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• 1. [Article] Integrating Ecosystem Services, River Restoration and Community: A Case Study at Fisher's Bend

  Natural areas and ecosystem services at the edge of urban areas are threatened by increasing development. This paper examines how community based restoration partnerships can work to identify, protect ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Integrating Ecosystem Services, River Restoration and Community: A Case Study at Fisher's Bend Author: Carlson, Michael Year: 2011 Natural areas and ecosystem services at the edge of urban areas are threatened by increasing development. This paper examines how community based restoration partnerships can work to identify, protect and restore ecosystem services provided by salmon and our local rivers. Floodplains provide a wide range of ecosystem services to urban and rural communities and we should work collaboratively to protect and restore them. Floodplains are especially valuable and important for salmon recovery. By using a case study, we explore the process and feasibility of restoring off-channel salmon habitat at Fisher's Bend in the lower Clackamas river. A feasibility study was conducted to identify costs, benefits and risks of different design alternatives for the side channel. Hydrology of the river and hydraulics of the site were determined by estimating peak and low flow hydrology then running a HEC-RAS hydraulic model. Results indicate that the river overflows into the side channel near the 2 year recurrence interval. On average there is currently about a 50 % chance each year that the river will enter the side channel. These current flows do not provide much opportunity for juvenile salmon to access the side channel where they can grow and thrive in a protected habitat before their journey to the ocean. Further investigation produced results that indicate 95% of the time from 1959-2009 the river discharge was above 726 cfs from October to June. These results highlight that we will need to excavate about 9 feet from current elevations at the side-channel outlet to gain reasonable assurance of a one foot water depth for good salmon access. This depth will provide access from the river during critical periods when adult and juvenile salmon are seeking refuge from predators and high flood flows in the main channel. Although more design is needed for the inlet and outlet it appears the project is feasible and will meet the objective of providing salmonid access to critical habitat. In closing, I recommend investment in natural area protection and restoration at the edges of the urban growth boundary to maintain valuable ecosystem services provided by river floodplains and salmon. Title: Integrating Ecosystem Services, River Restoration and Community: A Case Study at Fisher's Bend Author: Carlson, Michael Year: 2011 Natural areas and ecosystem services at the edge of urban areas are threatened by increasing development. This paper examines how community based restoration partnerships can work to identify, protect and restore ecosystem services provided by salmon and our local rivers. Floodplains provide a wide range of ecosystem services to urban and rural communities and we should work collaboratively to protect and restore them. Floodplains are especially valuable and important for salmon recovery. By using a case study, we explore the process and feasibility of restoring off-channel salmon habitat at Fisher's Bend in the lower Clackamas river. A feasibility study was conducted to identify costs, benefits and risks of different design alternatives for the side channel. Hydrology of the river and hydraulics of the site were determined by estimating peak and low flow hydrology then running a HEC-RAS hydraulic model. Results indicate that the river overflows into the side channel near the 2 year recurrence interval. On average there is currently about a 50 % chance each year that the river will enter the side channel. These current flows do not provide much opportunity for juvenile salmon to access the side channel where they can grow and thrive in a protected habitat before their journey to the ocean. Further investigation produced results that indicate 95% of the time from 1959-2009 the river discharge was above 726 cfs from October to June. These results highlight that we will need to excavate about 9 feet from current elevations at the side-channel outlet to gain reasonable assurance of a one foot water depth for good salmon access. This depth will provide access from the river during critical periods when adult and juvenile salmon are seeking refuge from predators and high flood flows in the main channel. Although more design is needed for the inlet and outlet it appears the project is feasible and will meet the objective of providing salmonid access to critical habitat. In closing, I recommend investment in natural area protection and restoration at the edges of the urban growth boundary to maintain valuable ecosystem services provided by river floodplains and salmon. Close

• 2. [Article] The Resurrection of a River: The Umatilla and its Salmon

  Until the 1990s, salmon had been extinct from the Umatilla River for over 70 years. The struggle to bring salmon back to this river is a compelling story that exemplifies some of the new relationships ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Resurrection of a River: The Umatilla and its Salmon Author: Shelley, Christopher Ward Year: 2002 Until the 1990s, salmon had been extinct from the Umatilla River for over 70 years. The struggle to bring salmon back to this river is a compelling story that exemplifies some of the new relationships in Columbia River Basin salmon management. The Umatilla River and the disappearance of its salmon was a local issue. Irrigation interests had used the river so thoroughly it ceased to flow during the late summer and fall months-precisely when salmon needed it for migration. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation saw decided that they would change that: they would figure out a way to put both salmon and water back into the river. This thesis examines this process. First, it contextualizes the Umatilla River within the Columbia River Basin and Columbia Basin salmon management, and shows how a local salmon issue became a regional salmon issue. It then discusses the triangle of relationships that Indians, salmon, and hatcheries have come to form. Chapter III discusses the formation of the unique Umatilla Fish Restoration Program, which reintroduced fish into the river, and was paid for by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), as per the Northwest Power Act. Key elements within BPA's Fish and Wildlife Division resisted complying with the directives of the Northwest Power Planning Council to pay for the Program, setting the Program back years. I argue that this comes from two clashing ways of seeing the River: "cost-benefit analysis" versus "least cost." Chapter IV looks at the new partnerships formed in the Umatilla River Basin by the Tribes and irrigation districts in order to encourage the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to construct a water delivery system that would satisfy irrigators while allowing most of the Umatilla to flow freely. The last Chapter suggests that these new and somewhat ironic partnerships between federal and state governments, private irrigators and landowners, nongovernmental organizations, and Indian tribes are key to restoring ecosystems in the Columbia River Basin. It further argues that without tribal nations playing an active role and exerting their treaty rights, restoring rivers like the Umatilla is impossible. Title: The Resurrection of a River: The Umatilla and its Salmon Author: Shelley, Christopher Ward Year: 2002 Until the 1990s, salmon had been extinct from the Umatilla River for over 70 years. The struggle to bring salmon back to this river is a compelling story that exemplifies some of the new relationships in Columbia River Basin salmon management. The Umatilla River and the disappearance of its salmon was a local issue. Irrigation interests had used the river so thoroughly it ceased to flow during the late summer and fall months-precisely when salmon needed it for migration. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation saw decided that they would change that: they would figure out a way to put both salmon and water back into the river. This thesis examines this process. First, it contextualizes the Umatilla River within the Columbia River Basin and Columbia Basin salmon management, and shows how a local salmon issue became a regional salmon issue. It then discusses the triangle of relationships that Indians, salmon, and hatcheries have come to form. Chapter III discusses the formation of the unique Umatilla Fish Restoration Program, which reintroduced fish into the river, and was paid for by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), as per the Northwest Power Act. Key elements within BPA's Fish and Wildlife Division resisted complying with the directives of the Northwest Power Planning Council to pay for the Program, setting the Program back years. I argue that this comes from two clashing ways of seeing the River: "cost-benefit analysis" versus "least cost." Chapter IV looks at the new partnerships formed in the Umatilla River Basin by the Tribes and irrigation districts in order to encourage the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to construct a water delivery system that would satisfy irrigators while allowing most of the Umatilla to flow freely. The last Chapter suggests that these new and somewhat ironic partnerships between federal and state governments, private irrigators and landowners, nongovernmental organizations, and Indian tribes are key to restoring ecosystems in the Columbia River Basin. It further argues that without tribal nations playing an active role and exerting their treaty rights, restoring rivers like the Umatilla is impossible. Close

• 3. [Article] Archaeological Evidence for Resilience of Pacific Northwest Salmon Populations and the Socioecological System Over the Last ~7,500 Years

  Archaeological data on the long history of interaction between indigenous people and salmon have rarely been applied to conservation management. When joined with ethnohistoric records, archaeology provides ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Archaeological Evidence for Resilience of Pacific Northwest Salmon Populations and the Socioecological System Over the Last ~7,500 Years Author: Campbell, Sarah K., Butler, Virginia L. Year: 2010 Archaeological data on the long history of interaction between indigenous people and salmon have rarely been applied to conservation management. When joined with ethnohistoric records, archaeology provides an alternative conceptual view of the potential for sustainable harvests and can suggest possible social mechanisms for managing human behavior. Review of the ~7,500-year-long fish bone record from two subregions of the Pacific Northwest shows remarkable stability in salmon use. As major changes in the ecological and social system occurred over this lengthy period, persistence in the fishery is not due simply to a lack of perturbation, but rather indicates resilience in the ecological--human system. Of several factors possibly contributing to resilience, low human population size and harvesting pressure, habitat enhancement, and suppression of competing predators do not appear to be of major importance. Flexible resource use, including human use of a range of local resources, many of which are linked in a food web with salmon, likely contributed to resilience. Most important were the beliefs and social institutions (including ownership, regulation, rituals, and monitoring) that placed restraints on salmon use as a common pool resource. In contrast, only a small fraction of our modern society relies economically on or has direct interaction with the fish, which limits our concern and willingness to fundamentally change behaviors that contribute to habitat degradation and loss, the main challenges facing salmon populations today. Salmon recovery efforts may benefit substantially from investing more resources into establishing links between community groups and actual fish populations, which would create a sense of proprietorship, one of the keys to resilience in the indigenous salmon fishery. Title: Archaeological Evidence for Resilience of Pacific Northwest Salmon Populations and the Socioecological System Over the Last ~7,500 Years Author: Campbell, Sarah K., Butler, Virginia L. Year: 2010 Archaeological data on the long history of interaction between indigenous people and salmon have rarely been applied to conservation management. When joined with ethnohistoric records, archaeology provides an alternative conceptual view of the potential for sustainable harvests and can suggest possible social mechanisms for managing human behavior. Review of the ~7,500-year-long fish bone record from two subregions of the Pacific Northwest shows remarkable stability in salmon use. As major changes in the ecological and social system occurred over this lengthy period, persistence in the fishery is not due simply to a lack of perturbation, but rather indicates resilience in the ecological--human system. Of several factors possibly contributing to resilience, low human population size and harvesting pressure, habitat enhancement, and suppression of competing predators do not appear to be of major importance. Flexible resource use, including human use of a range of local resources, many of which are linked in a food web with salmon, likely contributed to resilience. Most important were the beliefs and social institutions (including ownership, regulation, rituals, and monitoring) that placed restraints on salmon use as a common pool resource. In contrast, only a small fraction of our modern society relies economically on or has direct interaction with the fish, which limits our concern and willingness to fundamentally change behaviors that contribute to habitat degradation and loss, the main challenges facing salmon populations today. Salmon recovery efforts may benefit substantially from investing more resources into establishing links between community groups and actual fish populations, which would create a sense of proprietorship, one of the keys to resilience in the indigenous salmon fishery. Close

• 4. [Article] The Role of Habitat Restoration and Conservation in the Changing Socio-economic Conditions of Grant County, Oregon

  Habitat restoration has socio-economic as well as biophysical impacts. In Grant County, Oregon a recent influx of funding and technical resources for habitat restoration has led to focused monitoring efforts ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Role of Habitat Restoration and Conservation in the Changing Socio-economic Conditions of Grant County, Oregon Author: Senkyr, Kristen Lauren Year: 2012 Habitat restoration has socio-economic as well as biophysical impacts. In Grant County, Oregon a recent influx of funding and technical resources for habitat restoration has led to focused monitoring efforts there to better understand the impacts. This study explores how local land use and land management practices are changing in Grant County as a result of restoration and other drivers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 landowners, land managers, and long time residents to document the change they have observed and identify how they are adapting. The results suggest that many interconnected social, economic, and ecological changes have taken place in Grant County in the recent past, of which the increased focus on restoration and conservation is just one. Other significant changes include the decline of the timber industry, shifting land ownership patterns, intensified regulation of natural resources, and increased environmental awareness. Ways that the community is adapting and additional ways in which they might more successfully adapt to these changes were identified. Recommendations for how to contribute to a more resilient Grant County are presented for the regulatory, academic, and scientific communities. Title: The Role of Habitat Restoration and Conservation in the Changing Socio-economic Conditions of Grant County, Oregon Author: Senkyr, Kristen Lauren Year: 2012 Habitat restoration has socio-economic as well as biophysical impacts. In Grant County, Oregon a recent influx of funding and technical resources for habitat restoration has led to focused monitoring efforts there to better understand the impacts. This study explores how local land use and land management practices are changing in Grant County as a result of restoration and other drivers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 landowners, land managers, and long time residents to document the change they have observed and identify how they are adapting. The results suggest that many interconnected social, economic, and ecological changes have taken place in Grant County in the recent past, of which the increased focus on restoration and conservation is just one. Other significant changes include the decline of the timber industry, shifting land ownership patterns, intensified regulation of natural resources, and increased environmental awareness. Ways that the community is adapting and additional ways in which they might more successfully adapt to these changes were identified. Recommendations for how to contribute to a more resilient Grant County are presented for the regulatory, academic, and scientific communities. Close

• 5. [Article] The Sociology of Landowner Interest in Restoring Fire-adapted, Biodiverse Habitats in the Wildland-Urban Interface Of Oregon's Willamette Valley Ecoregion

  In many parts of the world, the combined effects of wildfire, climate change, and population growth in the wildland-urban interface pose increasing risks to both people and biodiversity. These risks are ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Sociology of Landowner Interest in Restoring Fire-adapted, Biodiverse Habitats in the Wildland-Urban Interface Of Oregon's Willamette Valley Ecoregion Author: Nielsen-Pincus, Max Year: 2011 In many parts of the world, the combined effects of wildfire, climate change, and population growth in the wildland-urban interface pose increasing risks to both people and biodiversity. These risks are exemplified in western Oregon’s Willamette Valley Ecoregion, where population is projected to double by 2050 and climate change is expected to increase wildfire risk. Restoring elements of the region’s historic fire-adapted prairie, savanna, and woodland habitats may help to reduce future wildfire risk and help conserve the region’s threatened biodiversity. We report on a mail survey (n = 939) examining the socio-demographic factors influencing private landowners’ likelihood of restoring fire-adapted habitats in the future. We found that newer landowners, landowners with a liberal political ideology, and landowners who have experienced wildfire are more likely to restore fire-adapted habitats in the future than their long-time owner, conservative, or inexperienced counterparts. However, experience with wildfire ceased to be a significant influence when we controlled for underlying landowner motivations for owning their property. Our findings can help planners and scientists better understand and account for the effects of a dynamic human population’s influence on landscape patterns, structures, and composition. Title: The Sociology of Landowner Interest in Restoring Fire-adapted, Biodiverse Habitats in the Wildland-Urban Interface Of Oregon's Willamette Valley Ecoregion Author: Nielsen-Pincus, Max Year: 2011 In many parts of the world, the combined effects of wildfire, climate change, and population growth in the wildland-urban interface pose increasing risks to both people and biodiversity. These risks are exemplified in western Oregon’s Willamette Valley Ecoregion, where population is projected to double by 2050 and climate change is expected to increase wildfire risk. Restoring elements of the region’s historic fire-adapted prairie, savanna, and woodland habitats may help to reduce future wildfire risk and help conserve the region’s threatened biodiversity. We report on a mail survey (n = 939) examining the socio-demographic factors influencing private landowners’ likelihood of restoring fire-adapted habitats in the future. We found that newer landowners, landowners with a liberal political ideology, and landowners who have experienced wildfire are more likely to restore fire-adapted habitats in the future than their long-time owner, conservative, or inexperienced counterparts. However, experience with wildfire ceased to be a significant influence when we controlled for underlying landowner motivations for owning their property. Our findings can help planners and scientists better understand and account for the effects of a dynamic human population’s influence on landscape patterns, structures, and composition. Close

• 6. [Article] Pine Creek Conservation Area: 2013 Mapping and Monitoring Report

  Pine Creek Conservation Area (PCCA), just northeast of the John Day River in Wheeler County, Oregon, was acquired in 1999-2001 by the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs with support from the Bonneville ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Pine Creek Conservation Area: 2013 Mapping and Monitoring Report Author: Nielsen, Eric M., Noone, Matthew D., Kagan, James S., Lee, Matthew T. Year: 2013 Pine Creek Conservation Area (PCCA), just northeast of the John Day River in Wheeler County, Oregon, was acquired in 1999-2001 by the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs with support from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), to mitigate for wildlife losses created by the large, hydropower Columbia River Dams, particularly the Bonneville, Dalles and John Day Dams. Many thousands of acres of grassland, shrub steppe and riparian habitats were lost due to inundation, and the objectives of the acquisition included restoration of similar habitats. As part of an interagency agreement created in 2002, the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center established a baseline monitoring program in 2002. This effort included the establishment of permanent monitoring plots to allow for a detailed assessment of vegetation change in the plant communities occurring at the site. It also included the development of an existing vegetation map, hopefully to allow for an analysis of overall vegetation change across the conservation area. The map showed the distribution of western juniper, native grasslands, big sagebrush, and weed-dominated areas at the site. In the eight years since the original map was made, a series of management actions, including juniper clearing, prescribed fires, and riparian restoration activities have significantly changed the vegetation at PCCA. In the spring and summer of 2010, the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, now the Oregon Biodiversity Information Center at Portland State University, visited the area to assist the land manager in developing a strategy for meeting the information needs of the Tribes and BPA in evaluating the success of the first decade of restoration. This report details that effort, which incorporated a combination of field inspection, photo-interpretation, and remote sensing-based mapping to assess change since the establishment of the conservation area, to lay a new baseline against which to measure future change, and most importantly to provide detailed information useful for land management decision making in the continuing restoration efforts. Title: Pine Creek Conservation Area: 2013 Mapping and Monitoring Report Author: Nielsen, Eric M., Noone, Matthew D., Kagan, James S., Lee, Matthew T. Year: 2013 Pine Creek Conservation Area (PCCA), just northeast of the John Day River in Wheeler County, Oregon, was acquired in 1999-2001 by the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs with support from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), to mitigate for wildlife losses created by the large, hydropower Columbia River Dams, particularly the Bonneville, Dalles and John Day Dams. Many thousands of acres of grassland, shrub steppe and riparian habitats were lost due to inundation, and the objectives of the acquisition included restoration of similar habitats. As part of an interagency agreement created in 2002, the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center established a baseline monitoring program in 2002. This effort included the establishment of permanent monitoring plots to allow for a detailed assessment of vegetation change in the plant communities occurring at the site. It also included the development of an existing vegetation map, hopefully to allow for an analysis of overall vegetation change across the conservation area. The map showed the distribution of western juniper, native grasslands, big sagebrush, and weed-dominated areas at the site. In the eight years since the original map was made, a series of management actions, including juniper clearing, prescribed fires, and riparian restoration activities have significantly changed the vegetation at PCCA. In the spring and summer of 2010, the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center, now the Oregon Biodiversity Information Center at Portland State University, visited the area to assist the land manager in developing a strategy for meeting the information needs of the Tribes and BPA in evaluating the success of the first decade of restoration. This report details that effort, which incorporated a combination of field inspection, photo-interpretation, and remote sensing-based mapping to assess change since the establishment of the conservation area, to lay a new baseline against which to measure future change, and most importantly to provide detailed information useful for land management decision making in the continuing restoration efforts. Close

• 7. [Article] Community Science and the Ecological Merits of Backyard Habitat Patches and Adjacent Green-Spaces for Urban Avian Species

  In what ways do small-scale urban backyards contribute to local bird abundance and biodiversity? In what ways might these yards serve as an ‘extension’ of neighboring native forest areas? This project ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Community Science and the Ecological Merits of Backyard Habitat Patches and Adjacent Green-Spaces for Urban Avian Species Author: Gulick, Kristen S., West, Nikkie, Dresner, Marion Year: 2017 In what ways do small-scale urban backyards contribute to local bird abundance and biodiversity? In what ways might these yards serve as an ‘extension’ of neighboring native forest areas? This project investigates the contribution that a group of backyards, certified through the Backyard Habitat Certification Program, have in the suburb of Hillsdale, Oregon, which is adjacent to the natural area of Keller Woodland. Backyard owners functioning as citizen or community scientists assisted with conducting residential bird point-counts once a week in each backyard and the natural area. Counts were done for a total of 8 weeks during nesting season to better understand how backyard habitat restoration might affect their habitat especially when in close proximity to a natural area. The goal of the project was to help better understand the beneficial effects of urban gardening using native plants and diverse vegetation structure as this relates to bird species richness, and to explore the importance of community scientist contributions. Although the sample size was small, no significant trends were found, but the involvement of community scientists indicated increased skill, depth of understanding, and increased motivation for all participating backyard habitat owners. More backyards are needed for future research and extension into lower-income neighborhoods would be very beneficial to increase awareness of urban habitat connectivity and the diversity seen in backyard environmental characteristics and yard owner backyard habitat knowledge. A larger sample size could reveal correlations and provide a greater significance in data findings for bird abundance and diversity. A logical extension of this project would be to investigate food-web effects, specifically avian prey species, and smaller green-spaces that are often present in urban neighborhoods in addition to the large green-spaces. Title: Community Science and the Ecological Merits of Backyard Habitat Patches and Adjacent Green-Spaces for Urban Avian Species Author: Gulick, Kristen S., West, Nikkie, Dresner, Marion Year: 2017 In what ways do small-scale urban backyards contribute to local bird abundance and biodiversity? In what ways might these yards serve as an ‘extension’ of neighboring native forest areas? This project investigates the contribution that a group of backyards, certified through the Backyard Habitat Certification Program, have in the suburb of Hillsdale, Oregon, which is adjacent to the natural area of Keller Woodland. Backyard owners functioning as citizen or community scientists assisted with conducting residential bird point-counts once a week in each backyard and the natural area. Counts were done for a total of 8 weeks during nesting season to better understand how backyard habitat restoration might affect their habitat especially when in close proximity to a natural area. The goal of the project was to help better understand the beneficial effects of urban gardening using native plants and diverse vegetation structure as this relates to bird species richness, and to explore the importance of community scientist contributions. Although the sample size was small, no significant trends were found, but the involvement of community scientists indicated increased skill, depth of understanding, and increased motivation for all participating backyard habitat owners. More backyards are needed for future research and extension into lower-income neighborhoods would be very beneficial to increase awareness of urban habitat connectivity and the diversity seen in backyard environmental characteristics and yard owner backyard habitat knowledge. A larger sample size could reveal correlations and provide a greater significance in data findings for bird abundance and diversity. A logical extension of this project would be to investigate food-web effects, specifically avian prey species, and smaller green-spaces that are often present in urban neighborhoods in addition to the large green-spaces. Close

• 8. [Article] Climate Change and Land Management Impact Rangeland Condition and Sage-Grouse Habitat in Southeastern Oregon

  Contemporary pressures on sagebrush steppe from climate change, exotic species, wildfire, and land use change threaten rangeland species such as the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). To ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Climate Change and Land Management Impact Rangeland Condition and Sage-Grouse Habitat in Southeastern Oregon Author: Creutzburg, Megan K., Henderson, Emilie B., Conklin, David R. Year: 2015 Contemporary pressures on sagebrush steppe from climate change, exotic species, wildfire, and land use change threaten rangeland species such as the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). To effectively manage sagebrush steppe landscapes for long-term goals, managers need information about the potential impacts of climate change, disturbances, and management activities. We integrated information from a dynamic global vegetation model, a sage-grouse habitat climate envelope model, and a state-and-transition simulation model to project broad-scale vegetation dynamics and potential sage-grouse habitat across 23.5 million acres in southeastern Oregon. We evaluated four climate scenarios, including continuing current climate and three scenarios of global climate change, and three management scenarios, including no management, current management and a sage-grouse habitat restoration scenario. All climate change scenarios projected expansion of moist shrub steppe and contraction of dry shrub steppe, but climate scenarios varied widely in the projected extent of xeric shrub steppe, where hot, dry summer conditions are unfavorable for sage-grouse. Wildfire increased by 26% over the century under current climate due to exotic grass encroachment, and by two- to four-fold across all climate change scenarios as extreme fire years became more frequent. Exotic grasses rapidly expanded in all scenarios as large areas of the landscape initially in semi-degraded condition converted to exotic-dominated systems. Due to the combination of exotic grass invasion, juniper encroachment, and climatic unsuitability for sage-grouse, projected sage-grouse habitat declined in the first several decades, but increased in area under the three climate change scenarios later in the century, as moist shrub steppe increased and rangeland condition improved. Management activities in the model were generally unsuccessful in controlling exotic grass invasion but were effective in slowing woodland expansion. Current levels of restoration treatments were insufficient to prevent some juniper expansion, but increased treatment rates under the restoration scenario maintained juniper near initial levels in priority treatment areas. Our simulations indicate that climate change may have both positive and negative implications for maintaining sage-grouse habitat. Title: Climate Change and Land Management Impact Rangeland Condition and Sage-Grouse Habitat in Southeastern Oregon Author: Creutzburg, Megan K., Henderson, Emilie B., Conklin, David R. Year: 2015 Contemporary pressures on sagebrush steppe from climate change, exotic species, wildfire, and land use change threaten rangeland species such as the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). To effectively manage sagebrush steppe landscapes for long-term goals, managers need information about the potential impacts of climate change, disturbances, and management activities. We integrated information from a dynamic global vegetation model, a sage-grouse habitat climate envelope model, and a state-and-transition simulation model to project broad-scale vegetation dynamics and potential sage-grouse habitat across 23.5 million acres in southeastern Oregon. We evaluated four climate scenarios, including continuing current climate and three scenarios of global climate change, and three management scenarios, including no management, current management and a sage-grouse habitat restoration scenario. All climate change scenarios projected expansion of moist shrub steppe and contraction of dry shrub steppe, but climate scenarios varied widely in the projected extent of xeric shrub steppe, where hot, dry summer conditions are unfavorable for sage-grouse. Wildfire increased by 26% over the century under current climate due to exotic grass encroachment, and by two- to four-fold across all climate change scenarios as extreme fire years became more frequent. Exotic grasses rapidly expanded in all scenarios as large areas of the landscape initially in semi-degraded condition converted to exotic-dominated systems. Due to the combination of exotic grass invasion, juniper encroachment, and climatic unsuitability for sage-grouse, projected sage-grouse habitat declined in the first several decades, but increased in area under the three climate change scenarios later in the century, as moist shrub steppe increased and rangeland condition improved. Management activities in the model were generally unsuccessful in controlling exotic grass invasion but were effective in slowing woodland expansion. Current levels of restoration treatments were insufficient to prevent some juniper expansion, but increased treatment rates under the restoration scenario maintained juniper near initial levels in priority treatment areas. Our simulations indicate that climate change may have both positive and negative implications for maintaining sage-grouse habitat. Close

• 9. [Article] Administrative Design for Yakima-Klickitat Production Project: Final Report

  This report provides the administrative design to implement the Yakima/Klickitat Production Project. This project is a scientifically designed salmon fishery restoration project funded by the Bonneville ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Administrative Design for Yakima-Klickitat Production Project: Final Report Author: Churchill, Jack, Shissler, Lee, Edner, Sheldon, Smith, Randy Year: 1990 This report provides the administrative design to implement the Yakima/Klickitat Production Project. This project is a scientifically designed salmon fishery restoration project funded by the Bonneville Power Administration in compliance with the .fishery policies established by the Northwest Power Planning Council under the authority of the Northwest Power Planning Act. This project breaks new ground in the field of fishery management. It is the first full scale application of supplementation technology directed toward maintaining and rebuilding native fish stocks and sub stocks with hatchery rearing methods. The work of the organization is an inherently more complex production function than traditional fish hatchery operations. This is in part because the project requires a high level of continuing quality control. It is also due in part because the fisheries management takes place over an extended geographical space of the watershed. The pre-design work for this project has been underway since 1987 by an ad hoc planning group composed of representative of the Yakima Indian Nation, the Washington Department of Fisheries and the Washington Department of Wildlife, and private consultants under funding of the Bonneville Power Administration. The project experimental design has been developed by the Experimental Design Work Group. The Bonneville Power Administration is contracting for design and construction of the fish rearing facilities. The research challenge was to design an organization to .implement the adaptive management concept of biological systems management. The management of complex biological systems such as salmon fish runs is character:ized by a high degree of uncertainty. Management for uncertain outcomes requires an organizational process that will induce a continuing learning atmosphere. Over time, most bureaucratic organizations suffer from inertia and are not conducive to a learning environment. Research methods involved the review of literature and related administrative experience, an interview process, a modified Delphi questionnaire, a series of group dynamic exercises, and observation of the work teams during the last six months of the planing process. The results of our research suggest that a new non-profit corporation be formed to implement the program under the direction of the three primary fish management basin agencies. The corporation should have flexibility and the organization will be phased in during the five year planning and construction cycle. A primary result of our research is the conclusion that the team management concept be the dominant organizational unit for both management of field operations and for management of scientific design and evaluation. Title: Administrative Design for Yakima-Klickitat Production Project: Final Report Author: Churchill, Jack, Shissler, Lee, Edner, Sheldon, Smith, Randy Year: 1990 This report provides the administrative design to implement the Yakima/Klickitat Production Project. This project is a scientifically designed salmon fishery restoration project funded by the Bonneville Power Administration in compliance with the .fishery policies established by the Northwest Power Planning Council under the authority of the Northwest Power Planning Act. This project breaks new ground in the field of fishery management. It is the first full scale application of supplementation technology directed toward maintaining and rebuilding native fish stocks and sub stocks with hatchery rearing methods. The work of the organization is an inherently more complex production function than traditional fish hatchery operations. This is in part because the project requires a high level of continuing quality control. It is also due in part because the fisheries management takes place over an extended geographical space of the watershed. The pre-design work for this project has been underway since 1987 by an ad hoc planning group composed of representative of the Yakima Indian Nation, the Washington Department of Fisheries and the Washington Department of Wildlife, and private consultants under funding of the Bonneville Power Administration. The project experimental design has been developed by the Experimental Design Work Group. The Bonneville Power Administration is contracting for design and construction of the fish rearing facilities. The research challenge was to design an organization to .implement the adaptive management concept of biological systems management. The management of complex biological systems such as salmon fish runs is character:ized by a high degree of uncertainty. Management for uncertain outcomes requires an organizational process that will induce a continuing learning atmosphere. Over time, most bureaucratic organizations suffer from inertia and are not conducive to a learning environment. Research methods involved the review of literature and related administrative experience, an interview process, a modified Delphi questionnaire, a series of group dynamic exercises, and observation of the work teams during the last six months of the planing process. The results of our research suggest that a new non-profit corporation be formed to implement the program under the direction of the three primary fish management basin agencies. The corporation should have flexibility and the organization will be phased in during the five year planning and construction cycle. A primary result of our research is the conclusion that the team management concept be the dominant organizational unit for both management of field operations and for management of scientific design and evaluation. Close

• 10. [Article] Mapping Conservation Opportunity Areas for the Intertwine's Regional Conservation Strategy

  As part of efforts to develop the Regional Conservation Strategy (RCS) for the greater Portland-Vancouver region, Oregon State University’s Institute for Natural Resources (INR) was asked to use spatial ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Mapping Conservation Opportunity Areas for the Intertwine's Regional Conservation Strategy Author: Burcsu, Theresa, Kagan, James S. Year: 2011 As part of efforts to develop the Regional Conservation Strategy (RCS) for the greater Portland-Vancouver region, Oregon State University’s Institute for Natural Resources (INR) was asked to use spatial modeling to identify conservation opportunity areas (COAs). To complete the project, INR analysts proposed a strategy that would map high value areas using a landscape approach that is focused on relatively high spatial resolution data sets available for the whole metropolitan region. The approach creates 2 main metrics: one focused on terrestrial organisms and the other focused on aquatic and riparian organisms. These are combined to create a map of highly ranked land areas that can be used to formulate a map of conservation opportunity areas. The purpose of the COA mapping project was to use geographic information system methods to identify landscape patches with conservation and restoration potential. The criteria used to identify these high value patches was based on a number of base- and derived-data sets that we call “data inputs.” The data ranged from recently mapped land use and land cover types, hydrological data to indicate species habitat requirements, and road influence on habitat patches. The project identified some areas in which data gaps exist (e.g., region-wide biodiversity data collected and mapped in consistent ways) and some opportunities for improving existent data sets (e.g., land use/land cover map). The project provided several layers that can be used to guide the final Regional Conservation Strategy in selecting conservation opportunity areas. The best layer will depend upon the needs of the RCS efforts, however, in our opinion the most appropriate layer to use is COA 3.11.1 which weights wetlands fairly high, but not as highly as the second data draft. COA 3.10.1 offers similar results as well. Overall it appears that the model results corroborate corridors analysis done previously (Hennings and Soll 2010). There are some issues remaining that we feel can most adequately be addressed by updating the base land use/land cover map. Title: Mapping Conservation Opportunity Areas for the Intertwine's Regional Conservation Strategy Author: Burcsu, Theresa, Kagan, James S. Year: 2011 As part of efforts to develop the Regional Conservation Strategy (RCS) for the greater Portland-Vancouver region, Oregon State University’s Institute for Natural Resources (INR) was asked to use spatial modeling to identify conservation opportunity areas (COAs). To complete the project, INR analysts proposed a strategy that would map high value areas using a landscape approach that is focused on relatively high spatial resolution data sets available for the whole metropolitan region. The approach creates 2 main metrics: one focused on terrestrial organisms and the other focused on aquatic and riparian organisms. These are combined to create a map of highly ranked land areas that can be used to formulate a map of conservation opportunity areas. The purpose of the COA mapping project was to use geographic information system methods to identify landscape patches with conservation and restoration potential. The criteria used to identify these high value patches was based on a number of base- and derived-data sets that we call “data inputs.” The data ranged from recently mapped land use and land cover types, hydrological data to indicate species habitat requirements, and road influence on habitat patches. The project identified some areas in which data gaps exist (e.g., region-wide biodiversity data collected and mapped in consistent ways) and some opportunities for improving existent data sets (e.g., land use/land cover map). The project provided several layers that can be used to guide the final Regional Conservation Strategy in selecting conservation opportunity areas. The best layer will depend upon the needs of the RCS efforts, however, in our opinion the most appropriate layer to use is COA 3.11.1 which weights wetlands fairly high, but not as highly as the second data draft. COA 3.10.1 offers similar results as well. Overall it appears that the model results corroborate corridors analysis done previously (Hennings and Soll 2010). There are some issues remaining that we feel can most adequately be addressed by updating the base land use/land cover map. Close