| Research Projects |
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| Hatchery/Wild Fish Interaction |
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Project Number: 99-458
Project Name: Juvenile Salmonid Survival in Specific Areas of the Nehalem Watershed
Grantee: Oregon State University
Purpose: Assess and research the condition and survival of wild coho salmon smolts in the lower Nehalem River and near-shore ocean environment to understand spatially explicit sources of mortality.
Results: Mortality of wild steelhead in Nehalem Bay was estimated to be 54%, as assessed by acoustic telemetry throughout the outmigration season on five separate dates. The majority of this loss occurs in the very short (~2 km) region between the lower part of the estuary and the ocean. Likely predators included double-crested cormorants, and harbor seals, other cormorants, great blue herons, and Caspian terns. The majority of fish migrated to the estuary during the first part of the season (April to early May). However, fish that were captured in the smolt trap in the latter part of the run (late May to June) tended to remain in the river even though they may have been moving on a more limited basis. Residence times of fish in the estuary tended to be less than a day. No differences in length, condition factor, stress, or disease, which can affect migration and saltwater entry, were evident between releases of smolts. No trends existed between mortality and migration behavior for the releases. Because the present study represents only the initial field season, this work needs to be finalized to better understand the relationship between smolt behavior, predation, and management measures.
Start Date: 9/15/2000
End Date: 6/30/2002
Funding Amount: $128,161
Final Report:
Juvenile Salmonid Survival in Specific Areas of the Nehalem Watershed (PDF)
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Project Number: 201-551
Project Name: ODFW Experimental Brood Stock Research
Grantee: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Purpose: The project was used for the experimental coho brood stock for the Umpqua/Nonpareil CHIP project. This project will evaluate the role hatcheries can play in the recovery of native fish stocks.
Start Date: 11/27/2001
End Date: 5/31/2002
Funding Amount: $8,000
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Project Number: 203-902, 204-910
Project Name: ODFW Nonpareil Dam Conservation Hatchery Research Project
Grantee: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Purpose: The project was used for the experimental coho brood stock for the Umpqua/Nonpareil CHIP project. This project will evaluate the role hatcheries can play in the recovery of native fish stocks.
Results: Phase I was completed in 2005 and successfully collected 100 pairs of both hatchery and wild type coho for use in the crosses each brood year. The project released approximately 66,000 smolts from 2003-2005. In addition OSU was able to genotype the genetic samples collected from the original brood stock and can identify parentage of the progeny with 95-99% confidence.
Start Date: 11/04/2002
End Date: 11/30/2005
Funding Amount: $49,707.18 and $108,546.18
Progress Report:
Nonpareil Dam Adult Trap and Coho Genetic Pedigree Project - Progress Report (PDF)
Final Report:
Nonpareil Dam Adult Trap and Coho Genetic Pedigree Project - Final Report (PDF)
Links to additional information
Nonpareil Dam Adult Trap and Coho Genetic Pedigree Project (PDF)
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Project Number: 204-924, 207-907
Project Name: OSU Nonpareil Dam/Umpqua Coho Pedigree Research Project
Grantee: Oregon State University
Purpose: Oregon State University conducted DNA analysis of the coho salmon captured at the Nonpareil Dam in the Umpqua River basin. The DNA information allowed testing of differential survival of wild and hatchery coho.
Results: Are expected March 2009.
Start Date: 4/8/2004
End Date: 12/31/2008
Funding Amount: $516,815.43 and $177,000
Progress Report:
OSU Component for Nonpareil Dam Adult Trap and Genetic Pedigree - Progress Report 204-924 (PDF)
OSU Component for Nonpareil Dam Adult Trap and Genetic Pedigree - Progress Report 207-907 (PDF)
Final Report:
OSU Component for Nonpareil Dam Adult Trap and Genetic Pedigree 2007-2008 - Final Report 207-907 (PDF)
Links to additional information:
1. Influence of Barriers to Movement on Within Watershed Genectic Variation of Coastal Cutthroat Trout (PDF)
2. The influence of family-correlated survival on Nb/N for progeny from integrated multi- and single-generation hatchery stocks of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) (PDF)
3. Testing for a signal of selection at olfactory receptor gene-linked markers in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) (PPT)
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Project Number: 206-835
Project Name: ODFW Umpqua Coho Pedigree Study 7/2006 - 6/2007
Grantee: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Purpose: The project supports ODFW staff to collect coho salmon at the Nonpareil Dam fish trap. The staff will collect fish, sort wild from hatchery fish and collect DNA samples for analysis. The funding also provides travel and materials for the employees.
Start Date: 8/11/2006
End Date: 11/30/2007
Funding Amount: $100,387
Final Report:
Nonpareil Dam Adult Trap and Coho Genetic Pedigree Project - Final Report (PDF)
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Project Number: 206-836
Project Name: OSU Umpqua Coho Pedigree Study 7/2006 - 6/2007
Grantee: Oregon State University
Purpose: This project will fund a DNA analysis machine for the coho pedigree study, expendable supplies, and the technician time to analyze DNA from fish captured previously and during the 2006 fall spawning run.
Start Date: 8/01/2006
End Date: 6/30/2007
Funding Amount: $142,070.62
Progress Report:
OSU Component for Nonpareil Dam Adult Trap and Genetic Pedigree - Progress Report (PDF)
Final Report:
OSU Component for Nonpareil Dam Adult Trap and Genetic Pedigree - Final Report (PDF)
Links to addtional information:
1. The influence of family-correlated survival on Nb/N for progeny from integrated multi- and single-generation hatchery stocks of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) (PDF)
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Project Number: 206-837
Project Name: Oregon Hatchery Research Center Equipment
Grantee: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Purpose: This project will fund the remaining materials to complete the outfitting of the Hatchery Research Center. The funding will be matched by ODFW funds.
Start Date: 8/11/2006
End Date: 6/30/2007
Funding Amount: $140,879.21
Final Report:
Capital equipment to support research projects at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center (OHRC) (PDF)
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Project Number: 208-8003
Project Name: Recovery of Wild Coho Salmon in Salmon River Basin
Grantee: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Corvallis Research Lab: Kim Jones
Purpose: This research will be conducted in the North Coast Basin, specifically in the Salmon River. The researchers will monitor the Salmon River coho salmon population across habitat types and life history stages to identify population responses on a landscape scale. As a conceptual framework, other analysis will be guided by the “viable salmonid population” criteria including abundance, productivity, distribution, diversity, and habitat quality. The approach will integrate original research, existing Oregon Plan monitoring, and past research in the Salmon River to test the following general hypotheses: 1) no change in viability metrics (abundance, distribution, productivity, diversity) will occur following cessation of the hatchery coho program; 2) quality or quantity of stream habitat does not limit wild coho salmon production in Salmon River; and 3) non-wadeable streams and estuarine habitats (natural and restored) do not provide rearing habitat that contributes to coho salmon recovery. By synthesizing historic data with new information collected by the research activities, population structure during three distinct periods: pre-hatchery (1974-77), hatchery (1990-2008), and post-hatchery (2009-2013) will be compared.
Results: This study will document the changes in population abundance, distribution, and life history structure of coho salmon following the removal of hatchery coho salmon from the watershed. Research findings will demonstrate the link between productivity and survival at each life stage to the recovery of the adult population and will highlight the potential resiliency of coho salmon, detail the biological benefits/tradeoffs to returning to natural production, and assess whether supplementation should remain an option in Salmon River. This research program will have broad implications for salmon management in other coastal basins.
Start Date: 11/30/2007
End Date: 2/28/2011
Funding Amount: $400,000
Progress Reports:
Recovery of Wild Coho Salmon in Salmon River Basin, 2008 - Annual Monitoring Report (PDF)
Second progress report due: 2/28/2010
Final Report: Due 4/30/2011
Links to additional information:
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ODFW/freshwater/inventory/salmnrvr.htm
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| Ocean Fisheries |
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Project Number: 206-828
Project Name: Salmon Disaster Response-Ocean Research Equipment
Grantee: Oregon Salmon Commission
Purpose: This Interagency Agreement with the Oregon Salmon Commission is intended to purchase various pieces of equipment for use in a pilot project conducted at-sea off the Oregon coast. The purpose of the project is to collect tissue samples (fin clips and scales) of Chinook salmon for real-time DNA analyses in order to identify the river of origin. Commercial salmon trollers will collect both the tissue samples and a variety of oceanographic data at the time of catch. The samples and corresponding data will be submitted to OSU researchers for analysis and distribution of results within a week of collection. These OWEB funds will be used to purchase the equipment necessary to quickly begin the pilot study.
Start Date: 6/2/2006
End Date: 11/1/2006
Funding Amount: $40,000
Final Report:
Cooperative Research on Oregon Ocean Salmon (CROOS) (PDF)
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Project Number: 206-832
Project Name: At-Sea DNA Research Pilot Project
Grantee: Oregon Salmon Commission
Purpose: The Collaborative Research on Oregon Ocean Salmon project (Project CROOS) was approved in June 2006 by the Oregon Legislative Emergency Board. $586,391 was granted to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, who directed the funds to the Oregon Salmon Commission for Project CROOS, a unique industry-university research effort to identify salmon stocks in the ocean. Researchers at the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, working in cooperative partnerships with Oregon salmon fishers, will combine at-sea and laboratory research in developing refined spatial and temporal approaches for significantly reducing by-catch of weak salmon stocks and avoiding long-term closures of the salmon fishery. Spatial and temporal harvest data (i.e., locations and times salmon samples are taken) will be combined with oceanographic information to let salmon researchers begin to understand the relationships between salmon locations, their movement in Oregon's Pacific waters, and physical and environmental factors such as ocean currents and locations.
Results: Over 4,200 tissue samples were delivered to the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES) genetics laboratory along with associated digital or manual data. A total of 3,097 samples were processed and 2,567 fish were used to estimate stock mixture proportions. Probability values of stock assignment for these fish ranged from 28 to 100 percent. A total of 2,097 fish were assigned probabilities greater than or equal to 90 percent to a specific hatchery or reporting region. The majority of sampled fish originated from California’s Central Valley (59.08 percent). The Rogue River contributed the second greatest proportion (7.61 percent), followed by the Mid Oregon Coast (7.11 percent), and the Klamath Basin (6.58 percent). The California Coast and Northern California/Southern Oregon Coast regions contributed 2.17 percent and 1.89 percent, respectively. The Upper Columbia River summer/fall run was estimated to contribute 3.03 percent of the total. Twenty other stocks contributed less than two percent each. Near “real-time” genetic analysis was difficult to achieve during the initial few months of the project due to logistical issues and inadequate investment in laboratory resources. However, by September and October of 2006 fish were successfully assigned to individual genetic stock estimates in near “real-time” and all accompanying data was entered into the database within 24 to 48 hours of the laboratory receiving the sample.
Start Date: 6/23/2006
End Date: 1/31/2007
Funding Amount: $586,391
Final Report:
Project CROOS: Collaborative Research on Oregon Ocean Salmon (PDF)
Links to additional information:
www.ProjectCROOS.com
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Project Number: 207-904
Project Name: CROOS 2007 Ocean Salmon Research
Grantee: Oregon Salmon Commission
Purpose: The research will conduct collaborative and interdisciplinary research and develop protocols using genetic stock composition in near real time that will: 1) improve science, management and marketing of West Coast salmon; 2)minimize the harvest of weak stocks; and 3) enhance economic value of the ocean salmon fishery.
Start Date: 6/6/2007
End Date: 10/31/2008
Funding Amount: $390,728
Progress Report:
Collaborative Research on Oregon Ocean Salmon - Progress Report (PDF)
Progress Report:
Collaborative Research on Oregon Ocean Salmon - Progress Report (PDF)
Final Report:
Collaborative Research on Oregon Ocean Salmon - Final Report (PDF)
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| Fish Passage and Barriers |
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Project Number: 99-626
Project Name: Fish Passage Culverts
Grantee: Oregon Department of Transportation
Purpose: Funding for Executive Order number 99-01 regarding fish passage culverts. Long-term and short-term studies of fish movement were conducted at several retrofitted culverts within Oregon. This was done to assess the effectiveness of retrofitting culverts with baffles to improve fish passage.
Results: The long-term results showed that the baffle equipped culverts do allow fish passage, even though the fish in the study areas did not appear to move a great deal in any part of the study reaches. The short-term results indicated an improvement in the ability of juvenile steelhead trout to move upstream after the addition of certain baffle configurations. Measurement of hydraulic conditions showed that the baffles do create areas of decreased water velocity, deepen flow and create resting pools. These observations indicate that fish can and do move through culverts retrofitted with baffles and that the addition of baffles can improve the ability of juvenile fish (especially steelhead trout) to move upstream through a culvert.
Start Date: 1/10/2000
End Date: 12/30/2003
Funding Amount: $30,883.56
Final Report: Fish Passage Through Retrofitted Culverts - Fish Passage Research Projects
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| Landscape Modeling |
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Project Number: 208-8006
Project Name: Linking Coldwater Refuges into a Framework for River and Floodplain Restoration
Grantees: Oregon State University, Fisheries: Dr. Stan Gregory and Wildlife and University of Oregon Landscape Architecture: Dr. David Hulst
Purpose: This research will be conducted in the mainstem Willamette River between Eugene and Albany. The researchers will map thermal refuges in the Willamette River between Albany and Eugene and use a database to predict dynamic features that create cold water refuges. The composition of fish assemblages that use these thermally distinct habitats based on sampling known cold water and warm water habitats during July to September will be identified. Researchers will sample equal numbers of lateral habitats, that are cold water, warm water, and ambient, with beach seines and a combination of boat electro-shocking and backpack electro-shocking. Cutthroat trout will be fitted with radio tags, PIT tags, and ibuttons. The trout will be placed in live cages for four weeks in cold water, warm water, and ambient temperature lateral habitats. The potential ecosystem services provided through floodplain and river restoration and protection will be articulated. A spatially explicit map of the current active channel and floodplain and thermal distributions in July through September and companion maps of historical and existing floodplain characteristics will be generated. Candidate locations for coldwater stepping stones that: a) do not exceed effective travel distances, b) offer high biophysical potential for restoring coldwater refuges, and c) present low socio-economic obstacles to restoration will be depicted and described.
Results: This study will result in two to three on-the ground restoration projects to demonstrate the relevance of cold water habitat to native fish and the use of floodplain restoration to address on-going challenges of addressing the state’s temperature management challenges. This approach will be directly transferable to all Oregon streams and rivers where thermal environments create challenges for aquatic communities and restoration efforts of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds.
Start Date: 9/24/2007
End Date: 10/31/2010
Funding Amount: $450,000
Progress Reports:
Linking Coldwater Refuges into a Framework for River and Floodplain Restoration - Progress Report (PDF)
Due 12/31/2009 - second progress report
Final Report: Due 12/31/2010
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Project Number: 208-8007
Project Name: Mapping Current Conditions and Modeling the Dynamic Responses of Riparian Vegetation and Salmon Habitat in Oregon
Grantee: USDA Forest Service, PNW Research Station: Dr. Steve Wondzell
Purpose: This research will be conducted in the North Coast and John Day basins, specifically; the Nehalem River and Middle Fork John Day River basins. The research will integrate riparian zone mapping with dynamic models to evaluate the response of riparian zones, stream channels, and salmon habitat to natural disturbance and land-use activities. The research has two components: 1) remote sensing and riparian mapping; and 2) riparian and aquatic modeling. The overall objective of this work is to produce a decision support tool for habitat restoration planning that incorporates advanced remote-sensing technology and information about disturbance-recovery processes with existing knowledge of critical habitat needs for salmonids. The objective of the mapping component is to explore different methods for mapping riparian and in-stream conditions using Landsat, LiDAR, and NAIP imagery, and to use these methods to delineate, classify and map the attributes of riparian zones needed for riparian assessment and monitoring and to support the modeling component. The objective of the modeling component is to examine current conditions relative to the historic range of variability, examine the potential of passive restoration to meet recovery goals, and examine the potential of active restoration to accelerate recovery.
Results: Are expected May 2010.
Start Date: 9/24/2007
End Date: 4/30/2010
Funding Amount: $640,000
Progress Reports:
Mapping Current Conditions and Modeling the Dynamic Responses of Riparian Vegetation and Salmon Habitat in Oregon - Annual Project Report (PDF)
Mapping Current Conditions and Modeling the Dynamic Responses of Riparian Vegetation and Salmon Habitat in Oregon - Annual Project Report (PDF)
Due 12/31/2009 - second progress report
Final Report: Due 6/30/2010
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Project Number: 208-8009
Project Name: Integrated Dynamic Landscape and Coho Salmon Model
Grantees: NOAA Fisheries, Northwest Fisheries Science Center: Dr. Peter Lawson; USDA Forest Service, PNW Research Station: Dr. Kelly Burnett; Earth Systems Institute, Ecosystems: Dr. Daniel Miller
Purpose: This research will be conducted in the Oregon Coast Range. The overall goal of the project is to develop a set of tools that can be used to model and evaluate habitat conditions in the Oregon Coast Range at landscape scales and to understand the relationship between these conditions and coho salmon through multiple life stages. Objectives are to: 1) improve understanding of the relationships between upslope, riparian, and in-stream habitat and coho salmon abundance; 2) produce a landscape dynamic model for Oregon Coastal river basins that can be used to help understand the dynamic interactions between geomorphology, land use, and land cover and their effects on stream habitat quality for coho salmon; 3) link a coho salmon life-cycle model with the landscape dynamic model to help understand relationships between landscape processes and coho salmon viability, abundance, distribution, and metapopulation dynamics; 4) provide a set of tools that can be used by scientists and managers to help design effective and efficient restoration strategies and projects; 5) conduct a preliminary analysis of effects of potential land-use policies in the Nehalem River basin on coho salmon viability over the next 100 years; and 6) establish a basis for future work exploring the effects of environmental conditions in both marine and freshwater, harvest, and climate change.
Results: This set of products will give OWEB and other managers a better understanding of the landscape-scale processes operating in the Oregon Coast Range and the relationship between coho salmon and these processes. The tools provided will be useful for designing habitat restoration projects and evaluating coho salmon abundance, distribution and viability on short-term and long-term time frames.
Start Date: 12/17/2007
End Date: 10/31/2009
Funding Amount: $324,000
Progress Report:
Integrated Dynamic Landscape and Coho Salmon Model - NOAA and USFS (PDF)
Integrated Dynamic Landscape and Coho Salmon Model - Earth Systems Institute (PDF)
Final Report: Due 12/31/2009
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| Effectiveness Monitoring |
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Project Number: 201-739
Project Name: Hinkle Creek Research Project
Grantee: Oregon Department of Forestry
Purpose: The Hinkle Creek research project is a paired watershed study. The project is located in watersheds that are managed under the Oregon Forest Practices Act. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the effects of current forest practices regulations on watershed functions.
Results: This project has many components and results can be found at http://watershedsresearch.org/HinkleCreek/HinkleCreek.html
Start Date: 6/13/2002
End Date: 6/30/2005
Funding Amount: $251,000
Final Report: Grant Report to OWEB for Hinkle Creek Paired Watershed Study
Links to additional information:
http://watershedsresearch.org/HinkleCreek/HinkleCreek.html
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Project Number: 208-8001
Project Name: Effects of Contemporary Forest Harvest on Aquatic Ecosystems in Trask, Hinkle and Alsea Watersheds
Grantee: Oregon State University, Forest Engineering: Dr. Arne Skaugset
Purpose: This research will be conducted in the North Coast and Umpqua basins; specifically the Trask and Alsea rivers and Hinkle Creek. Three watershed studies (Trask River, Hinkle Creek and Alsea Revisited) are evaluating the question “Are contemporary forest management strategies adequate to sustainably meet Oregon Plan goals for this state’s forested watersheds?” Specifically, the responses of aquatic systems to forest harvest in headwaters, and quantifying downstream impacts are being examined. There are multiple hypotheses, with the overall objectives to investigate: 1) the effects of forest harvest on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of small headwater streams; and 2) the extent to which alterations in stream conditions caused by harvest along headwater channels influences the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of downstream fish-bearing streams. Hinkle and Trask are investigating linkages between small streams and downstream fish bearing streams for multiple parameters. Alsea is a smaller area but has long-term data to compare impacts of contemporary forest practices with those from historic logging. The Alsea also will investigate the effect of instream wood placement on fish habitat and fish populations.
Results: The findings will benefit state and private forest landowners and natural resource managers by expanding the understanding of linkages between forest practices, aquatic habitat, and fish. This improved understanding will enable state and federal agencies to develop and refine forest management strategies that protect and restore aquatic habitat while enabling forest owners to profitably manage their lands.
Start Date: 9/24/2007
End Date: 10/31/2009
Funding Amount: $400,000
Progress Report:
Oregon Plan Effectiveness: Effects of Contemporary Forest Harvest on Aquatic Ecosystems in Trask, Hinkle, and Alsea Watersheds (PDF)
Final Report: Due 12/31/2009
Links to additional information:
http://www.odf.state.or.us/trask/default.asp
http://www.ncasi.org/programs/areas/forestry/alsea/default.aspx
http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/PUBS/docs/HinkleCrkProj/HinkleCrkProj.pdf
http://watershedsresearch.org/
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| Tidegates |
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Project Number: 208-8004
Project Name: Effects of Tide Gates on Juvenile Coho Movement and Residence Time in Estuarine Habitats
Grantee: Oregon State University, Fisheries and Wildlife: Dr. Guillermo Giannico
Purpose: This research will be conducted in the Coos River Basin on the South Coast, specifically Palouse, Larson, and Winchester creeks. The general goal of this project is to assess the effects of tide gates on juvenile salmonid migration patterns and estuarine habitat utilization. The study will focus on coastal coho salmon because their poorly understood estuarine-life-history type is likely to be the most affected by tide gate operation. Although there is a broad spectrum of tide gates with “fish friendly” designs this study will focus on the two most prevalent types in the Pacific Northwest: the original top-hinged version and the relatively newer side-hinged type. The project’s specific objectives are: 1) to determine the effects of top-hinged and side-hinged tide gates on seasonal and diel changes in water depth, temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen in the adjacent creek and marsh channels; 2) to assess differences between top-hinged and side-hinged tide gates regarding opening time and duration, as well as water flow during critical fish passage periods; 3) to determine differences in the proportions of sub-yearling and yearling (smolt) coho salmon that reach the mouth of creeks and pass through a top-hinged vs. a side-hinged tide gates; 4) to determine the proportions of sub-yearling coho salmon that migrate back upstream during early fall through a top-hinged vs. a side-hinged tide gate; 5) to characterize coho salmon seasonal use of and residence times in habitats immediately above and below tide gates; and 6) to establish if tide gate presence and type affects sub-yearling and yearling coho salmon condition factor, growth and survival rates.
Results: The desired outcome is to provide managers with an understanding if and how tide gates affect juvenile salmonid movement, and if a “fish friendly” tide gate design may improve juvenile fish passage in both directions over what traditional top-hinged gates allow. The project findings will be broadly applicable to estuarine habitat conservation and restoration and coho salmon recovery.
Start Date: 9/24/2007
End Date: 10/31/2010
Funding Amount: $267,121
Progress Reports:
Tidegate Project Status Report (PDF)
Due 12/31/2009 - second progress report
Final Report: Due 12/31/2010
Links to additional information:
The Effects of Tide Gates on Estuarine Habitats and Migratory Fish
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| Technology & Innovation |
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Project Number: 201-726
Project Name: Willamette River Toxin Study
Grantee: Oregon State University
Purpose: This investigative study investigated the high rate of skeletal deformities in fish located in the Willamette River Newberg Pool. The project: 1) Surveyed for presence of skeletal deformities in fish; 2) Surveyed for toxics in ovaries of mature fish; 3) Conducted water chemistry surveys for toxics; 4) Evaluated fractionation of water (analysis to determine if a toxic substance is present but missed in traditional water chemistry analysis); and 5) conducted lab experiments.
Results: Results suggest that parasites may be causing the deformities.
Funding Amount: $491,513.26
Start Date: 3/11/2002
End Date: 6/30/2004
Final Report: Environmental Stresses and Skeletal Deformities in Fish From the Willamette River Oregon, USA
Links to additional information:
Environmental Stresses and Fish Deformities in the Willamette River
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Project Number: 208-8002
Project Name: Fiber-optic Observation of Stream Function and Condition: Demonstration and Application
Grantee: Oregon State University, Biological and Ecological Engineering: Dr. John Selker
Purpose: This research will be conducted in the Walla Walla River basin and is designed to test the utility of using a Fiber Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) system for monitoring of stream and air temperature. This work has three major components: field measurement; numerical modeling; and collaborative data interpretation. The DTS systems will be installed with three of the fibers in water and one fiber used to monitor air temperature and solar exposure above each of the stream sections in sequence. Along these 12 kilometers of fiber optic cable, a network of 10 SensorScope micro-meteorological stations will be installed to continuously report air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, soil moisture content, soil matric potential, wind speed and direction, rainfall, and surface temperature (IR). These continuous field measurements will be complemented by monthly site visits to characterize shade conditions, measure stream temperatures, bed temperatures, and measure stream flow.
Results: By having tight constraints on environmental variables and stream temperature, the researchers expect to be able to estimate the thermal inertial imposed by the hyporheic flow. Objectives include: demonstrate the use of DTS methods to monitor stream temperature; publicize a validated stream temperature model that allows users to estimate locations and magnitudes of critical stream temperature features; forecasting of stream conditions to assist managers in allocating water in a predictable, optimized approach to obtain the greatest benefit to habitat and economic interests; and training of watershed staff and project graduate students to use and interpret DTS data and stream temperature modeling methods.
Start Date: 9/24/2007
End Date: 10/31/2010
Funding Amount: $325,000
Progress Reports:
2008 Project Update: Fiber Optic Groundwater and Fisheries Study (PDF)
Preliminary Report: Temperature Monitoring of the Middle Fork of the John Day River (PDF)
Due 12/31/2009 - second progress report
Final Report: Due 12/31/2010
Links to additional information:
A Distributed Stream Temperature Model Using High Resolution Temperature Observations
Fiber Optics Opens Window on Stream Dynamics
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Project Number: 208-8005
Project Name: Reconstructing Water Temperatures in Oregon Streams through Analysis of Growth Increments in Long-lived Pearlshell Mussels
Grantee: Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center: Dr. Bryan Black
Purpose: The study will include four sites representative of diverse climatic regimes: the Alsea River in the coastal forests of western Oregon; the Middle Fork of the Willamette River; Steamboat Creek at higher elevation in the western Cascades, and the Malheur River in the semi-arid, continental climate of eastern Oregon. The objectives of this study are to develop and validate methods for building freshwater mussel chronologies and relating those chronologies to the physical environment. These methods will be based on techniques developed by dendro-chronologists, which have been applied on a diverse assemblage of tree species around the world and are now being used on other long-lived animal species (rockfish and marine bivalves) in the Pacific Northwest. At each site, the researchers will rigorously apply dendro-chronology (tree-ring) techniques to: 1) ensure all mussel growth increments are assigned the correct calendar year using the dendro-chronology technique of cross dating; 2) build high resolution, multi-decadal chronologies that capture variability on a range (inter-annual to decadal) of timescales; 3) establish climate-growth relationships using available records of stream temperature (Middle Fork Willamette River and Steamboat Creek) and flow, as well as regional measures of air temperature and precipitation (all sites); and 4) use mussel chronologies and climate-growth relationships to reconstruct thermal regimes over periods longer than those provided by instrumental records. Strengths of the chronologies and climate-growth relationships will be compared among these diverse regions to determine which climatic variables are captured by freshwater mussel growth.
Results: This will represent the first rigorous evaluation of this approach for applications in North America. The main outcome of this study will be the development of techniques for building mussel chronologies and climate reconstruction with potentially widespread application in Oregon streams.
Start Date: 9/24/2007
End Date: 10/31/2009
Funding Amount: $47,649
Progress Reports:
June 2008 Development and assessment of freshwater mussel growth-increment chronologies in the Pacific Northwest (PDF)
December 2008 Development and assessment of freshwater mussel growth-increment chronologies in the Pacific Northwest (PDF)
Due 6/1/2009 - third progress report
Final Report: Due 12/31/2009
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Project Number: 208-8008
Project Name: Development of Physiological Health Criteria to Assess Habitat Quality in Degraded and Recovering/Restored Stream Systems
Grantee: Oregon State University, Fisheries and Wildlife: Dr. Scott Heppell
Purpose: This research will be conducted in the John Day and Deschutes basins; specifically the South Fork John Day, Bridge Creek, and the Crooked River. The goal is to evaluate the utility of physiological metrics to understand changes in stream habitat quality (specifically temperature) affect individual fish performance. From this, the researchers expect to be able to create physiologically based threshold temperature targets to be used in monitoring restoration efforts as a complement to monitoring population change. Specific objectives include: 1) testing the patterns of Heat Shock Protein (HSP) induction and whole body lipid levels; 2) evaluating whether growth rates truly differ for those animals that are under thermal stress (water temperatures > 22 C) and that fail to accumulate lipid during the summer; and 3) determining whether any growth differential can be explained by the impacts of the temperature differential (increased metabolism, decreased appetite) or are there other factors, including differences in prey availability, that can explain the inability of fish in warm stream segments to accumulate energy reserves.
Results: At the end of the project it is expected that evidence will suggest that the HSP-whole body lipid paradigm exists outside of the South Fork John Day, and that growth rates are linked to stream temperature, lipid accumulation rates, and induction of HSPs. From this information explicit, physiologically based thermal habitat quality categories can be defined, and this assessment tool for thermally impacted streams can be used to supplement population monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of habitat restoration efforts.
Start Date: 3/20/2008
End Date: 9/30/2010
Funding Amount: $240,000
Progress Reports:
Development of Physiological Health Criteria to Assess Habitat Quality in Degraded and Recovering/Restored Stream Systems (PDF)
Due 12/31/2009 - second progress report
Final Report: Due 9/30/2010
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