South Fork Crooked River 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.

At the southern edge of the ecoregion, adjacent to several other COAs and slightly west of the town of Burns.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Increase levels of large in-stream wood, reduce sediment, and improve fish passage
Maintain and/or initiate shrub-steppe restoration and management
Restore and maintain complex, continuous sage habitat

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Eastern Oregon Bird Conservation Plan
Greater Sage-grouse Conservation Assessment and Strategy

Potential Partners

Bureau of Land Management
US Forest Service
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Crook Soil and Water Conservation District
Prineville Local Implementation Team
Private landowners

Special Features

General

In addition to the South Fork Crooked River, area includes significant stretches of Twelvemile Creek, Grindstone Creek, Beaver Creek, and South Fork Beaver Creek
Includes Greater sage-grouse core area

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID BM-04 (Ochoco Mountains area)
2006 COA ID BM-05 (Picture Gorge - John Day River)
2006 COA ID BM-06 (South Fork Crooked River area)
2006 COA ID BM-08 (Silver Creek - Emigrant Creek)

Protected Areas

Black Canyon Wilderness
Gerry Mountain Wilderness Study Area
Malheur National Forest
Ochoco National Forest
Prineville District
Sand Hollow Wilderness Study Area
South Fork Crooked River
South Fork Wilderness Study Area

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.

Northern Basin and Range

The Northern Basin and Range ecoregion covers the very large southeastern portion of the state, from Burns south to the Nevada border and from the Christmas Valley east to Idaho. It is largely a high elevation desert-like area dominated by sagebrush communities and habitats.

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.