Oak and prairie habitats are among the Pacific Northwest’s most threatened habitats. We’re working to change that. Oak woodlands and prairies used to be a prominent feature of the landscape from British Columbia to northern California. Today, only pockets of these habitats remain and some of the birds that depend on them are declining, some precipitously.
Oak and prairie habitats are also where a growing number of people want to live and farm–bringing fire suppression, invasive species, agriculture, and other changes along with them. Our goal is to foster conservation and management of oak and prairie habitats in ways that work for both wildlife and people.
We have made significant progress on two fronts: planning with partners at the regional level, and promoting and supporting local oak partnerships that can engage their communities to take conservation actions.
The Prairie, Oaks and People regional plan outlines conservation objectives, offers potential strategies to achieve them, and serves as a regional roadmap for partners.
Local partnerships are critical to sustaining oak and prairie habitats and we are committed to their success. Pacific Birds has provided staff expertise or funding resources to all of the existing or nascent partnerships below.
Learn more about what these partnerships are doing:
Even with local groups in place, there is still more to do. We will continue to support regional communications and policy initiatives, and help implement the most pressing conservation actions for birds. Our work in oak and prairie is guided by a conservation priority committee.
BY THE NUMBERS: Prairie-Oak Species
Native prairie-oak species are at a crossroads. Populations are declining, ranges are contracting, and many species are gone from parts of their historic range. Some have received official status as threatened or endangered; many others have not. Our goal is to save the most imperiled species and stop further declines.
Contact Us about Oak and Prairie:
The Latest Oak & Prairie News
A small change with a big impact: Metro’s Coffee Lake Creek acquisition
Tiny but mighty: that’s the big takeaway from Metro’s Coffee Lake Creek 3.67-acre land acquisition. And despite its size, the acquisition is an accomplishment over 25 years in the making. Bringing together the North Coffee Lake Creek Wetlands and the Tonquin Scablands, the additional land creates an almost 100-acre contiguous stretch of wildlife habitat and a mile-long protected creek area.
Thriving plants, butterflies, and prairies: Four species successfully downlisted or delisted in the Pacific Northwest
It’s no small feat to recover a species, and in the past few years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted three prairie-dependent species and downlisted one in the Pacific Northwest.
Six wins and more in the 2022-2023 Conservation Report
The last year marked significant growth, strengthened partnerships, and progress toward shared conservation goals, with significant achievements across the Pacific Birds service area – from Alaska to coastal British Columbia, to Northwest California, and across the Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands. As we start the new year, join us in celebrating major conservation achievements in the Pacific Flyway.