Managing invasive species is vital to preserving native species and maintaining the integrity of environments and ecological roles. Rats are one of the most prolific and intrusive invasive species that have successfully cohabitated with humans over centuries as we have expanded and advanced our societies. Thus, rats have historically been...
Wildlife managers often use species distribution models (SDMs) as an initial tool in conservation planning. Managers and researchers have made efforts to model the habitat and distribution of pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) across their historic range since the species was proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act (USFWS 2003)....
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) grants legal standing for any individual or party willing to challenge a species status finding in court. As a result, the legislation has become a controversial, but powerful tool leveraged in political battles and legal disputes that go far beyond the narrow confines of conservation...
Pacific salmon are culturally and economically important species to Southeast Alaska, where there is a history of large wild runs and supplemental production from hatchery programs. Salmon management in Alaska is divided amongst various governmental agencies. Non-governmental organizations also play a pivotal role in salmon management. To fulfill the requirements...
Policy development and decision-making play a critical role in natural resource management in the Pacific Northwest. To realise my internship requirements for the Professional Science Masters in Fisheries and Wildlife Administration, I completed internships with: the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Portland State University – National Policy Process...
The goal of this project was to estimate the total annual cost of salmon recovery efforts throughout the Columbia River Basin from all stakeholders, including direct and indirect costs. How much is spent on salmon recovery efforts each year in the Columbia River Basin? Depending on who you ask, you...
The mission of federal fish hatcheries has evolved over decades under budgetary changes and new conservation regulations and policies. I evaluated the US Fish and Wildlife Service Abernathy Fisheries Technology Center, which has experienced this evolution from a production fish hatchery with research programs to a non-production, cutting edge, basic...
Collaborative decision-making is often promoted as a means to achieve socially acceptable and enduring solutions to natural resource management issues, and one that holds promise for resolving “wicked” problems. However, success rates for implementation of collaborative recommendations are unknown. This paper explores challenges to collaborative salmon fishery management in Prince...
Oyster reefs provide an array of ecosystem services. Specifically, they provide structurally complex habitat for fish and invertebrate species such as the commercially important Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister. This ecosystem service, once provided by the native oyster Ostrea lurida, is now provided by the commercially cultured oyster Crassostrea gigas in...
The Long Tom Watershed Council (LTWC) is a non-profit organization in Eugene, Oregon that serves to protect and enhance watershed health in the Long Tom River Basin. The Amazon Creek Initiative was launched by the LTWC in 2011 as Oregon’s newest Pesticide Stewardship Partner. Goals of the initiative are to...
In August 2011, the final Upper Willamette River basin salmon and steelhead recovery plan was adopted by NOAA Fisheries and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The plan highlights a variety of activities that need to be taken by both public and private entities in order to recover these...
Parkway trees, trees within a designated landscape and often owned by the city, can be an asset to any municipality but also have the potential to be a liability if improperly managed. The many benefits of parkway trees include increasing property and retail value, providing natural shade and windbreaks that...
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is the largest developer of wetlands land in the state of Washington. Consequently, they are also the largest wetland mitigation developer in the state. Through various federal legislation, state and county environmental policies, and legal court decisions, all negatively impacted wetlands must be...
As DNA sequencing technologies continue to advance, resulting in increased throughput and decreased costs, both the number of researchers utilizing these technologies and the quantity of data outputted by a single sequencing experiment will, likewise, continue to increase. Currently, DNA sequence data can be generated at a much faster rate...
The Professional Science Master’s program requires all graduates to complete an internship and prepare a descriptive report in lieu of a master’s thesis. In 2009 I concluded a three-month full-time internship with the Institute for Natural Resources (INR). Oregon Explorer (OE) is a collaborative effort between INR and Oregon State...
The internship I performed was with Rural Community Development Program (RCDP), a domestic non-governmental organization in the country of Nepal. This organization focuses on community development goals in rural communities, utilizing the efforts of volunteers within the context of environmental conservation ideals. I primarily worked with the associated community plant...
This study represents an internship, as a requirement of the Professional Science Masters program at Oregon State University, performed with Western Ag Innovations Inc. The study consisted of two aspects -- one business and one science oriented. The two objectives of this internship were to: 1) qualitatively evaluate how two...
My internship was conducted with the Native Seed Network program within the Institute for Applied Ecology, a non-profit organization located in Corvallis, whose focus is education, applied research and active restoration and of native ecosystems. My internship goals were to increase my experience in applied restoration ecology and conservation biology...
The Seeds of Success (SOS) is a wildland seed collection program in support of the interagency Native Plant Materials Development Program (NPMP) and in partnership with the global conservation initiative, the Millennium Seed Bank Project of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. SOS collections follow a set protocol with consideration for...