Deschutes River – Oregon Conservation Strategy

Mainly located on the Warms Springs Reservation, this narrow COA includes a section of the Deschutes River from above the confluence with the Warms Springs River, north to approximately 1.5 miles below White Horse Rapids. From east to west the COA runs from the east side of the Deschutes River, adjacent to White Horse rapids, and winds west to end just south of Shaniko Butte.

COA ID: 149

Recommended Conservation Actions

Manage livestock grazing to promote healthy sagebrush, riparian, and wetland habitats
Promote early detection and removal of invasive plants
Restore and maintain riparian habitats

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

Abundant Springs
Contains important sagebrush steppe and shrublands
Provides a wildlife movement corridor

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID BM-01 (Deschutes River area)

Protected Areas

Lower Deschutes Wild and Scenic River
Warm Springs Reservation

Ecoregions

Blue Mountains

Located in NE Oregon, the Blue Mountains ecoregion is the largest ecoregion in the state. It provides a diverse complex of mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus that extend beyond Oregon into the states of Idaho and Washington.

Columbia Plateau

The Columbia Plateau ecoregion was shaped by cataclysmic floods and large deposits of wind-borne silt and sand earlier in its geological history. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

Strategy Habitats

Grasslands

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

Ponderosa Pine Woodlands

Ponderosa pine woodlands are dominated by ponderosa pine, but may also have lodgepole pine, western juniper, aspen, western larch, grand fir, Douglas-fir, mountain mahogany, incense cedar, sugar pine, or white fir, depending on ecoregion and site conditions. Their understories are variable combinations of shrubs, herbaceous plants, and grasses.