Kings Valley-Woods Creek Oak Woodlands – State Wildlife Action Plan

Kings Valley Oak Woodlands — Photo Credit: AnneMary Meyers, ODFW

The Kings Valley-Woods Creek Oak Woodlands COA (37 mi²) extends from Maxfield Creek Rd near the Polk-Benton county line down to Hyde Creek and Hwy 34. This COA is adjacent to the Luckiamute River and Tributaries, Corvallis Area Forests and Balds, and Mary’s Peak COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Maintain and enhance grassland/prairie habitats, oak savanna, oak woodlands and connectivity between habitat patches.
Maintain and enhance in-channel watershed function, connection to riparian habitat, flow and hydrology.
Maintain and restore riparian habitat and wetland ecological function; ensure sufficient habitat complexity for wildlife.
Remove invading conifers and non-native vegetation from oak woodlands and savannas.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

This area contains high quality prairie and oak habitats which support many rare and sensitive species and are being actively enhanced and restored through cooperative efforts on private lands. There are many large-scale habitat restoration and protection efforts currently ongoing (i.e., Lone Star Ranch).
This area has very high potential for additional protection of rare habitats, especially given the excellent partner support in the region.
This area provides important habitat for many butterflies and falls within the Pacific Butterfly Flyway.

Protected Areas

Beazell Memorial County Forest
McDonald-Dunn Research Forest
Siuslaw National Forest

Previous COA Association

Previously Associated with (2006 COAs)
- CR-22 (Mary’s Peak area)

- WV-14 (Luckiamute River)
- WV-19 (Corvallis area)

Size Change from 2016 boundaries: +1.0 mi² (3%)

Specialized Local Habitats

Forest Openings

Ecoregions

Coast Range

Oregon's Coast Range, known for its dramatic scenery, is extremely diverse, with habitats ranging from open sandy dunes to lush forests and from tidepools to headwater streams. It follows the coastline and extends east through coastal forest to the border of the Willamette Valley and Klamath Mountains 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.

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.

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, …