Columbia River-Blind Slough Swamp, COA 006

VIEW DATA LAYERS IN COMPASS

The Columbia River near the Blind Slough in Oregon's Coast Range Ecoregion. Photo Credit: Herman Biederbeck, ODFW

This is a an extensive area on the lower Columbia River Estuary from east of Tongue Point upstream to Crims Island. The area encompasses the Julia B. Hanson and Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuges and the Blind Slough Swamp Preserve, which contains ancient Sitka spruce trees and is one of the best examples of swamps of its kind remaining in Oregon. The area is important to migratory and wintering waterfowl.

COA ID: 006

Recommended Conservation Actions

Restore and manage floodplain wetlands, tidal wetlands and bottomland forests

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Center for Natural Lands Management
Columbia Land Trust (Columbia River - the Lower 80)
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
Columbia River Keeper
Department of State Land
Ducks Unlimited
Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership
National Marine Fisheries Service
Oregon Department of Forestry
Oregon Habitat Joint Venture
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
The Nature Conservancy
U.S. Corps of Engineers
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Special Features

General

Habitat for Columbian white-tailed deer
Habitat for migratory and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds
Sitka spruce swamp

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID CR-02 (Columbia - Clatskanie area)
2006 COA ID CR-03 (Clatskanie River)

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

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.

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.

Strategy Species

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

Chinook Salmon - Spring/Summer Run

Chinook Salmon (Documented)

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Chum Salmon

Chum Salmon (Documented)

Oncorhynchus keta

Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Documented)

Oncorhynchus clarki clarki

Coastal Tailed Frog (Observed)

Ascaphus truei

Coho Salmon (Documented)

Oncorhynchus kisutch

Columbia Torrent Salamander (Modeled Habitat)

Rhyacotriton kezeri

Columbian White-tailed Deer (Observed)

Odocoileus virginianus leucurus

Cope’s Giant Salamander (Modeled Habitat)

Dicamptodon copei

Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (Modeled Habitat)

Oceanodroma furcata

Fringed Myotis (Modeled Habitat)

Myotis thysanodes

Hoary Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Lasiurus cinereus

Leach's Storm-Petrel

Leach’s Storm-Petrel (Modeled Habitat)

Oceanodroma leucorhoa leucorhoa

Long-legged Myotis (Modeled Habitat)

Myotis volans

Marbled Murrelet (Observed)

Brachyramphus marmoratus

Northern Red-legged Frog (Observed)

Rana aurora

Northern Spotted Owl (Observed)

Strix occidentalis caurina

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Observed)

Contopus cooperi

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

Steelhead / Rainbow / Redband Trout (Documented)

Oncorhynchus mykiss ssp

Tufted Puffin (Observed)

Fratercula cirrhata

Western Painted Turtle on a log

Western Painted Turtle (Observed)

Chrysemys picta bellii

Northwestern Pond Turtle (Observed)

Actinemys marmorata

Western Toad (Modeled Habitat)

Anaxyrus boreas