Coburg Ridge, COA 087

VIEW DATA LAYERS IN COMPASS

Photo Credit: Rick McEwan

Ridgeline, foothills, and associated lowlands bordering the east side of the ecoregion from Coburg Ridge to Indian Head

COA ID: 087

Recommended Conservation Actions

Maintain and enhance grasslands and remnant native wet prairie and upland prairie
Maintain or restore reparian and wetland habitats and ecological function; ensure sufficient habitat complexity for wildlife
Remove invading conifers and non-native vegetation from oak savanna and woodlands

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Bureau of Land Management
Calapooia Watershed Council
Cascadia Prairie Oak Partnership
Linn Soil and Water Conservation District
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Department of Forestry
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
The Nature Conservancy
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Upper Willamette Soil and Water Conservation District
Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program

Special Features

General

Lower portions of the Coburg Hills include remnanant grasslands, oak savana and woodlands that provide important habitat for a variety of landbirds. This area has been designated as a Grassland Bird Conseration Area and supports the highest concentrations of several grassland bird species in the Willamette Valley. The lower slopes of the Coburg Hills also contain some of the best remnant oak habitats on the east side of the valley.
The valley floor has high potential for restoration of seasonal wetlands. A 600-acre property enrolled in the Wetlands Reserve Program in 2005 is the largest in the Willamette Valley.
This area provides important transition habitat from the West Cascades into the Willamete Valley lowlands.

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID WV-24 (Coburg Ridge area)
2006 COA ID WV-26 (McKenzie River)

Protected Areas

Coburg Hills Relic Forest Island

Ecoregions

West Cascades Ecoregion

West Cascades

The West Cascades ecoregion extends from east of the Cascade Mountains summit to the foothills of the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue Valleys, and spans the entire length of the state of Oregon. It is largely dominated by conifer forests, moving into alpine parklands and dwarf shrubs at higher elevations.

Finley Muddy Creek Area

Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley ecoregion is bounded on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Cascade Range. This long mostly level alluvial plain has some scattered areas of low basalt, and contrasts with productive farmland and large urban areas. It has the fastest-growing human population in the state resulting in challenges due to land-use changes.

Strategy Habitats

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.

Example of Oak Woodlands, which is a Strategy Habitat within the Oregon Conservation Strategy

Oak Woodlands

Oak woodlands are characterized by an open canopy dominated by Oregon white oak.

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

Alpine habitats (meadows)
Balds and Bluffs
Forest Openings
Spring-fed streams

Strategy Species

Acorn Woodpecker (Observed)

Melanerpes formicivorus

Bradshaw’s Desert Parsley (Observed)

Lomatium bradshawii

California Myotis on tree

California Myotis (Modeled Habitat)

Myotis californicus

Cascade Torrent Salamander

Cascade Torrent Salamander (Modeled Habitat)

Rhyacotriton cascadae

Chipping Sparrow (Observed)

Spizella passerina

Clouded Salamander

Clouded Salamander (Modeled Habitat)

Aneides ferreus

Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Documented)

Oncorhynchus clarki clarki

Common Nighthawk (Observed)

Chordeiles minor

Fender’s Blue Butterfly (Observed)

Icaricia icarioides fenderi

Fringed Myotis (Modeled Habitat)

Myotis thysanodes

Grasshopper Sparrow

Grasshopper Sparrow (Observed)

Ammodramus savannarum perpallidus

Harlequin Duck (Modeled Habitat)

Histrionicus histrionicus

Hoary Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Lasiurus cinereus

Kincaid’s Lupine (Observed)

Lupinus oreganus

Long-legged Myotis (Modeled Habitat)

Myotis volans

Monarch Butterfly (Observed)

Danaus plexippus

Northern Spotted Owl (Modeled Habitat)

Strix occidentalis caurina

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Observed)

Contopus cooperi

Oregon Slender Salamander (Modeled Habitat)

Batrachoseps wrighti

Oregon Vesper Sparrow

Oregon Vesper Sparrow (Observed)

Pooecetes gramineus affinis

Purple Martin (Observed)

Progne subis arboricola

Red Tree Vole (Modeled Habitat)

Arborimus longicaudus

Short-eared Owl (Modeled Habitat)

Asio flammeus flammeus

Silver-haired Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Lasionycteris noctivagans

Southern Torrent Salamander (Modeled Habitat)

Rhyacotriton variegatus

Streaked Horned Lark

Streaked Horned Lark (Observed)

Eremophila alpestris strigata

Townsend's Big-eared Bat

Townsend’s Big-eared Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Corynorhinus townsendii

Wayside Aster (Observed)

Eucephalus vialis

Western Bluebird (Observed)

Sialia mexicana

Western Gray Squirrel (Modeled Habitat)

Sciurus griseus

Western Meadowlark (Observed)

Sturnella neglecta

Western Painted Turtle on a log

Western Painted Turtle (Modeled Habitat)

Chrysemys picta bellii

Northwestern Pond Turtle (Modeled Habitat)

Actinemys marmorata

Western Rattlesnake (Modeled Habitat)

Crotalus oreganus

White-breasted Nuthatch (Observed)

Sitta carolinensis aculeata

Willamette Daisy (Observed)

Erigeron decumbens

Willow Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher (Observed)

Empidonax traillii

Yellow-breasted Chat (Observed)

Icteria virens auricollis