Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 6 No. 1 (2014)

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https://hdl.handle.net/1794/23412
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Browsing Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 6 No. 1 (2014) by Author "Johnson, Geoffrey"

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    In-Stream Monitoring on the McKenzie River, Oregon
    (University of Oregon, 2014) Marti, Laura; Keeler, Matt; West, Taylor; Johnson, Geoffrey; Hayward, Kadie; Jamison, Kimina; Lascheck, Robbie; Senate, Bre; Sosa, Ashley; Thompson, Drew; Vargo, Jennifer
    Salmon are valued not only as a food source and a symbol of recreation, history, and community, but also as bioindicators of broad ecological functions related to aquatic systems. Countless projects across the Pacific Northwest focus on creating quality habitat and connectivity for salmonids (e.g. salmon, trout) and other aquatic species. Thus, pre- and post-project monitoring of stream restoration techniques such as large woody debris placement and riparian plantings provide crucial information on the success and validity of current techniques. We, the 2013 Stream Stewardship Team from the University of Oregon’s Environmental Leadership Program (ELP), conducted pre-project monitoring in the McKenzie River to establish baseline data before restoration efforts. We partnered with the McKenzie Watershed Council at the Berggren Watershed Conservation Area (BWCA), an area of active restoration in the McKenzie Watershed near Eugene, Oregon. At the BWCA, we conducted three in-stream baseline monitoring protocols, including a longitudinal profile, cross sectional profiles, and pebble counts in Channel 2. The longitudinal profile showed that long, deep pools dominated the downstream portion of the channel, while shallow pools and marsh/dry units dominated the upstream portion. Cross sectional profiles documented banks with a large depositional feature of interest that were dominated by reed canary grass. Using our in-stream monitoring results, we hypothesize that the important, but limited, aquatic habitat complexity illustrated by this study will be improved by the addition of large woody debris in the summer of 2014.