Corvallis Area Forests and Balds – State Wildlife Action Plan

The Corvallis Area Forests and Balds COA (135 mi²) extends from Airlie Rd, just north of the E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area, south to just past Decker Rd. This area spans the Greasy Creek and Mary’s River Drainages south and west of Philomath, is bordered to the west by Kings Valley, and continues through the hills west and north of Corvallis and Adair Village through the Maxfield, Berry Creek and Soap Creek Drainages at the southerly boundary of Polk County. This COA is adjacent to the Kings Valley-Woods Creek Oak Woodlands, Finley-Muddy Creek Area, Upper Willamette River Floodplain, and Luckiamute River and Tributaries COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Maintain and enhance remnant native wet prairie and upland prairie habitat.
Maintain and enhance wetlands, ponds, floodplain wetlands, and associated uplands to support northwestern pond and western painted turtle habitat.
Maintain and enhance in-channel watershed function, connection to riparian habitat, flow and hydrology.
Maintain and restore riparian habitat and ecological function, ensure sufficient habitat complexity for wildlife
Remove invading conifers and non-native vegetation from oak savanna and woodland habitats.
Promote early detection and removal of non-native plants.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

This area contains key upland prairie habitat patches including Bald Hill Park, Bald Hill, Carson Prairie (within Dunn Forest), and butterfly meadows.
This area contains some of the best yellow-breasted chat habitat in the ecoregion (E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area).
There are several areas within this COA that contain crucial habitat for sensitive plants and wildlife species, including: McDonald Dunn Forest, Soap Creek, Maxfield Creek, Jackson Fraizer Wetlands, Owen’s Farm and E. E. Wilson Wildlife Area.
This area provides important migratory stopover habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds (E.E. Wilson; scattered ephemeral wetlands).
The Newton Creek watershed on the north side of Philomath includes more than 400 acres of wetland with good restoration potential. The Greenbelt Land Trust has been working to protect and restore this large wetland complex, including a 65-acre parcel to the northwest containing wet prairie, ash swales and a riparian corridor along Newton Creek.
There are ongoing habitat restoration and protection efforts for forest, wetland, oak, and prairie habitats by Greenbelt Land Trust, the City of Corvallis, and Benton County, including Bald Hill Farm (587 acres) and Mulkey Ridge west of Corvallis. Bald Hill Farm, specifically, has undergone additional expansion and restoration in recent years.
The location of the COA on the outskirts of Corvallis makes it particularly vulnerable threats of future development and urban expansion.

Protected Areas

Bald Hill Farm
Chip Ross Park
Dr Martin Luther King Jr Park
E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area
Finton Green County Natural Area
Jackson-Frazier Wetland
McDonald-Dunn Forest
Mulkey Ridge
Rock Creek City Park
Starker City Park
Timberhill Natural Area
Vineyard Mountain Park

Previous COA Association

Previously Associated with (2006 COAs)
- WV-19 (Corvallis area)
Size Change from 2016 boundaries: +33.0 mi² (32% increase)

Specialized Local Habitats

Forest Openings
Balds and bluffs

Ecoregions

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.

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.

Ducks on a wetland in Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area, Oregon

Wetlands

Wetlands are habitats that are inundated or saturated by surface water or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support vegetation typically adapted for life in sodden soil conditions. While dominated by periods of inundation, the natural ecological cycle may also include dry intervals. Permanently wet habitats include backwater sloughs, oxbow lakes, peatlands, …