Nehalem and Salmonberry River Headwaters – State Wildlife Action Plan

Photo is needed for this COA. — Submit photos to: OCS.Revision@ODFW.Oregon.gov

The Nehalem and Salmonberry River Headwaters COA (94 mi²) extends from just outside the town of Timber up toward Buck Mountain and Pinochle Peak. The area is a late successional mixed conifer forest with flowing water and riparian habitats. This COA is adjacent to the North Fork Nehalem River, Gales Creek, and Tillamook Bay and Tributaries COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Restore ambient streamflow, fish passage, riparian vegetation, water temperature, and in-stream structure.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

This area provides important habitat for steelhead.
The Nehalem River Headwaters was selected as a Beaver Emphasis Area for ODFW’s North Coast in 2023. ODFW and partner groups have been conducted beaver surveys within the watershed since then to better understand beaver prevalence in the area, and to work with local landowners on beaver coexistence issues.

Protected Areas

Tillamook State Forest

Previous COA Association

Size Change from 2016 boundaries: +41.0 mi² (77% increase)

Specialized Local Habitats

Forest openings
Springs, seeps and headwaters

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

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, …