Coburg Ridge – State Wildlife Action Plan

The Coburg Ridge COA (52 mi²) extends from just outside Coburg at Coburg Ridge northward to Indian Head. The area includes the surrounding ridgelines, foothills, and associated lowlands. This COA is adjacent to the McKenzie River Area, Calapooia River, and Mohawk River COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Maintain and enhance grasslands, remnant native wet prairies and upland prairies.
Maintain and restore riparian and wetland habitats and ecological function; ensure sufficient habitat complexity for wildlife.
Remove invading conifers and non-native vegetation from pine-oak savanna and woodlands.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

Lower portions of the Coburg Hills include remanent grasslands, pine-oak savanna and woodlands that provide important habitat for a variety of bird species. This area has been designated as a Grassland Bird Conservation Area and supports the highest concentrations of several grassland bird species in the Willamette Valley. The lower slopes of the Coburg Hills also contain some of the best remnant oak habitats on the east side of the valley.
The valley floor of this COA has high potential for future restoration of seasonal wetlands. A 600-acre property enrolled in the Wetlands Reserve Program in 2005 is one of the largest in the Willamette Valley.
This area provides important transition habitat from the West Cascades into the Willamette Valley lowlands.
This COA runs through a landscape that is very agricultural and faces increasing development from housing and energy as the Eugene-Springfield areas urban growth boundary expands.
This area has unique streams important for cutthroat trout.

Protected Areas

Coburg Aggregate Reclamation Project (WWMP Property)
Coburg Hills Relic Forest Island
Courtney Creek (WWMP Property)

Previous COA Associations

Previously Associated with (2006 COA IDs)
- WV-24 (Coburg Ridge area)
- WV-26 (McKenzie River)
Size Change from 2016 boundaries: -18.0 mi²(26% decrease)

Specialized Local Habitats

Alpine habitats (meadows)
Balds and Bluffs
Forest Openings
Spring-fed streams

Ecoregions

West Cascades

The West Cascades ecoregion extends from east of the Cascade Mountains summit to the foothills of the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue Valleys, and spans the entire length of the state of Oregon. It is largely dominated by conifer forests, moving into alpine parklands and dwarf shrubs at higher elevations.

Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley ecoregion is bounded on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Cascade Range. This long mostly level alluvial plain has some scattered areas of low basalt, and contrasts with productive farmland and large urban areas. It has the fastest-growing human population in the state resulting in challenges due to land-use changes.

Key Habitats

Grasslands

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

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.

Natural Lakes

Natural lakes are relatively large bodies of freshwater surrounded by land that were formed through geological processes, such as glacial scouring, tectonic movements, volcanic activity and river meander cutoffs. In Oregon, natural lakes are defined as standing water bodies larger than 20 acres, including some seasonal lakes. Depth is not a reference for characterization of …

Example of Oak Woodlands, which is a Strategy Habitat within the State Wildlife Action Plan

Oak Habitats

There are several oak habitat types in Oregon, where oaks comprise most of the canopy. These can include oak woodlands, oak forest, oak chaparral, and riparian oak. Oak savanna is covered in the Grasslands Key Habitat. Oaks may also co-dominate a canopy in oak/fir, oak pine, and oak hardwood habitats.

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.