Composition and structure of Oregon ash
(Fraxinus latifolia) woodlands in the William L. Finley
National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon are described. Twenty
stands dominated by Fraxinus latifolia were sampled with
500 m2 circular macroplots in which floristic microplot
data were collected for plant community synthesis. Plant
communities were identified by computer-assisted...
The present day vegetation pattern of the Willamette Valley is a result of a long past of human alteration of the landscape. Beginning with aboriginal burning of the grasslands to present day land uses, the vegetation of the valley has been affected by anthropogenic activity. Wet prairie is a vanishing...
The Willamette River Basin, Oregon, viewed in terms of a cultural-ecological system, has been subject to three phases of cultural development: hunting and gathering, agrarian, and industrial-urban. Each population base has employed a technology to exploit the environment to the extent that its patterns of culture would allow. This technology...
The aggregate industry is responsible for the extraction and production of crushed stone, sand, and gravel— the literal building blocks of our society. Across the U.S. there are tens of thousands of quarries and sand and gravel pits, the majority of which are left abandoned or with minimal reclamation efforts....
The problem of this thesis is the existence of an anomalous manorial landscape in northern Fauquier County, Virginia. The county is about 45 miles southwest of Washington, D. C. The thesis seeks to develop a hypothesis to explain the existence of this landscape so different from surrounding areas in a...
In 2001, an extreme drought tightened water supply in the Upper Klamath Basin (basin) while earlier increases in Endangered Species Act (ESA) water requirements for basin fish species that same year elevated demands. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), which manages irrigation water in parts of the basin located near the...
A photographic band-ratioing technique was investigated.
The data source consisted of 70 mm Landsat Multispectral Scanner
(MSS) negatives. The process would require combining registered
positive and negative transparencies to achieve a ratio
modulation in the resulting print. This would also require
compensation for atmospheric effects on the original negatives by...
Streamflow forecasts are essential to the optimal operation of
hydroelectric and irrigation reservoirs in the Pacific Northwest.
Satellite snow cover observations would aid in these streamflow forecasts
by providing snow cover data at regular time intervals. Unfortunately,
satellite capability to remotely sense mountain snow cover
conditions is indeterminate due to...
This study examines the relationships among variables influencing
solar access in the Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Area. The
analysis is based on a random sample of approximately 400 single-family
homes in 21 local jurisdictions outside the city limits of Portland.
Relationships between percentage of available sunlight and selected
variables were examined by...
The two classic theories of the distribution of
cities in an urban system are the rank size rule
and central place theory. The rank size relationships,
as incorporated into G. K. Zipf's Principle
of Least Effort, is seen as the result of a balancing
of the opposing forces of urban...
The dramatic upsurge of contract-supported archaeological activity,
generated by legislative action, has precipitated an increase
in information about Oregon's prehistoric peoples. This information,
however, has not been presented in a format which can be easily
understood by the general public.
This study presents an account of early peoples in Oregon,...
With 97% of the world’s freshwater resources stored underground, the connection between groundwater resources to the metrics of space, scale and time common to the geographic study of natural resources has not been extensively investigated by geographers. While nearly 240 transboundary aquifers are mapped across the world, a potential “tragedy”...
The objective of this study is to
answer four questions concerning the transportation
network on the Willamette National Forest. These
questions are 1) how many and what kind of roads
exist on the forest, 2) how much annual traffic
can these existing roads handle, 3) can the
existing system handle...
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...
The study of the interactions between man and his environment is the eminent domain of the geographer. An excellent example of this kind of study is the urbanization of a formerly rural town on the urban-rural fringe. The area in this instance is Tualatin, Oregon, with the focus on the...
The role of weather in influencing tourist-recreation visitation
to the Oregon coast during the six-month summer season of May
through October has been investigated by this research. In addition,
the normal day-to-day fluctuations in coastal visitation has been
determined.
Based upon the normal visitation, the tourist-recreation season
on Oregon's coast...
Biophysical, socioeconomic and geopolitical pressures from population growth and economic development are leading to an increase in tensions regarding the sharing of water within transboundary basins. Transboundary basins are surface rivers and groundwater resources that are shared among sovereign nations and autonomous regions. This dissertation focuses on surface water in...
Landslide processes occurring on a hillslope in McDonald-Dunn
Forest on the eastern slope of the Oregon Coastal Range are
described in terms of type, magnitude. minimum age and site
characteristics. Debris flows and debris avalanches are the
dominant types of slope movement occurring in the study area.
Landslide events classified...
Marion County had a 1976 cash receipt from all farm products
amounting to $110,429,000. Much of this farm value was produced on the
county's 410,350 acres of class I through IV soils. These soils, regardless
of productivity, also have potential for a variety of other
non-farm uses. It is this...
Disposal of solid wastes in sanitary landfills presents potential problems of ground water contamination. The most conman contaminants are leachate and dissolved gas. Oregon has implemented a ground water quality monitoring program at selected landfills. Objectives are to protect the state1 s ground water resource and complement regulatory and enforcement...
This thesis research consists of an investigation of the human
influences on wildlife in Belize. The study was accomplished by the
collection and analysis of data with respect to land use, habitat
characteristics, and wildlife status in Belize. Requirements and
status of many species are tabulated in order to give...
Locating archaeological sites that predate the arrival of modern sea level has been difficult along the Oregon coast. This is in part believed to be the result of geologic processes that have influenced the preservation, distribution, and visibility of sites within the Oregon coastal landscape. Because of these changes, researchers...
The physical characteristics and spatial location of
land are hypothesized to be significant inputs to its
valuation. This research evaluates the influence of
locational, economic, and physical site variables on the
assessed value of real property.
Evaluation of such influences is based on a stratified
systematic sample of land parcels...
In this paper "map complexity" refers to the inherent
intricacy of a mapped geographic pattern. Map complexity and sample
size are two variables shown to influence the accuracy of
interpolated dasymetric maps.
An automated experiment was designed to investigate the
precise relationship among map complexity, sample size, and the
accuracy...
Reservoir systems in the western US are managed to serve two main competing purposes: to reduce flooding during the winter and spring, and to provide water supply for multiple uses during the summer. Because the storage capacity of a reservoir cannot be used for both flood damage reduction and water...
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the methods and criteria
developed for rating actual and potential agricultural land in the
United States. It is motivated by the apparent increasing competition
for quality space created by the expanding population, and by the belief
that land rating and classification are...
The arts and festivals of art have today become a vital economic
force in some areas of the country and a way of life for some people.
The number and sizes of festivals, as well as audience size, has
grown tremendously both nationally and in Oregon, since 1950. Even
the...
Worldwide, networks of plants and pollinators are faced with the threat of climate change. The extent of this threat and the degree of adaptability is not yet understood. In Oregon, climate change is predicted to bring hotter and drier summers which may have consequences for pollinators and the resources they...
The objective of this dissertation is to enhance the monitoring of forest ecosystems through the utilization of remotely sensed data to address the exigencies posed by the Anthropocene. On a global scale, rising temperatures and fluctuating precipitation patterns have strained forests and produced shifts in natural disturbance regimes. Additionally, the...
The Greenbelt Land Trust (GLT) (a grass-roots conservation group in
Oregon) is interested in a conservation plan for the Marys River Corridor. To
facilitate this effort, a resource inventory was required and a Geographic
Information System (GIS) data base used to compile the inventory (called the
Marys River Project (MRP))....
Land value appreciation and its relation to three
interchanges on Interstate 5 were studied. Lots within a
two mile (3.2 km.) radius and in existence in 1965 and 1975
were included. The interchanges were selected on the basis
of form, setting, type of crossroad, and distance from urban
areas. Lots...
This paper discusses the methods used to create a maintainable
tracking system for used by the City of Corvallis' Plaiming Division for the
purpose of historic preservation. The system includes a Microsoft Access2000
database and an ArcView GIS component. In addition to this, there is a web site
component of...
Oregon's Special Farm Use Assessment program is investigated
in this paper for its effectiveness in preserving farmland from urban
sprawl. Basic research for this study was conducted in Jefferson
County, a rural central Oregon county. Data from a similar study conducted
in Washington County, an urbanizing northern Willamette Valley
county,...
The prevailing image of the Northwest at the
beginning of the nineteenth century, as portrayed on maps
published at the time, was based more on myth and wishful
thinking than on geographic fact. During the next fifty years
these myths were exploded as exploration of this previously
unknown territory progressed,...
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...
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....
The Upper Napa Valley land use system is presently
agricultural and epitomized by vineyards of quality wine grapes. As
the San Francisco Bay Urban Area continues to expand the Upper
Napa Valley is brought into closer proximity to the urban margin,
and its agricultural usefulness is being threatened. Whether the...
Altitudinal variations in upland regions of the earth create
variable climatic zones and conditions. Plant and animal
communities must adapt to these conditions, and when they reach
their tolerance limits for environmental conditions at the upper
levels of a zone, they cease to exist in the environment. Humans
also utilize...
There are certain circumstances where the zoning
ordinance must be modified to be just. The modifiers studied
for this paper were conditional use permits, special exceptions,
and variances. Philomath, Corvallis, and Benton
County, Oregon were the jurisdictions used for the study area.
It was determined that the exceptions to the...
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...
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...
Bull Run Reserve was used as a case study of conflicts
in management. The Bull Run Watershed supplies the Portland
Metropolitan area with its water. Conflicting goals led to
various management decisions. Sustained yield logging was allowed
within the watershed. Concern that continued logging
would lead to increased turbidity and...
One of the most serious problems confronting modern America
is the efficient and rational utilization of the recreation resource base,
not only in terms of present demands and needs, but future as well.
The resource manager, in the past, has had few guidelines from
which to determine the type and...
There is a wide variety of developed, undeveloped
and proposed outdoor recreation areas and facilities in
Benton County. Recreation areas and facilities are supplied
by federal, state, county, city and private agencies.
Each agency plans for recreation development independently.
The Benton County Parks Department and the city of Corvallis
use...
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...
The rangelands of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation
represent a major resource within a definitive
geographic area. The utilization of this resource is affected
by a number of factors, some of which are examined
here. The cultural evolution of the Warm Springs people
has resulted in the horse maintaining a...
This paper describes a methodology
developed for an inventory of historic resources.
Citizen participation is the key element. An
information network, designed to elicit local
impressions of important sites and buildings and
the historic themes they represent, is analyzed.
This methodology is compared with previous studies
to show that the...
This research seeks to understand the influences of perception on land use around
the Mount Hood area of Oregon and evaluate how it has evolved over the past 4,000
years. The study addresses three specific questions:
1) How has the study area evolved over time into the modern landscape?
2)...
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...
