Shady Cove Foothills – 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.

This area contains important Oregon and California Oak Woodlands and Ceanothus Shrublands. Contains biologically significant habitats including floodplains, spawning habitat along the upland Rogue River corridor, important woodlands for aquatic wildlife, and remnant valley habitat for pollinators and native plants. This area was impacted by the South Obenchain Fire in 2020, which burned with extreme fire behavior over 32,000 acres.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Acquire instream water rights to augment streamflows downstream of areas with high coho rearing densities, such as Big Butte Creek, Trail Creek, Elk Creek, and North Fork Little Butte Creek, to provide high quality habitat and produce more fish.
Conduct fuel treatments to mimic historic disturbance regime and improve fire resiliency.
Conduct remote camera surveys to examine Ringtail occupancy and collect genetic samples.
Continue experiments with gravel augmentation in Big Butte Creek to improve spawning habitat for Spring Chinook.
Evaluate the contribution of flood irrigation to poor water quality in Little Butte Creek.
Improve upstream passsage for adult Spring Chinook Salmon at a natural barrier located in the lower mile of Big Butte Creek.
Manage streamflow through William Jess Dam and Lost Creek Reservoir to support spawning habitat for Spring Chinook.
Assess opportunities to use fire, mechanical treatments, or other strategies to restore Ceanothus Shrublands.
Remove small diameter Douglas Fir encroaching on Oak Woodlands and Oak Savanah habitat.
Restore ambient streamflow, fish passage, riparian vegetation, floodplain connectivity, and in-stream structure.
Restore native trees and shrubs upstream of the recently notched Elk Creek Dam to attract and/or hold beaver. This action may create more habitat, if beavers establish natural dams in the area.
Monitor and inventory for sensitive reptiles including California Mountain kingsnake, northwestern pond turtle, foothill yellow legged frog
Enhance habitat quality for sensitive bird species including Lewis's woodpecker and purple martin
Monitor western toad use of Lost Creek Lake
Develop strategies to restore connectivity and address threats to habitat quality

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

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

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID KM-07 (Shady Cove foothills)
2006 COA ID KM-09 (Antelope Creek area)

Protected Areas

Aunt Caroline's Park
Baker Cypress Area Of Critical Environmental Concern
Casey State Recreation Site
Joseph H. Stewart County Park
Lost Creek Lake
McGregor Park
Rogue Elk Park
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
Round Top Butte
Takelma Park

Specialized Local Habitats

Ceanothus Shrubland

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 …

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.

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.