Waldo Lake a Sacred Place

1. 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!

2. 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.�

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

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

7. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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

11. NASA Ariel Burn Photo

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.