Conservation Values Protected: This property protects a major remnant side channel of the Willamette River called the Little Willamette, which contains water year-round. Existing bottomland hardwood forests in this 100-year floodplain are relatively dense, and comprised of species including, but not limited to, black cottonwood, Oregon ash, Oregon white oak, bigleaf maple, willow, Douglas fir, Pacific ninebark, red osier dogwood, Oregon grape, wapato, camas, and trillium. These back channel and wetland areas provide cold water refugia and critical life history functions for listed species of conservation concern, including spring Chinook salmon, cutthroat trout, Oregon chub, Pacific lamprey, a breeding population of western pond turtles, and red-legged frogs.
The east half of the property can generally be described as upland habitat above the 500-year floodplain. Important habitat types include oak woodland and oak savanna, characterized by Oregon white oak, big leaf maple, and Oregon ash, and wet and upland prairie. Swales, side channels, and contours throughout the property fill seasonally to create a mosaic of wetland habitat that could supports substantial numbers of waterfowl during fall, winter, and spring. The property provides habitat for several wildlife and plant species, including, but not limited to, western gray squirrel, and many migratory and resident bird species, such as bald eagle, western meadowlark, western bluebird, acorn woodpecker, Oregon vesper sparrow, and yellow-breasted chat. The property's conservation values also include its scenic resource due to its location within the 100-year floodplain and proximity to other protected lands along the Willamette River. Ecosystem attributes and services, present at the time of recordation of this easement, including the fish and wildlife habitats described above, biodiversity, clean air and water, maintenance of soil productivity, and carbon sequestration are included in the conservation values protected by the easement.
As Oregon's most populated area, the Willamette River Valley continues to lose valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and the ecosystem services it provides to development and other human activities.
Acres Protected: 198
Access: Not open to the public
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