Ochoco Mountains – State Wildlife Action Plan

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

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.

Immediately adjacent to John Day River area, at the border of Wheeler and Crook Counties.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Maintain and restore wetland and wet meadow habitat
Use fire and thinning as appropriate to restore and enhance Ponderosa Pine habitats

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Eastern Oregon Bird Conservation Plan
Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (updated 2014)

Potential Partners

Bureau of Land Management
US Forest Service
Warm Springs Tribe
Crook Soil and Water Conservation District
Crooked River Watershed Council
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Private landowners

Special Features

General

Adjacent to Black Canyon Wilderness Area
Includes part of North Fork Crooked River Wild and Scenic Designation
Streams throughout this area provide significant habitat for inland Columbia Basin redband trout

Protected Areas

Black Canyon Wilderness
North Fork Crooked River
North Fork Wilderness Study Area
Ochoco National Forest
Prineville District
Round Mountain
Spanish Gulch

Ecoregions

Blue Mountains

Located in NE Oregon, the Blue Mountains ecoregion is the largest ecoregion in the state. It provides a diverse complex of mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus that extend beyond Oregon into the states of Idaho and Washington.

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 …

Ponderosa Pine Woodlands

Ponderosa pine woodlands are common in Oregon’s eastside ecoregions. While dominated by ponderosa pine, these woodlands may also have lodgepole pine, western juniper, aspen, western larch, grand fir, Douglas-fir, mountain mahogany, incense cedar, sugar pine, or white fir, depending on ecoregion and site conditions. Known for their open forest structure, these woodlands generally have fewer …

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.