Middle Fork John Day River – Oregon Conservation Strategy

Includes significant stretch of Middle Fork John Day River, Long Creek, and part of the North Fork John Day River.

COA ID: 170

Recommended Conservation Actions

Initiate or continue wet meadow conservation and restoration efforts
Maintain or enhance in -channel watershed function, connection to riparian habitat, flow and hydrology
Maintain or restore riparian habitat and ecological function, ensuring sufficient habitat complexity and decreasing channel gradient for fish and wildlife
Restore and maintain Ponderosa Pine habitats and Aspen Habitats
Restore river and floodplain interactions

Potential Partners

Bureau of Land Management
Confederated Tribe of the Warm Springs Reservation
Grant Soil and Water Conservation District
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
The Nature Conservancy
Umatilla Tribes

Special Features

General

High potential for floodplain restoration
Provides habitat for many native freshwater mussel species

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID BM-12 (North Fork John Day River)
2006 COA ID BM-13 (Middle Fork John Day River)

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.

Strategy Habitats

Aspen Woodlands

Aspen woodlands are woodland or forest communities, dominated by aspen trees with a forb, grass, or shrub understory. Aspen woodlands can also occur within conifer forests.

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.

Ponderosa Pine Woodlands

Ponderosa pine woodlands are dominated by ponderosa pine, but 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. Their understories are variable combinations of shrubs, herbaceous plants, and grasses.