<P> A number of rivers flow through the high desert region . These include the Deschutes River and its tributary the Crooked River, as well as the Malheur, Owyhee, and John Day rivers, which are all within the Columbia River watershed . Since the high desert encompasses the portion of the hydrographic Great Basin located in Oregon, smaller rivers in the high desert flow into closed basins . The Chewaucan River, the Donner und Blitzen River, and the Silvies River each flow into some of the high desert's salt lakes . </P> <P> The largest landowner in eastern Oregon is the U.S. government . The Bureau of Land Management administers over 13.6 million acres (55,000 km) in the bureau's Burns, Lakeview, Prineville, and Vale districts, most of which are in the state's high desert country . In addition, Congress has designated specific sections of the Crooked, Deschutes, Donner und Blitzen, Malheur, and Owyhee rivers as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System . </P> <P> Agriculture is the largest industry in the region . Livestock ranches utilize large tracts of private and government land for grazing . Ranchers raise cattle and sheep in many parts of the region . Because of low rainfall, most crops require irrigation . Agricultural crops include alfalfa and other hay crops, wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, onions, sugar beets, and mint . </P> <P> Between 17 and 15 million years ago, magma from deep beneath eastern Oregon rose to the Earth's surface, causing a period of significant volcanic activity . A series of lava floods erupted from fissures near the Oregon - Idaho - Washington border . The resulting lava flows traveled up to 400 miles (640 km) from their source . Some individual flows covered as much as 10,000 square miles (26,000 km) to a depth of 100 feet (30 m). Eventually, these lava flows covered half the state of Oregon, creating a formation known as the Columbia River Basalt Group, the geologic foundation beneath much of the high desert . </P>

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