{"id":29756,"date":"2026-10-08T21:36:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T05:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/?page_id=29756"},"modified":"2026-10-08T22:16:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T06:16:57","slug":"climate-change-at-oregons-painted-hills-ancient-landscapes-and-living-communities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/anarchy\/climate-change-at-oregons-painted-hills-ancient-landscapes-and-living-communities","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change at Oregon\u2019s Painted Hills: Ancient Landscapes and Living Communities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a remote corner of eastern Oregon, striped hills of red, gold, and black preserve one of the world\u2019s great records of natural climate change \u2014 and a lesson for understanding the human-caused warming now reshaping the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

SECTION 01<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A National Monument, Not a National Park<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Painted Hills are one of three units of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in eastern Oregon, alongside Sheep Rock and Clarno. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
Home to the Thomas Condon Visitor Center and the Cant Ranch Museum, the Sheep Rock Unit also has many trails and scenic views.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The monument is not a national park: Congress authorized it in 1974, and after the State of Oregon transferred three predecessor state parks to the federal government, it was formally established on October 8, 1975.[1]<\/a>[2]<\/a><\/sup> The monument spans roughly 14,000 acres of the John Day River valley, and the Painted Hills Unit \u2014 3,129 acres about 9 miles northwest of the town of Mitchell \u2014 is the most visited of the three.[3]<\/a>[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
The Clarno Unit has the oldest exposed layers of the park, and the only unit with fossils along the trail. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

SECTION 02<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What the Colors Mean<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The hills are striped in red, tan, orange, black, and gold because they are exposed paleosols \u2014 fossilized ancient soils \u2014 interleaved with floodplain mudstones and lake sediments of the John Day Formation. The red layers are lateritic soils that formed under warm, humid conditions; the gray bands are mudstone and siltstone deposited on ancient floodplains; and the black layers are carbonized plant matter (lignite) that accumulated in swamps.[5]<\/a>[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unit also preserves the Bridge Creek Flora \u2014 a diverse assemblage of leaf fossils between 39 and 30 million years old \u2014 and a small outcrop of animal fossils from 30 to 27 million years ago.[3]<\/a><\/sup> Collecting fossils or any natural material is strictly prohibited, and the monument protects the paleosols because ongoing research depends on them.[7]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
four major fossil-bearing units deposited between 30 and 18 million years ago. From oldest to youngest, they include the Bridge Creek Flora, Turtle Cove, Kimberly, and the Haystack Valley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

SECTION 03<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ancient Climate Change \u2014 All Natural<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Painted Hills are, in effect, a climate archive. The wider John Day fossil record spans tens of millions of years of the \u201cAge of Mammals and Flowering Plants,\u201d from roughly 44 to 7 million years ago.[7]<\/a><\/sup> It begins in a very different Oregon: warm, wet, and subtropical, with paratropical forests, lakes, and swamps that resembled parts of today\u2019s southeastern United States or China.[6]<\/a><\/sup>[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The record preserves a long-term trend of cooling and drying, with a dramatic transition around 34 million years ago at the Eocene\u2013Oligocene boundary \u2014 the shift from Earth\u2019s \u201cgreenhouse\u201d state to its \u201cicehouse\u201d state. In the fossil soils, the change is visible and abrupt: red, deeply weathered tropical-type soils give way to the gray and tan soils of a cooler, drier, more seasonal climate.[9]<\/a><\/sup>[10]<\/a><\/sup> Cooling and drying continued in steps afterward: hardwood forests gave ground to grasses and, eventually, to the sagebrush steppe of today\u2019s semi-arid landscape.[6]<\/a><\/sup>[11]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists reconstruct these ancient climates from the fossil plants and from the chemistry, mineralogy, and degree of weathering in the paleosols, with datable volcanic ash layers pinning the sequence in time \u2014 not from the colors alone.[8]<\/a><\/sup>[10]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of this involved people. The leading explanation for the Eocene\u2013Oligocene transition is a gradual decline in atmospheric carbon dioxide \u2014 from roughly 1,000\u2013800 ppm down to 700\u2013600 ppm \u2014 which allowed a continental-scale Antarctic ice sheet to grow.[12]<\/a><\/sup> Research on Antarctic ice-sheet history finds the large, stable ice sheet took hold as CO\u2082 fell below about 600 ppm.[13]<\/a><\/sup> Contributing factors included changes to ocean gateways \u2014 including the opening Drake Passage and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current \u2014 and orbital variability that paced the ice growth.[14]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SECTION 04<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And the Human-Caused Part<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The warming happening now is a separate event \u2014 and it is human-caused. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change\u2019s Sixth Assessment concludes it is \u201cunequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land,\u201d that greenhouse gas increases since 1750 are \u201cunequivocally caused by human activities,\u201d and that the best estimate of human-caused warming in 2010\u20132019, relative to 1850\u20131900, is about 1.07 \u00b0C.[15]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Park Service applies this directly to John Day Fossil Beds. The park\u2019s climate action plan identifies greenhouse gas buildup as the leading cause of current warming, warns that rising temperatures and shifting precipitation may alter the monument\u2019s vegetation, habitats, and visitor experience, and draws the crucial distinction in pace: the climate changes recorded in the fossil beds typically unfolded over many thousands of years, while current change is far more rapid \u2014 potentially giving species too little time to adapt or migrate.[16]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fossil record of the John Day country shows three responses to climate change: species adapted, migrated, or went extinct. The third is permanent.[16]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is the deepest insight the Painted Hills offer a visitor: a record of past ecosystem responses to natural climate change, against which the speed of today\u2019s human-driven change stands out sharply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SECTION 05<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Hills Through Six Eyes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

THE HISTORIAN<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The region\u2019s fossil record was recognized in the 1860s by Thomas Condon, a frontier minister and self-taught geologist whose discoveries drew expeditions from Yale, Princeton, and the Smithsonian; Oregon began buying land for state parks here in 1931, and the monument campaign followed in the 1960s and \u201970s.[2]<\/a><\/sup>[17]<\/a><\/sup>The Cant Ranch Museum at the Sheep Rock Unit, about an hour away, covers the homestead and ranching era.[3]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE ARCHITECT<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The hills are a study in natural layering, color, and horizontal rhythm \u2014 an inspiration source for earth-toned palettes and landform-conscious design. The Painted Cove Trail\u2019s boardwalk, built to protect fragile soils, is a restrained example of landscape architecture deferring to its site.[18]<\/a><\/sup> (A creative observation, not a documented architectural tradition.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE SCIENTIST<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The wider John Day region holds one of the longest, most continuous terrestrial records of ecosystem and climate change anywhere, and the monument remains an active research site with its own paleontology center.[4]<\/a><\/sup>[19]<\/a><\/sup>Evidence from these soils and fossils documents the shift from wet subtropical conditions to cooler, drier climates after about 33 million years ago.[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE HIKER<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Five short trails, each with its own parking area:[20]<\/a><\/sup>TRAILDISTANCENOTESPainted Cove<\/a>0.25 mi loopCrimson and gold hills; boardwalk at the trailhead is wheelchair accessible, the loop beyond includes five stepsPainted Hills Overlook<\/a>0.5 mi round tripLevel old road; classic panorama, best light late afternoonLeaf Hill<\/a>0.25 mi loopLoop around an extensively excavated fossil-leaf hillRed Scar Knoll<\/a>0.25 mi trailStriking half-red, half-tan claystone hillCarroll Rim<\/a>1.6 mi round trip400-ft climb to the best full panorama<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE MUSICIAN<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For a musician, the striped bands can read like a visual score, and the quiet, wind-swept basin is a natural place to compose or record \u2014 a creative suggestion the landscape invites. The park has hosted sunset and night-sky programs at the hills.[21]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE CHILD<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Painted Cove boardwalk through candy-colored hills, spring wildflowers growing in the hill ripples, and a shaded picnic area make it kid-friendly.[3]<\/a><\/sup>[22]<\/a><\/sup>For fossils in display cases, the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center at the Sheep Rock Unit is about a 45-mile drive.[23]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SECTION 06<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Man Behind the Name<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

John Day (about 1770\u20131820) was an American hunter and fur trapper, born in Virginia, who joined John Jacob Astor\u2019s Pacific Fur Company expedition and reached Oregon in 1812.[24]<\/a><\/sup>In April 1812, near the mouth of a Columbia tributary, he and Ramsay Crooks were robbed of their rifles, equipment, and clothing by Native people \u2014 retaliation for a murder committed by another company employee. The men survived, and fur-company employees began calling the nearby stream the John Day River.[25]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the river\u2019s name came the monument, the John Day Formation that produces the Painted Hills\u2019 colors, the John Day Dam, and the towns of John Day and Dayville.[24]<\/a><\/sup> The man himself never found a fossil here, or even visited the area.[26]<\/a><\/sup> He died on February 16, 1820, at a winter camp during a fur-trapping expedition into the Snake Country, and was buried there \u2014 recent research suggests somewhere below Fallert Springs in present-day Idaho, though the exact site remains uncertain.[24]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SECTION 07<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The First Peoples and Living Communities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The monument sits within the Columbia Plateau culture area, where people spoke Sahaptin languages. The John Day River watershed was held mostly by the Tenino, or Warm Springs peoples \u2014 including a distinct \u201cJohn Day band\u201d whose seasonal round of river fishing, hunting, and root and berry gathering is described in the park\u2019s historic studies.[27]<\/a><\/sup> The Painted Hills and Clarno units appear to fall within the Tenino culture area, while Northern Paiute people from the Great Basin occupied the Sheep Rock area in the early historic period; territories overlapped.[28]<\/a><\/sup> To the east lived the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla peoples.[29]<\/a><\/sup> The tribal identity of the group involved in the 1812 encounter was never recorded.[26]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the 1855 treaties, the tribes ceded the John Day country, and most of the Sahaptin-speaking people of the watershed likely relocated to the Warm Springs Reservation.[29]<\/a><\/sup> Today two federally recognized nations carry these identities forward: the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs<\/strong> (Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute) on a 644,000-acre reservation,[30]<\/a><\/sup>and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation<\/strong> (Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla) near Pendleton.[31]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two tribal destinations pair a world-class museum with a casino. On US-26 at Warm Springs, the Museum at Warm Springs<\/a> holds one of the largest and most complete collections of Plateau Native American artifacts in the country,[32]<\/a><\/sup> and across the highway the tribe\u2019s Indian Head Casino<\/a> was designed to resemble the historic fishing scaffolds at Celilo Falls.[33]<\/a><\/sup> Near Pendleton off Interstate 84, the Tam\u00e1stslikt Cultural Institute<\/a> tells the story of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla in three acts \u2014 \u201cWe Were,\u201d \u201cWe Are,\u201d \u201cWe Will Be\u201d \u2014 on the grounds of the tribe\u2019s Wildhorse Resort & Casino<\/a>.[34]<\/a><\/sup> They lie in opposite directions from the Painted Hills \u2014 Warm Springs to the west, Pendleton to the northeast \u2014 so choose one along your route, and confirm hours and admission on each museum\u2019s site before visiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SECTION 08<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting There<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The unit is about 9\u201310 miles northwest of Mitchell, Oregon (address: 37375 Bear Creek Road). From Highway 26, turn north on Burnt Ranch Road three miles west of Mitchell, drive six miles, then turn left onto Bear Creek Road into the monument.[23]<\/a><\/sup> Roads inside the unit are dirt and gravel, one way in and out, and large RVs are not recommended past the Overlook.[35]<\/a><\/sup> The three monument units are an hour or more apart by winding roads; Sheep Rock to Painted Hills is 45 miles.[23]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no entrance fee or pass required,[36]<\/a><\/sup> no visitor center at this unit,[23]<\/a><\/sup> and no cell service (wifi is available only at the picnic area). Stay on trails \u2014 walking on the hills and collecting fossils or rocks are strictly prohibited.[7]<\/a><\/sup> The colors are most vivid in late-afternoon light, and seasons change the palette dramatically, from spring wildflowers to winter snow stripes.[3]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Footnotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. National Park Service, \u201cFossils of the 2025 National Fossil Day Artwork\u201d<\/a> \u2014 establishment on October 8, 1975 and 13,944-acre extent. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Wikipedia, \u201cJohn Day Fossil Beds National Monument\u201d<\/a> \u2014 1974 authorization and state-park land transfers. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. National Park Service, \u201cPainted Hills Unit\u201d<\/a> \u2014 unit description, Bridge Creek Flora, seasonal colors. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. National Park Service, \u201cFoundation Document Overview\u201d<\/a> \u2014 14,000 acres, Painted Hills Unit size and paleosols. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. U.S. Geological Survey, \u201cPainted Hills Overlook Trail\u201d<\/a> \u2014 paleosol layer colors and origins. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. National Park Service, \u201cJohn Day Strata\u201d<\/a> \u2014 cooling and drying trend, ancient environments. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. National Park Service, \u201cBasic Information\u201d<\/a> \u2014 regulations, services, fossil record timespan. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Oregon Secretary of State, \u201cJohn Day Fossil Beds National Monument\u201d<\/a> \u2014 climate history of the formations. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. National Park Service, \u201cGeology and Paleoenvironments of the Clarno Unit, Chapter 2\u201d<\/a> \u2014 abrupt Eocene\u2013Oligocene paleosol change. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Bestland & Retallack, NPS geology study<\/a> \u2014 hothouse-to-icehouse transition and paleosol evidence. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. National Park Service, \u201cUpper John Day Assemblage\u201d<\/a> \u2014 spread of grasslands and sagebrush steppe. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. PNAS, \u201cThe enigma of Oligocene climate and global surface temperature evolution\u201d<\/a> \u2014 CO\u2082 decline across the transition. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  13. Science, \u201cAntarctic Ice Sheet variability across the Eocene-Oligocene boundary\u201d<\/a> \u2014 ice-sheet growth and CO\u2082 levels. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  14. Wikipedia, \u201cEocene\u2013Oligocene extinction event\u201d<\/a> \u2014 ocean gateway and orbital factors. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  15. IPCC, \u201cAR6 WGI Summary for Policymakers\u201d<\/a> \u2014 human attribution of current warming. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  16. National Park Service, \u201cJohn Day Fossil Beds Climate Friendly Parks Action Plan\u201d<\/a> \u2014 climate risks to the monument and past species responses. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  17. National Park Service, \u201cHistoric Resources Study, Chapter 7\u201d<\/a> \u2014 state park acquisitions and monument campaign. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  18. National Park Service, \u201cPainted Cove Trail\u201d<\/a> \u2014 boardwalk accessibility details. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  19. National Park Service, \u201cJohn Day Fossil Beds National Monument\u201d<\/a> \u2014 active paleontology research center. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  20. National Park Service, \u201cPainted Hills Unit Trails\u201d<\/a> \u2014 official trail list and distances. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  21. National Park Service, \u201cHot Spot Event with Leave No Trace at Painted Hills\u201d<\/a> \u2014 sunset and night-sky programs. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  22. National Park Service, \u201cAudio Description, Page 3\u201d<\/a> \u2014 unit amenities and trail descriptions. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  23. National Park Service, \u201cDirections & Transportation\u201d<\/a> \u2014 driving directions, no visitor center at the unit, and unit distances. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  24. Oregon Encyclopedia, \u201cJohn Day (1770?\u20131820)\u201d<\/a> \u2014 biography and place-names. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  25. Oregon Encyclopedia, \u201cJohn Day River (north-central Oregon)\u201d<\/a> \u2014 the 1812 naming incident. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  26. National Park Service, \u201cFrequently Asked Questions\u201d<\/a> \u2014 John Day never visited; 1812 attackers unidentified. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  27. National Park Service, \u201cHistoric Resources Study, Chapter 1\u201d<\/a> \u2014 the John Day band\u2019s seasonal round. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  28. National Park Service, \u201cAdministrative History, Chapter 1\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Tenino and Northern Paiute connections. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  29. National Park Service, \u201cHistoric Resources Study, Chapter 4\u201d<\/a> \u2014 1855 treaties and reservation relocation. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  30. Travel Oregon, \u201cConfederated Tribes of Warm Springs\u201d<\/a> \u2014 reservation and member tribes. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  31. Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, \u201cBomb Threat Closes Tam\u00e1stslikt Cultural Institute\u201d<\/a> \u2014 CTUIR composition and governance. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  32. Visit Central Oregon, \u201cWarm Springs, Oregon\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Museum at Warm Springs collections. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  33. Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, \u201cIndian Head Casino\u201d<\/a> \u2014 ownership and Celilo Falls design. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  34. Travel Oregon, \u201cTam\u00e1stslikt Cultural Institute\u201d<\/a> \u2014 exhibits and tribal perspective. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  35. National Park Service, \u201cAlerts & Conditions\u201d<\/a> \u2014 road and RV advisories. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  36. National Park Service, \u201cPlan Your Visit\u201d<\/a> \u2014 no entrance pass required. ↩<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In a remote corner of eastern Oregon, striped hills of red, gold, and black preserve one of the world\u2019s great records of natural climate change \u2014 and a lesson for understanding the human-caused warming now reshaping the planet. SECTION 01 A National Monument, Not a National Park The Painted Hills are one of three units…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29760,"parent":27324,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-29756","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P4nQeu-7JW","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29756"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29764,"href":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29756\/revisions\/29764"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eskimo.com\/~mighetto\/murrelet\/Wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}