powerful streams, many of the major westward rivers off the Cascades have been dammed to provide hydroelectric power. One of these, Ross Dam on the Skagit River, created a reservoir which spans the border southeast of Hope, British Columbia, extending into Canada. At the foot of the southeast flank of Mount Baker, at Concrete, Washington, the Baker River is dammed to form Lake Shannon and Baker Lake. In addition, there is a largely untapped amount of geothermal power that can be generated from the Cascades. The U.S. Geological Survey Geothermal Research Program has been investigating this potential. Some of this energy is already being used in places like Klamath Falls, Oregon, where volcanic steam is used to heat public buildings. The highest recorded temperature found in the range is at below Newberry Volcano's caldera floor. Ecology Forests of large, coniferous trees (western red cedars, Douglas-firs, western hemlocks, firs, pines, spruces, and others) dominate most of the Cascade Range. Cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers (largely a result of oceanic influence) favor evergreen species, whereas mild temperatures and rich soils promote fast and prolonged growth. As a traveler passes through the Cascade Range, the climate first gets colder, then warmer and drier east of the crest. Most of the Cascades' lower and middle elevations are covered in coniferous forest; the higher altitudes have extensive meadows as well as alpine tundra and glaciers. The southern part of the Cascades are within the California Floristic Province, an area of high biodiversity. Black bears, coyotes, bobcats, cougars, beavers, deer, elk, moose, mountain goats and a few wolf packs returning from Canada live in the Cascades. There have been unconfirmed sightings of Bigfoot known locally by the Native American name of Sasquatch. Fewer than 50 grizzly bears reside in the Cascades of Canada and Washington. See also Cascadia (independence movement) Cascadia subduction zone Geology of the Pacific Northwest List of Cascade Range topics List of mountain peaks of Washington (state) List of mountain peaks of Oregon List of mountain ranges in Washington (state) List of mountain ranges of Oregon Oregon's Matterhorns References Citations Sources External links Central and Southern Cascades Forests images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu Eastern Cascades Forests images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu Cascade Mountains Leeward Forests images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu British Columbia Mainland Coastal Forests images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – Dwight Watson Photographs Geologic provinces of California Geologic provinces of the United