Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative Strategic Action Plan March 2020 Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative Strategic Action Plan, March 2020 Page i Acknowledgements Steering Committee: Clinton Begley Long Tom Watershed Council Sara Evans-Peters Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture Claire Fiegener Greenbelt Land Trust Tom Kaye Institute for Applied Ecology Nicole Maness Willamette Partnership Shelly Miller City of Eugene Will Neuhauser Yamhill Partners for Land and Water Michael Pope Greenbelt Land Trust Lawrence Schwabe Confederated Tribes Grand Ronde Bruce Taylor Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture Stan van de Wetering Confederated Tribes Siletz Kelly Warren Ducks Unlimited INC Contractors: Jeff Krueger JK Environments Carolyn Menke Institute for Applied Ecology Working Group: Bob Altman American Bird Conservancy Ed Alverson Lane County Parks Marc Bell Polk Soil and Water Conservation District Andrea Berkley Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Matt Blakeley-Smith Greenbelt Land Trust Jason Blazar Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah Lynda Boyer Heritage Seedlings Joe Buttafuoco The Nature Conservancy Mikki Collins U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Sarah Deumling Zena Forest Daniel Dietz McKenzie River Trust Sarah Dyrdhal Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council Matt Gibbons The Nature Conservancy Lauren Grand Oregon State University Extension Service Jarod Jebousek U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Bart Johnson University of Oregon Pat Johnston U.S Bureau of Land Management Molly Juillerat U.S. National Forest Service (MFWRD) Cameron King U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service John Klock U.S Bureau of Land Management Ann Kreager Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Amie Loop-Frison Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District Katie MacKendrick Long Tom Watershed Council Anne Mary Meyers Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative Strategic Action Plan, March 2020 Page ii Mark Miller Trout Mountain Forestry Kevin O'Hara U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Nicole Ruggiero Tualatin Hill Soil and Water Conservation District Donna Schmitz Benton Soil and Water Conservation District Steve Smith Retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Consultant Adam Stebbins Benton County Natural Areas and Parks Tom Snyder Natural Resources Conservation District (Benton/Linn County) Audrey Squires Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council Diane Steeck City of Eugene Emily Steel City of Eugene David Stroppel Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Colin Tierney Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Additional Topic Experts (for sub-groups and spatial data): Chris Bentley Benton County (Retired) Alejandro Brambila University of Oregon Environmental Science PhD student Vern Holm Western Invasives Network/Cascade Pacific Conservation and Development Lucas Hunt Western Invasives Network/Cascade Pacific Conservation and Development Alex Rahmlow Oregon Department of Forestry Amanda Rau The Nature Conservancy Cover Photo: Oaks at Bald Hill Farm in Benton County (Greenbelt Land Trust) Special Thanks This strategic planning effort would not have been possible without funding assistance provided by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board Focused Investment Partnerships Program, Land Trust Alliance, City of Eugene, and Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture along with a significant donation of time and expertise provided by our Steering Committee and Working Group members. Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative Strategic Action Plan, March 2020 Page iii Table of Contents Section 1: Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Purpose ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Strategic Planning Process .......................................................................................................................................... 2 Section 2: Partnership Structure and Roles .................................................................................................................5 2.1 Mission of the Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative .................................................................................. 5 2.2 Guiding Principles for the WVOPC .............................................................................................................................. 5 2.3 Governance Structure of the Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative............................................................ 6 2.3.1 Background .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3.2 Memorandum of Understanding ......................................................................................................................... 6 2.3.3 Member Roles and Responsibilities ..................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.4 Decision Making Structure ................................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.5 Meetings .............................................................................................................................................................. 7 2.3.6 Progress Monitoring ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Section 3: Geographic Scope and Planning Horizon .....................................................................................................9 3.1 Geographic Scope ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 3.2 Planning Horizon ......................................................................................................................................................... 9 Section 4: Profile of Oak and Prairie Habitats in the Willamette Valley ...................................................................... 11 4.1 Geographic Setting ................................................................................................................................................... 11 4.2 Historical Context ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 4.2.1 Native American Influences and Cultural Significance ....................................................................................... 11 4.2.2 Historical Vegetation Patterns ........................................................................................................................... 12 4.3 Current Extent .......................................................................................................................................................... 12 4.4 Biophysical Context ................................................................................................................................................... 13 4.4.1 Ecoregional Context ........................................................................................................................................... 13 4.4.2 Terrestrial Ecosystems and Supported Species .................................................................................................. 16 4.5 Social Context ........................................................................................................................................................... 16 4.5.1 Land Ownership and Uses .................................................................................................................................. 16 4.5.2 Key Stakeholders ................................................................................................................................................ 17 4.6 Planning Context: Related Plans, Studies, and Initiatives ......................................................................................... 17 4.7 Existing Conserved Oak and Prairie Anchor Sites ...................................................................................................... 17 Section 5: Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Vision .................................................................................................. 18 5.1 Consensus 30-Year Vision for Oak and Prairie in the Willamette Valley ................................................................... 18 5.2 Development and Purpose of the 30-Year Conservation Concept Map.................................................................... 19 Willamette Valley Oak and Prairie Cooperative Strategic Action Plan, March 2020 Page iv 5.2.1 Purpose and Use of the Map.............................................................................................................................. 19 5.2.2 Development of the 30-Year Conservation Concept .......................................................................................... 19 5.3 Conservation Concept Overview and Map Key ........................................................................................................