South Fork Coquille – State Wildlife Action Plan

South Fork Coquille Falls Photo Credit: Alan Ritchey, ODFW

The South Fork Coquille COA (134 mi²) extends from just south of Myrtle Point along the South Fork Coquille River up to the edge of the Wild Rogue Wilderness within the Siskiyou National Forest. This COA is adjacent to the Lower Coquille River COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Identify and control invasive species.
Maintain and restore grassland habitats.
Restore floodplain wetlands and riparian forests.
Restore ambient streamflow, water quality, and riparian vegetation with a primary purpose to lower summertime water temperature and reduce sedimentation.
Remove and control introduced smallmouth bass population.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

This COA contains significant oak woodland habitat.
The lower and mid-subbasin face substantial threats from agricultural production, including increased sedimentation and nutrient inputs.

Protected Areas

Albert H. Powers Memorial State Recreation Site
Copper Salmon Wilderness
Coquille River Falls Research Natural Area
Hoffman Memorial State Wayside
Port Orford Cedar Research Natural Area
Powers County Park
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
Wild Rogue Wilderness

Previously Associated With

Previously Associated with (2006 COAs)
- CR-38 (Cape Blanco area)
- KM-03 (Rogue area)
Size Change from 2016 boundaries: -88.0 mi² (40% decrease)

Specialized Local Habitats

Forest openings
Off-channel habitat
Port Orford cedar forests

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

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.

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, …