Terrestrial Ecology Projects
Environmental Leadership Program: Climate and Phenology
The purpose of this research project was to investigate how variations in climate change are impacting the timing of flowering, number of flowers, and overall health and damage to 15 native plant species found throughout the Willamette Valley. The study is part of a 3 year long project, where we were the first out of three teams to conduct this research for the Environmental Leadership Program. We worked at a study site in western Eugene at the Willow Creek Nature Conservancy. Every Friday we would go to the study site, look in each plot to identify each focal species, count the abundance and number of flowers. Additionally we were able to visit the plot site down in southern Oregon, where we collected the same data and compared those results to our research here in Eugene. We were also given the opportunity to present at the University of Oregon Undergraduate Symposium.
Here is a link of the 15 native plant species sketched with annotations:
Here is a link to download our poster:
Environmental Leadership Program: Aspen Adventures
Through a truly unique opportunity, the University of Oregon ELP program allowed for 11 students to go on a week long camping trip throughout Central and Eastern Oregon to collect ecological data on quaking aspen stands. We would meet with community partners in the morning, learn about the site and land, then proceed to use different techniques to collect a large set of data for each site. We were able to analyze each site to determine an adaptive management plan to recommend fencing types to utilize, whether fire should be used to start the growth of sprouts, etc. We were also given the great opportunity to present our work at the Society of Ecological Restoration to connect with fellow colleagues and learn about the future of the field.
Here is a link for our website: https://sites.google.com/site/aspenadventures2015/home
Here is a link to download our poster: