Presenter: Ashlynn McGraw
Co-presenters: Samuel Huck, Anthony Kollmorgan, Katie Ortiz, Shannon Keener, Kenny Quillan, Fred Hutchison
Mentors: Peg Boulay and Davita Flowers-Shanklin, Environmental Studies
Oral Presentation
Major: Environmental Studies
Agriculture practices have greatly altered the stream morphology and riparian ecosystems of the Willamette Valley. The use of dams and other river modifications have reduced overall stream complexity while practices such as overgrazing have left streams stripped of vegetation and prone to the spread of invasive species. Nowhere is this truer than in Goose Creek which cuts through Whitewater Ranch in Leaburg, Oregon. Previously a cattle ranch, Whitewater Ranch is now a commercial Christmas tree and organic blueberry farm. Overgrazing along Goose Creek has removed most of the native riparian vegetation and has since been replaced by Reed Canarygrass, a highly invasive species that outcompetes native vegetation. The 2015 Environmental Leadership Program Riparian Restoration Team will be responsible for the implementation and monitoring of a restoration plan. The plan seeks to replace the invasive Reed Canarygrass with native riparian trees and shrubs which will shade the creek and reduce water temperatures to allow for more suitable fish habitat. In addition, a pollinator hedgerow will be planted in order to attract pollinators to the farms blueberries. We will present our preliminary findings and current restoration work.