The Extension Hedgehog

Extension is competing for money, attention, and a place in the future of higher education. It is critical that Extension identify its education niche, specialties, and the value that only Extension adds to learning. Extension must mature in its role by coordinating issues-based education from a total university base. Issues-based education is inherently collaborative and non-hierarchical. Extension should be at the forefront of the modern outreach and engagement movement. But what are we passionate about, what can we be the very best at in the world, and how do we effectively attach our work to its economic drivers

Changes & Fishery Management: Impacts, Communication, and Fishing Communities

Fisheries resources in Oregon have been the focus of a public policy and management controversy for the last several years. As changes in fisheries resources management and policy decisions continue to be occur, the two communities that are directly involved - the fishery management community and the fishing family business community - will continue to interface with each other. Recognizing the interdependence of these two communities is becoming more and more important. Equally important will be the recognition of how communication at the interface can help to lessen tension and negative impacts. This paper discusses an innovative outreach project and the lessons learned regarding small steps in communication that can help both fishing communities and the fishery management community in their struggles to cope with changes in fishery management.Keywords: Fishery Management, Community, Communication, Chang

Watershed Stewardship Education Program--A Multidisciplinary Extension Education Program for Oregon\u27s Watershed Councils

The Watershed Stewardship Education Program (WSEP) is an innovative, multi-disciplinary program in the Oregon State University Extension Service. Through educational materials and programs, WSEP helps watershed councils, landowners, and others work effectively together to understand multiple components of their watersheds and apply this knowledge to assessments, project development, and water quality and habitat monitoring. This article documents the need for and the development of this innovative educational program and discusses implications for Extension, including the necessity of multi-disciplinary programming and working with non-traditional audiences

Socioeconomic Impacts of Wave Energy Knowledge and Service Providers to Oregon : Research Summary Report

Wave energy research and development has been ongoing in Oregon for at least two decades. Substantial interest started in the early 2000’s, flattened in the 2010’s, and is on the rise again. The Oregon wave energy sector recently experienced several sizable developments in 2020 and 2021, making this a critical moment to examine the status, trajectory, and socio-economic opportunities of the sector. Specifically, in what ways do the facilities and knowledge and service providers at Oregon State University (OSU) facilitate wave energy development in Oregon and beyond? Business Oregon funded a study to answer this timely question, through research that assessed and documented benefits and challenges from both the “supply side” (providers of knowledge and services) and “demand side” (consumers of this knowledge and these services), described the pre-commercial stage of development, and explained the current state and the trajectory of the wave energy sector in Oregon. Readers are encouraged to examine the full report to thoroughly understand the study

Promising practices and considerations for RCRV outreach and education

In 2013, NSF selected OSU as the lead institution to oversee the design and construction of three new Regional Class Research Vessels (RCRVs), a new class of research ship designed with advanced capabilities for next generation, interdisciplinary, oceanographic operations. The new RCRVs will increase efficiency and the ability to address stakeholder needs, as they are equipped with advanced technology, such as datapresence capabilities. Simply described, datapresence is a way to communicate data from the ship to the shore. Datapresence will involve the creation of a public data-portal and subsequent outreach and education (O&E) materials and strategies that allow people to access, interpret, and use this data. The datapresence capabilities also provide a unique opportunity to foster equitable collaboration between researchers, teachers and students in order to situate them with the skills they need to support both ocean research and data literacy; critical skills in today’s data-saturated world, where the public has ever-increasing access to data. The overarching O&E goal of the RCRVs is to improve science, the sharing and use of ocean science data between scientists and others, and to facilitate ocean science education and workforce development. Research was conducted to determine the best way to reach this goal. This report shares highlights from this research and lays out the commitment of time and other resources needed to create and implement O&E that is effective (in that it improves understanding and brings together scientists, educators, and students in the pursuit of a more data-literate society) AND inclusive (in that it recognizes that O&E needs to be culturally responsive and employ strategies that engage diverse audiences)

Assessing sexual harassment policy communication and impact at sea

A white paper form of J. Winter’s Oregon State University Master of Science Project.Field research is a particularly precarious work setting in which gendered harassment is perpe-trated (Clancy et al., 2014). Ocean scientists rely on research vessels to access the field, and the marine sector has its own risks associated with it. Research has found that women experience sexual harassment while working at sea on cargo ships (Thomas, 2006; Pike et al., 2021), as cadets at the U.S. Merchant Mariner Academy (United States Merchant Marine Academy, 2015), and in other positions while working at sea (Women in Ocean Science C.I.C., 2021; Österman and Boström, 2022). Research vessels– a field site at sea– merge the associated risks of the marine sector and field research. Multiple institutions own or operate research vessels, including state and federal agencies, universities and research institutes, and private foundations. In addition, any vessel, such as a commercial fishing vessel, may become a research vessel temporarily by being contracted for this purpose. This white paper is intended to better understand communication, training, implementation, and the experience of policies within the U.S. Academic Research Fleet (U.S. ARF), including Title IX and institution-specific harassment policies. The results presented here stem from a mixed methods study conducted in 2019-2021 that combined a survey of scientists and ship personnel who work onboard U.S. ARF vessels with semi-structured interviews of sexual harassment policymakers and those responsible for implementation of sexual harassment policy in the ocean sciences. We identify themes that have implications for the design and implementation of harassment policies at sea and provide the results of this study for the community within this white paper. The U.S. ARF is comprised of federally-owned vessels that are operated by academic insti-tutions and consortiums. Formed in 1972, the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) is an organization of academic institutions and national laboratories, which includes U.S. ARF operating institutions, that seeks 1) to coordinate access to oceanographic research facilities including scheduling of ships within the U.S. ARF, 2) to review the current match of facilities to the needs of academic oceanographic programs, and 3) to foster support for academic oceanography (UNOLS Charter, adopted in December 2021). UNOLS does not have a mandate to create or enforce policies; however, UNOLS can influence an institution’s policy by providing an organizing structure to address community concerns. For example, the Maintaining an Environment of Respect Aboard Ships (MERAS) Committee aims to foster an environment of respect and cultivate an inclusive culture within the U.S. ARF by providing recommendations to the UNOLS community of vessel operators and users. MERAS was established in 2017 as a transition of the Pregnancy, Privacy, and Harassment Committee that first formed in 2015

Lost in plain sight : the evolution of Oregon's nearshore groundfish trawl fleet

The West Coast groundfish industry collapsed in 2000, but it recovered through the efforts of regulators, scientists and the fleet. Now it is working to rebuild the market and reconnect with a formerly active fishing ground along Oregon’s nearshore. In this report, we define nearshore as the shelf that extends seaward to a depth of 110 fathoms (660 feet). The nearshore is of particular value to flatfish groundfish as a nursery and as settlement habitat. It’s also an important area for the recruitment of many other species of groundfish, which tend to settle within the region, making it a desirable spot for Oregon’s groundfish trawlers (1, 2, 3). Despite this, little research has been conducted on the shallow portions of the shelf (around 30 fathoms – or 180 feet – deep). Many of the details of the ecology, health and processes in these habitats remain poorly understood. The knowledge of people who fish within this region, the challenges they face, and the opportunities they can glean from the reopening of nearshore fishing grounds are also insufficiently explored. With this in mind, our study aimed to gather and synthesize the experiential knowledge of nearshore commercial fishermen into a comprehensive and insightful picture of this place, the fishery and the people who engage with it. Connecting narratives and information on fish stocks, their management and the fleet presents an opportunity to holistically understand the health, value and future of this nearshore fishery. We began by gathering data from commercial trawl logbooks and fish tickets. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with industry participants. Our work provides an opportunity to use this local ecological knowledge (LEK) to enhance scientific ecological knowledge (SEK) and inform regional management, users and citizens about Oregon’s nearshore

Identification of Outer Continental Shelf Renewable Energy Space-Use Conflicts and Analysis of Potential Mitigation Measures

The ocean accommodates a wide variety of uses that are separated by time of day, season, location, and zones. Conflict can and does occur, however, when two or more groups wish to use the same space at the same time in an exclusive manner. The potential for conflict is well known and the management of ocean space and resources has been, and is being, addressed by a number of State, regional, and Federal organizations, including, among others, coastal zone management agencies, state task forces, and regional fisheries management councils. However, with new and emerging uses of the ocean, such as aquaculture and offshore renewable energy, comes the potential for new types of space-use conflicts in ocean waters. In recent years, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) (formerly the Minerals Management Service [MMS]) has examined ocean space-use conflicts and mitigation strategies in the context of offshore oil and gas exploration and production and sand and gravel dredging, activities that are both subject to BOEM regulation and oversight. BOEM now has authority to issue leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for renewable energy projects, but seeks additional information on potential conflicts between existing uses of the ocean environment and this new form of activity. The broad purpose of this study was to begin to fill this gap by (1) identifying potential spaceuse conflicts between OCS renewable energy development and other uses of the ocean environment, and (2) recommending measures that BOEM can implement in order to promote avoidance or mitigation of such conflicts, thereby facilitating responsible and efficient development of OCS renewable energy resources. The result is a document intended to serve as a desktop resource that BOEM can use to inform its decision making as the agency carries out its statutory and regulatory responsibilities

Timber in Oregon : history & projected trends

Oregon's timber economy can be characterized by the words change, complexity, and challenge. The industry has been changing since it began.Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Establishing an agenda for social studies research in marine renewable energy

Peer reviewedPublisher PD