1989
January 3 1989 A six-member research team flies by helicopter to spend five days studying the winter water quality of the Lake.
February 10 1989 Canteen Corporation of Oregon changes its name to the Estey Corporation, though the local name of the business remains, Crater Lake Lodge, Inc.
February 24 1989 A federal appeals panel rejects a challenge by environmentalists against exploratory drilling for geothermal energy near Crater Lake. The Interior Board decided that the BLM had prepared an adequate environmental analysis allowing California Energy to drill two test holes on the Park’s east boundary.
May 23 1989 A federal judge stops logging on a 1,000-acre tract in near the Park boundary in Winema National Forest in the Prophecy burn.
May 26 1989 The MT reports that the Park Service has decided to close the Lodge. Superintendent Benton claimed, “The dead weight of the building would cause the Great Hall to collapse. The decision was made purely on the basis of public safety.” The 1989 fiscal budget appropriates $1.76 for Lodge planning. The Lodge’s closure speeds along plans and money appropriation and design work for the building’s reconstruction. Public support for a rehabilitated Lodge continues to drive Congressional backing for the entire redevelopment package.
Based on this report, Regional Director Charles Odegaard orders the Lodge closed until the Park Service decides what to do with the building.
1988 – 1989 Snowfall: 588 inches, 49 feet.
August 12 1989 14th running of the Crater Lake Marathon
6.7 miles Bob Reed of Portland, Oregon 34:58
Jane Cleavenger, 31, of Bend, Oregon 39:46 (failed to run through “chute” at Cleetwood and was docked 16 seconds. Her time would have been a new women’s record.)
13 miles Matt Pinder, 31, of Ashland, Oregon 1:17:48
Angie Stevenson, 26, of Bend, Oregon 1:30:00 (new record)
26 miles John Coffey of Portland, Oregon 2:52:46
Hilary Simmons, 19, of Roseburg, Oregon 3:19:10
August 11 1989 A mysterious aqua-blue pool of a strange liquid is discovered at the bottom of Crater Lake. The pool measures about 2 meters wide by 8 feet long. It is near the lush white and orange bacterial mats found last summer. There is a yellow rim surrounding the pool. The temperature of the pool was about 40.1 degrees F (4.5 C), one degree warmer than the surrounding Lake water. A new mite, called the Crater Lake mite was discovered the previous week. The mite is a new species that eats algae. Algae lives in the Lake up to 450 beneath the surface. Below 150 feet the Lake temperature only changes half a degree.
August 24 1989 Deep Rover measures water temperatures of 17.7 degrees C while probing bacterial mats at the bottom of the Crater Lake. That temperature is 14.2 degrees C higher than the surrounding Lake water. The new temperature reading is also higher than summertime surface temperatures.
Summer Conclusion of Lake Exploration with Deep Rover: The Blue pools (Llao’s Bathtubs) are 10 times more saline then the surrounding Lake water. Blue pools within a blue lake. The temperature variation ranges from 38 degrees to 68 degrees inside the bacteria mats, which are 3 – 4 inches deep and of unknown origin.
The Hydrothermal inflow is estimated at 200 – 300 liters per second. Heat input, measured at 15 – 20 mega watts, is spread out immediately over a large area. Thermoclines create a lake water turnover every 1 – 4 years.
30-foot chimney-like spires found extending upward from the bottom of the Lake, near the sides. Most likely fossilized remains of extinct hot springs. On the Crater wall is a 300-foot wide band of moss beginning 100 feet below the surface, completely encircling the caldera. Some mosses discovered are found only in Crater Lake.
Only 2% of the caldera floor and walls were visually explored.
Midge fly worms (larva) were found crawling in the light gray pumice sediment on the Lake floor, leaving behind a crawl trail behind. During the summer the larva change to the pupa stage, float 2,000 feet up to the surface, where they become midge flies. Living only two or three days, the midges lay eggs on the Lake surface and die. The eggs sink to the bottom of the Lake, where they hatch and begin the cycle all over again.
Final Conclusions of Deep Rover’s Lake Survey: As a result of the past three years, we concluded that there are inputs of hydrothermal fluids in the bottom of Crater Lake. The dissolved materials associated with these thermally and chemically enriched fluids, coupled with the overall hydrologic balances, control the observed chemical composite of the lake. Because hydrothermal input dominates the material fluxes of most chemical into Crater Lake, the hydrothermal process is highly significant. Furthermore, the geothermal inputs have a direct effect on the density structure of the deep lake and consequently the rate of heat, salt and nutrients redistributed.
Summer 1989 Only 130 bull trout found in Sun Creek. A 1947 survey found 3,000. Apparent cause of the decline was competition from non-native brook trout. Between 1912 and 1975 over 275,000 brook trout were planted in Park streams in an effort to boost fishing. Between 1992 and 2005 efforts are mounted to rid Sun Creek of non-native trout in an effort to save the native bull trout population. (Reflections – Summber 2017)
September 15 1989 Park Officials express concern that Crater Lake has become an “island of trees” in a surrounding sea of forest clear cuts. “Our security blank for the past 87 years of being surrounded by three national forests has been stripped away and this is having an effect on the park’s wildlife.”
Season 1989 Visitation: 448,329 (Online says: 430,734)
Other pages in this section
- Smith History – 103 News from 1950
- Smith History – 104 News from 1951
- Smith History – 105 News from 1952 Murder Mystery
- Smith History – 106 News from 1953
- Smith History – 107 News from 1954
- Smith History – 108 News from 1955
- Smith History – 109 News from 1956
- Smith History – 110 News from 1957
- Smith History – 111 News from 1958
- Smith History – 112 News from 1959
- Smith History – 113 News from 1960
- Smith History – 114 News from 1961
- Smith History – 115 News from 1962
- Smith History – 116 News from 1963
- Smith History – 117 News from 1964
- Smith History – 118 News from 1965
- Smith History – 119 News from 1966 Mission 66
- Smith History – 120 News from 1967
- Smith History – 121 News from 1968
- Smith History – 122 News from 1969
- Smith History – 123 News from 1970
- Smith History – 124 News from 1971
- Smith History – 125 New from 1972
- Smith History – 126 News from 1973
- Smith History – 127 News from 1974
- Smith History – 128 News from 1975 Water Troubles
- Smith History – 129 News from 1976
- Smith History – 130 News from 1977
- Smith History – 131 News from 1978
- Smith History – 132 News from 1979
- Smith History – 133 News from 1980
- Smith History – 134 News from 1981
- Smith History – 135 News from 1982
- Smith History – 136 News from 1983
- Smith History – 137 News from 1984
- Smith History – 138 News from 1985
- Smith History – 139 News from 1986
- Smith History – 140 News from 1987
- Smith History – 141 News from 1988 Deep Dive
- Smith History – 143 News from 1990 Cargo Jet Flies Inside Caldera
- Smith History – 144 News from 1991 Jimmy Carter Visits
- Smith History – 145 News from 1992 Grand Plan Unveiled
- Smith History – 146 News from 1993 No More Development
- Smith History – 147 News from 1994 Champion Crook Caught
- Smith History – 148 News from 1995 Helicopter Crashes into Lake
- Smith History – 149 News from 1996 First Real Fire Truck
- Smith History – 150 News from 1997 Wizard Island Fire
- Smith History – 151 News from 1998 explosives found
- Smith History – 152 News from 1999 Oregon Caves