The 309-acre Coyote Creek South property, owned by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), is undergoing habitat restoration in cooperation with the Long Tom Watershed Council (LTWC). The habitat restoration includes conversion of former grass seed fields to wet prairie and vernal pool habitat. Phase 1 is 112 acres of wet prairie and 12 acres of vernal pools on the northern part of the property along Cantrell Road. Phase 2 is 53 acres of wet prairie on the southern part of the property at the end of Halderson Road. Phase 3 is 29 acres of wet prairie adjacent to and south of Phase 2. All three areas have provided suitable habitat for the Federally Threatened Streaked Horned Lark (hereafter lark) since the initiation of restoration activities.
The primary objective was to conduct breeding season surveys and monitoring to document the occurrence, abundance, and nesting status of larks and other priority bird species (e.g., Western Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow) to assess project effectiveness for ODFW Strategy Species, and provide a baseline on populations for ongoing and future habitat management. A secondary objective was to provide real-time updates of lark nest locations to assist ODFW and LTWC staff in planning restoration and other activities on the site.