Project Proponent: City of Corvallis/ Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Year Acquired: 2002
Conservation Values Protected: This property protects significant natural habitat in which fish, wildlife, plants, or similar ecosystems thrive in a natural state. The property also provides relief from urban closeness.
Herbert Farm Natural Area (HFNA) provides critical aquatic and terrestrial linkages between the Muddy Creek drainage, the Mary's River west to the Coast Range, and downstream habitats to the Willamette River. HFNA lies within one the Finley-Muddy Creek Conservation Opportunity Area as identified in the Oregon Conservation Strategy (ODFW 2006). Similarly, HFNA is recognized by the Benton County Habitat Conservation Plan as a Prairie Conservation Area with potential to enhance habitat to benefit key species (Benton County 2010). HFNA is identified primarily as a resource conservation natural area, and it is also planned to provide public recreation that is compatible with habitat restoration, interpretation, and protection of native habitat (City of Corvallis 2011). The primary site mission is to protect and restore existing high quality native prairie, savanna, oak woodland, riparian areas, and their associated rare species and wildlife habitat (City of Corvallis 2011). Equally important is the preservation of cultural resources, education opportunities, and public access to recreation (City of Corvallis 2011).
Two federally threatened fish species occur in rivers adjacent to HFNA. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha; spring run) utilizes Mary's River and Muddy Creek for migration and rearing. Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss; winter run) utilizes Mary's River for migration and rearing.
Other fish occupying the rivers include coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkia), and Oregon chub. Natural habitats at HFNA host eight rare plant species, five that are listed federally or by the State of Oregon as threatened, endangered or candidate species and three that are considered locally rare.
Multiple rare and sensitive birds, reptiles and amphibian species have been documented at HFNA, and many of these are Conservation Strategy Species. Of 61 bird species recorded at HFNA over the entire site, six have special conservation status. Principal among these is the streaked horned lark, which was federally listed as threatened in 2013 due to its declining numbers and shrinking range
Acres Protected: 222
Access: Open to the public
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