headgate and tunnel structure
  was built in approximately 1914 the structure
  was built to provide power and irrigation.
  However, it was never used, and has had to be
  repaired for leaks four times. If the tunnel were
  to open, it could lower the level of Waldo Lake
  over 25 feet.

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Waldo Lake Access

• Construction of the 12 mile Waldo access road
  from Highway 58 began in 1964
• There are three campground with 205 developed
  sites.

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Waldo Lake Burn

• In 1996, the Charlton Fire burned 10,400 acres
  north and northeast of Waldo Lake. Most of the
  area is in designated wilderness

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NASA Ariel Burn Photo
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Why is the water so clear?

• High water transparency is due to a low amount of
  suspended particles and free floating microscopic
  plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton).
  As sunlight penetrates the water, there is a less
  light with increasing depth due to scattering and
  absorption. This effect varies for different
  wavelengths of light. Since red and green
  wavelengths are more readily absorbed, scattering
  of light occurs primarily in the blue portion of
  the spectrum resulting in the distinctive cobalt
  blue color.

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How to measure clarity

• Secchi disk measurements are a common method of
  measuring the clarity of lakes. This measurement
  is made by lowering a black and white disk into
  the water and recording the depth below the
  surface when the disk can no longer be seen.
  Secchi disk measurements in Waldo Lake have
  frequently measured in the 66 to 100 feet range

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How has this Sacred Place been managed?

• Even though Waldo Lake remains one of the purest
  lakes in the world, degradation threatens its
  outstanding water quality.  The concentration of
  nutrients before human activity were at
  phenomenally low levels.  For the last several
  years, scientists have sounded the alarm that the
  lake is rapidly changing.

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Decreasing clarity

• campground facilities and toilets, motorboats,
  horses, fire retardant, and heavy recreational
  use around the lake, have contributed to an
  increase in the amount of pollutants in Waldo
  Lake.

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The Big Questions?

• How do we manage the area in a way that preserves
  its status a sacred place?
• How do we balance the interest of different
  groups of people.