Clear Creek, tributary of North Fork John Day River, is a mountain stream located in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. It joins Granite Creek about 1.5 miles below the old abandoned mining town of Granite. Gravel removed from Clear Creek by gold dredging activity was replaced in a 3.37-mile...
Rehabilitation of Bully Creek Reservoir, its tributaries, and segments of the Malheur River system was completed in 1963. All waters treated supported large populations of undesirable fish. The treatment procedures are discussed by project segment within the report. A portion of the funds was appropriated by the U. S. Bureau...
The objectives of this project are to 1) evaluate the fish passage for Lamprey at the Alder Creek, Corvallis, OR using HEC-RAS, and 2) develop a worksheet for the scour analysis if the culvert is removed. Fish passage criteria from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife were applied to determine...
Land management agencies are faced with decreasing budgets and staff, even as acres in need of restoration treatment are increasing. Rural communities in the West are still suffering from sharp declines in timber harvests since the 1990s and are now contending with wildfires that are increasing in size and severity....
This capstone project is presented for the completion of Oregon State University’s (OSU) Master of Natural Resources Program. Water resource reliability in the Pacific Northwest is becoming less dependable, but population and municipal water demand is increasing. The Gales Creek Watershed and its tributary Clear Creek encompass 48,481 acres in...
In the wake of policies catalyzing settlement through agrarian-based land ‘improvement’, private property rights absorbed water resources through Western water law. Consequently, these dominant user regimes and the doctrine of prior appropriation allocated nearly 80 percent of freshwater resources to agricultural use. Following enactment of the Endangered Species Act (ESA)...
This analysis was performed for two reasons: 1) the KWG needed a way to focus and synthesize the results of applied research on the condition and trends of natural resources, and the factors affecting those resources; and 2) a detailed watershed analysis was needed to supplement watershed assessments planned for...
Fall Creek Reservoir is a unit of the comprehensive plan of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and multiple use of the water resources of the upper Willamette Basin. The reservoir is located on Big Fall Creek, nineteen miles southeast of Eugene in Lane County...Undesirable fish...
This research addressed the opportunity to obtain baseline data for both stream chemistry and soil resources for an intensively managed forest watershed, encompassed by the North and South Forks of Hinkle Creek Watershed Research and Demonstration Area Project near Sutherlin, Oregon. A solid representative database for both stream and soil...
It is generally accepted in stream ecology that habitat heterogeneity and patchiness at multiple scales increases ecosystem resilience through niche diversification. Heterogeneous stream habitats include a complex mosaic of hydraulic features, large woody debris, anabranches, substrata and channel forms - this complexity tends to increase as streams progress towards later...
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...
Understanding how forest roads interact with hillslope hydrology by intercepting and/or rerouting storm runoff will better enable land managers to
reduce erosion related to forest roads. Watershed scale knowledge of how culvert runoff response varies across the landscape would provide valuable
information to those individuals designing and maintaining forest road...
The general objective of this project was to test a method to document
rates and pathways of early succession and investigate potential predictive
factors on a landscape to regional scale. The method incorporates remote
sensing, vector Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and raster GIS
modeling. Similar projects have been conducted elsewhere...
The project objectives were to determine the possibility of raising the subterranean water in adequate amounts by installation of an underground weir; to determine what type of structure would be most feasible; and to formulate a biological evaluation program if the first two objectives were accomplished. Tex Creek, tributary to...
The following projects were accomplished between February 1, 1964 and June 30, 1965, under the stream clearance segment of State-wide Stream Improvement. The projects were accomplished by selecting contractors under the procedure of using sealed bids. Smaller projects were completed by Force Account. The heavy equipment used on each project...
A construction project is considered to be unique due to the process of delivering a customer-designed product, diverse stakeholders involved, the unique location and timeframe of construction, and specific social, economic, and environmental constraints attached to it. The uniqueness of construction projects brought great challenges to the construction industry professionals...
Upper Cow Lake located in Malheur County, Oregon, Township 28 South, Range 44 East, Section 29, was chemically treated with 2,325 gallons of liquid synergized rotenone (Pro-noxfish) on September 11, 1963 to remove an abundant population of rough fish. The lake has a maximum surface area of 975 acres and...
The Tenmile Lakes Project for partial control of warm-water fish was initiated in August of 1964, One qualified fishery biologist and one conservation aide were assigned to do the work. The reduction in assigned personnel was due to lack of funds. Although this was to be a joint project with...
Forest management planning is critical for the sustainability of natural systems on a site. Managing public ground is a complicated process, and usually involves many stakeholders with a variety of opinions. One such public property is the Evitts Creek Water Company (ECWC) property, owned by the city of Cumberland, Maryland....
Surface sediment transport is an important geomorphic process which can be significantly altered by management activities in forested ecosystems. Disturbance of the soil surface may result in increased sediment delivery to fish bearing streams and degradation of soil structure. Selective thinning and low impact yarding techniques were utilized in an...
Bunk to 5K is a program designed to encourage and support new and experienced runners in custody at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF). CCCF is the only women’s prison in Oregon, housing around 1,200 women at any given time, at all levels of custody (ODOC, 2020). The non-profit which runs...
Native, wild bee populations play an important functional role in terrestrial ecosystems through pollination services. In recent years, increased attention has been paid to the importance of bumble bee species and their contribution to the agricultural economy, in large part because of the widespread losses of populations across landscapes, both...
Large woody debris (LWD) consists of boles, root wads and large branches that
enter the stream through a variety of processes including senescence, wind throw, bank
failure, fire, and debris torrents brought on by flood events. Within the stream, LWD
provides significant benefits to aquatic organisms by contributing nutrients, providing...
Several environmental and cultural factors were studied to
explain the distribution of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook.)
in an area one mile northwest of Millican, Oregon. In the study area juniper
grows densely on upper south slopes and only sparsely occurs on upper
north slopes. Juniper moisture stress was found...
A view-window counting station was operated at the Pacific Power and Light Company's dam on the North Umpqua River at Winchester, Douglas County, Oregon. The fish passing the dam each season were enumerated by species, according to a statistical sampling program established at Oregon State University. The counter recorded the...
A Stream Reach Inventory and Channel Stability Evaluation procedure has been used to assess the nature and extent of erosional nonpoint sources of pollution in the Evans Creek basin, a tributary to the Rogue River, in southwestern Oregon. The study is based upon the results of the Oregon Department of...
Responses of juvenile steelhead trout to changes in stream habitat resulting from an instream habitat rehabilitation project in Meadow Creek, Oregon were measured from 1991 through 1992 and compared to pre-treatment data from 1987 through 1990. Sixty nine pool-forming, and 59 channel-stabilizing log structures were constructed by the U.S. Forest...
An Invasive Plant Management Plan developed for Big Sur Land Trust, a non-profit conservation organization located on California's Central Coast, to guide its vegetation management activities and serve as a decision-support tool. The effort included the creation of a digital field data collection tool through Survey123 Connect, survey and data...
The Corps of Engineers is in a position to dominate the formulation
and implementation of public policy at a given local level. The
position is based on the Corps' capability to influence the decision-making
process through the exercise of force by means of eminent
domain procedures, the assumption and demonstration...
Social-ecological resilience theory is part of a new paradigm for understanding and managing complex coupled human-ecological systems. The theory aims to inform explorations of a system’s ability to withstand disturbance while maintaining its critical functions. Adaptive co-management has been proposed as a governance mechanism that can enhance resiliency by combining...
Paleozoic limestones, dolomites, quartz arenites, and other
clastic rocks were mapped in the vicinity of Dobbin Summit and
Clear Creek in the central Monitor Range. Sedimentary rock units
present in this area represent the shallow-shelf eastern assemblage
and basin and also the basin-slope facies of the traditional limestoneclastic
assemblage.
The...
Peakflow frequency analysis is used in forest hydrology for designing stream crossing structures such as culverts and bridges. The traditional approach to frequency analysis is based on the assumption that the observed sample of peakflows represents a homogeneous population. It is not clear if using the "homogeneous" population of the...
Research has been completed which identifies qualitatively and
quantitatively the deposition, persistence and fate of polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons (PNAH) on burned clear-cut sites in Oregon.
Eight PNAH were identified and quantified in post-burn litter samples
taken from four slash-burned sites. Deposition of lower
molecular weight, 3-4 ring compounds was considerably...
Published September 1998. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Published September 1998. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
The Johnson Creek Basin, Oregon
is an example of the physical and jurisdictional
problems often associated with watershed
urbanization. Implementation of solutions
to problems of water quality and
quantity in the basin have been hindered
by political and social constraints. Reasons
for the failure of previous management proposals
are analyzed...
Published June 1945. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
The Phase 1 report is an overview of the complex water quantity and quality information and issues specific to Benton County. It is a first step toward assessing and planning for future water quantity and quality within Benton County and provides a template for regional water planning. The report details...
On November 19, 1998 (OSB1998-0088), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) completed an Endangered Species Act (ESA) section 7 informal consultation with Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for the Charlotte Creek Quarry Rock Production project. NMFS concurred that the proposed action was not likely to adversely affect Oregon Coast coho...
The WET-Temp (Watershed Evaluation Tool Temperature) model is designed to take advantage of spatially explicit datasets to predict stream temperature distribution. Datasets describing vegetation cover, stream network locations, elevation and stream discharge are utilized by WET-Temp to quantify geometric relationships between the sun, stream channel and riparian areas. These relationships...
Relationships between resident cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) and six hydrologic indices were investigated using correlation analysis in two experimental headwater catchments in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains of western Oregon. This investigation was to determine if characteristics of discharge explained inter-annual variability in trout abundance. Eight years of...
Gathering empirical data on the factors and processes affecting bedload transport
in the field is difficult. This project conducted during the winter of 1996 field tested a new passive method of positively tracking individual particle movement. The project was conducted in Oak Creek, a gravel bedded stream, located in Corvallis,...
The importance of active-entry drift at a community-scale
was evaluated by testing whether the placement of wood
in streams affected the abundance of Baetis spp. mayflies in
drift. Baetis were chosen because they use drift as a
behavioral strategy and are important in salmonid diets. The
density of woody debris...
The incipient motion of sediment particles in gravel-bed
rivers is a very important process. It represents the
difference between bed stability and bed mobility. A field
study was conducted in Oak Creek, Oregon to investigate
incipient motion of individual particles in gravel-bed
streams. Investigation was also made of the incipient...
Stream temperature is a water quality parameter that directly influences
the quality of aquatic habitat, particularly for cold-water species such as Pacific
salmonids. Forest harvesting adjacent to a stream can increase the amount of
solar radiation the stream receives, which can elevate stream temperatures
and impair aquatic habitat. Oregon Forest...
Women and marginalized populations often encounter adversity associated with access, planning, and management of water and sanitation (WatSan) resources in rural India. The Government of India (GOI) has shifted to decentralized, participatory WatSan systems and developed policies to include women and marginalized populations from rural areas in WatSan. Many NGOs...
Tree and shrub revegetation on mining spoils of an abandoned
gold placer mine at Sterling Creek, Jackson County, Oregon were examined.
Point-centered quarter and line-intercept methods of vegetation analysis
were used to compile species lists and determine species density, frequency,
mean basal area and dominance. A relation exists between the...
The annual growth rate for the Corvallis-Benton County
area has traditionally been higher than the growth rate for the
State of Oregon. Corvallis is considered to be one of the most
densely settled communities in the state. Since 1972, Corvallis
has experienced a drastic decline in the number of housing...
A slide inventory was conducted for a small watershed
in the northern Oregon Coast Range. Data on geology,
topography and climate were used to evaluate land stability
in the Moss Creek basin. As expected, a strong correlation
with slope steepness was shown. In addition, failures
predominantly occurred on slopes with...
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....
Published January 2002. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
The Sweet Roll is a podcast centered around discussion of the latest video and tabletop games. It includes news briefs, game reviews, and interviews with industry professionals and gaming celebrities. The target audience is men and women aged 14-35 who play virtual and tabletop games as a hobby. This audience...
As the link between human microbiomes and health has become more established, the interest in applying statistical approaches to microbiome data to understand the mechanisms behind these links has grown. However, microbiome data is often of unmanageable size, and consequently, producing quality lower dimensional representations of samples is a significant...
The purpose of this Watershed Assessment is to:
1. Document the history and current status of water quality and stream conditions for fish habitat; and
2. Understand the processes that affect these conditions; and
3. Discover enhancement opportunities to improve water quality and fish habitat.
In the event that the...
Greenway trails have become a popular way to connect communities, increase public health and provide ecosystem services. Urban forests provide similar and overlapping benefits as greenways but are often unknown and underfunded. Integrating urban forest management with greenway management could be a way to create synergistic benefits for the community....
To investigate the effects of logging, three small watersheds in the Alsea River basin on the west slope of the Oregon Coast Range were selected for study. This was an interdisciplinary investigation to evaluate the influence of specific logging methods on stream regimen and on aquatic resources. The study plan...
The primary goal of this research project is to quantitatively measure the temporal scales of hyporheic exchange along a stream network. Our goal is to examine how hyporheic exchange varies with increasing stream size. Many previous studies focus on single stream reaches or on several reaches of similar sized streams,...
North American beavers (Castor canadensis) are ecological engineers that improve biodiversity and can improve the health of riparian ecosystems. Beavers are generalist herbivores with some evidence of species preference, utilizing woody material for both food source and dam construction. In the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Charleston, Oregon, a...
North American beavers (Castor canadensis) are ecological engineers that improve biodiversity and can improve the health of riparian ecosystems. Beavers are generalist herbivores with some evidence of species preference, utilizing woody material for both food source and dam construction. In the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Charleston, Oregon, a...
A fish hatchery was built on the Salmon River and began operating in late 1976. The early part of this study describes pre-hatchery status of salmonids in the river. Later work formulated a hatchery-rearing program.
The proposed action is to thin understory trees from around ponderosa pine, sugar pine, white pine, and
Douglas fir in the outer portion of Riparian Reserves in the Jenny Creek watershed. The overall objective
is to maintain and restore the diversity of forest stands near streams in a way that...
A segment of the Crooked River, Crook County, Oregon, was chemically treated along with sections of Ochoco Creek, McKay Creek, and Dry River from August 13 to November 5, 1963.' A total of 860 gallons of liquid synergized rotenone (Pro-Noxfish) was used to obtain toxicities up to 2.0 ppm in...
Three five acre exclosures were established in 1964 to monitor
vegetational regeneration and forage productivity on a coniferous
forest site in northeastern Oregon which was clear-cut in 1963, broadcast
burned and seeded in 1964. Fence design and construction to
facilitate controlled early summer cattle grazing trials was completed
by 1965....
The Calapooya Creek Watershed assessment has two goals:
1) To describe the past, present, and potential future conditions that affect water quality and fish habitat within the Calapooya Creek Watershed; and
2) To provide a research-based action plan that suggests voluntary activities to improve fish habitat and water quality within...
The Myrtle Creek Watershed assessment has two goals:
1) To describe the past, present, and potential future conditions that affect water quality and fish habitat within the Myrtle Creek Watershed; and
2) To provide a research-based action plan that suggests voluntary activities to improve fish habitat and water quality within...
This project included 8 miles of fencing, 18 stock water tanks, 10 acres of riparian planting, 1 hardened crossing and 1 culvert crossing. Six landowners participated in the project.
Species conservation depends on robust population assessment. Data on population abundance, distribution, and connectivity are critical for effective management, especially as baseline information for newly documented populations. I describe a pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) population in New Zealand waters with year-round presence that overlaps with industrial activities. This...
In steep headwater basins of the Oregon Coast Range (OCR), debris flows episodically deliver material from low-order tributary basins to larger catchments. Much of this material is stored in valleys and gradually removed by fluvial processes. Quantifying the transfer of material from hillslopes to mainstem channels is essential in understanding...
The increased demand for wood and fiber from a continually shrinking land base has resulted in the use of intensively managed forest plantations. The concentration of timber production on the most suitable sites allows the world's demand for forest products to be met on less land and enable native forests...
Forest soils and topography have long been known to influence forest productivity in complex terrain such as Oregon’s Coast Ranges. Incorporating physical site characteristics into predictions of forest growth and yield, however, has been problematic because of the high spatial variability of soil properties and the challenges associated with representing...
The goal of this study was to advance methods for assessment of forest road hydrologic
response and sediment yield at a catchment scale. This research looked at the effect of
soil depth estimation on the Distributive Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM),
assessed the uncertainty and accuracy of hydrologic modeling of...
Over the years, the performance of construction projects has been a main source of concern given the percentage of a project cost associated with poor project performance. As a result of the growing clamor to improve the output of the built industry, comprehensive studies have been conducted to examine the...