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• 1. [Article] Wet Meadow Plant Associations, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County, Oregon

  In July 2012, we sampled 131 plots in wet meadow habitat at the southern end of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Analysis of the data identified eleven different plant associations: Alopecurus pratensis, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Wet Meadow Plant Associations, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County, Oregon Author: Christy, John A. Year: 2013 In July 2012, we sampled 131 plots in wet meadow habitat at the southern end of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Analysis of the data identified eleven different plant associations: Alopecurus pratensis, Carex aquatilis var. aquatilis, Carex nebrascensis, Carex pellita, Carex praegracilis, Carex sheldonii, Distichlis spicata, Juncus balticus, Leymus triticoides, Phalaris arundinacea, and Sparganium eurycarpum. Plant associations spanned a wetland gradient from seasonally moist to seasonally or perennially flooded, but surface water had left most stands at time of sampling. Mean Wetland Indicator Status scores help to place the plant associations within gradients in soil moisture and alkalinity. The Alopecurus pratensis and Phalaris arundinacea associations are dominated by exotic, invasive species and appear to be outcompeting native plant associations. Phases of the Carex praegracilis association appear to be replaced by the Alopecurus pratensis association, while the Carex pellita, Juncus balticus, and Leymus triticoides associations may be replaced by the Phalaris arundinacea association. The Carex aquatilis and Sparganium eurycarpum associations were undersampled and provide only an estimate of composition. Most associations are consistent with what has been included in the National Vegetation Classification. Title: Wet Meadow Plant Associations, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County, Oregon Author: Christy, John A. Year: 2013 In July 2012, we sampled 131 plots in wet meadow habitat at the southern end of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Analysis of the data identified eleven different plant associations: Alopecurus pratensis, Carex aquatilis var. aquatilis, Carex nebrascensis, Carex pellita, Carex praegracilis, Carex sheldonii, Distichlis spicata, Juncus balticus, Leymus triticoides, Phalaris arundinacea, and Sparganium eurycarpum. Plant associations spanned a wetland gradient from seasonally moist to seasonally or perennially flooded, but surface water had left most stands at time of sampling. Mean Wetland Indicator Status scores help to place the plant associations within gradients in soil moisture and alkalinity. The Alopecurus pratensis and Phalaris arundinacea associations are dominated by exotic, invasive species and appear to be outcompeting native plant associations. Phases of the Carex praegracilis association appear to be replaced by the Alopecurus pratensis association, while the Carex pellita, Juncus balticus, and Leymus triticoides associations may be replaced by the Phalaris arundinacea association. The Carex aquatilis and Sparganium eurycarpum associations were undersampled and provide only an estimate of composition. Most associations are consistent with what has been included in the National Vegetation Classification. Close

• 2. [Article] Wet Meadow Plant Associations, Double O Unit, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County, Oregon

  This report summarizes vegetation data collected in July 2015 in wet meadow and marshy habitats on the Double O Unit of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR). Because vegetation sampled at the Double ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Wet Meadow Plant Associations, Double O Unit, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County, Oregon Author: Christy, John A. Year: 2016 This report summarizes vegetation data collected in July 2015 in wet meadow and marshy habitats on the Double O Unit of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR). Because vegetation sampled at the Double O was wetter and more alkaline than wet meadows sampled at the south end of the refuge in 2012 and 2013 (Christy 2014), data from the Double O Unit were analyzed and summarized separately. A total of 83 plots were sampled in 2015, and analysis of the data identified 14 plant associations: Alopecurus aequalis - Juncus balticus, Alopecurus pratensis - Potentilla anserina, Carex praegracilis - Juncus balticus, Cicuta douglasii - Carex nebrascensis, Distichlis spicata - Amphiscirpus nevadensis, Distichlis spicata - Nitrophila occidentalis, Eleocharis palustris - Juncus balticus, Eleocharis rostellata, Juncus balticus - Glaux maritima, Hippuris vulgaris - Triglochin maritima, Leymus triticoides - Juncus balticus, Schoenoplectus americanus, Spartina gracilis, and Triglochin maritima. Plant associations spanned a wetland gradient from seasonally moist to seasonally or perennially flooded, but surface water had left most stands at time of sampling. Mean Wetland Indicator Status scores and species composition help to place the plant associations within gradients in soil moisture and alkalinity. Seven of the 14 plant associations are listed in the International Vegetation Classification, and the remaining types are provisional Title: Wet Meadow Plant Associations, Double O Unit, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County, Oregon Author: Christy, John A. Year: 2016 This report summarizes vegetation data collected in July 2015 in wet meadow and marshy habitats on the Double O Unit of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR). Because vegetation sampled at the Double O was wetter and more alkaline than wet meadows sampled at the south end of the refuge in 2012 and 2013 (Christy 2014), data from the Double O Unit were analyzed and summarized separately. A total of 83 plots were sampled in 2015, and analysis of the data identified 14 plant associations: Alopecurus aequalis - Juncus balticus, Alopecurus pratensis - Potentilla anserina, Carex praegracilis - Juncus balticus, Cicuta douglasii - Carex nebrascensis, Distichlis spicata - Amphiscirpus nevadensis, Distichlis spicata - Nitrophila occidentalis, Eleocharis palustris - Juncus balticus, Eleocharis rostellata, Juncus balticus - Glaux maritima, Hippuris vulgaris - Triglochin maritima, Leymus triticoides - Juncus balticus, Schoenoplectus americanus, Spartina gracilis, and Triglochin maritima. Plant associations spanned a wetland gradient from seasonally moist to seasonally or perennially flooded, but surface water had left most stands at time of sampling. Mean Wetland Indicator Status scores and species composition help to place the plant associations within gradients in soil moisture and alkalinity. Seven of the 14 plant associations are listed in the International Vegetation Classification, and the remaining types are provisional Close

• 3. [Article] Koll Center Wetlands Natural Resources Maintenance Management Plan

  The intention of this plan is to provide a vision and guidelines for maintaining and improving the ecological health of Koll Center Wetlands in the short and long term. Although the plan will change over ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Koll Center Wetlands Natural Resources Maintenance Management Plan Author: Clayton, Meredith Year: 2006 The intention of this plan is to provide a vision and guidelines for maintaining and improving the ecological health of Koll Center Wetlands in the short and long term. Although the plan will change over time, the goal is to quantify natural resource needs spatially, temporally, and economically. Koll Center Wetlands is part of the Greenway/Fanno Creek/Koll Center Wetlands Park complex. The nearly 13 acre park is dominated by aquatic habitats that attract a wide variety of wildlife, particularly birds. The park grounds are not easily traversed and experience limited human use, but there are many viewpoints from which the park is easily and commonly observed by visitors. The park serves as valuable habitat for both local and migratory wildlife as it connects with the many other terrestrial and aquatic habitats of the park complex, forming a large wildlife corridor in an otherwise urban setting. The aquatic habitats respond to fluctuating water levels, creating seasonally diverse habitat conditions that support a variety of birds, mammals, and reptiles. A mixed forest grows on the southern slope of the park, housing a heron rookery and many well-established oaks and conifers. A weir located just past the south border of the property enables the wetlands to provide the services of storm detention and water filtration for runoff from the surrounding business park. Runoff from parking lots and landscaped areas can contain contaminants and nutrients capable of jeopardizing stream health. Settling and filtration of these compounds occurs as water travels north to south in the wetland, making the water that ultimately reaches Fanno Creek cleaner than it began. Since Koll Center Wetlands is located within a highly urbanized area, direct and indirect impacts to the natural areas from the surrounding region are considered in the maintenance management plan (MMP) for the park and its individual habitat units. These include, but are not limited to, direct human impacts, invasive plants and animals, and ongoing natural processes in plant communities. Title: Koll Center Wetlands Natural Resources Maintenance Management Plan Author: Clayton, Meredith Year: 2006 The intention of this plan is to provide a vision and guidelines for maintaining and improving the ecological health of Koll Center Wetlands in the short and long term. Although the plan will change over time, the goal is to quantify natural resource needs spatially, temporally, and economically. Koll Center Wetlands is part of the Greenway/Fanno Creek/Koll Center Wetlands Park complex. The nearly 13 acre park is dominated by aquatic habitats that attract a wide variety of wildlife, particularly birds. The park grounds are not easily traversed and experience limited human use, but there are many viewpoints from which the park is easily and commonly observed by visitors. The park serves as valuable habitat for both local and migratory wildlife as it connects with the many other terrestrial and aquatic habitats of the park complex, forming a large wildlife corridor in an otherwise urban setting. The aquatic habitats respond to fluctuating water levels, creating seasonally diverse habitat conditions that support a variety of birds, mammals, and reptiles. A mixed forest grows on the southern slope of the park, housing a heron rookery and many well-established oaks and conifers. A weir located just past the south border of the property enables the wetlands to provide the services of storm detention and water filtration for runoff from the surrounding business park. Runoff from parking lots and landscaped areas can contain contaminants and nutrients capable of jeopardizing stream health. Settling and filtration of these compounds occurs as water travels north to south in the wetland, making the water that ultimately reaches Fanno Creek cleaner than it began. Since Koll Center Wetlands is located within a highly urbanized area, direct and indirect impacts to the natural areas from the surrounding region are considered in the maintenance management plan (MMP) for the park and its individual habitat units. These include, but are not limited to, direct human impacts, invasive plants and animals, and ongoing natural processes in plant communities. Close

• 4. [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

• 5. [Article] Would You Like Fires with That? Using Stakeholder-Derived Forest Management Preference Maps to Model Landscape-level Fuel Reduction Treatment Effects on Wildfire Spread

  Management of public lands in the U.S. aims to achieve multiple goals relating to ecological function, wildlife habitat, support of local economies, and recreation; and in fire-prone landscapes these goals ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Would You Like Fires with That? Using Stakeholder-Derived Forest Management Preference Maps to Model Landscape-level Fuel Reduction Treatment Effects on Wildfire Spread Author: Cassell, Brooke A., Scheller, Robert M., Nielsen-Pincus, Max Year: 2017 Management of public lands in the U.S. aims to achieve multiple goals relating to ecological function, wildlife habitat, support of local economies, and recreation; and in fire-prone landscapes these goals are often combined with fuels reduction treatments such as forest thinning and prescribed fire. Applied landscape research may attempt to evaluate the tradeoffs implicit in public lands planning or envision potential future land management scenarios, but often fails to incorporate the spatial diversity of stakeholder perspectives. This study explores the use of public participation geographic systems (PPGIS) to identify spatial and thematic community preferences for fuel treatments in a fire-prone landscape in eastern Oregon. Through open-ended questionnaires and formal focus groups, participants identified their management preferences and identified areas they consider priorities for different types and intensities of fuel treatments. By digitizing these PPGIS-derived treatment maps and supplementing with treatment areas according to identified themes (e.g., protected areas, areas of decreased forest vitality), this research models the effects of alternative fuel reduction scenarios on wildfire spread across large landscapes during extreme weather events. In addition, this study provides insight into stakeholders’ preferences for fuel treatments, with preliminary results indicating high levels of approval for a variety of fuel reduction treatments. Title: Would You Like Fires with That? Using Stakeholder-Derived Forest Management Preference Maps to Model Landscape-level Fuel Reduction Treatment Effects on Wildfire Spread Author: Cassell, Brooke A., Scheller, Robert M., Nielsen-Pincus, Max Year: 2017 Management of public lands in the U.S. aims to achieve multiple goals relating to ecological function, wildlife habitat, support of local economies, and recreation; and in fire-prone landscapes these goals are often combined with fuels reduction treatments such as forest thinning and prescribed fire. Applied landscape research may attempt to evaluate the tradeoffs implicit in public lands planning or envision potential future land management scenarios, but often fails to incorporate the spatial diversity of stakeholder perspectives. This study explores the use of public participation geographic systems (PPGIS) to identify spatial and thematic community preferences for fuel treatments in a fire-prone landscape in eastern Oregon. Through open-ended questionnaires and formal focus groups, participants identified their management preferences and identified areas they consider priorities for different types and intensities of fuel treatments. By digitizing these PPGIS-derived treatment maps and supplementing with treatment areas according to identified themes (e.g., protected areas, areas of decreased forest vitality), this research models the effects of alternative fuel reduction scenarios on wildfire spread across large landscapes during extreme weather events. In addition, this study provides insight into stakeholders’ preferences for fuel treatments, with preliminary results indicating high levels of approval for a variety of fuel reduction treatments. Close

• 6. [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

• 7. [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

• 8. [Article] Climate Change, Its Effect on Migration Patterns of the Cackling Goose and White-Fronted Goose in the Willamette Valley, and Implications for Goose Management

  This thesis considers the question of whether climate change is affecting the migration patterns of geese in the Pacific Flyway, specifically cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii minima) and Pacific white-fronted ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Climate Change, Its Effect on Migration Patterns of the Cackling Goose and White-Fronted Goose in the Willamette Valley, and Implications for Goose Management Author: Warren, Kelly Year: 2010 This thesis considers the question of whether climate change is affecting the migration patterns of geese in the Pacific Flyway, specifically cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii minima) and Pacific white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons frontalis). Ancillary questions that are considered are as follows: • If global warming is affecting these species, what is the nature of the effects? • How are the changes affecting the human environment and what can be done about these effects? In 1994, the majority of the cackler population in the Pacific Flyway began to winter in Oregon’s Willamette Valley rather than in their historical wintering areas in California’s Central Valley. In recent years, the Pacific white-fronted goose has shown a change in behavior similar to that of cacklers just before their major shift. The reasons for this shift have not been clear, though climate change, agricultural shifts, or competition with other species were thought to be possible causes. Analyses of historical breeding and wintering surveys, bird band data, harvest data, agricultural data, and climate and weather data were undertaken in the course of this thesis to see if the cause or causes could be identified. The results showed that climate and weather data, i.e. an increase in average annual temperature coupled with occasional severe winters, most closely correlated with the cacklers’ shift northward. The data comparison revealed that there is a direct relationship between cacklers and a warming shift seen on the wintering grounds. There also was a secondary correlation between the northward shift and recent changes in agricultural crops in the Willamette Valley. Substantially less data are available for white-fronts, and the relationship between their recent migration changes and climate and/or other factors is much less clear. The following recommendations for management and further study are aimed at more completely understanding the scope and causes of migration shifts and formulating well-founded management plans for geese in the Pacific Flyway: • Continue research to determine if climate change is causing changes in goose population numbers and behavior. • Expand breeding ground flight surveys to include cacklers and habitat preference to learn how habitat change on the Y-K Delta is altering cackler behavior and breeding success. • Expand radio transmitter studies and collar programs for cacklers in Oregon and Washington to verify northerly wintering shifts. • Expand collar programs for cacklers wintering in the Willamette Valley to determine if the population is continuing to shift northward. • Expand banding programs for white-fronted geese to gather more data about migration patterns. • Develop models that will allow researchers and managers to correlate migration behavior with various environmental factors including climate change in order to: 1) determine which factors are causing migration changes in specific waterfowl populations and 2) allow managers to make changes to management plans in advance of rapid changes. • Inform the public about how it can assist in collar surveys or volunteer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This will enable USFWS to have more concrete data and give the public an opportunity gain a greater understanding of geese and goose management. • Expand research on urban cackling geese to determine the nature and scope of their effect on the human environment and to devise management strategies. • Research energetics in migrating geese to determine whether the shift in migration patterns has its basis in climate change. • Increase data exchange and coordination among agencies. • Formulate and implement plans at the city and county levels to manage growing numbers of geese in urban areas. • Recognize and anticipate the possibility that goose populations may move into new wintering areas and formulate plans for management of those species. • Implement low cost techniques, such as more liberal bag limits and seasons, hazing, etc., to assist agricultural landowners in decreasing goose-related crop damage. Title: Climate Change, Its Effect on Migration Patterns of the Cackling Goose and White-Fronted Goose in the Willamette Valley, and Implications for Goose Management Author: Warren, Kelly Year: 2010 This thesis considers the question of whether climate change is affecting the migration patterns of geese in the Pacific Flyway, specifically cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii minima) and Pacific white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons frontalis). Ancillary questions that are considered are as follows: • If global warming is affecting these species, what is the nature of the effects? • How are the changes affecting the human environment and what can be done about these effects? In 1994, the majority of the cackler population in the Pacific Flyway began to winter in Oregon’s Willamette Valley rather than in their historical wintering areas in California’s Central Valley. In recent years, the Pacific white-fronted goose has shown a change in behavior similar to that of cacklers just before their major shift. The reasons for this shift have not been clear, though climate change, agricultural shifts, or competition with other species were thought to be possible causes. Analyses of historical breeding and wintering surveys, bird band data, harvest data, agricultural data, and climate and weather data were undertaken in the course of this thesis to see if the cause or causes could be identified. The results showed that climate and weather data, i.e. an increase in average annual temperature coupled with occasional severe winters, most closely correlated with the cacklers’ shift northward. The data comparison revealed that there is a direct relationship between cacklers and a warming shift seen on the wintering grounds. There also was a secondary correlation between the northward shift and recent changes in agricultural crops in the Willamette Valley. Substantially less data are available for white-fronts, and the relationship between their recent migration changes and climate and/or other factors is much less clear. The following recommendations for management and further study are aimed at more completely understanding the scope and causes of migration shifts and formulating well-founded management plans for geese in the Pacific Flyway: • Continue research to determine if climate change is causing changes in goose population numbers and behavior. • Expand breeding ground flight surveys to include cacklers and habitat preference to learn how habitat change on the Y-K Delta is altering cackler behavior and breeding success. • Expand radio transmitter studies and collar programs for cacklers in Oregon and Washington to verify northerly wintering shifts. • Expand collar programs for cacklers wintering in the Willamette Valley to determine if the population is continuing to shift northward. • Expand banding programs for white-fronted geese to gather more data about migration patterns. • Develop models that will allow researchers and managers to correlate migration behavior with various environmental factors including climate change in order to: 1) determine which factors are causing migration changes in specific waterfowl populations and 2) allow managers to make changes to management plans in advance of rapid changes. • Inform the public about how it can assist in collar surveys or volunteer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This will enable USFWS to have more concrete data and give the public an opportunity gain a greater understanding of geese and goose management. • Expand research on urban cackling geese to determine the nature and scope of their effect on the human environment and to devise management strategies. • Research energetics in migrating geese to determine whether the shift in migration patterns has its basis in climate change. • Increase data exchange and coordination among agencies. • Formulate and implement plans at the city and county levels to manage growing numbers of geese in urban areas. • Recognize and anticipate the possibility that goose populations may move into new wintering areas and formulate plans for management of those species. • Implement low cost techniques, such as more liberal bag limits and seasons, hazing, etc., to assist agricultural landowners in decreasing goose-related crop damage. Close