Loving the Land
Our mission is to conserve native species and habitats through
restoration, research and education. Our vision is a world where all people and wildlands are healthy and interact positively, biological diversity flourishes, and environmental challenges are met with a social commitment to solving problems with scientific principles.
To join us in our work,
"Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will experience the oppression of one by another." - Nelson Mandela
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The Seeds of Success Program from One Season to the Next |
As we ring in the New Year, many of us are reflecting on moments past and looking forward to new things to come. We focus on wrapping up loose ties from the last season, but as the light returns, it reinvigorates the senses and we begin to set in motion new intentions. This encourages me to reflect on the cycles within nature and the seasonality of the work that we do. There is a sense of anticipation for new growth, which culminates at the height of the season with flowers yearning for attention before setting seed for the next year. As we descend, all vascular plants wrap up the energy spent, curling into dormancy with anticipation of what is to come as the cycle begins again. Read More
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The fruits of our labors - Restoration progress at Herbert Farm & Natural Area
Herbert Farm and Natural Area, a few miles south of Corvallis, Oregon, is becoming known for its birds and wildflowers. The City of Corvallis (City) acquired the 221-acre property in 2002. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) holds a conservation easement through the Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program, which is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration. The Institute for Applied Ecology
wrote a restoration plan in 2012, and since that time IAE, with the help of its funders, partners, contractors and volunteers, has been conducting on-the-ground habitat restoration.
In 2012, most of Herbert Farm was comprised of ryegrass fields, but these have been gradually phased out and after eight years of restoration the natural habitats are greatly expanded. See last year’s blog for the story of the first seven years of restoration. Read More
[Streaked horned lark photo by Bob Altman.]
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Fender's blue butterfly in 2020 |
Every year poses a unique challenge when trying to complete sunshine-dependent butterfly surveys in the Pacific Northwest, but 2020 definitely stands out. The initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic began just before the onset of the monitoring season for one of the endangered butterflies of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Fender’s blue (Icaricia icarioides fenderi). Fender’s blue surveys were, for the most part, able to occur as normal, since the survey method is inherently socially distanced and in line with COVID-19 safety protocols. We adapted the annual training into an online format and our dedicated team worked hard to get to as many sites as possible when weather conditions were favorable – just a few were closed for access. We’re so grateful for the logistical support of the Willamette Valley conservation and land management community! Read More
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Staff Spotlight: Taylor Cain |
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The Southwest Office is excited to welcome Taylor Cain to our team. Taylor is our Plant Materials Technician and is responsible for managing the processing, cleaning and storing seed collected through the Southwest Seed Partnership. Taylor graduated from Humboldt State University with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Management and he has restoration field work experience from a variety of ecosystems across the West. Most recently, he led a seed collection crew in partnership with the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management, and that knowledge of New Mexico species and seed biology was a great introduction to this plant materials work. Taylor started at the beginning of a two-week COVID-19 lockdown in New Mexico and adeptly and creatively learned the best methods for using our seed cleaning equipment without the typical hands-on training. Despite this year's challenges, Taylor dove right into the workflow, and has already cleaned all of the 2020 wild seed collections that are soon to be sown inseed production fields this spring. He also helped inventory, update and file all of our seed collections before reorganizing them into our new seed cooler. Taylor is really enjoying the creative problem solving this position often demands when developing the right sequence of tools and techniques required to clean seed from a particular species, as well as the satisfaction of seeing many of the seeds he collected in the wild be cleaned, packaged, and ready to put into production. We are very grateful for Taylor's hard work and his efforts towards our plant materials goals! Read More
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"Stories from the Field" Monthly Webinar Series begins February 25 |
In lieu of our annual Stories from the Field fundraiser event, we have a lineup of exciting guest speakers to present, free of charge, to our supporters. Please register for all of the talks you are interested in, and you will receive a Zoom link to use for the event. All webinars are on the the 4th Thursday of the month at 7 pm. Click here for more information. The February webinar:
Thursday, February 25, 7 pm - Coping with Climate: How our changing environment is affecting native plants and habitat restoration in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, Dr Tom Kaye, IAE Executive Director. Click for more information.
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Job Opportunities at IAE's Oregon Office |
We are currently hiring for two full time and year round positions based in our Corvallis, Oregon office. Please click on the links below for more information, and share widely! Both positions close on March 1, 2021. Details on the positions and application instructions are included in the announcements linked below and also can be found at appliedeco.org/jobs.
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New Sagebrush in Prisons Gardening Program |
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A group of Snake River Correctional Institution Adults in Custody participated in a garden education program over the last 8 weeks examining Oregon Native Plants and ecosystems. Specific education topics included Life of Flowers, Bug ID & Management, Ecosystem through an Artist’s Eye, Building Trail Systems, and Identifying Pollinators and their Habitats. Snake River staff worked with Holly Hovis, Bureau of Land Management Botanist and Institute for Applied Ecology sagebrush project coordinator, to develop a mini course from IAE's curriculum titled “From Salmonberry to Sagebrush, Exploring Oregon’s Native Plants.” With COVID-related restrictions in place, outside instructors and guest speakers were not an option, so Adults in Custody stepped up to assist with class facilitating. The students received certificates on January 4, 2021. They were very appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of this class, and all students signed a thank you card for Holly. At right, Holly Hovis, Ann Debolt and Nancy DeWitt help with the sagebrush. |
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Virtual Winter Wildlife Field Days |
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Join the US Fish and Wildlife Service and partners for the 7th Annual Winter Wildlife Field Day(s) from March 1st - March 14th! This year's theme is "Nature in your Neighborhood." It's the same event you love, just offered virtually on more than one day, with activities you can complete in your favorite outdoor (and indoor) spots! Seventeen community partners have come together to bring you two weeks of activities: crafts, games, hands-on science, self-guided nature explorations, videos, story times, field guides, and even some pop-up activity stations at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge and animal searches in your local parks. Our traditional passport and patch are back and of course everything will be available in both Spanish and English. Event information and details can be found at www.winterwildlifefieldday.org and starting March 1st all of the bilingual activities will also be there. Llámanos a 541-760-3036 para más información. |
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How has the Willapa Bay estuary changed over the past 200 years? ETG's John Christy is using historical data from NOAA to help answer that question, starting with creation of a historical vegetation map for the estuary. A later phase of the project will analyze how the estuary has changed, to identify priority areas for tidal wetland conservation and restoration. The project is funded by Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture and coordinated by the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Photo of 1800s NOAA survey crew at right (from NOAA photo library). |
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The Conservation Research team has been going through some changes over the past few months. Ecologist Lisa Schomaker, moved on to a new position with the National Park Service's Inventory and Monitoring Program in California. We are fortunate to have hired 3 new staff, Nadav Mouallem, Soledad Diaz, and Audrey Rader, to join our seasoned Ecologist, Denise Giles. Nadav (pictured at right) has worked for IAE on multiple occasions, and now will be taking on a new role as an Ecologist. Soledad and Audrey have joined us to help fill the role vacated by Lisa, as well as new projects coming into the Conservation Research program.
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It is official! New Mexico now has a Pre-Variety Germplasm (PVG) program for the certification of native seeds. PVG refers to native plants that have not been released as a formal variety/cultivar. Seed certification maintains seed standards, tracks identity & purity of plant materials, and provides quality assurance to end users (i.e., restoration practitioners who purchase and use seeds for projects). IAE Southwest partnered with New Mexico State University to develop this program with funding support from the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management. Pictured at right: This field of Sporobolus cryptandrus (sand dropseed) growing at Bamert Seed Company is one of several fields that will be enrolled in the new certification program in 2021. |
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IAE is proud to partner with EarthShare Oregon, a federation of over 100 leading non-profit environmental charities. EarthShare makes it easy for Oregonians to share the responsibility for our environmental legacy. When you give at work through one of EarthShare’s workplace partners, you’re keeping our state and planet healthy for our families today and for future generations. If you have questions, please reach out to michelw@appliedeco.org.
We are grateful for all the ways you make an impact!
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IAE Board of Directors:
Ken Bierly, President; Brandy Humphreys, Vice President; Cary Stephens, Secretary; Jason Bradford, Anne Bradley, Deborah Clark, Jack Halsey, Shinji Kawai, Carol Savonen, Sunia Yang
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