Rock Creek-Butter Creek Grasslands – Oregon Conservation Strategy

An aerial view of the Rock Creek - Butter Creek Grasslands COA in the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion. Photo Credit: Steve Cherry, ODFW

This is the largest COA within the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion extending from Rock Creek to Butter Creek, totaling 809 square miles.

COA ID: 155

Recommended Conservation Actions

Maintain and enhance grassland habitats.
Promote early detection and suppression of invasive weeds.
Restore riparian areas.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Mule Deer Initiative: Heppner Unit

Potential Partners

Bureau of Land Management
Gilliam County SWCD
Morrow County SWCD
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Umatilla County SWCD
Umatilla Tribes

Special Features

General

Contains significant intact foothill grasslands and rock creek drainage
Important mule deer and elk winter range area
Provides habitat for Golden eagle nesting areas and other sensitive species

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID CP-08 (Pendleton-Heppner grasslands)

Protected Areas

Prineville District

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.