Alsea Estuary-Alsea River, COA 029

VIEW DATA LAYERS IN COMPASS

Alsea Estuary — Alsea Estuary Photo Credit: Doug Cottam, ODFW

The Alsea Estuary is large and shallow and provides overwintering habitat for migrating waterfowl and rearing habitat for coastal salmonids. The COA also has had extensive salt marsh habitat restoration and contains a lot of public lands.

COA ID: 029

Recommended Conservation Actions

Limit the placement of docks and boathouses in the estuary
Promote creation of upland meadow habitats on USFS lands
Protect and restore estuarine shorelines from hardening and dynamic revetment modifications (rip rap, rock, etc)
Protect Harbor seal pupping areas from disturbance during pupping
Protect steep, landslide prone areas from harvest activities
Protect the estuary from commercial shellfish development
Remove remaining dikes and tide gated areas to recover lost salt marsh habitats

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Coastal Multispecies conservation plan
Important Bird Areas of Oregon
Yaquina and Alsea River Basins Estuarine Wetland Site Prioritization Project 1999

Potential Partners

Lincoln Soil and Watershed Conservation District
Mid-coast watershed council
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
The Wetlands Conservancy
U.S. Forest Service

Special Features

General

Eagle and Osprey nesting sites
Great Blue Heron rookeries
Harbor seal pupping islands
Waterfowl overwintering area in estuary

Protected Areas

Alsea Bay Historic Interpretive Center
Bayview Oxbow Preserve
Bunker Creek
Drift Creek Wilderness
Governor Patterson Memorial State Recreation Site
Siuslaw National Forest
Starr Creek Preserve
W.B. Nelson State Recreation Site

Ecoregions

Coast Range Ecoregion

Coast Range

Oregon’s Coast Range, known for its dramatic scenery, is extremely diverse, with habitats ranging from open sandy dunes to lush forests and from tidepools to headwater streams. It follows the coastline and extends east through coastal forest to the border of the Willamette Valley and Klamath Mountains ecoregions

Strategy Habitats

Oregon Coastal Dunes

Coastal Dunes

Occurring along the Oregon coastline, coastal dunes provide habitat for species that prefer open, sandy habitats with a high degree of disturbance from winds and tides.

Estuary Strategy Habitat, Siletz Bay

Estuaries

Estuaries occur where freshwater rivers meet the oceanic salty waters, are influenced by tidal flooding, and experience frequent periodic changes in salinity, water levels, sunlight, and oxygen.

Grassland Strategy Habitat

Grasslands

Grasslands include a variety of upland grass-dominated habitats, such as upland prairies, coastal bluffs, and montane grasslands.

Coast Range Ecoregion

Late Successional Mixed Conifer Forests

Late successional mixed conifer forests provide a multi-layered tree canopy, including large-diameter trees, shade-tolerant tree species in the understory, and a high volume of dead wood, such as snags and logs.

Flowing Water and Riparian Habitats

Flowing Water and Riparian Habitats include all naturally occurring flowing freshwater streams and rivers throughout Oregon as well as the adjacent riparian habitat.

Ducks on a wetland in Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area, Oregon

Wetlands

Wetlands are covered with water during all or part of the year. Permanently wet habitats include backwater sloughs, oxbow lakes, and marshes, while seasonally wet habitats include seasonal ponds, vernal pools, and wet prairies.

Specialized Local Habitats

Aquatic vegetation beds
Bays
Intertidal mudflats
Off-channel habitat
Sand spit

Strategy Species

Black Brant (Observed)

Branta bernicla nigricans

California Myotis on tree

California Myotis (Modeled Habitat)

Myotis californicus

Caspian Tern

Caspian Tern (Observed)

Hydroprogne caspia

Chinook Salmon - Spring/Summer Run

Chinook Salmon (Documented)

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Chum Salmon

Chum Salmon (Documented)

Oncorhynchus keta

Clouded Salamander

Clouded Salamander (Modeled Habitat)

Aneides ferreus

Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Documented)

Oncorhynchus clarki clarki

Coastal Tailed Frog (Observed)

Ascaphus truei

Coho Salmon

Coho Salmon, Coastal SMU (Documented)

Oncorhynchus kisutch

Eulachon (Documented)

Thaleichthys pacificus

Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (Modeled Habitat)

Oceanodroma furcata

Fringed Myotis (Modeled Habitat)

Myotis thysanodes

Harlequin Duck (Observed)

Histrionicus histrionicus

Hoary Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Lasiurus cinereus

Leach's Storm-Petrel

Leach’s Storm-Petrel (Modeled Habitat)

Oceanodroma leucorhoa leucorhoa

Long-legged Myotis (Observed)

Myotis volans

Marbled Murrelet (Observed)

Brachyramphus marmoratus

Northern Spotted Owl (Observed)

Strix occidentalis caurina

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Observed)

Contopus cooperi

Pacific Lamprey

Pacific Lamprey (Documented)

Entosphenus tridentatus

Peregrine Falcon (Observed)

Falco peregrinus anatum

Purple Martin (Observed)

Progne subis arboricola

Red Tree Vole (Modeled Habitat)

Arborimus longicaudus

Silver-haired Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Lasionycteris noctivagans

Southern Torrent Salamander (Modeled Habitat)

Rhyacotriton variegatus

Steelhead / Rainbow / Redband Trout (Documented)

Oncorhynchus mykiss ssp

Townsend's Big-eared Bat

Townsend’s Big-eared Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Corynorhinus townsendii

Tufted Puffin (Observed)

Fratercula cirrhata

Northwestern Pond Turtle (Observed)

Actinemys marmorata

Western Toad (Modeled Habitat)

Anaxyrus boreas

Western Snowy Plover (Observed)

Charadrius nivosus nivosus