Benton County, OR Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

230 create the Sensitive Fish and Wildlife Habitat Overlay Zone (/FW) to protect nesting, roosting, and watering habitat identified by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) or Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) for species classified as threatened or endangered, plus designated sensitive bird sites, layered on top of protections already provided by the Willamette River Greenway Program and the Oregon Forest Practices Act. 210(1) applies the overlay specifically to all Northern Bald Eagle nests and roosts, Spotted Owl nests, Osprey nests, Great Blue Heron rookeries, and Band-tailed Pigeon mineral springs.

Absent a site-specific evaluation, the overlay automatically extends 600 feet around a Great Blue Heron rookery or Band-tailed Pigeon mineral spring, and a quarter mile around a Northern Bald Eagle nest or roosting site, a Spotted Owl nest, or an Osprey nest. 230: the county notifies ODF and ODFW within 7 days of a permit or tree-removal request, and those agencies have 14 days to report back on impact. A finding of no impact, or no response within 14 days, ends the review. If ODF or ODFW find a significant impact, within 600 feet of a heron rookery or pigeon spring or within 600 feet of an eagle, owl, or osprey site, they must deliver a site-specific habitat management plan within 14 days, and the county can deny the application outright if the impact cannot be mitigated.