The Potholes Reservoir is part of the Columbia Basin Project and formed by
O'Sullivan Dam. Potholes refers to the many glacial depressions in ancient
sand dunes here. These potholes and small islands make this area one of the
best in Washington for birding. The best birding is from March through
October: Sandhill cranes and waterfowl in late February, raptors in April,
Sage Thrasher, Lark Sparrow, Burrowing and Long-eared Owls and shorebirds in
May. With the August reservoir drawdown, the exposed mudflats attract
shorebirds such as a variety of sandpipers, stilts, plovers and curlews.Area
is open year-round. Additional wildlife information can be found here.
Potholes State Park is also located on the reservoir and is administered by
Washington State Parks. Reservations are available by calling (888) CAMPOUT or
(888) 226-7688, or by clicking here. Access to the reservoir is adequate
except west side is limited. Fish species include yellow perch, crappie,
largemouth bass, rainbow trout, and walleye. Fishing is year-round.

The Potholes Reservoir is part of the <a href="http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Project.jsp?proj_Name=Columbia%20Basin%20Project" rel="nofollow">Columbia Basin Project</a> and formed by <a href="http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Facility.jsp?fac_Name=O%60Sullivan+Dam" rel="nofollow">O'Sullivan Dam</a>. Potholes refers to the many glacial depressions in ancient sand dunes here. These potholes and small islands make this area one of the best in Washington for birding. The best birding is from March through October: Sandhill cranes and waterfowl in late February, raptors in April, Sage Thrasher, Lark Sparrow, Burrowing and Long-eared Owls and shorebirds in May. With the August reservoir drawdown, the exposed mudflats attract shorebirds such as a variety of sandpipers, stilts, plovers and curlews.Area is open year-round. Additional wildlife information can be found <a href="http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildlife_areas/columbia_basin/unit.php?searchby=unit&search=Potholes%20Reservoir" rel="nofollow">here.</a> Potholes State Park is also located on the reservoir and is administered by Washington State Parks. Reservations are available by calling (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688, or by clicking <a href="https://secure.camis.com/WA/PotholesStatePark" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Access to the reservoir is adequate except west side is limited. Fish species include yellow perch, crappie, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, and walleye. Fishing is year-round.

Bird's eye view of the park

Potholes Reservoir

It's quiet and peaceful. In winter, nearly silent. In summer, listen for
insect music. The sky is big, the space vast. It invites you to explore. Bring
along your curiosity.

Surprising to most people outside the Northwest, the landscape of eastern
Washington is that of a desert. In its natural state, almost all of Columbia
National Wildlife Refuge would be considered desert, with the exception of the
naturally ephemeral Crab Creek. However, rather than a desert of cacti and
mesquite, eastern Washington's desert is that of shrub-steppe, with sagebrush
and bunchgrasses.

Like most of eastern Washington, much of the refuge is no longer in its
natural state. The construction of the Columbia Basin Project forever altered
the landscape, bringing water to the desert. Seepage from irrigation
structures and reservoirs created wetlands, riparian areas and small lakes on
the once-dry landscape. The seasonal Crab Creek has become perennial, even
providing habitat for endangered salmonids.

The creation of lakes and wetlands would not have happened without the
geologic upheavals of ages past. During the last Ice Age, sheets of ice
spreading down from Canada blocked rivers with dams of ice. Occasionally—or
perhaps hundreds of times—the dams failed, sending floodwaters greater than
the flow of all the world's rivers combined tearing across eastern
Washington's lava fields, gouging coulees, redistributing boulders, depositing
massive sand and gravel bars, scraping the land bare in some areas and leaving
behind rich soils elsewhere. Nowhere are these depressions and geologic nooks
more prevalent than on the refuge. In turn, this torn-up land—the Drumheller
Channeled Scablands, National Natural Landmark—formed just the right
topography to capture the new hydrology of the Columbia Basin Project,
creating wetlands in the desert.

Water in the desert means an abundance of life. In its original state, the
land supported coyotes, rattlesnakes, mule deer, horned larks, sage sparrows
and other creatures of the shrub-steppe, although densities were limited.
Water has changed all this, however. Many of the naturally occurring species
can be found at higher densities (e.g., mule deer). Other species are
newcomers, totally dependent on the artificial water; black-necked stilts and
American avocets are some of the flashier ones. Still more species that may
have made an occasional appearance can now be found in great numbers—Canada
geese, northern pintails, and the refuge's most famous visitors, lesser
Sandhill cranes. It was because of this newly created wildlife oasis, and the
need to provide suitable mitigation for the Columbia Basin Project, that the
refuge was created in 1944 "for migratory birds and other wildlife."

Another thing that water brings is recreational use. Without water, there
wouldn't be any fishing,waterfowl hunting, or boating. It's likely that there
would be less hiking, biking, horseback riding, or sightseeing; visitors are
drawn to water and the vegetation and wildlife it fosters. Water brings the
Sandhill cranes, the migrating songbirds and the waterfowl that people come to
see, learn about and find for their "life-lists." It provides the serenity and
the visual contrasts that draw the eye, and then the feet, of visitors.
Without water, recreation and visitor use would be dramatically less on
Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.

The Columbia Basin Project did more than create the need for, and provide
water to, the refuge. It also created irrigated farmland, which secondarily
provided a food source for many of the refuge's species. For example, the
great concentration of Sandhill cranes found on the refuge in the spring is a
recent event, beginning in earnest in the late 1980s. Before then, the cranes
likely passed through the area on their way to breeding grounds in south-
central Alaska without more than a brief stop. Now, leftover grain in farmers'
fields has become an important food source for migrating cranes, concentrating
them by the thousands for several weeks in late winter and early spring. Other
wildlife, most notably migrating waterfowl, mule deer and numerous rodent
species, also take advantage of the harvest. While much of the habitat found
on the refuge (most of the lakes, wetlands, springs and perennial streams) is
the result of an artificial infusion of water, it is important to note that
the habitats themselves are not artificial. Natural wetlands and shallow lakes
can be found within the Columbia Basin, and those on the refuge function the
same way as naturally occurring ones found elsewhere within the area. So,
while many of the habitat types on the refuge would naturally be found in far
smaller acreages, if at all without seepage water from the Columbia Basin
Project, the only non-natural habitat types present are farm fields and moist
soil management areas.

It's quiet and peaceful. In winter, nearly silent. In summer, listen for insect music. The sky is big, the space vast. It invites you to explore. Bring along your curiosity.Surprising to most people outside the Northwest, the landscape of eastern Washington is that of a desert. In its natural state, almost all of Columbia National Wildlife Refuge would be considered desert, with the exception of the naturally ephemeral Crab Creek. However, rather than a desert of cacti and mesquite, eastern Washington's desert is that of shrub-steppe, with sagebrush and bunchgrasses.Like most of eastern Washington, much of the refuge is no longer in its natural state. The construction of the Columbia Basin Project forever altered the landscape, bringing water to the desert. Seepage from irrigation structures and reservoirs created wetlands, riparian areas and small lakes on the once-dry landscape. The seasonal Crab Creek has become perennial, even providing habitat for endangered salmonids.The creation of lakes and wetlands would not have happened without the geologic upheavals of ages past. During the last Ice Age, sheets of ice spreading down from Canada blocked rivers with dams of ice. Occasionally—or perhaps hundreds of times—the dams failed, sending floodwaters greater than the flow of all the world's rivers combined tearing across eastern Washington's lava fields, gouging coulees, redistributing boulders, depositing massive sand and gravel bars, scraping the land bare in some areas and leaving behind rich soils elsewhere. Nowhere are these depressions and geologic nooks more prevalent than on the refuge. In turn, this torn-up land—the Drumheller Channeled Scablands, National Natural Landmark—formed just the right topography to capture the new hydrology of the Columbia Basin Project, creating wetlands in the desert.Water in the desert means an abundance of life. In its original state, the land supported coyotes, rattlesnakes, mule deer, horned larks, sage sparrows and other creatures of the shrub-steppe, although densities were limited. Water has changed all this, however. Many of the naturally occurring species can be found at higher densities (e.g., mule deer). Other species are newcomers, totally dependent on the artificial water; black-necked stilts and American avocets are some of the flashier ones. Still more species that may have made an occasional appearance can now be found in great numbers—Canada geese, northern pintails, and the refuge's most famous visitors, lesser Sandhill cranes. It was because of this newly created wildlife oasis, and the need to provide suitable mitigation for the Columbia Basin Project, that the refuge was created in 1944 "for migratory birds and other wildlife."Another thing that water brings is recreational use. Without water, there wouldn't be any fishing,waterfowl hunting, or boating. It's likely that there would be less hiking, biking, horseback riding, or sightseeing; visitors are drawn to water and the vegetation and wildlife it fosters. Water brings the Sandhill cranes, the migrating songbirds and the waterfowl that people come to see, learn about and find for their "life-lists." It provides the serenity and the visual contrasts that draw the eye, and then the feet, of visitors. Without water, recreation and visitor use would be dramatically less on Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.The Columbia Basin Project did more than create the need for, and provide water to, the refuge. It also created irrigated farmland, which secondarily provided a food source for many of the refuge's species. For example, the great concentration of Sandhill cranes found on the refuge in the spring is a recent event, beginning in earnest in the late 1980s. Before then, the cranes likely passed through the area on their way to breeding grounds in south-central Alaska without more than a brief stop. Now, leftover grain in farmers' fields has become an important food source for migrating cranes, concentrating them by the thousands for several weeks in late winter and early spring. Other wildlife, most notably migrating waterfowl, mule deer and numerous rodent species, also take advantage of the harvest. While much of the habitat found on the refuge (most of the lakes, wetlands, springs and perennial streams) is the result of an artificial infusion of water, it is important to note that the habitats themselves are not artificial. Natural wetlands and shallow lakes can be found within the Columbia Basin, and those on the refuge function the same way as naturally occurring ones found elsewhere within the area. So, while many of the habitat types on the refuge would naturally be found in far smaller acreages, if at all without seepage water from the Columbia Basin Project, the only non-natural habitat types present are farm fields and moist soil management areas.

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge

This area includes Winchester Reservoir, Winchester Wasteway, Frenchman Hills
Wasteway, and numerous small ponds and marshes. Fishing is year-round for
yellow perch, crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and rainbow trout.
Access is limited in some areas. Boat motors are prohibited seasonally on
Winchester Wasteway. Some sites have restrooms and boat ramps.

This area includes Winchester Reservoir, Winchester Wasteway, Frenchman Hills Wasteway, and numerous small ponds and marshes.  Fishing is year-round for yellow perch, crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and rainbow trout.  Access is limited in some areas.  Boat motors are prohibited seasonally on Winchester Wasteway.  Some sites have restrooms and boat ramps.

Potholes Reservoir

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Columbia National Wildlife Refuge

Desert Wildlife Rec. Area