Just off interstate 25 near Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Lenora Curtin Wetland Preserve is an unexpected and calm respite from the heat and dryness of the Santa Fe desert. I am here with IAE Southwest Program Director Melanie Gisler and IAE ecologist Yvonne Hickerson, who have been working with partners to restore this unique […]
The Cavalry from Coffee Creek Help with Habitat
IAE has been helping restore the Cannery Hill Unit of Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge since 2011, converting non-native grasses of this former dairy pasture into a healthy coastal meadow to support reintroduction of the federally threatened Oregon silverspot butterfly (Speyeria zerene ippolyta). The species favors salt-spray meadows, but has declined to the point that […]
A Rare Hands-On Lesson for Linn Benton Juveniles in Custody
Handling a fluffy barn owl brought a huge smile on Isaac’s face as he examined the owl’s beak and talons during an IAE-led lesson at Linn County Juvenile Detention Center in Albany, Oregon. The lesson gave 14 middle-school aged students housed at the detention center a hands-on way to investigate bird biology and ecology. IAE’s […]
From Preserve to Preservation: Rocky Mountain Bee Plant in November
Mary Ann Maestas, IAE Southwest Botany Field Technician For one of the last seed collections of the season, I joined two Bureau of Land Management interns for some collections and scouting in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Our first stop was to the Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve, adjacent to La Cienega. At this point in […]
Guest Blog from Sagebrush in Prisons Graduate
As we work to save the Sagebrush in Prisons project, we’ve collected testimonials from graduates of the project. This excerpt is from an inmate who presented at our Stories from the Field Annual Meeting and Social Hour in November. The event raised one-fifth of the amount needed to support the program for one year. Thank […]
Helping Rare Species from Start to Finish
The Conservation Research Program at IAE conducts research on propagation methods and how to best ensure survival upon outplanting for a variety of rare species. Often for these projects, we focus on one question or the other separately, but occasionally we have the opportunity to work with a single species throughout the process. Since 2014, […]
Tribal Nursery Raises Plants and Awareness
Pre-schoolers and children from the Elementary Chinuk Language Program had a great day digging up bulbs at the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde nursery in early November. The Natural Resources Department tribal nursery is part of the “Plants for People” project, funded by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, which is improving access to culturally important […]
A new vision of West Coast estuaries — and their losses
By Laura Brophy, Estuary Technical Group Director, March 2018 In October 2017, ETG Director Laura Brophy and collaborators at the Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership (PMEP) finished new maps of current and historical tidal wetlands for the entire U.S. West Coast. The mapping methods — originally developed by ETG in collaboration with Oregon’s […]
Clearing Meadows for Nelson’s Checkermallow
The range of Nelson’s checkermallow consists of highly fragmented, mostly small, populations within the Willamette Valley and flanks of the Coast Range, Oregon. One problem the species faces in the Coast Range is that meadows are being over-run with shrubs and Douglas-fir. In the past these meadows would have been kept open by more frequent […]
OSU students remove a pretty invader from Mary’s Peak
On October 28th we had a fantastic volunteer event at Marys Peak with over 50 volunteers and perfect weather! First and foremost thanks to all the volunteers, you all rocked! The focus of the event was to help preserve the meadow at Marys Peak. The meadow is increasingly prone to non-native species establishment and conifer […]
IAE benefits from local artist’s butterfly fundraiser
Never underestimate the power of one person to make a big difference. Corvallis artist Caroline Moses could have painted any butterfly. She was commissioned by local Corvallis salon owner Bessie Kotek, who wanted an interactive mural so that her clients would have a fun way to share their new salon looks with friends. But Moses […]
Tagging monarchs in New Mexico
“I got one!” Steve Cary calls through a thicket of seep willow in full bloom. He’s netted a monarch butterfly on the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in southern New Mexico. We convene at his pickup and get to work tagging this butterfly, a male with slightly tattered wings. It’s on a long migration […]