Large wood (LW) pieces are recognized as an important habitat component for salmon freshwater habitat. As such, they are often used in stream habitat restoration practices despite a lack of knowledge about their impacts on spatial and temporal hydraulic characteristics relevant to fish habitat. In this thesis we present results...
Land management policies are ideas about nature projected onto the landscape. Culminations of social, economic, and scientific influences, these policies create standards affecting the function of ecological systems. In the case of riparian lands in the Oregon Coast Range, policy requirements vary considerably across federal, state, and private land ownerships....
Loss of lowland estuarine and freshwater off-channel habitats along the Pacific Northwest coast has contributed to the decline of salmonid populations. These habitats serve as nursery grounds for juvenile salmonids providing them with food, winter shelter, and a transition zone between freshwater and saltwater. Lowland areas have undergone anthropogenic alterations...
This dissertation examines learning driven adaptations in salmon recovery efforts and water resources management in Oregon. The case study utilizes a framework highlighting the connections between human and natural systems. Semi-structured interviews are used to analyze interactions between rural riparian landowners and watershed council staffs living and working in Oregon’s...
Large wood has been utilized in many restoration projects to improve in-stream habitat in the Pacific Northwest for salmon. However, the benefits of this practice remain the subject of ongoing debate and evaluation of these projects has scarcely been done for non-salmonid species such as lamprey. In this study we...
The typical coho salmon life history has been characterized by juvenile fish that spend their entire first year in freshwater habitats before migrating into estuaries as smolts. However, reports of early migrating coho fry (age 0), including migration downstream to estuarine habitats, date back to the 1960s. Until a few...
Many stakeholders involved with stream restoration in the Pacific Northwest have discussed the potential benefits of using beaver dam construction activities (Castor canadensis) as a management tool to improve degraded stream habitat for anadromous salmon species. In addition, there has been growing interest in using nuisance beavers, primarily controlled by...
Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) migration and spawning are unique components of the salmon life cycle because they require synchrony of behavior with other individuals as well as with acceptable fluvial conditions. As with other organisms that exhibit group mating behavior, it is likely that environmental cues trigger coho salmon movement...
The fitness of female Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) with respect to breeding behavior can be partitioned into at least four components: survival to reproduction, competition for breeding sites, success of egg incubation, and suitability of the local environment near breeding sites for early rearing of juveniles. Accordingly, breeding sites should...
Forested lands of western Oregon provide aquatic habitat for many fish and riparian dependent species, including a wide variety of salmon species. Current policies set riparian protections using fixed buffers on streams for federal and private lands based on stream type or size. These buffers can create a series of...