Oregon Caves-Applegate Area – 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.

This area north of the Red Buttes Wilderness and includes the Oregon Caves National Monument. Like much of the Klamath Mountains it is home to unique plant and wildlife species with limited ranges in Oregon, including native Pacific Fisher, Siskiyou Mountain Salamanders, and Brazilian Free-tailed Bats.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Acquire instream water rights to augment streamflows downstream of areas with high coho rearing densities, such as Williams Creek, to produce more fish.
Conduct fuels treaments to improve fire resiliency.
Ensure land use practices maintain talus microhabitat and forest overstory within range of Siskiyou Moutain Salamander.
Improve fish passage at canals that intercept tributaries to the Applegate.
Mimic historic disturbance regime with fire and/or mechanical treatments to restore Ceanothus Shrublands.
Promote the development of mature riparian habitat in natural bar or floodplain areas in the mainstem Applegate River to improve junvenile Fall Chinook habitat.
Remove small diameter conifers encroaching on high-elevation meadows.
Restore ambient streamflow, riparian vegetation, flood-plain connectivity, fish passsage, and in-stream structure.
Thin overstocked conifer plantations to promote hardwood understory.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Conservation Plan for Fall Chinook in the Rogue Species Management Unit
Important Bird Areas of Oregon
ODFW Coho Expert Panel Summary
Rogue Basin Cohesive Forest Restoration Strategy: A Collaborative Vision for Resilient Landscapes and Fire Adapted Communities v.1

Potential Partners

Bureau of Land Management
Oregon Department of Forestry
Oregon Hunters Association
The Nature Conservancy
US Forest Service

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID KM-11 (Oregon Caves-Applegate area)

Protected Areas

Ashland
Craggy Mountain Unusual Interest Area
Gin Lin Mining Trail
Grayback Glades
Greyback
Jackson Campground
Oregon Caves
Oregon Caves National Monument
Pipe Fork Research Natural Area
Red Buttes Wilderness

Specialized Local Habitats

Caves

Ecoregions

Klamath Mountains

The Klamath Mountains ecoregion covers much of southwestern Oregon, including the Klamath Mountains, Siskiyou Mountains, the interior valleys and foothills between these and the Cascade Range, and the Rogue and Umpqua river valleys. Several popular and scenic rivers run through the ecoregion, including the Umpqua, Rogue, Illinois, and Applegate rivers. Historically, this ecoregion is known …

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.

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.

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, …