Tag: Peg Boulay

Promoting Pollinators at Whitewater Ranch

Presenter: Olivia Heller − Environmental Studies

Co-Presenter(s): Julia Nauman, Lindsey Nguyen, Fischer Kirk

Faculty Mentor(s): Peg Boulay, Gabby Altmire

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Learning from the Environment

Native pollinators are beneficial in agroecosystems because they are more cost-efficient, resistant to disease, and more favorable to the larger ecosystem than imported honey bees. The Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) has been monitoring pollinators at Whitewater Ranch (WWR), an organic blueberry and timber farm in Leaburg, Oregon, since 2014. Here, the ELP has assisted WWR in its restoration of Goose Creek, a riparian zone that runs through the ranch. The goal of the project is to increase native pollinator abundance and diversity for the benefit of the ranch and greater ecosystem. To do so, we explored the potential of native riparian and forb plantings to increase native pollinator populations. First, we continued to monitor the effects of previous riparian plantings on current pollinator populations in blueberry fields. Second, we explored the role of floral enhancements in logged areas after the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire. Working with insect ecologist Lauren Ponisio, we are monitoring which native forbs are most successful in the previously burned areas of Whitewater Ranch. We expect pollinator numbers to remain relatively consistent with previous years.

Assessment of the Oregon White Oak Woodland and Prairie Restoration Project at Dorris Ranch

Presenter(s): Mya Ganzer — Environmental Science

Co-Presenter(s): Shane Kreger, Emma Peara, Olivia Holah

Faculty Mentor(s): Peg Boulay, Hannah Gershone

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Learning from the Environment

The primary goal of the Birds & Blooms Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) team is to evaluate the effects of the 2016-2018 Oregon white oak and upland prairie restoration project at Dorris Ranch. The team will monitor showy wildflower species, invasive plant species, oak characteristics, and target bird species within the study site at Dorris Ranch. This will allow us to monitor and assess the health of the oaks and the response of the biotic communities dependent on oak woodland and prairie habitats at Dorris Ranch, which will indicate the success and impacts of the 2016-2018 restoration projects. Specifically, our group will conduct presence-absence surveys for target bird species, map wildflower and invasive species populations, create an evaluative census of the Oregon white oaks, and replicate photo points based on a set done in 2020. The data we collect will be compared to previous data that has been collected from Dorris Ranch. The relationships between the datasets, in addition to our new findings will further inform Willamalane Park and Recreations adaptive management decisions and strategies in order to continue the restoration of crucial Oregon white oak habitat and its associated species at Dorris Ranch.

Monitoring Fuel Treatment Efficacy in Oak Habitat at Suzanne Arlie Park

Presenter: Zoey Bailey − Family and Human Services

Co-Presenter(s): Hans Bertelsen, Isabel Mosley, Alex Murphy

Faculty Mentor(s): Peg Boulay

(In-Person) Oral Panel—Fuel, Fire, Grass and Compost

Upland oak prairies and oak savannas are scarce within Oregon’s Willamette Valley. In order to restore these fire-dependent communities, we must integrate prescribed fire and land stewardship practices. Our team has been working closely with the City of Eugene Parks and Open Spaces Department to collect vegetation data to evaluate the effects of fuels management at Suzanne Arlie Park. Project goals are to conduct vegetation monitoring and evaluate fuel loads within plots that have been untreated or treated with herbicide, mastication, mowing, and prescribed burns. A paramount aspect of our team’s protocol is to collect data on species composition and richness, which is key for management decisions such as prescribed fire. We have used a nested plot design: determining the plot center using randomized methods, measuring and describing trees and large woody fuels present within a 1/100th acre plot, measuring shrub cover along a 50 ft transect, and describing herbaceous cover and small woody fuels in three 1 m2 quadrats. Site awareness parameters consisted of photo monitoring points and qualitative assessment with comments. Our findings will be used to make management recommendations to the City of Eugene for Suzanne Arlie Park and the Ridgeline Trail System. These recommendations will be used to implement fuels reduction treatments; restore, enhance, and promote awareness of native habitats; and will increase collaboration across parks within Eugene’s Wildland-Urban Interface.

Oak Habitat Mapping and Monitoring in the Southern Eugene Ridgeline

Presenter: Alexandria Russell, Matthew Silva, Matthew Liston, Environmental Science

Poster: C-5

Mentor: Peg Boulay, Environmental Science

The prevention of fire regimes, in combination with increasing urbanization, has led to a drastic decline in woodland oak habitats over the past 150 years in the Pacific Northwest. Currently, less than 2% of pre-European settlement oak habitat remains in the Southern Willamette Valley. Oak habitats are home to a wide range of rare plants and animals. As a result, the City of Eugene made conserving oak habitats one of their top priorities. As members of the Ridgeline Oaks Team, we collected data within these native oak habitats to help the City of Eugene implement a future management plan and protocol. We compared the accuracy of previous habitat delineations to the data we collected in the field and found that the former habitat delineations were only 55% accurate. We collected baseline data as well as data on heritage trees, which are mature trees that are important for their ecological and historical value. We also modified the protocol to adapt to the conditions in the field and improve efficiency. Our implementation of the original protocol helped us to develop more efficient ways to collect the data. The ecological data will assist the City in determining priority restoration and management areas within the Ridgeline. In addition, the data we collected will serve as a baseline against which future changes can be compared.

Western Pond Turtle Habitat Ranking and Assessment in the Southern Willamette Valley

Presenters: Rebecca Winard, John Rogers, and Robin Clemen

Mentor: Peg Boulay

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 52

The 2011 Turtle Conservation Team ranked sites that were likely to have existing turtle populations, as well as some previously unevaluated ponds. We evaluated sites in the Eugene district of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The goal of the project is to gain a better understanding about where western pond turtles occur in the southern Willamette Valley, and the locations of suitable habitat, so that the species can be protected from the variety of threats they face. The team scored the overall quality of the sites visited and reported the findings to the BLM. The team also conducted basking surveys to monitor the populations of western pond turtles on selected suitable habitat sites. Turtles were only observed at Mosby Pond. Man-made sites like this have high potential for restoration work to create suitable habitat for western pond turtles.

Assessing Relationships between Topography and Species Diversity in Restored and Remnant Wet Prairies

Presenters: Tatiana Piazza, Rachel Lytton, Willis Logsdon and Claire Reed-Dustin

Mentor: Peg Boulay

PM Poster Presentation

Poster 36

Wetland prairies provide numerous ecosystem services and habitat for native plant species. Our research project examines the relationship between microtopographic variation and native species diversity in six restored and remnant wet prairies in the West Eugene Wetlands. We predict that microtopography is influential in determining plant community composition. Along transects within each previously-established macroplot, we used an autolevel to measure soil surface elevation and water depth. We used a 1m x 1m quadrat frame to determine the percent cover of grasses, forbs, and non-forbs. To measure vegetation and litter height, we used the point intercept method. If the data currently being collected and our primary results support our hypothesis, then reestablishing microtopography will be essential in promoting native plant diversity and cover in restored wet prairies.

MyMcKenzie: Creating a Portrait of the McKenzie River

Presenters: Cassidy Ventura, Mason Trinca and Rick Gurule

Mentor: Peg Boulay

AM Poster Presentation

Poster 49

Through photography and interpretation, as a group of Environmental Studies students in the Environmental Leadership Program, we created a portrait of the McKenzie River. As we have discovered the river and its people, we sought to reflect the river’s colors and motion, as well as the many relationships people have with this remarkable place. Our mission is to connect people to the McKenzie River, showing its beauty and how it influences people lives in numerous ways. We accomplished this by allowing people to follow our journey through our website, photo essays and photo exhibit to contemplate their own relationship to this majestic river. The themes represented in our poster and photographs include ‘Interaction’ showcasing the important roles this river plays in so many of our lives; ‘The Changing Colors’ devoted to all the colors of the McKenzie River that we experienced; and ‘Motion’ following the McKenzie River from the rapid falls of Sahalie to the steady waters of its confluence as it is in constant motion.

McKenzie River Side Channel Restoration: The Enhancement of Salmon Spawning Habitat and Riparian Ecosystems

Presenter: Thomas Van Hevelingen and Ben Miller

Mentor: Peg Boulay

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A3 Trends in Restoration

Location: Metolius Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

The 2012 Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) is divided into six teams. The Stream Stewardship Team has devoted our efforts to the restoration and enhancement of McKenzie River side-channel ecosystems. In recent years, declining salmon populations have peaked both political and social interests in the Pacific Northwest. Our restoration efforts have been focused on the rejuvenation of Coho salmon spawning grounds and surrounding habitats in the McKenzie River side channels. Habitat enhancement methods includ- ed the placement of large woody debris, propagation of native plant species, and removal of invasive vegetation. We have monitored previous ELP management in order to assess the effectiveness of riparian restoration at this site. Our results indicate a significant de- crease in invasive vegetation and a high survival rate of planted native species. Furthermore, in-stream restoration efforts have proven successful in creating pools and sediment gradients beneficial to salmon spawning habitat. Management of the McKenzie side channel site has proven largely successful and could potentially be adapted to other locations in future restoration projects.

Stomata Density of Orchids and Cloud Forest Humidity in Monteverde, Costa Rica

Presenter: Sierra Predovich

Mentor: Peg Boulay

PM Session Oral Presentation

Panel Name: A3 Trends in Restoration

Location: Metolius Room

Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm

This experiment explored stomata densities of the epiphytic Pleurothallis aristata and Maxillaria sp. orchids under experimental conditions of dry and humid environments. Pleurothallis aristata is in the sub-tribe Pleurothallidinae and lacks pseudobulbs, while Maxillaria sp. has pseudobulbs. The purpose of the experiment was to test if there was a difference in stomata densities between the two species, and if there was a difference in mean percent stomata open in humid and dry environments. Stomata impressions were taken from the leaves of twenty individuals of each species using clear nail polish peels that were examined under a compound microscope. The results show that there is a significant difference in stomata density between the Pleurothallis aristata and the Maxillaria sp. (Rank Sum Test, t=55, n1=10, n2=10, p<0.05). The results also show that both species had a higher percentage of open stomata in humid environments than in dry environments (Wilcoxon sign rank test). An explanation for these results is that Maxillaria sp. has a pseudobulb for water storage, has a larger leaf surface area, and therefore has higher stomata density. Both species would also close their stomata in drier conditions in order to reduce water loss and desiccation. This research is significant because it relates to problems such as climate change and shifting of biomes, as some species may be more likely to succeed in periods of prolonged drought or less humidity.

Establishing Baseline Data for Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Evaluating Riparian Planting Success in the McKenzie Watershed

Presenter: Ashley Sosa (Environmental Science)

Co-Presenters: Breanna Senate and Matt Keeler

Mentor: Peg Boulay

Oral Presentation

Panel A: “Habitats and Climate” Maple Room

Concurrent Session 3: 1:45-3:00pm

Facilitator: Drew Terhune

Salmon are valued not only as food and symbol, but as bioindicators of broad ecological functions related to aquatic systems. Countless projects across the Pacific Northwest focus on creating quality habitat and connectivity for salmonids and other aquatic species. Thus, pre and post project monitoring of stream restoration techniques such as large woody debris placement and riparian plantings provides crucial information on the success and validity of current techniques. We are partnering with the McKenzie Watershed Council and the US Forest Service at two sites of active restoration in the McKenzie Watershed. At the Berggren Watershed Conservation Area we conducted riparian vegetation effectiveness monitoring as well as in-stream baseline monitoring. At Cougar Creek we conducted in-stream baseline monitoring as well as snorkel surveys for fish inventory. The results of our in- stream monitoring will allow for quantifiable measurements of change in stream channel morphology and substrate due to restoration activities. Snorkel survey data will inform future efforts with site specific data on fish presence and demographics. Results of vegetation monitoring will guide future riparian vegetation plantings. This research will give our community partners valuable information to improve future restoration of aquatic habitat.