Tenmile Lake – State Wildlife Action Plan

Tenmile Cove Photo Credit: Mike Gray, ODFW

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.

The Tenmile Lake COA (78 mi²) is located on the Oregon Coast near the town of Lakeside. The Tenmile Lakes Watershed includes ten lakes – North Tenmile Lake, South Tenmile Lake, and Eel Lake are the largest among them. This area has a forested upper watershed, some of which is in the Elliott State Forest. Lowlands have a lot of agricultural land, as well as dunes along the coastline. This COA is adjacent to the Umpqua River Estuary, Elliott State Forest, and Coos Bay COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Identify and control invasive species.
Maintain deflation plain wetlands in early seral conditions.
Manage recreational use to limit disturbance to sensitive habitats.
Restore existing lowland agricultural properties where streams enter lake arms.
Maintain and restore wetlands in lowland areas.
Reduce nutrients and sediment inputs into lakes, to decelerate eutrophication of lake arms and harmful algae blooms.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

Lakes are habitat for Western pond turtle, coho salmon, winter steelhead; also heavily populated by non-native fish species (e.g. largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie); Tenmile Lakes still stronghold for coho salmon, although lake rearing life history is truncated by non-native fish species;
Continued development in the City of Lakeside poses possible threats to existing species and habitat.

Protected Areas

Elliott State Forest
Oregon Dunes
Siuslaw National Forest
Tenmile Lake County Park
Umpqua Dunes
Umpqua Lighthouse State Park
William M. Tugman State Park

Previously Associated With

Size Change from 2016 boundaries: -15.9 mi² (17% decrease)

Specialized Local Habitats

Aquatic vegetation beds
Bays
Forest openings
Inter-dunal lakes and wetlands
Off channel habitat

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

Key Habitats

Coastal Dunes

Occurring along the Oregon coastline, coastal dunes provide habitat for species that prefer open, sandy habitats with a high degree of disturbance from winds and tides.

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, …