Klamath-Rogue Oak Woodland Health and Habitat Conservation Project

Collaborating Partners:

• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Oregon Department of Forestry
• Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Bureau of Land Management
• The Nature Conservancy
• Klamath Bird Observatory
• Northern California Resource Center

Project Summary:

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The Klamath-Rogue Oak Woodland Health and Habitat Conservation Project aims to preserve, enhance and restore 3,200 acres of high-priority oak habitat in the Klamath and Rogue River basins, spanning portions of Southern Oregon and Northern California. The project addresses multiple resource concerns, including fish and wildlife habitat, forestry management, wildfire risk reduction, and water quality.

The primary resource concern is to restore degraded wildlife habitat for fish and wildlife by providing healthy oak landscapes. Oak woodlands and savannas are among the richest wildlife habitats in Oregon and California. More than 300 vertebrate species are known to use oaks, including dozens of resident and migratory birds. Oak habitats are important contributors to biodiversity in the Pacific Northwest, supporting communities of plants and animals that are remarkably different from adjacent agricultural fields and conifer forests.

The loss and degradation of oak woodlands in this region has resulted in bird populations declines, including both common and at-risk species. Many federal and state listed species and Partners in Flight “Watch List” and “Stewardship” species (at-risk species that have multiple reasons for conservation concern) are highly dependent on or often inhabit oak woodlands in the project area. These bird species include: Lewis' woodpecker, oak titmouse, blackthroated gray warbler, California towhee, western scrub-jay. Other species include the fisher (mammal, west coast distinct population segment); Gentner’s fritillary (plant). Restoring oak woodlands is imperative to reversing the decline of these species, which serve as good indicators of overall ecosystem health.

The project will also significantly reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire by reducing forest fuels with forestry management practices.

NRCS and partners will work with landowners to provide financial and technical assistance to implement conservation practices on private lands. Lomakatsi will monitor and measure reduced threats to oak habitat, spatial connectivity of oak habitats, and improved resilience to drought and fire by quantification of decreased conifer and vegetative encroachment and fuels. The Klamath Bird Observatory will measure wildlife response to restored habitat by monitoring the relative abundance of individual bird species and avian community composition at a subset of individual project locations, providing an ecological indicator of restoration success. Monitoring results will be summarized annually and presented at implementation reviews and in a final report.

NRCS Financial Assistance Programs Used:

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

• Local Ranking Questions for EQIP applications

NRCS Conservation Practices:

• Forest Stand Improvement
• Structure for Wildlife
• Conservation Activity Plans
• Woody Residue Treatment
• Critical Area Planting
• Prescribed Burning
• Brush management
• Restoration of Declining Habitats
• Upland Wildlife Habitat Management
• Conservation Cover
• Herbaceous Weed Control

Other Information:

Oak Habitat Restoration Fact Sheet (PDF, 3 MB)

Points of Contact:

Marko Bey, Executive Director
Lomakatsi Restoration Project
Phone: 541-488-0208
Email: marko@lomakatsi.org

NRCS Local Service Center Contact: Jackson County

James Patterson, District Conservationist, Siskiyou County
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Phone: 530-842-6123
Email: James.Patterson@ca.usda.gov

Photo credits: Lomakatsi Restoration Project