East Fork Illinois River – Oregon Conservation Strategy

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This area includes important riparian habitat in the East Fork Illinios River and Sucker Creek for Coho Salmon and Pacific Lamprey.

COA ID: 101

Recommended Conservation Actions

Acquire instream water rights to augment streamflows downstream of areas with high coho rearing densities, including Sucker Creek and the East Fork Illinois River, to produce more fish.
Artificialy augment gravel downstream of dams that cannot be removed.
Maintain or reestablish cottonwood galleries in floodplain.
Mimic historic disturbance regime with fire and mechanical treatments to restore Ceanothus Shrublands.
Promote the development of mature riparian habitat in natural bar or floodplain areas in the forks of the Illinois River to improve junvenile Fall Chinook habitat.
Replace annually constructed push up dams with water pumps.
Restore ambient streamflow, riparian vegetation, fish passage, and in-stream structure.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Conservation Plan for Fall Chinook in the Rogue Species Management Unit
Klamath Mountain Province Steelhead project summary
ODFW Coho Expert Panel Summary
Oregon Native Fish Status Report

Potential Partners

Bureau of Land Management
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Southern Oregon Land Conservancy

Special Features

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID KM-10 (East Fork Illinois River)
2006 COA ID KM-11 (Oregon Caves-Applegate area)

Protected Areas

French Flat
Greyback
Illinois River Forks State Park
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest

Ecoregions

Klamath Mountains

The Klamath Mountains ecoregion covers much of southwestern Oregon, including the Umpqua Mountains, Siskiyou Mountains, and interior valleys and foothills between these and the Cascade Range. The Rogue watershed has the largest population of any coastal watershed in Oregon (Jackson County, Josephine County, and a portion of Curry County). Several popular and scenic rivers run …

Strategy Habitats

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.

Oak Woodlands

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

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.

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.