Comparing Vegetation and Soils of Remnant and Restored Wetland Prairies in the Northern Willamette Valley

Most of the native wetland prairies once found in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, USA have been converted to agriculture, developed, or altered by disturbance and cessation of burning, especially in the northern portion of the valley. Mitigation efforts by Portland Metro and the NRCS have resulted in restoration of several wetland prairies, and the need for research to help assess restoration success. Here, data on vegetation and soils from three remnant wetland prairies and three restored wetland prairies in the northern Willamette Valley were analyzed to investigate whether differences among sites are related to site characteristics or management. Vascular plant species presence and percent cover data were collected from three 10 m x 10 m plots randomly located within study sites. Soil samples were collected adjacent to these plots and from nearby agricultural sites and analyzed for organic matter, moisture content, pH, and soil texture. Multivariate ordination techniques and ANOVA were used to assess differences among sites. Native species cover was higher in restorations than remnants, although remnant and restored sites did not differ in native species richness. However, NMS ordination distinguished restorations from remnants. Species such as Deschampsia cespitosa, Carex densa, Juncus tenuis and Holcus lanatus were associated with remnants, whereas Anthemis cotula, Agrostis exarata, Plagiobothrys scouleri and Veronica perigrina were associated with restorations. Soil moisture and organic matter are positively correlated with remnant status, while management attributes such as herbicide use, mowing, and cultivation of “clean crops” prior to restoration are correlated with vegetation assemblages of restorations. While some restoration goals are being met within a decade of restoration, plant communities in restorations differ from those of wetland prairie remnants.Keywords: Wetland restoration, Ecosystem services, Deschampsia cespitosaKeywords: Wetland restoration, Ecosystem services, Deschampsia cespitos

Transdisciplinary Research in Water Sustainability: What’s in it for an Engaged Researcher-Stakeholder Community?

This study uses semi-structured interviews and an online survey to explore the structure, challenges and outcomes of a five-year National Science Foundation-funded water scarcity modelling project in the Willamette River Basin of Oregon, USA. The research team chose to facilitate broader impacts by engaging stakeholders from the study’s inception (e.g. developing grant proposal, study implementations, defining model run scenarios) through its completion and extension of findings. The team used various engagement formats (field trips, small and large group meetings) and encountered many challenges, including the lack of a shared vision, different professional languages, research complexities and project management. Through stakeholder engagement the team overcame challenges, facilitated learning, and improved and extended the research process and results. Participation in engagement events was positively correlated with beneficial broader impact outcomes. We compare these outcomes with NSF’s five broader impact criteria: advance scientific discovery and understanding, broaden participation of underrepresented groups, enhance research infrastructure, broadly disseminate results, and benefit society. We show that stakeholder engagement is one method to achieve the five original NSF criteria and suggest that a sixth criterion can be achieved through stakeholder engagement – that of developing the research community. KEYWORDS: Broader impacts, climate change, modelling, stakeholder engagement, Willamette River Valle

Visitor access, use, and desired improvements in urban parks

Urban parks can provide many physical and mental health benefits, but these may not be shared equitably among visitors. The purpose of this study was to explore park visitor demographics and activities, as well as in-depth narratives regarding experiences, perceptions of accessibility, and desired improvements in a range of urban park types of Portland, Oregon. We used a mixed-methods approach to interview and observe visitors in urban parks. The most common activities were physical recreation, adult interactions, and adult-child interactions, which all support well-being. Ninety-four percent of observed children were engaged in physical recreation and three-fourths were interacting with children. Our non-metric multidimensional scaling ordinations with joint plots indicated some trends in visitor demographics and activities across park types, but we found no significant differences in total number of observed visitors, females and males, racial-ethnic groups, or adults and children across park types. Our complementary in-depth, semi-structured interviews revealed motivations for visitation, access concerns, and desired improvements. Visitation was primarily motivated by physical recreation opportunities, accessibility, and children, whereas the main access concerns were park proximity, trails/paths, and maintenance. Feelings of safety were particularly important for female visitors, while a sense of community helped to create a welcoming atmosphere for visitors with underrepresented racial-ethnic backgrounds. Participants across demographics groups discussed desired improvements, which focused on enhancing amenities and social atmosphere. Only 19% indicated that no changes were necessary. We provide strategies for planners, governmental agencies, and community groups to continue enhancing urban park experiences and accessibility for diverse visitors

Urban Park Visitor Preferences for Vegetation – an On-site Qualitative Research Study in Portland, Oregon

Urban parks provide numerous cultural and ecological benefits, but may not always meet visitor preferences. The purpose of this study was to better understand vegetation preferences and accessibility by performing on-site semi-structured interviews at 15 different parks of three general park types, using a case study in Portland, Oregon. We asked: how does vegetation in urban parks currently meet visitor preferences? The data include detailed descriptions of the participants’ viewpoints provided during the interviews, which were coded for themes and patterns of meaning. Vegetation was often related to visitation, and across park types, visitors discussed trees, plant size, colors, and diversity as some of their favorite aspects of the vegetation. Trees were important for many visitors, particularly for their large size and shade in recreational-active use and multi-use parks. While the plants met many of the preferences of the park visitors, more than half of them recommended changes. Many visitors to recreational-active and multi-use parks described their desire for more flowers, color, middle growth/shrubs, and improved placement, while those in natural-passive use parks oftentimes preferred additional invasive/harmful plant removal. Some primary accessibility concerns were proximity, maintenance (e.g., of vegetation and trails), trail and path access, and relaxation opportunities. Management actions can integrate these vegetation preferences into park planning and maintenance to improve park experiences and accessibility for urban communities

Plant community composition patterns in urban parks of Portland, Oregon

Urban parks are biodiversity hotspots and are integral components of green infrastructure as development increases in urban areas. The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationships between plant community composition, structural patterns, and environmental and species traits in different types of urban parks in Portland, Oregon. A stratified random sampling design was used to select 15 parks in Portland of three different types based on use: 1) recreational-active use parks, 2) natural-passive use parks, and 3) multi-use parks. Within each of the selected parks, plant species/cover and environmental data were collected in five 400-m2 square plots. In terms of taxonomic composition, the data include a total of 178 plant species belonging to 141 genera and 65 families. The average species richness and biodiversity indices (Shannon-Weiner and Simpson) were highest in natural-passive use parks, followed by multi-use parks, and then recreational-active use parks. This study describes a range of patterns for native, non-native, invasive species in different parks as well as plant form (i.e., trees, sapling/shrubs, herbs, vines), various environmental variables, and plant traits (i.e., monocots, dicots, perennial, etc.). The plant community composition information, cluster analysis groups, non-metric multidimensional scaling ordinations with joint plots, and hilltop plots can be used to highlight particular parks and/or plants, as well as provide information for potential management actions. Overall, this plant community composition research may assist park managers in their aims to promote native species cover, reduce invasive species cover, or achieve additional management goals for Portland’s urban parks

Patterns of riparian policy standards in riverscapes of the Oregon Coast Range

A riverscape perspective considers the ecological and social landscape of the river and its valley. In this context, we examined the spatial arrangement of protective policies for river networks. Riparian land-management standards are policy efforts that explicitly restrict certain management actions, e.g., timber harvest or land clearing, in stream-adjacent lands in order to protect water quality and aquatic habitat. In western Oregon, USA, management standards for riparian lands vary across federal, state, and private landownerships and land uses, projecting a patchwork of protective efforts across the landscape. The resulting variability in protection can complicate coordinated recovery efforts for threatened and endangered aquatic organisms, including migratory coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), that rely on stream habitats throughout the river network. Using a geographic information system, we quantified the spatial distribution of riparian management standards at multiple spatial extents: across the entire Oregon Coast Range, within the region's 84 HUC-10 watersheds, and in stream segments with high intrinsic potential to support coho salmon habitat. We found that the proportion of streams falling under protective efforts varied across watersheds in the region. In particular, watersheds containing streams of high intrinsic potential to support coho salmon habitat were associated with gaps in protective standards. By comparing the policy landscape to the biophysical landscape, our approach provides a novel framework for examining the spatial overlay of social and ecological concerns, and has direct relevance to assessments of population-scale restoration and recovery efforts

Transdisciplinary research in water sustainability: What’s in it for an engaged researcher-stakeholder community?

This study uses semi-structured interviews and an online survey to explore the structure, challenges and outcomes of a five-year National Science Foundation-funded water scarcity modelling project in the Willamette River Basin of Oregon, USA. The research team chose to facilitate broader impacts by engaging stakeholders from the study’s inception (e.g. developing grant proposal, study implementations, defining model run scenarios) through its completion and extension of findings. The team used various engagement formats (field trips, small and large group meetings) and encountered many challenges, including the lack of a shared vision, different professional languages, research complexities and project management. Through stakeholder engagement the team overcame challenges, facilitated learning, and improved and extended the research process and results. Participation in engagement events was positively correlated with beneficial broader impact outcomes. We compare these outcomes with NSF’s five broader impact criteria: advance scientific discovery and understanding, broaden participation of underrepresented groups, enhance research infrastructure, broadly disseminate results, and benefit society. We show that stakeholder engagement is one method to achieve the five original NSF criteria and suggest that a sixth criterion can be achieved through stakeholder engagement – that of developing the research community

Linking Hydroclimate to Fish Phenology and Habitat Use with Ichthyographs

<div><p>Streamflow and water temperature (hydroclimate) influence the life histories of aquatic biota. The relationship between streamflow and temperature varies with climate, hydrogeomorphic setting, and season. Life histories of native fishes reflect, in part, their adaptation to regional hydroclimate (flow and water temperature), local habitats, and natural disturbance regimes, all of which may be affected by water management. Alterations to natural hydroclimates, such as those caused by river regulation or climate change, can modify the suitability and variety of in-stream habitat for fishes throughout the year. Here, we present the <i>ichthyograph</i>, a new empirically-based graphical tool to help visualize relationships between hydroclimate and fish phenology. Generally, this graphical tool can be used to display a variety of phenotypic traits. We used long-term data sets of daily fish passage to examine linkages between hydroclimate and the expression of life-history phenology by native fishes. The ichthyograph may be used to characterize the environmental phenology for fishes across multiple spatio-temporal domains. We illustrate the ichthyograph in two applications to visualize: 1) river use for the community of fishes at a specific location; and 2) stream conditions at multiple locations within the river network for one species at different life-history stages. The novel, yet simple, ichthyograph offers a flexible framework to enable transformations in thinking regarding relationships between hydroclimate and aquatic species across space and time. The potential broad application of this innovative tool promotes synergism between assessments of physical characteristics and the biological needs of aquatic species.</p></div

Location of Winchester Dam, OR, and upstream drainage basin.

<p>Winchester Dam was built in 1890 and upgraded in 1907 and now includes a timber-crib structure that is 4.9 m in height. While the dam does impound a shallow upstream reservoir, it is considered a “run-of-river” dam. A fish ladder allowing fish passage was installed in 1945 with a viewing window to monitor the upstream passage of all fishes past the dam. Continuously collected fish passage data at this location from 1992 and 2013 was used to develop the Winchester Dam ichthyograph.</p