Dedicated natural areas in Oregon are called Natural Heritage Conservation Areas. For an area to be dedicated, it must first be registered, and must also have a management plan describing how the key biological resources will be managed. Natural Heritage Conservation Areas are similar to federal Research Natural Areas in that they are designed to serve educators, researchers, resource managers and the general public with access to Oregon's natural heritage resources far into the future. INR's Oregon Biodoversity Information Center assists state agencies in identifying candidate sites for dedication.
Eight sites were dedicated as of the 2015 Natural Areas Plan:
Cape Blanco
Cape Meares
Cascade Head
Netarts Spit
Onion Peak
Saddle Mountain
Steens Summit
Winchuck Slope
Additional information on these sites is available from ORBIC.