North Medford Area – Oregon Conservation Strategy

This area includes important valley bottom habitat in the Rogue Watershed including the confluence of the Rogue River and Little Butte Creek, Upper and Lower Table Rock, and Vernal Pool habitat.

COA ID: 097

Recommended Conservation Actions

Acquire instream water rights to augment streamflows downstream of areas with high coho rearing densities to improve habitat and produce more fish.
Control invasive species such as Himalayan blackberry, garlic mustard, and rush skeleton weed.
Maintain existing mature California Black Oak legacy trees, and use controlled burns and other tools to promote recruitment of young oaks.
Maintain existing vernal pool habitat, and explore techniques to mimic vernal pool functions with mitigated wetlands.
Promote cottonwood Galleries by protecting existing riparian vegegation and replanting where needed.
Protect and improve riparian habitat on intermittent streams that are highly productive for Summer Steelhead, such as Birdseye Creek, Galls Creek, Ward Creek, Foots Creek, Kane Creek, Sardine Creek, Sams Creek, and Antelope Creek. Summer Steelhead are able to use streams that may dry up completely durring a portion of the year.
Reduce sediment in subbasins with excessive decomposed granite deposition.
Restore ambient streamflow, floodplain connectivity, fish passage, riparian vegetation, and in-stream structure.
Restore passage at poorly placed and undersized culverts and small dams to improve passage for young salmonids.
Restore tributaries of the Rogue River that benefit both Coho Salmon and Summer Steelhead.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Conservation Plan for Fall Chinook in the Rogue Species Management Unit
Denman Wildlife Area Management Plan
Important Bird Areas of Oregon
Klamath Mountain Province Steelhead project summary
ODFW Coho Expert Panel Summary
Oregon Native Fish Status Report
Rogue River Spring Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan

Potential Partners

Bureau of Land Management
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
The Nature Conservancy

Special Features

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID KM-08 (North Medford area)

Protected Areas

Agate Desert
Bear Creek Greenway
Denman Wildlife Area
Denman Wildlife Refuge
Fort Lane State Heritage Site
Gold Nugget Wayside
Gold Ray Dam
Kelly Slough
Kendall Bar State Greenway
Lower And Upper Table Rocks
Lower Table Rock Preserve
Padigans Hole
Rogue River Trail
Table Rocks Area Of Critical Environmental Concern
Table Rocks Outstanding Natural Area

Ecoregions

Klamath Mountains

The Klamath Mountains ecoregion covers much of southwestern Oregon, including the Umpqua Mountains, Siskiyou Mountains, and interior valleys and foothills between these and the Cascade Range. The Rogue watershed has the largest population of any coastal watershed in Oregon (Jackson County, Josephine County, and a portion of Curry County). Several popular and scenic rivers run …

Strategy Habitats

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. For the purposes of the Conservation Strategy, natural lakes are defined as standing water bodies larger than 20 acres, including some seasonal lakes.

Oak Woodlands

Oak woodlands are characterized by an open canopy dominated by Oregon white oak.

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.

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 covered with water during all or part of the year. Permanently wet habitats include backwater sloughs, oxbow lakes, and marshes, while seasonally wet habitats include seasonal ponds, vernal pools, and wet prairies.