Mission Statement
We aim to work as a team to support long-lasting ecologically restorative management at Dorris Ranch
by providing accurate floral and faunal data via monitoring protocols.
Need for Restoration
Since European colonization in the mid-19th century, Oregon’s Willamette Valley has experienced up to 97% loss of oak prairie, oak woodland, and upland prairie habitats (Altman, 2011). Oregon White Oaks (Quercus garryana) are shade intolerant and suffer from overcrowding and conifer encroachment (Dunwiddie & Bakker, 2011). Native wildflowers are susceptible to competition from extremely pervasive foreign species in upland prairie habitats and oak-associated bird and mammal species, such as the Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formacivorus) and Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana), are declining due to habitat loss (Altman, 2011; Galitsky & Lawler, 2015). These conditions strain Dorris Ranch’s ecology due to historical mismanagement, including fire suppression (Willamalane, 2019). Before European colonization, the Indigenous Kalapuya people regularly implemented cultural burns to maintain prairie habitats (Altman, 2011). Over the last decade, Willamalane has planned and implemented restoration in the form of thinning trees, mowing prairie habitats, and spraying herbicides to restore the Living History Museum closer to its pre-colonial conditions and provide habitat for wildflowers and wildlife, and hopes to implement prescribed burns in the future (Willamalane, 2019).
Goals and Objectives
- Map the main oak woodland strip along the Middle Fork Path and monitor condition of individual trees
- Map priority showy wildflowers and invasive species in the oak prairie North of the Middle Fork Path
- Retake photo points for visualized trend data
- Monitor the presence or absence of oak-associated bird species to determine overall ecosystem health.
- Because of their mobility and ecological diversity, the diversity of bird species is an excellent metric for evaluating ecosystem health (Galitsky & Lawler, 2015). For example, the return to acorn woodpeckers at Dorris Ranch could indicate ecological recovery.
Sources
Altman, B. (2011). Historical and current distribution and populations of bird species in prairie-oak habitats in the Pacific Northwest. Northwest Science, 85(2), 194-222.
Altman, B. & Stephens, J. L. (2012). Land Managers Guide to Bird Habitat and Populations in Oak Ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. American Bird Conservancy and Klamath Bird Observatory, 1-82.
Dunwiddie, P., & Bakker, J. (2011). The Future of Restoration and Management of Prairie-Oak Ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. Northwest Science, 85(2), 83-92.
Galitsky, & Lawler, J. J. (2015). Relative influence of local and landscape factors on bird communities vary by species and functional group. Landscape Ecology, 30(2), 287–299.
Salix Associates. (2016). Report on Botanical Surveys for Dorris Ranch / Willamalane Park and Recreation District. Springfield, OR.
Willamalane Parks and Recreation District. (2019). Dorris Ranch Living History Farm Master Plan Revisions. Springfield, OR.