Lower Sandy River – State Wildlife Action Plan

Geographic boundaries of the COAs were updated for the 2026 State Wildlife Action Plan and the associated COA profiles are intended to provide additional information. Content of each COA profile is being refined and will be updated to reflect current conditions when feasible. Please help us by submitting information on Local Conservation Actions, Plans, or Potential Partners to: OCS.revision@odfw.oregon.gov.

The Lower Sandy River COA (42 mi²) extends from the confluence of the Sandy and Columbia Rivers up along the Lower Sandy River and its tributaries. The are includes the Sandy River Delta, Beaver Creek, and the lower reaches of the Bull Run River. This COA is located on the eastern edge of the Portland metropolitan area, and as such includes some heavily impacted areas. It also includes portions of the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area. This COA is adjacent to the Bull Run – Sandy Rivers COA.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Breach, lower, and remove dikes and levees to improve river connectivity.
Improve water quality by identifying sources of and reducing sedimentation and by implementing stormwater management plans for urban areas and roads.
Maintain and restore natural hydrology and complex habitat for a variety of aquatic and terrestrial species.
Maintain and improve aquatic and upland habitats for native turtle population – provide still-water habitat, nesting habitat and basking structures.
Maintain and improve aquatic and upland habitats for red-legged frog population – provide still-water habitat, improve egg-mass attachment sites.
Maintain, improve, and expand Oregon white oak habitat.
Manage public access and recreation, including off-leash dogs, to minimize conflict with habitat restoration goals.
Protect instream water rights.
Protect remaining high-quality off-channel from degradation and improve habitat complexity.
Restore or create off-channel habitat and/or access to off-channel habitat.
Restore wetland, wet prairie, and riparian forest habitats.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Special Features

General

The Sandy River Delta is a 1,500 acre natural area at the confluence of the Sandy and Columbia Rivers, owned and managed by the US Forest Service. This area is heavily impacted by humans, from historic deforestation and highway development to more recent unregulated camping throughout the property. Despite this, the area also contains important bottomland hardwood forest, wetlands, wet prairies, sloughs, Oregon white oak, and conifer forest. These habitats support many native species – the floodplains provide important protected habitat for salmonids and many waterfowl species. This natural area supports breeding populations of red-legged frogs and western painted turtles.
The Sandy River Delta is a priority area in the Lower Columbia River Fish Conservation and Recovery Plan, because of the important role its habitats play for salmonids.
The Sandy River provides important salmonid habitat along its lower stretches. There have been multiple habitat improvement projects in recent years to improve in-stream habitat for salmonids, remove a levee, and conserve existing habitats.
Company Lake, located just west of the Sandy River Delta, is a 16-acre slough on the site of the former Reynolds Aluminum Plant, which was declared a superfund site in 2002. This slough contains important wildlife habitat adjacent to the Columbia River.
Metro owns many small parcels throughout this COA, preserving important habitat for fish and wildlife species interspersed throughout a matrix of small private properties.

Protected Areas

Beaver Creek Greenway
Bull Run Watershed
Columbia City Park
Company Lake
Dabney State Recreation Area
Dodge Park
East Gresham Park
Flagg Island Park
Gary Island Park
George W. Joseph State Natural Area
Glen Otto City Park
Guy W. Talbot State Park
Harlow House City Park
Helen Althaus City Park
Indian John Island Park
Kane Road Park
Kiku City Park
Lautourette Park
Lewellyn City Park
Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site
Mount Hood National Forest
Oxbow Regional Park
Red Sunset Park
Rooster Rock State Park
Sandee Palisades City Park
Sandy River Delta
Sandy River Wild and Scenic River
Shepperds Dell State Natural Area
South Channel
Sundial Beach
Sunrise City Park
The Confluence at Troutdale
Thousand Acres Recreation Zone
Weedin City Park
Woodale City Park

Previous COA Associations

Previously Associated with (2006 COA IDs)
- WC-02 (Bull Run-Sandy Rivers)
- WV-06 (Sandy River area)
Size Change from 2016 boundaries: +15.4 mi²(57% increase)

Specialized Local Habitats

Off-channel habitat

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.