Biology In Your Backyard
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Invasive species are plants or animals that are present in an ecosystem beyond their native range. They may have few natural controls in their new environment and proliferate. They can threaten native species and interfere with human activities. The Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) has been conducting research to understand how non-native species invade and affect ecosystems, thus aiding management efforts. (more...)  The Conservation Reserve Program is the largest environmental program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with enrollment exceeding 34 million acres across all 50 states. In Oregon, almost 543,000 acres on 2,014 farms are in the CRP. Based on average rental payments, the CRP brings in over $26 million per year to Oregon’s farm economy. Improvement in program performance is an enduring goal of CRP administrators. For the past 7 years, and continuing into FY05 and beyond, USGS scientists from the Fort Collins Science Center (CO) have been working in partnership with the USDA Farm Service Agency to help improve program performance by evaluating program performance both socially (how is it working for CRP contractees?) and ecologically (how is wildlife habitat improved?).  In the semi-arid interior of western North America, riparian cottonwood, willow, and other native species are being replaced by exotic shrubs and trees such as saltcedar and Russian-olive, which now dominate many riparian systems throughout the western United States, including Oregon. These changes in riparian woody plant composition have been associated with loss of plant diversity, degradation of habitat, decreased channel conveyance, increased water loss, and loss of aesthetic and recreational opportunities. Investigators at the Fort Collins Science Center (CO) are examining how environmental factors influence the susceptibility of a river to invasion, especially by saltcedar and Russian-olive. Land managers need this information to identify which systems are most susceptible to invasion by exotics and which are most likely to respond positively to restoration efforts.Salmon in the Pacific Northwest are well known for their remarkable migrations. To complete their complex life cycle, juvenile salmon make downriver migrations to grow in the food-rich north Pacific Ocean, and adults return to spawn their eggs in natal streams and tributaries. (more...) Fishing is an important part of Oregon's culture. The Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) has been conducting research in Oregon for many years to provide information that can be used by managers to help keep fish and other parts of the ecosystem healthy. Below are examples of some of WFRC's studies. (more...)  Fish population studies range from determining the effects of environmental influences on fish populations, describing the distribution and abundance of particular species, examining passage related behavior of juvenile salmonids at hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers, developing computer models to describe fish population viability and energy expenditure, and collecting information to assist with the restoration and possible enhancement of fish populations. (more...)  GrouseGreater Sage-Grouse currently inhabit 56% of their historic range, leaving some populations isolated from each other. Questions remain about the genetic viability of and distinctions between different populations of this bird. Scientists from the Fort Collins Science Center (CO) are completing DNA analysis of Greater Sage-Grouse sampled across their entire range of 11 states (including southeastern Oregon) and two Canadian provinces. These data will provide information to help understand gene flow, genetic diversity, and evolutionary history between many populations of grouse and enable comparisons between all surveyed populations. With this information, managers can develop species-wide management strategies that take into account the entire "genetic landscape" of this species. The importance of the Columbia River estuary to salmon, resident fishes, migratory birds, and other species is well established. Relatively little is known, however, about long-term, historic variations in biological processes and conditions within the estuary. (more...) Rangelands are found on all continents, covering up to 30-50% of the Earth's surface. Most rangelands in the western states are water-limited ecosystems. Therefore small changes in precipitation amount or season may affect biological components that maintain nutrient and water cycles within these ecosystems and energy flow through these ecosystems. (more...) More than 6,500 non-indigenous species are now established in the United States, causing huge economic losses and disrupting valued American ecosystems. Biological invaders pose risks to native species, human and wildlife health, and the productivity of agricultural food supplies. (more...)  ter LakeAquatic studies at Crater Lake from 1986 to the mid-1950s consisted mostly of short-term evaluation of physical, chemical, and biological features. Although these studies were fragmentary in nature, it was obvious that the lake was ultraoligotrophic, exceptionally deep (about 600 m), and extremely clear. Studies from 1959 to 1969 were more detailed than the earlier studies and provided additional information on morphometry, optical properties, sediments, fluctuations of the water level, water budget, general limnological characteristics, chlorophyll concentrations, primary production, phytoplankton, and zooplankton. (more...) The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been conducting biological studies in the Klamath Basin since 1992. Most of our research activities have focused on adult populations of Lost River and shortnose suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and surrounding tributaries. In 1998, biological studies were suspended due to logistical and funding considerations. In 1999, a permanent Field Station funded by the USGS was established to support the information needs of the Bureau of Reclamation and other Department of Interior agencies in the Klamath Basin. The purpose of our activities is to provide unbiased information on fisheries issues to resource managers and other interested parties. (more...) Through the first half of the 20th century, the Northern Barred Owl (Strix varia varia) has expanded its range westward from the eastern United States and Canada, possibly due to changes in climate and forest cover. A thorough, large-scale analysis of habitat associations has yet to be undertaken in the west. (more...)  ntsOspreys were first studied throughout Oregon in 1976 and have become a common nesting species along the lower Columbia River and Willamette River. (more...) |
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://biology.usgs.gov/wro/backyard/or.html
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Page Last Modified:
Monday, 23-Oct-2006 14:48:08 MDT
