Luckiamute River and Tributaries – State Wildlife Action Plan

Luckiamute River Area — Photo Credit: AnneMary Meyers, ODFW

The Luckiamute River and Tributaries COA (81 mi²) begins at the confluence of the Luckiamute and Willamette Rivers and extends up the drainages of the Luckiamute and Little Luckiamute Rivers. The area includes the surrounding upland habitats around the rivers, and many nearby agricultural areas surrounding Kings Valley and south of Falls City. This COA is adjacent to the Habeck Oaks, McTimmons Valley – Airlie Savanna, Middle Willamette River Floodplain, Corvallis Area Forests and Balds, and Kings Valley-Woods Creek Oak Woodlands COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Maintain and enhance wetlands, ponds, and associated uplands to support northwestern pond and western painted turtle habitat.
Maintain and enhance in-channel watershed function, connection to riparian habitat and uplands, flow and hydrology.
Maintain and enhance oak savanna and grassland habitats and their connection to adjacent habitats.
Maintain and restore riparian habitat and ecological function, ensure sufficient habitat complexity for wildlife.
Maintain watershed function and wildlife habitat by maintaining/enhancing water quality and controlling invasive species.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Special Features

General

This area has critical habitat for many riparian-associated bird species.
This area has critical habitat for winter steelhead.
There is critical habitat for many oak and grassland-associated species including birds, mammals, and plants.
Significant investments have taken place within this area to restore floodplain forest habitat.

Protected Areas

Fort Hoskins Historical Park

Little Sink ISA Wilderness Study Area
Luckiamute Meadows (WWMP Property)

Luckiamute State Natural Area
Pitner Creek County Park
Sarah Helmick State Park
Siuslaw National Forest
Wetlands Reserve Program

Previous COA Associations

Previously Associated with (2006 COA IDs)
- CR-17 (Luckiamute River)
- WV-12 (Habeck Oaks)
- WV-13 (Airlie Savanna)
- WV-14 (Luckiamute River)
- WV-15 (Airlie Oaks)
Size Change from 2016 boundaries: -3.2 mi² (4% decrease)

Specialized Local Habitats

Forest openings
Unique grassland habitats
Springs, seeps and headwaters
Spring-fed streams

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, …