By Michel Wiman July 2020 It’s late summer and I’m clearing an infestation of Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) that reaches over my five-and-a-half-foot frame, with its thorny spikes easily piercing through my double-layer pants. As my hands get scratched through my gloves, all I can think is that no animal would want to be anywhere […]
The Estuary Technical Group’s mapping methods go national
By Laura Brophy August 2020 Estuaries provide rich sustenance for salmon, other fish and wildlife — and for people. Over the past 6 years, Estuary Technical Group (ETG) Director Laura Brophy, pictured above, has led the development of innovative, accurate methods for mapping these vital estuary habitats in Oregon and across the U.S. West Coast. […]
Black Lives Matter: Institute for Applied Ecology Stands Against Racism
June 2020 The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, and the ongoing violence and oppression endured by communities of color have caused terrible hurt and triggered ever louder, rightful demands for change. Racism, prejudice, and mistreatment of people of color have no place in a peaceful society and yet are still woven […]
IAE Celebrates the Seeds of Success Program’s 20th Birthday
By Laura Shriver June 2020 On May 8th, 2020, the Seeds of Success program turned 20 years old. Seeds of Success (SOS) is a national initiative led by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to collect wild native seed for research, native plant materials development, restoration, and germplasm conservation. SOS collections are the first step […]
Bee Sticks in the Name of Conservation
By Matt Bahm, Steve Walters, David Cappaert, Lauren Merrill, and Annie Joliff All photos by David Cappaert June 2020 Willamette daisy (Erigeron decumbens) was once found throughout the Willamette Valley in northwestern Oregon, but is now restricted to only a few scattered remnant populations. Conservation efforts have increased the amount of Willamette daisy on the […]
A New Partnership for Native Seed on the Oregon Coast
By Alexis Larsen May 2020 Beyond the craggy cliffs and crashing waves, the Oregon coast is host to a diverse array of habitats that support unique flora and fauna. However, these coastal ecosystems are among the most rare and impacted ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. As a result, threatened species like the Oregon silverspot butterfly […]
Restoring the land for wildlife and people: Seven years of restoration at Champoeg Prairie
By Michel Wiman May 2020 Please note: IAE’s work at Champoeg Prairie is currently on hold due to COVID-19. Willamette Valley native prairies occupy less than 1% of their original range, and are now among North America’s rarest ecosystems. Once blanketing the Willamette Valley with diverse forbs, grasses and shrubs, prairies have always provided critical […]
Extraordinary Measures by Extraordinary People for the Sagebrush in Prisons Project
By Stacy Moore May 2020 “Just because there is a virus doesn’t mean nature stops for us,” IAE contractor Shannon Swim commented recently from Nevada. The Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE), our contractors and Department of Corrections (DOC), with extensive Coronavirus safety protocols in place, have taken extraordinary measures to continue to engage adults in […]
Botanizing the Serpentines in SW Oregon
Here’s a photo essay of some great botany from Oregon’s Illinois Valley in Josephine County. We recently had the opportunity to conduct field work in a socially-distant way to monitor populations of Cook’s desert-parsley (Lomatium cookii) and check for seedlings in seed-based population reintroductions in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management. Along the way […]
Habitat Restoration and Ecological Education Combat the Enemy We Know
By Jessica Celis April 2020 In this time of combating an insidious, novel threat like the coronavirus, it is nice to get outside and combat a more typical ecological threat: weeds. Last week, staff from IAE’s Ecological Education Program (EE) joined Habitat Restoration Program (HR) folks up at Horse Rock Ridge, a 378-acre mid-elevation meadow […]
Cooped up from COVID? Our staff has your outdoor activities!
For 20 years, IAE’s Ecological Education Program (EE) has been engaging youth outside with hands-on, participatory outdoor learning. We’re here to support you in getting outdoors for safe and fun exploration! Our staff have rounded up art- and science-based backyard activities you can enjoy yourself or with your children, immersing them in the natural world […]
Adults in custody at California City Correctional Facility help support desert tortoise habitat
By Tyler Knapp April 2020 Days before the CA statewide shelter in place order, Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) was fortunate to kick off a new project to support the Mojave desert tortoise – please read on to learn more. What do the Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have in common? […]
Nursery supports the restoration cause
Peter Moore April 2020 Getting plants in the ground and seeing them thrive – this is a rewarding part of being a restoration ecologist at the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE). Each year, IAE plants thousands of native plants at restoration sites throughout Oregon and New Mexico. For example, see the December blog How does […]
Daylight savings time threatens biological cycles
Researchers studying biological rhythms have discovered a disturbing trend. Setting clocks ahead for daylight savings time annually is causing a steady creep in important biological events, such as when plants bloom and animals emerge from hibernation. The effect of a single hour of daylight savings appears to cause no measurable change, but the cumulative sway […]
Oregon’s mysterious tidal forests
A sneak preview of Laura Brophy’s upcoming pub talk, Pelican Pub, Pacific City, Oregon, 6-8 pm on March 12, 2020 By Laura Brophy February 2020 Oregon’s estuaries today are full of beauty: salt marshes with intricate, winding channels and mud flats with wheeling flocks of shorebirds and clam beds for the adventurous forager. But did […]