Project Summary
There is a critical need to develop connectivity maps for a broad array of Oregon’s wildlife species. Many species rely on the ability to move throughout the landscape to fulfill their daily and seasonal needs for access to food, shelter, and opportunities to reproduce. Human changes to the landscape often restrict the ability of wildlife to move by adding barriers, inducing changes in their behavior, impacting critical migration stopover sites, and increasing habitat fragmentation.
Mapping and maintaining habitat important for movement helps protect population connectivity and biodiversity, aiding in the restoration of at-risk species. Providing and conserving habitat connectivity is also a key management strategy to preserve species and ecosystem processes under a changing climate. Historically, efforts to map connected habitat in Oregon were primarily based on expert opinion that insufficiently supported decision-making regarding species’ mobility and habitat connectivity needs.
In 2016, a diverse group of stakeholders convened the Oregon Habitat Connectivity Consortium (OHCC), a group formed to promote functional natural landscape connectivity and to mitigate barriers to wildlife movement at multiple scales throughout Oregon and the surrounding region. Members of the OHCC include ODFW, Portland State University, ODOT, USFWS, USFS, BLM, The Nature Conservancy, Oregon Wildlife Foundation, Defenders of Wildlife, Burns Paiute Tribe, and Samara Group. The OHCC, led by ODFW, developed a document for how best to assess and map habitat connectivity for wildlife throughout Oregon.
The document guided the execution of the Oregon Connectivity Assessment and Mapping Project (OCAMP), which began in 2019 and was completed in 2022. OCAMP was a multi-year, collaborative effort to analyze and map statewide wildlife habitat connectivity at fine resolutions for 54 species. OCAMP aims to link landscapes for wildlife by identifying current wildlife habitat connectivity throughout the state for a wide diversity of species, representing a variety of taxa, movement types, dispersal capabilities, and sensitivity to anthropogenic threats. These species’ connectivity models were compiled to highlight Priority Wildlife Connectivity Areas (PWCAs)– an interconnected network representing the parts of the landscape with the highest overall value for facilitating wildlife movement in Oregon. The maps and models produced for OCAMP will aid in statewide planning and prioritization efforts to maintain functional habitat connectivity; help direct on-the-ground efforts for acquisition, restoration, and conservation of habitat for fish and wildlife; inform long-term planning documents for managed lands; guide granting efforts; inform land use development, including expansion of urban growth boundaries, permitting for renewable energy development, and development of sensitive habitats; and aid in mitigating transportation issues, such as identifying areas where wildlife passage structures could best reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.
Throughout 2023, ODFW will be working to integrate information on Priority Wildlife Connectivity Areas into our planning processes and operations, develop a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan for Oregon, and build out an easy to use, public web map hosting the PWCAs and other relevant data.
If you’d like to learn more about the methods applied in developing Priority Wildlife Connectivity Areas, this recording of the Winter 2023 meeting of the OCAMP Stakeholder Committee provides a comprehensive project review:
species
OCAMP species were selected using a collaborative process informed by species biologists and conservation practitioners across the state. All modeling occurred across each species’ range. While species were selected to represent specific habitat associations and/or structural habitat characteristics, each species utilizes multiple habitat types, and this is reflected in the habitat and connectivity models.
Species Selected for OCAMP
| Species | Strategy Species? | Taxa | Selected to Represent | Associated Structural Habitat Characteristic(s) | Species Range (by Ecoregion) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Beaver | No | Mammal | Wetlands | Woody streamside vegetation | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR |
| American Pika | Yes | Mammal | Alpine Grasslands and Shrublands/Subalpine Parkland | Broken talus | WC, EC, BM, NBR |
| Bighorn Sheep | Yes (Rocky Mountain Subspecies) | Mammal | Dwarf Shrub-steppe | Alpine meadows and rocky slopes | EC, CP, BM, NBR |
| Black-tailed Deer | No | Mammal | Habitat Generalist | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC | |
| Black-tailed Jackrabbit | No | Mammal | Shrub-steppe | WV, KM, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Burrowing Owl | Yes | Bird | Shrub-steppe | Low, sparse vegetation | CP, BM, NBR |
| Bushy-tailed Woodrat | No | Mammal | Conifer-Hardwood Forests | Rocky outcrops | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR |
| Cascades Frog | Yes | Amphibian | Alpine Grasslands and Shrublands/Subalpine Parkland | WC, EC | |
| Coastal Tailed Frog | Yes | Amphibian | Montane Mixed Conifer Forest | Headwater streams | CR, KM, WC, EC |
| Columbia Spotted Frog | Yes | Amphibian | Open Water | BM, NBR | |
| Cougar | No | Mammal | Habitat Generalist | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Fender's Blue Butterfly | Yes | Invertebrate | Grasslands | Floral resources | WV |
| Ferruginous Hawk | Yes | Bird | Shrub-steppe/Dwarf Shrub-steppe | EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Fisher | Yes | Mammal | Montane Mixed Conifer Forest | Require large-diameter snags/cavity trees for denning | CR, KM, WC |
| Foothill Yellow-legged Frog | Yes | Amphibian | Southwest Oregon Mixed Conifer-Hardwood Forest | CR, KM, WC | |
| Great Gray Owl | Yes | Bird | Eastside (Interior) Mixed Conifer Forest | Montane meadows | KM, WC, EC, BM |
| Greater Sage-grouse | Yes | Bird | Shrub-steppe | EC, BM, NBR | |
| Hermit Thrush | No | Bird | Southwest Oregon Mixed Conifer-Hardwood Forest | CR, KM, WC, EC, BM | |
| Hoary Bat | Yes | Mammal | Eastside (Interior) Riparian-Wetlands | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Lazuli Bunting | No | Bird | Eastside (Interior) Riparian Wetlands | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Lewis's Woodpecker | Yes | Bird | Westside Oak and Dry Douglas-fir Forest and Woodlands | Snags | KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR |
| Little Brown Myotis | No | Mammal | Ponderosa Pine Woodlands | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Long-nosed Leopard Lizard | No | Reptile | Desert Playa and Salt Scrub Shrublands | Scattered, sparse vegetation; sandy/gravel substrate | NBR |
| Long-toed Salamander | No | Amphibian | Herbaceous Wetlands | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Marten | Yes | Mammal | Late Successional Mixed Conifer Forests | Associated with salal layer on coast | CR, KM, WC, EC, BM |
| Morrison's Bumble Bee | No | Invertebrate | Shrub-steppe | Floral resources | EC, NBR |
| Mountain Goat | No | Mammal | Alpine Grasslands and Shrublands/Subalpine Parkland | BM | |
| Mule Deer | No | Mammal | Habitat Generalist | EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| North American Porcupine | No | Mammal | Aspen Woodlands | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Northern Alligator Lizard | No | Reptile | Ceanothus-Manzanita Shrublands | Downed woody debris; rock piles | CR, WV, KM, WC |
| Northern Flying Squirrel | No | Mammal | Late Successional Mixed Conifer Forests | Interconnected canopies | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, BM |
| Northern Red-legged Frog | Yes | Amphibian | Late Successional Mixed Conifer Forests | Aquatic-terrestrial linkage | CR, WV, KM, WC |
| Ord's Kangaroo Rat | No | Mammal | Shrub-steppe | CP, BM, NBR | |
| Oregon Slender Salamander | Yes | Amphibian | Westside Riparian Wetlands | Late-seral forests | WC |
| Pacific-slope Flycatcher | No | Bird | Late Successional Mixed Conifer Forests | Complex canopy layers | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC |
| Pileated Woodpecker | Yes | Bird | Southwest Oregon Mixed Conifer-Hardwood Forest | Snags | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, BM |
| Pronghorn | No | Mammal | Shrub-steppe | EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Purple Martin | Yes | Bird | Westside Lowlands Conifer-Hardwood Forest | Early seral habitats; snags | CR, WV, KM, WC |
| Pygmy Rabbit | Yes | Mammal | Shrub-steppe | EC, BM, NBR | |
| Red-naped Sapsucker | No | Bird | Aspen Woodlands | WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Rocky Mountain Elk | No | Mammal | Habitat Generalist | EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Roosevelt Elk | No | Mammal | Habitat Generalist | Use clear-cuts/ag lands | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC |
| Sierra Nevada Red Fox | Yes | Mammal | Montane Mixed Conifer Forest | WC, EC | |
| Slender-billed White-breasted Nuthatch | Yes | Bird | Oak Woodlands | WV, KM, EC, BM | |
| Townsend's Chipmunk | No | Mammal | Conifer-Hardwood Forests | Use clear-cuts | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC |
| Vesper Sparrow | Yes | Bird | Eastside (Interior) Grasslands | WV, KM, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Western Bumble Bee | Yes | Invertebrate | Mixed Woodlands | Floral resources | WC, EC |
| Western Gray Squirrel | Yes | Mammal | Westside Lowlands Conifer-Hardwood Forest | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC | |
| Western Meadowlark | Yes | Bird | Eastside (Interior) Grasslands | WV, KM, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Western Pond Turtle | Yes | Reptile | Open Water | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC | |
| Western Rattlesnake | Yes | Reptile | Westside Lowlands Conifer-Hardwood Forest | CR, WV, KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Western Snowy Plover | Yes | Bird | Coastal Dunes | CR, NBR | |
| Western Toad | Yes | Amphibian | Montane Coniferous Wetlands | CR, KM, WC, EC, CP, BM, NBR | |
| Wrentit | No | Bird | Oak Woodlands | Dense shrub layers | CR, KM, WC |
upcoming events
→ OCAMP is complete! Throughout 2023, we will be working to get the Priority Wildlife Connectivity Areas (PWCAs) identified by OCAMP online for public use, as well as make project documentation and reports available.
engage with us
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking engagement and participation in OCAMP from additional experts and practitioners during in this three-year project. Interested in providing information about selected species, helping with model parameterization, or just staying up-to-date on OCAMP progress? Please consider lending your support by participating in one or more of the following groups:
OCAMP Network
Sign up to receive periodic emails on project progress, along with notices of upcoming opportunities to attend webinars and other events. Project updates will be sent to subscribers approximately every 6 months for the duration of the project, through December 2022, with additional updates provided as results are made publicly available in 2023. Join the OCAMP Network here.
Species Experts
If you have expertise and knowledge about Oregon’s wildlife, you are invited to participate in our Species Experts group. The 54 species we selected for assessment represent a wide variety of taxa, movement and dispersal capabilities, sensitivity to barriers, and habitat associations. Earlier in the project, the Species Experts group aided in identifying published literature, ongoing studies, occurrence and movement data, and information on habitat use and drivers of movement behavior to help develop habitat models for our selected species. Species Experts also reviewed draft Habitat Permeability Models and provided feedback on data sources and model parameterization that allowed us to improve models prior to statistical validation. Additional requests for input may be made periodically through 2022 as we assess connectivity for each species and delineate priority connectivity areas. You can join the Species Experts group here.
Practitioners
If you can utilize the final connectivity mapping products for your mission, planning, and/or business operations, please consider providing feedback on data needs, product accessibility, interpretability, and formatting. We will be requesting feedback starting in spring 2022. If you’d like to join the OCAMP Practitioners group, sign up here.
Stakeholder Committee
Individuals and entities that have a vested interest in OCAMP processes and outcomes are invited to participate in quarterly project progress reviews, provide feedback, and help support and promote OCAMP initiatives and products. Sign up to participate on the OCAMP Stakeholder Committee here.
