Three trends are occurring today in the United States which inspired this research. First, America is growing increasingly urbanized. Today, more Americans are living in cities than in rural environments, and this pattern is predicted to continue for the foreseeable future. Urban living has benefits, but there are also challenges...
Emerging river policy has launched small dam removal as a viable option to meet the ecological and social demands for river restoration. As small dam removals gain precedence as a policy tool in river restoration projects there exists a glaring gap in the social considerations, in particular how small dam...
This study assessed implementation of the 1994 Water Protection Rules in the Oregon Forest Practices Act from the perspective of Rule users and post-harvest riparian conditions. A 1993 evaluation found that under the previous rules over half of riparian conifers were removed during harvest, prompting concerns about future sources of...
The passage of Measure 37 in 2004 was met with a great deal of controversy as a number of voters claimed the implications of the Measure did not represent their intentions for supporting the legislation. Namely, significant opposition was aimed towards the Measure 37 claim which offered landowners financial compensation...
With 150 million people visiting accredited zoos and aquariums annually, these institutions have the unique opportunity to present conservation-oriented messages to a large and receptive audience. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of interpretation and/or the viewing of live animals in the communication of these messages....
Over the past half century, the USDA Forest Service has increasingly faced
diverse and often competing demands for forest resources, ranging from recreation,
to ecosystem services, and timber supply. Building positive community-agency
relationships has become increasingly important. Such relationships can improve
community support for forest planning and management activities, ultimately...
Central Oregon's landscape is rich in dry forests prone to frequent wildfires. Climate change studies and improved modeling indicate this region could experience conditions that result in an increase in number and severity of wildfires. With the potential for increased environmental hazards, the nearby communities face potential risks and vulnerabilities...
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) is considered by many to be among the most powerful and most contentious environmental laws in the United States. Persistent challenges to the Act’s implementation make reaching conservation goals problematic. Most notably, the very nature of the law—providing protections for species already at...
Residents in South Falls City, a small town in the foothills of Oregon's Coast Range, battle intense flooding during the rainy season. Disagreements about surface water management pit neighbor against neighbor, but preliminary evidence suggests that groundwater flooding is an underlying cause. OSU researchers pair the emerging literature on groundwater...
In the field of natural resource policy and management, community-based collaboration is a strategy that has been growing in scope and usage over the past three decades, and often offers hope in complex, difficult conflict situations. In Oregon's Illinois Valley, where conflicts over natural resource management have been ongoing for...