Habitat sampling at Hanson, Long Tom, North Taylor, Speedway, and Turtle Swale
The West Eugene Wetlands (WEW) Project is a cooperative venture by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Eugene District, and others to protect and restore wetland ecosystems in the southern
The West Eugene Wetlands (WEW) Project is a cooperative venture by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Eugene District, and others to protect and restore wetland ecosystems in the southern Willamette Valley of Oregon. This unique program involves a partnership of federal, state, and local agencies and organizations to manage lands and resources in an urban area for multiple public benefits. In 2005 the BLM developed a long term (10 year) land management implementation schedule for its parcels within the West Eugene Wetlands project area.
The purpose of this project in 2008 was to conduct monitoring at five sites, Hansen, Long Tom, North Taylor, Speedway, and Turtle Swale in order to provide data to assess whether these sites were within their habitat targets.
Using the pre-established threshold habitat indicators, we compared the results of our 2008 community assessment results. In our surveys, we found that the thresholds for management were exceeded for the following indicators:
- Hansen, Long Tom, and North Taylor all exceeded the indicator level for woody vegetation.
- All five sites exceeded the invasive species and thatch thresholds for management. Long Tom and Turtle Swale exceeded the invasive species level by over 150%.North Taylor and Turtle Swale exceed thatch levels by over 90%.
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Although we did not document detrimental impacts on native forbs, it is likely that the litter is inhibiting germination and establishment. However, this litter layer may also inhibit weed seed germination and establishment. Therefore, any management activities to remove litter should be followed by extensive weed control and seeding of native species.
