UERC 2022 Program

Monday, March 7th, 2022

 

1:00 - 1:15 PM | Welcome & Introduction

Emcee: Olyssa Starry | Portland State University

1:15 - 2:00 PM | Keynote - Portland: Explorations on the Green Edge

Alan Yeakley, PhD | Professor and Chair, Department of Geography & Environmental Systems, University Of Maryland Baltimore County

2:00 - 2:20 PM | Break

2:20 - 3:10 PM | Equity & Human Dimensions

Moderator: Aaron Ramirez | Assistant Professor of Biology & Environmental Studies, Reed College

2:20 - 2:30 PM | Restoration of School Campuses - A Piece to the Urban Climate Challenge

  • Jane Tesner Kleiner | Landscape Architect, Ecologist and Environmental Educator, nature+play designs

2:30 - 2:40 PM | Engaging the Houseless Community in Tree Planting and Maintenance

  • Matt Krueger | City of Portland

  • Barbie Weber | Ground Score Association

2:40 - 2:50 PM | Pursuing Equitable Urban Tree Canopy Coverage in Vancouver, WA

  • Adela Miller | Americorps Public Spaces Steward, City of Vancouver Urban Forestry

2:50 - 3:00 PM | Mutually Beneficial Collaborations Between Residential Conservation Programs and Academic Researchers: Lessons from St. Louis

  • Nina Fogel | PhD Candidate, Saint Louis University

3:00 - 3:10 PM | Q&A

3:10 - 3:30 PM | Break

3:30 - 4:20 PM | Wildlife

Moderator: Joe Liebezeit | Staff Scientist & Avian Conservation Manager, Portland Audubon

3:30 - 3:40 PM | Lamprey and Boney Fish Salvage During Restoration at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge

  • Joe Skalicky | Fish & Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office

3:40 - 3:50 PM | Predicting Mesopredator Interactions in the Portland Metropolitan Area

  • Hunter Storm | Project Coordinator, Urban Wildlife Information Network, Portland

3:50 - 4:00 PM | Ecoroof Bio-Diversity in Residential Neighborhoods

4:00 - 4:10 PM | Whitaker Ponds Wild! A High School Interdisciplinary Urban Wildlife Ecology Project

4:10 - 4:20 PM | Q&A

4:20 - 4:30 PM | Wrap Up

Tuesday, March 8th, 2022

 

9:00 - 9:05 AM | Welcome, Announcements & Introduction

Amy Chomowicz | City of Portland

9:05 - 9:50 AM | Keynote - Curating Settler Colonialism in The Wapato Valley of Oregon

  • David G. Lewis, PhD | Associate Professor of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies, Oregon State University

9:50 - 10:10 AM | Break

10:10 - 11:00 AM | Climate & Ecosystem Services

Moderator: Brendan White | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

10:10 - 10:20 AM | Predicting Urban Air Temperatures Using Land Cover Type and Satellite Observations of Surface Temperatures

10:20 - 10:30 AM | Quantifying Ecosystem Services Using i-Tree Eco Model Within Urban Forests Provides Educational Opportunities for Students

10:30 - 10:40 AM | Improving Climate Resiliency and Management Practices in Conservation Planning by Developing a ‘Climate Lens’ at West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District

  • Emma Russell | Undergraduate Researcher, Portland State University

10:40 - 10:50 AM | Carbon Sequestration Potential After Riparian Restoration—A Baseline Study of Carbon Stocks and Mycorrhizal Communities

  • Guenevere DiGioia | MS graduate in Sustainable Forest Management, Oregon State University

10:50 - 11:00 AM | Q&A

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Poster Session

12:00 - 12:50 PM | Habitat

Moderator: Lindsey Wise | Biodiversity Data Manager, Institute for Natural Resources

12:00 - 12:10 PM | Quantifying Impacts to Water Quality from the Introduction of an Invasive Wood-boring Insect

  • Dominic Maze | Biologist, Environmental Regulatory Coordinator, City of Portland Environmental Services

12:10 - 12:20 PM | Metro’s Bond Refinement: Identifying Acquisition Priorities in the Urban Target Area

  • Lori Hennings | Senior Natural Resource Scientist, Conservation Program, Parks and Nature Department, Metro

12:20 - 12:30 PM | Spatial and Seasonal Variations of Microplastic Concentrations in Portland’s Freshwater Ecosystems

12:30 - 12:40 PM | Whitaker Ponds Natural Area Remediation Project: A Brilliant Example of Successful Partnership, Communication and Realization of Goals

12:40 - 12:50 PM | Q&A

12:50 - 1:00 PM | Closing Remarks and Poster Awards

Lori Hennings | Senior Natural Resource Scientist, Conservation Program, Parks and Nature Department, Metro

2:30 - 3:30 PM | Tours

Tour - Who Builds it Best? Engineers vs. Beavers in a Constructed Wetland

  • Led by Katie Holzer | City of Gresham

Visit a large constructed stormwater treatment wetland in Gresham with resident beaver families. Check out water quality data, habitat, and beaver coexistence devices.

Tour - Beaver and Human interactions in a Suburban Stream

  • Led by Heejun Chang | Portland State University

Visit a range of nature-based storm infrastructure facilities with beaver dams in suburban residential areas in west Portland. How suburban development, beaver dams, and other storm facilities affect flow and water quality data.

Tour - Shwakuk Wetlands - A Community-Led First Foods Project

  • Led by:

    • Serina Fast Horse | Kimimela Consulting

    • Toby Query | Portland Bureau of Environmental Services

    • Julie Matney | Portland Bureau of Environmental Services

    • Jennifer Devlin | Portland Bureau of Environmental Services

Visit a 5 acre wetland in the Columbia neighborhood where a former pumpkin patch has been transformed into a community imagined space where Indigenous Traditional and Ecological Knowledge is being uplifted and reimagined for our current context.

Tour - Harborton Habitat Restoration Site

  • Led by Colin McLaren | PGE

In 2020 PGE restored several acres of Willamette River floodplain habitat at their Harborton site by removing dredge spoils placed on site in the early and mid-20th Century and introducing native plants and habitat structures. Harborton supports a regionally significant northern red-legged frog breeding site, which informed and influenced restoration design. Site monitoring in 2021 documented over 120 plant species, 43 bird species, deer, elk, coyote, and wild juvenile Chinook and coho salmon.

Tour - Linnton Mill Restoration Site

  • Led by Kari Dupler | RestorCap

The site is located along the Willamette River in the Linnton neighborhood. The restoration included removal of hundreds of pilings, old buildings, and fill materials to create off-channel habitat for juvenile salmonids. The site also includes habitat structures for other species including mink, bald eagle, osprey, and other wildlife in the area. The work was completed in 2019 and RestorCap is currently monitoring and managing the site.

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