Siletz River – State Wildlife Action Plan

The Siletz River COA (26 mi²) extends past the Siletz Estuary up river to Strome County Park. It also includes a large chunk of mixed conifer National Forest habitat to the east of the estuary, extending up to Diamond Peak and Pea Ridge. This Siletz River is a sandstone/basalt river system with variable flashy winter river flows. This COA is adjacent to the Siletz Bay and Depoe Bay Area COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Limit the placement of docks and boathouses in the Siletz River.
Protect forest habitats in landslide prone areas for future large woody debris recruitment to the stream and estuary.
Remove remaining dikes and tide gated areas to recover lost floodplains and salt marsh habitats.
Improve fish passage, riparian vegetation, floodplain connectivity, and in-stream structure for anadromous fish (especially summer steelhead).

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

This COA contains Marbled Murrelet and Spotted Owl nesting sites.
The Siletz River contains the only Coast Range originating stock of summer steelhead, making it a unique population.

Protected Areas

Siuslaw National Forest
Strome County Park

Previous COA Association

Previously Associated with (2006 COAs)
- CR-16 (Drift Creek (Siletz))
Size Change from 2016 boundaries: -4.0 mi² (10% decrease)

Specialized Local Habitats

Forest openings
Off-channel habitat

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

Key Habitats

Estuaries

Estuaries are broadly defined as partially enclosed coastal bodies of tidally influenced water with one or more inputs of freshwater, and with a free or intermittent connection to the open sea. Estuaries typically occur at locations where freshwater from rivers, streams, or creeks meets saltwater from the nearshore ocean, creating a tidal basin that experiences frequent …

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.

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, …