Calapooia River – State Wildlife Action Plan

The Calapooia River COA (79 mi²) extends from just upstream of the confluence of the Calapooia and Willamette Rivers, upstream along the Calpooia River all the way to the border of the Willamette National Forest. The area includes the associated riparian and upland areas surrounding the river. This COA is adjacent to the Crawfordsville Oak-Washburn Butte, Coburg Ridge, and Upper Willamette River Floodplain COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Maintain and enhance wetlands, ponds, floodplain wetlands, and associated uplands to support northwestern pond and western painted turtle habitat.
Maintain and enhance oak savanna and grassland habitats and their connection to adjacent habitats to ensure sufficient habitat complexity and connectivity for wildlife.
Maintain and restore riparian and wetland habitats ecological functions and connectivity.
Remove invading conifers and non-native vegetation from oak savanna and woodlands.
Promote early detection and suppression of invasive weeds.
Work with local landowners and producers to maintain winter ponding and soil saturation on farmed fields to protect wintering shorebird habitat.
Implement beaver coexistence strategies.
Maintain and enhance in-channel watershed functions, off channel habitat for fish, connection to riparian habitat, water flow, water temperature and hydrology. Install large woody debris to slow water and create pools.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

Rock outcroppings in this area support some of the last populations of western rattlesnake in the Willamette Valley.
Past studies of wintering shorebird use in the Willamette Valley found the Calapooia drainage to be extremely valuable habitat for killdeer and dunlin.
The uplands surrounding the Calapooia River contain oak woodlands, savanna and grasslands. It also contains some of the best riparian forests remaining in the Willamette Valley.
The Calapooia River supports small populations of native spring chinook salmon and summer steelhead. The upper reaches of the river are important for winter steelhead.

Protected Areas

Coburg Hills Relic Forest Island
Crawfordsville Park
McClun Wayside County Park
McKercher Park
Thompson’s Mill State Heritage Site
Willamette National Forest

Previous COA Association

Previously Associated with (2006 COAs)
- WV-20 (Calapooia River)
Size Change from 2016 boundaries: +21.4 mi² (37% increase)

Specialized Local Habitats

Forest openings
Rock habitats

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.