Siskiyou Crest Area – State Wildlife Action Plan

Siskiyou Crest Photo Credit: Tiffany Stoddart

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 is a long east-west running ridgeline typical of the unique geology and ecology of the Klamath Mountains. It contains the headwaters for a number of streams, large mature conifers, and open alpine meadows.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Acquire instream water rights to augment streamflows downstream of areas with high coho rearing densities to improve habitat and produce more fish.
Focus on restoring fish passage and streamflowsin Ashland Creek, which provides cold clear water from Mount Ashland but is heavily impacted by diversions. Granite Stree Dam, for example, is a complete block to fish migration.
Maintain and enhance riparian vegetation.
Restore ambient streamflow, riparian vegetation, fish passage, flood-plain connectivity, and in-stream structure.
Restore connectivity across I5 for Pacific Fisher and other mobile species.
Thin overstocked conifer plantations to promote hardwood understory.
Conduct habitat restoration work for early seral stage habitat

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Cascade Siskiyou National Monument Management Plans
Important Bird Areas of Oregon
Klamath Mountain Province Steelhead project summary
ODFW Coho Expert Panel Summary
Oregon Native Fish Status Report

Potential Partners

Oregon Department of Forestry
Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
US Forest Service
National Park Service
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
City of Ashland
Bureau of Land Management

Special Features

General

Ashland Watershed
Pacific Crest Trail

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID KM-13 (Siskiyou Crest-Soda Mountain)

Protected Areas

Ashland
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Hald Strawberry Park
Klamath National Forest
Lithia Park
Mount Ashland Winter Sports Recreation Area
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
Siskiyou Mountain Park
Soda Mountain Wilderness

Specialized Local Habitats

Alpine Meadows
Springs, seeps, and headwaters

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.