Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge Area – Oregon Conservation Strategy

Just east of Hermiston and extending to include a small stretch of the Columbia River. Includes Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge

COA ID: 156

Recommended Conservation Actions

Reestablish floodplain forests
Restore and maintain complex, continuous sage habitat
Restore wetland and wet meadow habitats

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Eastern Oregon Bird Conservation Plan
Important Bird Areas of Oregon

Potential Partners

Bureau of Land Management
US Fish and Wildlife Service

Special Features

General

Provides significant Grassland, Riparian, and Sagebrush habitat

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID CP-07 (Lower Umatilla area)

Protected Areas

Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge
McNary National Wildlife Refuge

Ecoregions

Columbia Plateau

The Columbia Plateau ecoregion was shaped by cataclysmic floods and large deposits of wind-borne silt and sand earlier in its geological history. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

Strategy Habitats

Grasslands

Grasslands include a variety of upland grass-dominated habitats, such as upland prairies, coastal bluffs, and montane grasslands.

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.

Sagebrush Habitats

Sagebrush habitats include all sagebrush steppe- and shrubland-dominated communities found east of the Cascade Mountains.

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.