E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area
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Checklists
Location
From downtown Corvallis, follow Hwy 99W north for 9.9 miles to the E. E. Wilson Wildlife Area exit. The exit merges with Camp Adair Road in 0.1 mile. Follow Camp Adair Road east 0.4 mile, and then turn left and follow this road 0.2 mile to the parking area. From Monmouth, follow Hwy 99W south for 10.3 miles to Camp Adair Road. Turn left and follow Camp Adair Road east 0.5 miles, and then turn left to the parking area. As with most Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife sites, an ODFW parking permit is required here. Single day and annual permits are available online, at ODFW offices, and at many sporting goods outlets.
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
E. E. Wilson Wildlife Management Area is a large tract of land (1,788 acres) on the Willamette Valley floor which is managed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. From 1942 through 1948, this area served as part of Camp Adair, a US Army training center during the Second World War which covered 12 square miles and housed up to 40,000 troops. The Army built a network of roads, storm and sanitary sewer systems, and about 1,800 buildings on the site. During that time it emptied wetlands and channelized streams to try to control the natural flooding in the area. In 1950, title was transferred to the State of Oregon and the northern section of the camp has since been managed as a multiple use wildlife area. The paved roads now serve as walking paths, and much of the area provides easy access to people with disabilities. Fishing is allowed year round and upland game bird hunting is allowed from September through February (shotgun only, steel shot). The area is a mix of open fields, riparian woods, and some stands of native Oregon White Oak. Wetlands and ponds have been restored, and canals and ditches cross the property.
Mallards, Wood Ducks, and Hooded Mergansers are found here year-round, and are joined in the winter and early spring by smaller numbers of as many as eight to ten other species of ducks. Great Blue Heron join Pied-billed Grebe and American Coot in the ponds, and Marsh Wren calls from the surrounding vegetation. Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Harrier are here year-round, and Osprey joins them in the summer. Black-capped Chickadee and Bewick’s Wren are also here year-round, along with smaller numbers of House and Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, Bushtit, and Wrentit. In the colder months, these are joined by Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglet, and in the brushy areas, a number of sparrow species, including Fox, White-crowned, Golden-crowned, White-throated, and Lincoln’s Sparrow. Small numbers of Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawk patrol the area year-round. Spring and summer bring the warblers, Orange-crowned, Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Gray, and Wilson’s Warbler, and Yellow-breasted Chat is regularly seen and heard.
EE Wilson Wildlife Area Features and Ownership Map (From ODFW)
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