Presenter(s): Emily Bork – Environmental Science, Marine Biology
Co presenter(s): Bren Catt, Lachlan Addicott, Elizabeth Baach, Brianna Ashley, Madeline Cowen, Drew Donahue, Hailey Gilliland, Alice Gregg, Philip Hou, Harrison Satterthwaite
Faculty Mentor(s): Peg Boulay, Alejandro Brambila
Oral Session 4CS
Research Area: Natural Science
Funding: University of Oregon’s Environmental Studies Program
Goose Creek runs through Whitewater Ranch, an organic blueberry farm and timber harvester that is adjacent to the McKenzie River. Since 2014, the Environmental Leadership Program’s (ELP) Riparian Restoration team has been working to reverse the deleterious effects of past livestock grazing along Goose Creek. The overall goal of the restoration project is to replant disturbed native vegetation along Goose Creek, which will revitalize pollinator habitats, control the spread of invasive plant species, and increase stream health via a reduction in temperature. We will monitor these variables by using a variety of methods, including photopoint monitoring, vegetation survival and percent cover, pollinator surveys, stream temperature measurements, and aquatic macroinvertebrate surveys. After restoration, we expect to observe greater populations of native plant communities and native pollinators, less non-native plant species, and an overall improvement of stream health represented by a decrease in temperature and the presence of sensitive macroinvertebrate species. This year’s restoration efforts will augment the overall health of the McKenzie River Watershed and will provide valuable monitoring data for future ELP teams. These protocols will serve as useful guidelines for other agricultural areas that would like to restore native habitat and increase the health of riparian systems.