The purpose of this research was to develop methods for using geographic information system (GIS) analysis and unsupervised classification of Global Vegetation Index (GVI) images to improve carbon budget estimates of the former Soviet Union (FSU). A GIS was used to locate the geographic distribution and estimate the area of...
This research questions the effectiveness of newspapers as a
vehicle of environmental information by determining whether the
public attitude in Alaska towards off-shore oil exploration was
consistent with that expressed in the local newspapers. All
newspaper articles about off-shore oil exploration published in
Alaska between 1980 and May 1987 were...
The portion of the Oregon coast extending from Cape Blanco south into California has long been recognized as a distinct physiographic region, with probable ramifications for prehistoric subsistence and settlement patterns. Several researchers have proposed models outlining a greater reliance upon marine/littoral resources among groups within this region, while more...
This thesis was to develop a bone artifact typology for the Oregon coast. This typology was used to test the hypothesis that different geographical regions of the Oregon coast would have different artifact assemblages associated with them. These regions, identified by geologist from landform changes, have been defined as: region...
Historically the U.S. Forest Service has used uncorrected
aerial photographs to delineate proposed and past management
activities on the land base it manages. Transferring a boundary
from an image not planimetrically correct to a planimetrically
corrected image introduces errors. Positional accuracy of
boundaries affects the number of acres the Forest...
Many ecological systems follow a seasonal cycle affecting primary production,carbon flux, and vegetative gas emissions. The seasonal variation of ecological systems are both affected by and have effects upon climatic factors. A quantitative estimate of the seasonal variation of vegetation is required to characterize ecological systems and their interaction with...
This research focuses on events surrounding the activities of Battery
Freeman, a coastal defense facility constructed within the earthworks of "old" Fort
Stevens near Astoria, OR, in 1900 and destroyed in 1939. Archival data are used
in conjunction with nearly 5,000 artifacts that were recovered from archaeological
excavations in 1989...
Archaeological investigations can reveal persistent traditions of ethnic
groups. Hawaiians were employed in the fur trade of the Columbia River from
1810 through 1850. The Hudson's Bay Company employed them at Ft.
Vancouver, Washington from 1825 through the end of this period. Data from
the excavations of the servant's village...
Approximately 5,500 years ago a discreet period of
wetter and cooler environmental conditions prevailed
across the southern Columbia Plateau. This period was
marked by the first prominent episodes of erosion to occur
along the lower Snake River following the height of the
Altithermal and eruption of Mt. Mazama during the...
In 1986, researchers from Oregon State University, led by Dr. David Brauner, came to the small Catholic community of St. Paul, Oregon as part of ongoing research on the French-Canadian inhabitants of the Willamette Valley between 1829 and the mid-1860s. They were searching for the remains of the first Catholic...
The Quartz Mountain Obsidian Quarry is located in the Southeast corner of the
Bend Fort Rock Ranger District in central Oregon, approximately forty-five miles
southeast of Bend, Oregon.
The research of the Quartz Mountain Obsidian Quarry began with a literature
search of other quarry sites in the area and the...
The archaeological resources contained in Corvallis Riverfront
Commemorative Park (RCP) have a great potential to add to the historical
record of the warehouse district of the original town of Marysville (Corvallis).
The City of Corvallis' proposed Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) project and
proposed changes to Riverfront Commemorative Park threaten to...
Streamflow variability can provide valuable information for nonpoint source
pollution monitoring program planning. The research papers presented in this thesis
examine selected properties of streamflow variability in Oregon to advance its application
in regional planning of water quality monitoring programs. The products of this research
depict Oregon streams by their...
The Battle of Big Bend was the last significant battle of the Rogue River Indian
Wars. The battle occurred 27-28 May 1856 in the Oregon Territory. The location of
the battle was along the Rogue River at a place known as the Big Bend, approximately
eight miles up river from...
This study explores private and public campground markets in Oregon. A profile of
private and public campgrounds, their prices, location, and amenities, served as the supply
side statistics while responses from the 1997 Campground Questionnaire provided data
for demand of Oregon campgrounds. The questionnaire inquired about respondents' last
camping trip...
Hair is an important piece of evidence in forensic and archaeological investigations. Analysis of the morphological features of hair has been reported since at least the early 1800's. However, many questions still remain unanswered such as, how can human groups (or local populations) be analyzed and possibly distinguished from each...
Ranching and lumbering were two of the primary economic practices in a
small rural study area south of Philomath Oregon (in Benton County), from
first Euro-American settlement through 1930. Ranching was common but
lumbering was restricted by geographical and market transportation
problems until after 1900. Catalysts for change came in...
Training high school students to conduct field mapping and data
collection of wildlife habitat on public lands produces important data for
local government geographic information systems and introduces students
to the field of geography. However, the positional accuracy of the spatial
data is important for use in a GIS, as...
Field Automation is an evolving set of geographic information system
(GIS) technologies, including mobile computing and the global positioning system,
addressing operational and environmental applications in the field. This research
involves designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating an environmental and
facility application field automated GIS. The Camp Rilea National Guard base,...
For the Army aviator, Night Vision Goggle (NVG) flight in the tactical rotarywing
profile is a very demanding, task saturated environment. Map navigation is just one
of the many tasks that must be accomplished during flight. The dim, monochromatic
lighting required for NVG flight alters map colors, decreases image detail...
Riparian areas contribute to numerous ecological-maintenance functions and so are
often the focus of protection efforts by land and resource management agencies. The riparian
land-use regulations of one jurisdiction, Lane County, Oregon, are assessed for effectiveness in
protecting ecological functions. Evaluation of the current condition of five elements of riparian...
The purpose of this project, therefore, is to develop a GIS for a small
geographical area that is currently of high priority to the GLT. The development of this GIS will be documented in a sequential fashion, so that it may serve as a
framework for future endeavors. This paper...
Since 1983, the Oregon legislature and the Land Conservation
and Development Commission have been attempting to develop a
process whereby secondary resource lands can be identified and
designated. The most recent attempt at developing a secondary
lands model was completed in 1990 and was tested in six Oregon
Counties. Planners...
Aerial videography in combination with GPS were used to monitor the
active surge of Alaska's Bering Glacier. The large aerial extent of the study area and the
unpredictable weather in coastal Alaska required innovative techniques to be used in
order to successfully monitor the surge environment. A portable aerial videographic...
Slope-aspect is the compass direction of a slope at a particular location on a given
surface, and can provide a graphic tool for people who require an understanding of
the pattern of slope-aspect variation across a landscape. Slope-aspect maps can be
helpful for terrain analysis, watershed management, building site analysis,...
With increased attention being focused on the remaining old-growth
forest resource in the Pacific Northwest a way to ecologically rate forest stands is
needed to assist the U.S. Forest Service in its management decisions. A Geographic
Information System (GIS) model was developed to rate old-growth stands in a 49,500
acre...
Animated cartography is still a new field. It has been experimented with for years, but it
has not gained general usage except partially in use by the news media. Nevertheless, certain
subjects cry out for displaying the patterns of movement over time, such as historical patterns of
migration and settlement,...
The Klamath Basin of Oregon and California has been the scene of extensive ecosystem restoration activities in recent years. The need for restoration is based on changes in land use that have adversely affected water quality and wildlife habitat. Many different kinds of restoration projects are occurring at many different...
In recent years, low lake levels at Fern Ridge, Oregon have become a major concern
for recreationists in the southern Willamette Valley. A filled reservoir is necessary for the most
popular water sport at Fern Ridge: sailing. The Army Corps of Engineers manages Fern Ridge as
part of the Willamette...
The purpose of this paper is to identify significant storm events
occurring over a ten year period along the Oregon coast. The findings will be
used in a larger research framework to build an information base that looks into
the role of climatic forcing on coastal erosion and sediment transport...
Ecological regionalization is a form of spatial
classification, where boundaries are drawn around areas
relatively homogeneous in landscape characteristics. In the
delineation of ecological regions, or ecoregions, the process
includes the analysis of ecosystem structure and function.
Ecoregions have been developed at national and state scales
for research and resource...
Benton County, Oregon has been experiencing relatively high growth and
development during the last five years. This new growth has put a strain on urban and
rural development in the county. To cope with this growth, comprehensive plans,
zoning, and many other planning issues must be assessed and revised according...
present a unique modeling approach to investigate the
potential impacts of future land use alternatives on amphibian population
dynamics in two agricultural watersheds in central Iowa. An individual-based
spatially explicit population was used to predict the consequences of alternative
landscape design and management for populations of four amphibian species. The...
Instream flow protection in western prior appropriation states is a relatively new phenomenon.
Integrating instream flow protection measures with the older water law has been accomplished with varying
degrees of success. Idaho relies on appropriation of unappropriated water by the Idaho Water Resource Board
for protection of instream flows. Idaho's...
Equal value gray scales are frequently employed by cartographers to choose gray tone area
symbols. Several researchers have tried to quantify perceived gray tone as a function of percent area inked or
reflectance but results have varied. The influence of pattern and texture on gray tone perception is considered
a...
Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant (LAAP), located near Shreveport, Louisiana, is a
government-owned contractor-operated plant. Its purpose is to manufacture, load and
assemble ammunition items. Area P has been used over the past 40 years to dump
explosive-laden wastewater into 16 unlined lagoons. In 1989 LAAP was placed on the
National...
The Columbia River system in the Pacific Northwest is currently comprised of a series of
reservoirs, resulting from regulation of river flow due to a series of hydroelectric dams.
A return to pre-dam conditions might improve salmon (Oncorhynchus sp.) survival rates
and increase migration efficiency. This study modeled both historic...
Management of national forests evokes controversy about the
allocation of limited resources among competing uses. A Land and Resource
Management Plan (Forest Plan) has been prepared for the Payette National
Forest. The Forest Plan describes resource management practices and the levels
of resource production at which the Forest would be...
This study was conducted to test a photographic method of determining the
relationship, if any, between the spectral reflectance and measured levels of nitrogen and
chlorophyll in plots of ryegrass turf. Color and color infrared aerial photos were taken of a
grid of 375 plots of ryegrass in June and...
Efficient management of natural resources requires the ability to utilize and integrate information. The challenge is to fully utilize this information base with its various degrees of accessibility, ever increasing volume and dispersed nature. The manager must be familiar with media types used to store, manage and communicate this information....
The U.S. Forest Service has been actively using new information
technologies since the formation of the agency. Currently forests are using
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping, data storage, modeling,
and spatial analysis. The Siuslaw National Forest has an active GIS with many
data layers. A project to correct the...
The use of phenoxy herbicides is an established practice in industrial forestry,
particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Forestry herbicide use in this region has often been
controversial. To better understand the spatial patterns of herbicide use and the potential for
human health and environmental impacts, a landscape level perspective is...
Sequential aerial photography was used to identify effects of hiking trails
on the spatial distribution of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) habitat at alpine treeline.
Vegetation change over a 46 year period was compared along trails relative to areas
without trails, at five study sites in the McDonald Creek drainage of...
This research was designed to search for regularities in
the spatial pattern resulting from government designation of
protected areas for conservation purposes on the African continent.
Four countries were used to test for a relationship between
protected areas and vegetation types and also whether colonial
background had an impact on...
A Delphi Expert Opinion procedure was used for evaluating Land Evaluation
and Site Assessment (LESA) ratings in Linn County, Oregon. The Delphi procedure uses
an expert panel to answer a set of questions by anonymous responses, controlled
feedback in two or three iterations, and a statistical summary of group responses....
This project focuses on the classification of
vegetation as a habitat for wild turkeys. The
vegetation classification discussed here is only one
part of a study looking at habitat requirements,
seasonal use patterns, and brood-rearing habits of
wild turkeys in Southern Oregon. The vegetation
classification was performed for an area...
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) is developing a nationally standardized database on landcover and habitat change in the coastal regions of the United States. The Willapa Bay eelgrass mapping project was granted to the Columbia River Estuary Study Task force (CREST) of Astoria,...
The practice of river and stream restoration has
increased with heightened environmental concerns and
awareness. Many of these projects use structural
modifications in an attempt to mimic natural landscapes.
These structural modifications represent an active approach
to river and stream restoration. Active restoration
projects are well funded and extensively constructed....
Oyster production in the United States has declined from a leading
nineteenth century fishery to a minor, failing industry. Oystermen must now
depend on a diminished resource in an environment of competing and conflicting
coastal uses. One of the most important influences on the industry's welfare
is the sanitation of...
With the current pressure for increased growth, the affects of climatic forcing events
pose serious threats to Oregon's Coastal Communities. Mathematical methods have been
implemented to establish setback distances for development adjacent to littoral cells.
Using formulae developed by the Coastal Construction Setback Taskforce (CCST) under
the Oregon Coastal Management...