Tillamook Head – 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.

The Tillamook Head COA (16 mi²) extends along the Oregon coast from Tillamook Head to Arcadia Beach. This area includes Ecola State Park and contains 9 miles of coastline between Seaside and Cannon Beach. Habitat is generally coastal Sitka spruce forest, opening up to a grassy bluff along the coastline. Sea stacks punctuate long sweep of shoreline to the south. Offshore islands provide nesting and loafing areas for several species of seabirds. This COA creates a contiguous chunk of habitat along with the Clatsop Plains, Necanicum Estuary, Necanicum River, and Saddle Mountain COAs.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Manage public use and recreation to minimize disturbance to sensitive wildlife.
Restore ambient streamflow, fish passage, riparian vegetation, floodplain connectivity, and in-stream structure.
Maintain and restore existing habitats and ecological function.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Potential Partners

Special Features

General

Cliffs and offshore rocks provide important nesting sites for seabirds.
The coastal beaches within the southern portion of this COA provide habitat for shorebirds during migration.
A large portion of this COA is currently protected within the Oregon State Parks system.

Protected Areas

Arcadia Beach State Recreation Site
Boneyard Ridge Habitat Reserve
Ecola Creek Forest Reserve
Ecola Road Wetland Habitat Reserve
Elmer Feldenheimer State Natural Area
Ecola State Park
Shorewood Wetland Habitat Reserve
Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site

Previous COA Associations

Previously Associated with (2006 COA IDs)
- CR-05 (Tillamook Head)
Size Change from 2016 boundaries: + 7.7 mi²(92% increase)

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

Nearshore

The Nearshore ecoregion includes a variety of habitats ranging from submerged high-relief rocky reefs to broad expanses of intertidal mudflats in estuaries and hosts a vast array of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, plants, and micro-organisms. This ecoregion encompasses the area from the outer boundary of Oregon's Territorial Sea to the supra-tidal zone, and up into the estuaries.

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.

Estuaries

Estuaries are broadly defined as partially enclosed coastal bodies of tidally influenced water with one or more inputs of freshwater, and with a free or intermittent connection to the open sea. Estuaries typically occur at locations where freshwater from rivers, streams, or creeks meets saltwater from the nearshore ocean, creating a tidal basin that experiences frequent …

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.

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, …

Nearshore Key Habitats

Nearshore Habitats encompass the coastal and marine habitats in the area from the 3 nautical mile outer limit of Oregon’s territorial sea, where water depths average 66 m (216 ft) and range from 17 m to 194 m (56 to 308 ft), to the supratidal areas of the shoreline affected by wave spray and overwash …