Oh, Oregon! What a place. Home to impressive mountain ranges filled with lush green forests, special montane lakes, vast expanses of shrubland, hidden coves and rocky coasts. Oregon is also home to more than 50 species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, from fish to frogs to flowers, and all types of amazing critters in between.
According to new research from Defenders of Wildlife’s Center for Conservation Innovation, Oregon is the 39th most at risk state from the impacts of the biodiversity crisis. Of the five drivers of the crisis—climate change, pollution, overexploitation, habitat destruction, and invasive species—the most damaging of the drivers of the crisis here are invasive species.
With a little bit of luck, if you are in the right place at the right time, you may come across one of these four threatened and endangered Oregon species the next time you visit the state!
Marbled Murrelet (endangered)
The marbled murrelet is an elusive little seabird from the auk family that is frequently associated with the Oregon coast. However, these birds can be found as far as 50 miles inland where they nest in old, mature forests. In between the size of a robin and a crow, most of the year they boast gray, white and black marbled patterns on their back. During breeding season, they molt into brown plumage.
Scientists are still learning a lot about this relatively unknown bird. What they do know is both its land and sea habitats are facing serious threats from habitat degradation and fragmentation. Climate change is also impacting marbled murrelet’s habitat and food availability.
Oregon Spotted Frog (threatened)
This frog has earned the title “the most aquatic frog in the Pacific Northwest” because it spends a significant portion of its life in the water. One of the frog’s water dwelling adaptations is that it can absorb oxygen from the water through its skin, allowing them to breathe.
Unfortunately, these frogs may be tricky to spot. They have disappeared from more than 75% of their historic range due to changing hydrology and invasive species, among other threats.
Gray Wolf (endangered in part of Oregon)
These awe-inspiring canids are pack-oriented, relying on their families just like us. Bigger than their coyote cousins, an adult male gray wolf can weight up to around 110 pounds! Seeing a wolf on the landscape would be an impressive sighting, but you may have more luck tracking down their pawprints — which can be up to 4.5 inches long and wide — or listening for their long, characteristic howl.
Oregon wolf populations are primarily found in the eastern side of the state, where they are not listed as endangered. Any wolves on the western side of Oregon however, are protected under the ESA.
Franklin’s Bumblebee (endangered)
This tiny insect is thought to have the most limited range of all North American bumble bee species. Keep a sharp eye out for this little bumblebee if you are in the Klamath Mountain region in south Oregon. Their small heads and short tongues come paired with chunky cheeks, but their characteristic mark is an inverted U-shape pattern on their thorax — or middle section of their body — and a lack of yellow on their abdomen.
Unfortunately, these species have experienced population decline that requires the protection of the ESA to help them recover and avoid extinction. But turning the population trends around will be no easy feat.
In a state like Oregon, even if you don’t find one of these four animals, you will undoubtedly spot many others and be impressed by the state’s natural beauty. When you visit, always make sure you are packing up all of your trash and limiting the impacts you have on these wild outdoor places.
Buckle up, we're virtually hitting the road this summer! Learn about the other amazing species in Oregon we are fighting for and check out cool places you can visit during your next trip to the state.
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