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• 391. [Article] Evaluation of The Island Jefferson County, Oregon for its merit in meeting national significance criteria as a National Natural Landmark to represent Pumice Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) in the Columbia Plateau Province

  The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program encourages the preservation of exceptional examples of the Nation’s biological and geological features. To qualify for NNL designation, a site must be one of ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Evaluation of The Island Jefferson County, Oregon for its merit in meeting national significance criteria as a National Natural Landmark to represent Pumice Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) in the Columbia Plateau Province Author: Schuller, Reid, Kagan, James S., Murray, Michael The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program encourages the preservation of exceptional examples of the Nation’s biological and geological features. To qualify for NNL designation, a site must be one of the best examples of a geological or biological feature within a biophysiographic province. The Island is an isolated plateau located at the confluence of the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers in Crook County, Oregon. In 1987, it was identified as a potentially outstanding example of western juniper ecosystems as part of the Columbia Plateau biophysiographic province, Ecological Themes evaluation (Kagan et al. 1987a). The Island is an Research Natural Area (RNA), which is jointly owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). It is our recommendation that The Island PNNL meets the national significance criteria required for the NNL Program. Title: Evaluation of The Island Jefferson County, Oregon for its merit in meeting national significance criteria as a National Natural Landmark to represent Pumice Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) in the Columbia Plateau Province Author: Schuller, Reid, Kagan, James S., Murray, Michael The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program encourages the preservation of exceptional examples of the Nation’s biological and geological features. To qualify for NNL designation, a site must be one of the best examples of a geological or biological feature within a biophysiographic province. The Island is an isolated plateau located at the confluence of the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers in Crook County, Oregon. In 1987, it was identified as a potentially outstanding example of western juniper ecosystems as part of the Columbia Plateau biophysiographic province, Ecological Themes evaluation (Kagan et al. 1987a). The Island is an Research Natural Area (RNA), which is jointly owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). It is our recommendation that The Island PNNL meets the national significance criteria required for the NNL Program. Close

• 392. [Article] Design and construction of demonstration/research wetlands for treatment of dairy farm wastewater

  "EPA 600/R-93/105"

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Design and construction of demonstration/research wetlands for treatment of dairy farm wastewater Author: Gamroth, M. J. (Michael J.), Moore, James A. (James Allan), 1939- "EPA 600/R-93/105" Title: Design and construction of demonstration/research wetlands for treatment of dairy farm wastewater Author: Gamroth, M. J. (Michael J.), Moore, James A. (James Allan), 1939- "EPA 600/R-93/105" Close

• 393. [Article] Unpublished wetland plot data recorded in southwestern Oregon. Interim report.

  As of September 2017, most information about wetland plant associations in southwestern Oregon can only be found in unpublished reports that are not available in libraries or on the Internet. Jon Titus's ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Unpublished wetland plot data recorded in southwestern Oregon. Interim report. Author: Titus, Jonathan As of September 2017, most information about wetland plant associations in southwestern Oregon can only be found in unpublished reports that are not available in libraries or on the Internet. Jon Titus's unpublished summaries of plot data from vernal pools, serpentine fens, and other wetlands that he sampled in the 1990s are presented here as a temporary measure to help make some of this information available. Titus' original field notes and spreadsheet data are stored in the files of Portland State University's Oregon Biodiversity Information Center. Titus analyzed the data using TWINSPAN and Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). Edits made by John Christy in 2017 are given in square brackets. Nomenclature follows the Oregon Flora Project's checklist of vascular plants (June 2017, version 1-7), which in most cases follows Flora of North America. Title: Unpublished wetland plot data recorded in southwestern Oregon. Interim report. Author: Titus, Jonathan As of September 2017, most information about wetland plant associations in southwestern Oregon can only be found in unpublished reports that are not available in libraries or on the Internet. Jon Titus's unpublished summaries of plot data from vernal pools, serpentine fens, and other wetlands that he sampled in the 1990s are presented here as a temporary measure to help make some of this information available. Titus' original field notes and spreadsheet data are stored in the files of Portland State University's Oregon Biodiversity Information Center. Titus analyzed the data using TWINSPAN and Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). Edits made by John Christy in 2017 are given in square brackets. Nomenclature follows the Oregon Flora Project's checklist of vascular plants (June 2017, version 1-7), which in most cases follows Flora of North America. Close

• 394. [Article] Major-ion, nutrient, and trace-element concentrations in the Steamboat Creek Basin, Oregon, 1996

  This report presents the concentrations of major ions, nutrients, and trace elements in water and bottom sediments collected in the four-tributaries during the low-flow condition of September 9-13, 1996. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Major-ion, nutrient, and trace-element concentrations in the Steamboat Creek Basin, Oregon, 1996 Author: Rinella, Frank A., Douglas County (Or.), United States. Forest Service, Geological Survey (U.S.) This report presents the concentrations of major ions, nutrients, and trace elements in water and bottom sediments collected in the four-tributaries during the low-flow condition of September 9-13, 1996. Stream-water chemistry results are contrasted, and trace-element concentrations compared with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chronic aquatic life toxicity criteria. Bottom -sediment trace-element results also are constrasted and compared with concentrations considered to be enriched in streams of the nearby Willamette River Basin and to interim Canadian threshold effect level (TEL) concentrations established for the protection of aquatic life. Title: Major-ion, nutrient, and trace-element concentrations in the Steamboat Creek Basin, Oregon, 1996 Author: Rinella, Frank A., Douglas County (Or.), United States. Forest Service, Geological Survey (U.S.) This report presents the concentrations of major ions, nutrients, and trace elements in water and bottom sediments collected in the four-tributaries during the low-flow condition of September 9-13, 1996. Stream-water chemistry results are contrasted, and trace-element concentrations compared with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chronic aquatic life toxicity criteria. Bottom -sediment trace-element results also are constrasted and compared with concentrations considered to be enriched in streams of the nearby Willamette River Basin and to interim Canadian threshold effect level (TEL) concentrations established for the protection of aquatic life. Close

• 395. [Article] Native wetland, riparian, and upland plant communities and their biota in the Willamette Valley, Oregon

  As part of the Willamette Basin Geographic Initiative Program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded The Nature Conservancy of Oregon to inventory, classify, and map native wetland and riparian ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Native wetland, riparian, and upland plant communities and their biota in the Willamette Valley, Oregon Author: Alverson, Edward R., VanderSchaaf, Dick, Kagan, James S., Christy, John A., Titus, John H. As part of the Willamette Basin Geographic Initiative Program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded The Nature Conservancy of Oregon to inventory, classify, and map native wetland and riparian plant communities and their threatened biota in the Willamette Valley. Between October 1994 and September 1996, we evaluated 172 wetland and riparian sites throughout the Willamette Valley. A site is a stream or river reach or wetland area that was inventoried at one to many locations. Of these sites, 21 are high-quality remnants important for future protection and restoration efforts. We identified 153 natural communities as occurring in native wetland and riparian habitats, of which 101 are new to the plant community classification of the Oregon Natural Heritage Program. Twenty-six species of rare animals and 23 species of rare plants occur in the Willamette Valley. Thirty-two species of rare plants and animals appear to be directly dependent on wetland and riparian communities in the Willamette Valley, and twenty-two species are dependent on upland communities in the Willamette Valley. Mapping of presettlement vegetation in the Willamette Valley indicates that 456,119 hectares (1,127,071 ac) of wetland and riparian habitat have been lost overall, with 12 communities impacted in particular. As for uplands, 732,432 hectares (1,809,841 ac) of habitat have been lost overall, with 7 natural communities impacted in particular. We recommend local citizen involvement, land purchases and restoration as means of protecting and restoring remnant ecosystems and their biota in the Willamette Valley. Title: Native wetland, riparian, and upland plant communities and their biota in the Willamette Valley, Oregon Author: Alverson, Edward R., VanderSchaaf, Dick, Kagan, James S., Christy, John A., Titus, John H. As part of the Willamette Basin Geographic Initiative Program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded The Nature Conservancy of Oregon to inventory, classify, and map native wetland and riparian plant communities and their threatened biota in the Willamette Valley. Between October 1994 and September 1996, we evaluated 172 wetland and riparian sites throughout the Willamette Valley. A site is a stream or river reach or wetland area that was inventoried at one to many locations. Of these sites, 21 are high-quality remnants important for future protection and restoration efforts. We identified 153 natural communities as occurring in native wetland and riparian habitats, of which 101 are new to the plant community classification of the Oregon Natural Heritage Program. Twenty-six species of rare animals and 23 species of rare plants occur in the Willamette Valley. Thirty-two species of rare plants and animals appear to be directly dependent on wetland and riparian communities in the Willamette Valley, and twenty-two species are dependent on upland communities in the Willamette Valley. Mapping of presettlement vegetation in the Willamette Valley indicates that 456,119 hectares (1,127,071 ac) of wetland and riparian habitat have been lost overall, with 12 communities impacted in particular. As for uplands, 732,432 hectares (1,809,841 ac) of habitat have been lost overall, with 7 natural communities impacted in particular. We recommend local citizen involvement, land purchases and restoration as means of protecting and restoring remnant ecosystems and their biota in the Willamette Valley. Close

• 396. [Article] Lodgepole pine development after early spacing in the Blue Mountains of Oregon

  Seedlings were thinned to spacings of 5, 9, 12, 15, and 18 feet and measured periodically. Twenty-seven years after treatment, quadratic mean diameters increased curvilinearity (p < or = 0.05) as spacing ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Lodgepole pine development after early spacing in the Blue Mountains of Oregon Author: Dahms, Walter G., Cochran, P.H. Seedlings were thinned to spacings of 5, 9, 12, 15, and 18 feet and measured periodically. Twenty-seven years after treatment, quadratic mean diameters increased curvilinearity (p < or = 0.05) as spacing increased, but total height did not differ significantly (p < or = 0.05) with spacing. Corresponding basal areas decreased curvilinearly (p < or = 0.05), and cubic volumes decreased linearly (p < or = 0.05) as spacing increased. All periodic annual increments differed with period or age. Periodic annual increments for mean diameter and basal area varied curvilinearly (p < or = 0.05), whereas volume increments varied linearly (p < or = 0.05) with spacing for each period. Height increments were greatest at intermediate spacing during some periods, at wide spacings during other periods, and at the narrowest spacing during one period. Crown widths increased (p < or = 0.05) as spacing widended. Fifty percent crown cover as attained at a stand density index of about 80 for all spacings. Simulation to a breast high age of 100 years indicated that most merchantable cubic volume was produced at the 6-foot spacing but that the 12-, 15-, and 18-foot spacings produced about the same board-foot volume. Title: Lodgepole pine development after early spacing in the Blue Mountains of Oregon Author: Dahms, Walter G., Cochran, P.H. Seedlings were thinned to spacings of 5, 9, 12, 15, and 18 feet and measured periodically. Twenty-seven years after treatment, quadratic mean diameters increased curvilinearity (p < or = 0.05) as spacing increased, but total height did not differ significantly (p < or = 0.05) with spacing. Corresponding basal areas decreased curvilinearly (p < or = 0.05), and cubic volumes decreased linearly (p < or = 0.05) as spacing increased. All periodic annual increments differed with period or age. Periodic annual increments for mean diameter and basal area varied curvilinearly (p < or = 0.05), whereas volume increments varied linearly (p < or = 0.05) with spacing for each period. Height increments were greatest at intermediate spacing during some periods, at wide spacings during other periods, and at the narrowest spacing during one period. Crown widths increased (p < or = 0.05) as spacing widended. Fifty percent crown cover as attained at a stand density index of about 80 for all spacings. Simulation to a breast high age of 100 years indicated that most merchantable cubic volume was produced at the 6-foot spacing but that the 12-, 15-, and 18-foot spacings produced about the same board-foot volume. Close

• 397. [Article] Potential effects of climate change and fire management on fire behavior and vegetation patterns on an east Cascades landscape

  Climate exerts considerable control on wildfire regimes, and climate and wildfire are both major drivers of forest growth and succession in interior Northwest forests. Estimating potential response of ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Potential effects of climate change and fire management on fire behavior and vegetation patterns on an east Cascades landscape Author: Greaves, Heather E. Climate exerts considerable control on wildfire regimes, and climate and wildfire are both major drivers of forest growth and succession in interior Northwest forests. Estimating potential response of these landscapes to anticipated changes in climate helps researchers and land managers understand and mitigate impacts of climate change on important ecological and economic resources. Spatially explicit, mechanistic computer simulation models are powerful tools that permit researchers to incorporate climate and disturbance events along with vegetation physiology and phenology to explore complex potential effects of climate change over wide spatial and temporal scales. In this thesis, I used the simulation model FireBGCv2 to characterize potential response of fire, vegetation, and landscape dynamics to a range of possible future climate and fire management scenarios. The simulation landscape (~43,000 hectares) is part of Deschutes National Forest, which is located at the interface of maritime and continental climates and is known for its beauty and ecological diversity. Simulation scenarios included all combinations of +0°C, +3°C, and +6°C of warming; +10%, ±0%, and -10% historical precipitation; and 10% and 90% fire suppression, and were run for 500 years. To characterize fire dynamics, I investigated how mean fire frequency, intensity, and fuel loadings changed over time in all scenarios, and how fire and tree mortality interacted over time. To explore vegetation and landscape dynamics, I described the distribution and spatial arrangement of vegetation types and forest successional stages on the landscape, and used a nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination to holistically evaluate overall similarity of composition, structure, and landscape pattern among all simulation scenarios over time. Changes in precipitation had little effect on fire characteristics or vegetation and landscape characteristics, indicating that simulated precipitation changes were not sufficient to significantly affect vegetation moisture stress or fire behavior on this landscape. Current heavy fuel loads controlled early fire dynamics, with high mean fire intensities occurring early in all simulations. Increases in fire frequency accompanied all temperature increases, leading to decreasing fuel loads and fire intensities over time in warming scenarios. With no increase in temperature or in fire frequency, high fire intensities and heavier fuel loads were sustained. Over time, more fire associated with warming or less fire suppression increased the percentage of the landscape occupied by non-forest and fire-sensitive early seral forest successional stages, which tended to increase the percentage of fire area burning at high severity (in terms of tree mortality). This fire-vegetation relationship may reflect a return to a more historical range of conditions on this landscape. Higher temperatures and fire frequency led to significant spatial migration of forest types across the landscape, with communities at the highest and lowest elevations particularly affected. Warming led to an upslope shift of warm mixed conifer and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests, severely contracting (under 3° of warming) or eliminating (under 6° of warming) area dominated by mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) and cool, wet conifer forest in the high western portion of the landscape. In lower elevations, warming and fire together contributed to significant expansion of open (<10% tree canopy cover) forest and grass- and shrubland. The compositional changes and spatial shifts simulated in the warming scenarios suggest that climate change is likely to significantly affect forests on this landscape. Warming and associated fire also tended to increase heterogeneity of forest structural stages and landscape pattern, resulting in a more diverse distribution of structural stages, especially in lower elevations, and a more divided landscape of smaller forest stands. The NMS ordination emphasized the dissimilarity between the severe +6° scenarios and the other two temperature scenarios. The +0° and +3° scenarios differed from each other in composition (mainly because cool forest was lost in the +3° scenarios), but within a given level of fire suppression they remained remarkably similar in terms of overall composition, structure, and landscape pattern, while the +6° scenarios separated noticeably from them. Such decisive differences suggest that under the simulated ranges of precipitation and fire suppression, the interval between 3 and 6 degrees of warming on this landscape may capture an ecological threshold, or tipping point. Additional simulation research that incorporates (for example) management actions, insects and pathogens, and a wider array of precipitation scenarios could help illuminate more clearly the possible range of future landscape conditions. Still, these results provide a glimpse of potential divergent outcomes on this important landscape under possible future climates, and suggest that these forests will undergo considerable changes from both historical and current conditions in response to higher temperatures expected in this area. Some changes may be inevitable with warming, such as the upslope shift of warm forest types, but careful planning for fire and fuels management might allow land managers to modulate fire behavior and steer vegetation dynamics toward the most desirable outcome possible. Title: Potential effects of climate change and fire management on fire behavior and vegetation patterns on an east Cascades landscape Author: Greaves, Heather E. Climate exerts considerable control on wildfire regimes, and climate and wildfire are both major drivers of forest growth and succession in interior Northwest forests. Estimating potential response of these landscapes to anticipated changes in climate helps researchers and land managers understand and mitigate impacts of climate change on important ecological and economic resources. Spatially explicit, mechanistic computer simulation models are powerful tools that permit researchers to incorporate climate and disturbance events along with vegetation physiology and phenology to explore complex potential effects of climate change over wide spatial and temporal scales. In this thesis, I used the simulation model FireBGCv2 to characterize potential response of fire, vegetation, and landscape dynamics to a range of possible future climate and fire management scenarios. The simulation landscape (~43,000 hectares) is part of Deschutes National Forest, which is located at the interface of maritime and continental climates and is known for its beauty and ecological diversity. Simulation scenarios included all combinations of +0°C, +3°C, and +6°C of warming; +10%, ±0%, and -10% historical precipitation; and 10% and 90% fire suppression, and were run for 500 years. To characterize fire dynamics, I investigated how mean fire frequency, intensity, and fuel loadings changed over time in all scenarios, and how fire and tree mortality interacted over time. To explore vegetation and landscape dynamics, I described the distribution and spatial arrangement of vegetation types and forest successional stages on the landscape, and used a nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination to holistically evaluate overall similarity of composition, structure, and landscape pattern among all simulation scenarios over time. Changes in precipitation had little effect on fire characteristics or vegetation and landscape characteristics, indicating that simulated precipitation changes were not sufficient to significantly affect vegetation moisture stress or fire behavior on this landscape. Current heavy fuel loads controlled early fire dynamics, with high mean fire intensities occurring early in all simulations. Increases in fire frequency accompanied all temperature increases, leading to decreasing fuel loads and fire intensities over time in warming scenarios. With no increase in temperature or in fire frequency, high fire intensities and heavier fuel loads were sustained. Over time, more fire associated with warming or less fire suppression increased the percentage of the landscape occupied by non-forest and fire-sensitive early seral forest successional stages, which tended to increase the percentage of fire area burning at high severity (in terms of tree mortality). This fire-vegetation relationship may reflect a return to a more historical range of conditions on this landscape. Higher temperatures and fire frequency led to significant spatial migration of forest types across the landscape, with communities at the highest and lowest elevations particularly affected. Warming led to an upslope shift of warm mixed conifer and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests, severely contracting (under 3° of warming) or eliminating (under 6° of warming) area dominated by mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) and cool, wet conifer forest in the high western portion of the landscape. In lower elevations, warming and fire together contributed to significant expansion of open (<10% tree canopy cover) forest and grass- and shrubland. The compositional changes and spatial shifts simulated in the warming scenarios suggest that climate change is likely to significantly affect forests on this landscape. Warming and associated fire also tended to increase heterogeneity of forest structural stages and landscape pattern, resulting in a more diverse distribution of structural stages, especially in lower elevations, and a more divided landscape of smaller forest stands. The NMS ordination emphasized the dissimilarity between the severe +6° scenarios and the other two temperature scenarios. The +0° and +3° scenarios differed from each other in composition (mainly because cool forest was lost in the +3° scenarios), but within a given level of fire suppression they remained remarkably similar in terms of overall composition, structure, and landscape pattern, while the +6° scenarios separated noticeably from them. Such decisive differences suggest that under the simulated ranges of precipitation and fire suppression, the interval between 3 and 6 degrees of warming on this landscape may capture an ecological threshold, or tipping point. Additional simulation research that incorporates (for example) management actions, insects and pathogens, and a wider array of precipitation scenarios could help illuminate more clearly the possible range of future landscape conditions. Still, these results provide a glimpse of potential divergent outcomes on this important landscape under possible future climates, and suggest that these forests will undergo considerable changes from both historical and current conditions in response to higher temperatures expected in this area. Some changes may be inevitable with warming, such as the upslope shift of warm forest types, but careful planning for fire and fuels management might allow land managers to modulate fire behavior and steer vegetation dynamics toward the most desirable outcome possible. Close

• 398. [Image] An assessment of ecosystem components in the interior Columbia Basin and portions of the Klamath and Great Basins [volume 1]

  	Quigley, Thomas M.; Arbelbide, Sylvia J., tech. eds. 1997. An assessment of ecosystem components in the interior Columbia basin and portions of the Klamath and Great Basins: volume 1. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-405. ...
  	Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: An assessment of ecosystem components in the interior Columbia Basin and portions of the Klamath and Great Basins [volume 1] Author: Quigley, Thomas Milton; Arbelbide, S. J. (Sylvia J.) Year: 1997, 2008, 2005 Quigley, Thomas M.; Arbelbide, Sylvia J., tech. eds. 1997. An assessment of ecosystem components in the interior Columbia basin and portions of the Klamath and Great Basins: volume 1. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-405. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 4 vol. (Quigley, Thomas M., tech. ed.; The Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project: Scientific Assessment). The Assessment of Ecosystem Components in the Interior Columbia Basin and Portions of the Klamath and Great Basins provides detailed information about current conditions and trends for the biophysical and social systems within the Basin. This information can be used by land managers to develop broad land management goals and priorities and provides the context for decisions specific to smaller geographic areas. The Assessment area covers about 8 percent of the U.S. land area, 24 percent of the Nation's National Forest System lands, 10 percent of the Nation's BLM-administered lands, and contains about 1.2 percent of the Nation's population. This results in a population density that is less than one-sixth of the U.S. average. The area has experienced recent, rapid population growth and generally has a robust, diverse economy. As compared to historic conditions, the terrestrial, aquatic, forest, and rangeland systems have undergone dramatic changes. Forested landscapes are more susceptible to fire, insect, and disease than under historic conditions. Rangelands are highly susceptible to noxious weed invasion. The disturbance regimes that operate on forest and rangeland have changed substantially, with lethal fires dominating many areas where non-lethal fires were the norm historically. Terrestrial habitats that have experienced the greatest decline include the native grassland, native shrubland, and old forest structures. There are areas within the Assessment area that have higher diversity than others. Aquatic systems are now more fragmented and isolated than historically and the introduction of non-native fish species has complicated current status of native fishes. Core habitat and population centers do remain as building blocks for restoration. Social and economic conditions within the Assessment area vary considerably, depending to a great extent on population, diversity of employment opportunities, and changing demographics. Those counties with the higher population densities and greater diversity of employment opportunities are generally more resilient to economic downturns. This Assessment provides a rich information base, including over 170 mapped themes with associated models and databases, from which future decisions can benefit. Keywords: Columbia basin, biophysical systems, social systems, ecosystem. Title: An assessment of ecosystem components in the interior Columbia Basin and portions of the Klamath and Great Basins [volume 1] Author: Quigley, Thomas Milton; Arbelbide, S. J. (Sylvia J.) Year: 1997, 2008, 2005 Quigley, Thomas M.; Arbelbide, Sylvia J., tech. eds. 1997. An assessment of ecosystem components in the interior Columbia basin and portions of the Klamath and Great Basins: volume 1. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-405. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 4 vol. (Quigley, Thomas M., tech. ed.; The Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project: Scientific Assessment). The Assessment of Ecosystem Components in the Interior Columbia Basin and Portions of the Klamath and Great Basins provides detailed information about current conditions and trends for the biophysical and social systems within the Basin. This information can be used by land managers to develop broad land management goals and priorities and provides the context for decisions specific to smaller geographic areas. The Assessment area covers about 8 percent of the U.S. land area, 24 percent of the Nation's National Forest System lands, 10 percent of the Nation's BLM-administered lands, and contains about 1.2 percent of the Nation's population. This results in a population density that is less than one-sixth of the U.S. average. The area has experienced recent, rapid population growth and generally has a robust, diverse economy. As compared to historic conditions, the terrestrial, aquatic, forest, and rangeland systems have undergone dramatic changes. Forested landscapes are more susceptible to fire, insect, and disease than under historic conditions. Rangelands are highly susceptible to noxious weed invasion. The disturbance regimes that operate on forest and rangeland have changed substantially, with lethal fires dominating many areas where non-lethal fires were the norm historically. Terrestrial habitats that have experienced the greatest decline include the native grassland, native shrubland, and old forest structures. There are areas within the Assessment area that have higher diversity than others. Aquatic systems are now more fragmented and isolated than historically and the introduction of non-native fish species has complicated current status of native fishes. Core habitat and population centers do remain as building blocks for restoration. Social and economic conditions within the Assessment area vary considerably, depending to a great extent on population, diversity of employment opportunities, and changing demographics. Those counties with the higher population densities and greater diversity of employment opportunities are generally more resilient to economic downturns. This Assessment provides a rich information base, including over 170 mapped themes with associated models and databases, from which future decisions can benefit. Keywords: Columbia basin, biophysical systems, social systems, ecosystem. Close

• 399. [Article] Selected elements and organic chemicals in bed sediment and fish tissue of the Tualatin River Basin, Oregon, 1992-96

  The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has worked cooperative with the Unified Sewerage Agency of Washington County (USA) since 1990 to assess water quality in the Tualatin River Basin. The objectives of this ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Selected elements and organic chemicals in bed sediment and fish tissue of the Tualatin River Basin, Oregon, 1992-96 Author: Bonn, Bernadine A., Washington County (Or.). Unified Sewerage Agency., Geological Survey (U.S.) The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has worked cooperative with the Unified Sewerage Agency of Washington County (USA) since 1990 to assess water quality in the Tualatin River Basin. The objectives of this study were to: assess the occurrence and magnitude of trace element and selected organic contaminants in streams of the Tualatin River Basin; compare contaminant levels found in Tualatin River Basin streams with published guidelines for the protection of aquatic life; place the contaminant levels found in the Tualatin River Basin streams in context, regionally and nationally, by comparing them with those found in the Willamette Basin and by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program; compare contaminant concentrations in bed sediment with those in fish tissue; and identify contaminant patterns that would help managers make decisions regarding future monitoring and the implementation of pollution prevention and abatement programs. Title: Selected elements and organic chemicals in bed sediment and fish tissue of the Tualatin River Basin, Oregon, 1992-96 Author: Bonn, Bernadine A., Washington County (Or.). Unified Sewerage Agency., Geological Survey (U.S.) The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has worked cooperative with the Unified Sewerage Agency of Washington County (USA) since 1990 to assess water quality in the Tualatin River Basin. The objectives of this study were to: assess the occurrence and magnitude of trace element and selected organic contaminants in streams of the Tualatin River Basin; compare contaminant levels found in Tualatin River Basin streams with published guidelines for the protection of aquatic life; place the contaminant levels found in the Tualatin River Basin streams in context, regionally and nationally, by comparing them with those found in the Willamette Basin and by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program; compare contaminant concentrations in bed sediment with those in fish tissue; and identify contaminant patterns that would help managers make decisions regarding future monitoring and the implementation of pollution prevention and abatement programs. Close

• 400. [Article] Clam-Abalone Stock Supplementation Feasibility Study annual report

  "The objectives of this study were to locate suitable intertidal and subtidal clam planting sites and to determine the feasibility of planting laboratory spawned clams. Criteria used to determine the suitability ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Clam-Abalone Stock Supplementation Feasibility Study annual report Author: Gaumer, Thomas F., United States. National Marine Fisheries Service, Oregon. Fish Commission, Lukas, Gerald "The objectives of this study were to locate suitable intertidal and subtidal clam planting sites and to determine the feasibility of planting laboratory spawned clams. Criteria used to determine the suitability of potential clam planting sites included: an evaluation of species of clams indigenous to the survey area and the type of substrate and vegetation within the survey area." (from the Introduction) Also reports on attempts to induce native abalone to spawn. Maps show vegetation beds, clam beds and substrate types. Title: Clam-Abalone Stock Supplementation Feasibility Study annual report Author: Gaumer, Thomas F., United States. National Marine Fisheries Service, Oregon. Fish Commission, Lukas, Gerald "The objectives of this study were to locate suitable intertidal and subtidal clam planting sites and to determine the feasibility of planting laboratory spawned clams. Criteria used to determine the suitability of potential clam planting sites included: an evaluation of species of clams indigenous to the survey area and the type of substrate and vegetation within the survey area." (from the Introduction) Also reports on attempts to induce native abalone to spawn. Maps show vegetation beds, clam beds and substrate types. Close