Lower Coquille River – State Wildlife Action Plan

Lower Coquille River Photo Credit: Mike Gray, ODFW

The Lower Coquille River COA (108 mi²) follows the Lower Coquille River from its mouth at the Oregon coast and extending east to Highway 42 and upriver past Myrtle Point to Sugarloaf Mountain. This COA is adjacent to the Coos Bay, Coos Mountain-Middle Creek, South Fork Coquille, and New River Area COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Restore freshwater wetlands, natural stream channels, riparian habitat along tributary streams within the river floodplain.
Restore tidal wetlands.
Replace and/or remove tide gates reconnect tidal wetlands and off-channel habitats with the diked, channelized main river, forks, and tributaries.
Remove and/or control introduced smallmouth bass and other non-native fish species from the river system.
Restore watershed function to lower summertime stream temperatures and maintain flows.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

Includes estuarine wetlands with high restoration potential.
Includes important habitat for migrating shorebirds, and wintering sites for waterfowl.
This COA contains the longest Oregon coastal estuary, with over 40 miles of tidewater. There has also been extensive loss (95%+) of tidal wetlands and off-channel habitat due to diking and drainage in the early- to mid-1900’s.
In recent years there have been many projects to restore connectivity between tidal lands and the (e.g. Bandon Marsh NWR/Ni-les’tun Unit; Winter Lake/Coquille Valley Wildlife Area).

Protected Areas

Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge
Bullards Beach State Park
Coos, Lower Umpqua, And Siuslaw Reservation
Coquille Valley Wildlife Area
Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint
Farm Service Agency Interest Of Oregon
Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Oregon Islands Wilderness
Wetlands Reserve Program

Previously Associated With

Previously Associated with (2006 COAs)
- CR-36 (Lower Coquille River)

- CR-37 (New River area)

Size Change from 2016 boundaries: -9.6 mi² (8% decrease)

Specialized Local Habitats

Balds and Bluffs
Bays
Intertidal mudflats
Off-channel habitat
Sand spits, sand bars, and sparsely vegetated islands

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

Nearshore

The Nearshore ecoregion includes a variety of habitats ranging from submerged high-relief rocky reefs to broad expanses of intertidal mudflats in estuaries and hosts a vast array of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, plants, and micro-organisms. This ecoregion encompasses the area from the outer boundary of Oregon's Territorial Sea to the supra-tidal zone, and up into the estuaries.

Key Habitats

Coastal Dunes

Occurring along the Oregon coastline, coastal dunes provide habitat for species that prefer open, sandy habitats with a high degree of disturbance from winds and tides.

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.

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, …

Nearshore Key Habitats

Nearshore Habitats encompass the coastal and marine habitats in the area from the 3 nautical mile outer limit of Oregon’s territorial sea, where water depths average 66 m (216 ft) and range from 17 m to 194 m (56 to 308 ft), to the supratidal areas of the shoreline affected by wave spray and overwash …