Restoration of aquatic ecosystems involves a broad spectrum of active and passive efforts. Passive efforts rely on natural recovery of ecosystems, such as land use practices that protect riparian zones and sources of wood and sediment that drive the geomorphic and associated biological functions in streams. Active efforts involve more direct intervention, usually applied to specific locations, to treat more specific issues. These range from projects on the scale of dam removals on large rivers to refitting culverts on forest roads for aquatic organism passage.
We are currently involved in monitoring and evaluation of active restoration ranging from removal of large dams on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park to replacements of culverts on national forest roads in the Pacific Northwest. We are also actively engaged in a series of monitoring efforts to track physical and biological (threatened Oregon coast coho salmon and Pacific lamprey) responses to active restoration of large wood in streams on Bureau of Land Management lands in the Umpqua River basin. In 2011, we published a feasibility assessment with partners from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service that led to reintroduction of bull trout into the Clackamas River, Oregon, and we continue to assist in monitoring and evaluation of that effort. Our work on water temperature, water quality criteria, and contemporary forest harvest practices in the Trask River Watershed Study represents major interdisciplinary and interagency collaborations to evaluate the effectiveness of current approaches to passively restoring aquatic ecosystem function across broad extents in the Pacific Northwest.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 25
Influence of riparian thinning on trophic pathways supporting stream food webs in forested watersheds
Resource managers seek to thin second-growth riparian forests to address multiple stream and riparian management objectives, including enhancing aquatic productivity via light-mediated trophic pathways in watersheds of the Pacific Northwest (USA). However, such increases in aquatic productivity depend on complex food web dynamics that link riparian forests and streams. To evaluate how riparian for
Authors
David A. Roon, Jason B. Dunham, J. Ryan Bellmore, Deanna H. Olson, Bret C. Harvey
Engaging stakeholders to develop a decision support model of conservation risk and management capacity to prioritize investments in Bull Trout recovery
Rarely are sufficient resources available to support the full suite of management actions to promote recovery of a species across their entire distribution. Decision support models are a tool that can inform natural resource management decisions with consideration of the perspectives from a variety of stakeholders who work across large geographic and jurisdictional extents. We offer an example of
Authors
William R. Brignon, M. Brian Davis, Stephanie Gunkel, Jason B. Dunham, Michael H. Meeuwig, Chris S Allen, Shaun Clements
Can nutrient additions facilitate recovery of Pacific salmon?
Multiple restoration actions have been implemented in response to declining salmon populations. Among these is the addition of salmon carcasses or artificial nutrients to mimic marine-derived nutrients historically provided by large spawning runs of salmon. A key assumption in this approach is that increased nutrients will catalyze salmon population growth. Although effects on aquatic ecosystems h
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, James R Bellmore, Emily Whitney, Jason B. Dunham
Thermal heterogeneity, migration, and consequences for spawning potential of female bull trout in a river-reservoir system
The likelihood that fish will initiate spawning, spawn successfully, or skip spawning in a given year is conditioned in part on availability of energy reserves. We evaluated the consequences of spatial heterogeneity in thermal conditions on the energy accumulation and spawning potential of migratory bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in a regulated river–reservoir system. Based on existing data,
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Dmitri T Vidergar, Jason B. Dunham
Decision analysis for the reintroduction of Bull Trout into the lower Pend Oreille River, Washington
The decision to reintroduce a species can be difficult owing to conflicting opinions and objectives, as well as uncertainty of the outcome. Structured decision making addresses these considerations by identifying realistic fundamental objectives and building achievable management alternatives, within a quantitative modeling framework. The process is driven by participation of stakeholders that rep
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, William R. Brignon, Jason B. Dunham
Application of multiple-population viability analysis to evaluate species recovery alternatives
Population viability analysis (PVA) is a powerful conservation tool, but one that remains unapproachable for many species. This is particularly true for species with multiple, broadly-distributed populations for which collecting suitable data can be challenging. A recently-developed method of multiple population viability analysis (MPVA), however, addresses many limitations of traditional PVA.
Authors
Helen M. Neville, Douglas R. Leasure, Daniel C. Dauwalter, Jason B. Dunham, Robin Bjork, Kurt A. Fesenmyer, Nathan Chelgren, Mary M. Peacock, Charles H. Luce, Daniel J. Isaak, Lee Ann Carranza, Jon Sjoberg, Seth J. Wenger
Simulating demography, genetics, and spatially explicit processes to inform reintroduction of a threatened char
The success of species reintroductions can depend on a combination of environmental, demographic, and genetic factors. Although the importance of these factors in the success of reintroductions is well‐accepted, they are typically evaluated independently, which can miss important interactions. For species that persist in metapopulations, movement through and interaction with the landscape is predi
Authors
Meryl C. Mims, Casey C. Day, Jacob J. Burkhart, Matthew R. Fuller, Jameson Hinkle, Andrew Bearlin, Jason B. Dunham, Patrick W. DeHaan, Zachary A. Holden, Erin L. Landguth
Hierarchical multi-population viability analysis
Population viability analysis (PVA) uses concepts from theoretical ecology to provide a powerful tool for quantitative estimates of population dynamics and extinction risks. However, conventional statistical PVA requires long-term data from every population of interest, whereas many species of concern exist in multiple isolated populations that are only monitored occasionally. We present a hierarc
Authors
Douglas R. Leasure, Seth J. Wenger, Nathan Chelgren, Helen M. Neville, Daniel C. Dauwalter, Robin Bjork, Kurt A. Fesenmyer, Jason B. Dunham, Mary M. Peacock, Charlie H. Luce, Abby C. Lute, Daniel J. Isaak
Rivers are social–ecological systems: Time to integrate human dimensions into riverscape ecology and management
Incorporation of concepts from landscape ecology into understanding and managing riverine ecosystems has become widely known as riverscape ecology. Riverscape ecology emphasizes interactions among processes at different scales and their consequences for valued ecosystem components, such as riverine fishes. Past studies have focused strongly on understanding the ecological processes in riverscapes
Authors
Jason B. Dunham, Paul L. Angermeier, Shelley D. Crausbay, Amanda E. Cravens, Hannah Gosnell, Jamie McEvoy, Max A. Moritz, Nejem Raheem, Todd Sanford
Survey of beaver-related restoration practices in rangeland streams of the western USA
Poor condition of many streams and concerns about future droughts in the arid and semi-arid western USA have motivated novel restoration strategies aimed at accelerating recovery and increasing water resources. Translocation of beavers into formerly occupied habitats, restoration activities encouraging beaver recolonization, and instream structures mimicking the effects of beaver dams are restorat
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Ashley T. Rohde, Susan Charnley, Rachael R Davee, Jason B. Dunham, Hannah Gosnell, Gordon E. Grant, Mark B. Hausner, Justin L. Huntington, Caroline Nash
Evaluating trade-offs in bull trout reintroduction strategies using structured decision making
Structured decision making allows reintroduction decisions to be made despite uncertainty by linking reintroduction goals with alternative management actions through predictive models of ecological processes. We developed a decision model to evaluate the trade-offs between six bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) reintroduction decisions with the goal of maximizing the number of adults in the recip
Authors
William R. Brignon, James Peterson, Jason B. Dunham, Howard A. Schaller, Carl B. Schreck
Structured decision making for conservation of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in Long Creek, Klamath River Basin, south-central Oregon
With the decline of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), managers face multiple, and sometimes contradictory, management alternatives for species recovery. Moreover, effective decision-making involves all stakeholders influenced by the decisions (such as Tribal, State, Federal, private, and non-governmental organizations) because they represent diverse objectives, jurisdictions, policy mandates, a
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Kevin McDonnell, Jason B. Dunham, William R. Brignon, James Peterson
- Overview
Restoration of aquatic ecosystems involves a broad spectrum of active and passive efforts. Passive efforts rely on natural recovery of ecosystems, such as land use practices that protect riparian zones and sources of wood and sediment that drive the geomorphic and associated biological functions in streams. Active efforts involve more direct intervention, usually applied to specific locations, to treat more specific issues. These range from projects on the scale of dam removals on large rivers to refitting culverts on forest roads for aquatic organism passage.
We are currently involved in monitoring and evaluation of active restoration ranging from removal of large dams on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park to replacements of culverts on national forest roads in the Pacific Northwest. We are also actively engaged in a series of monitoring efforts to track physical and biological (threatened Oregon coast coho salmon and Pacific lamprey) responses to active restoration of large wood in streams on Bureau of Land Management lands in the Umpqua River basin. In 2011, we published a feasibility assessment with partners from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service that led to reintroduction of bull trout into the Clackamas River, Oregon, and we continue to assist in monitoring and evaluation of that effort. Our work on water temperature, water quality criteria, and contemporary forest harvest practices in the Trask River Watershed Study represents major interdisciplinary and interagency collaborations to evaluate the effectiveness of current approaches to passively restoring aquatic ecosystem function across broad extents in the Pacific Northwest.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 25Influence of riparian thinning on trophic pathways supporting stream food webs in forested watersheds
Resource managers seek to thin second-growth riparian forests to address multiple stream and riparian management objectives, including enhancing aquatic productivity via light-mediated trophic pathways in watersheds of the Pacific Northwest (USA). However, such increases in aquatic productivity depend on complex food web dynamics that link riparian forests and streams. To evaluate how riparian forAuthorsDavid A. Roon, Jason B. Dunham, J. Ryan Bellmore, Deanna H. Olson, Bret C. HarveyEngaging stakeholders to develop a decision support model of conservation risk and management capacity to prioritize investments in Bull Trout recovery
Rarely are sufficient resources available to support the full suite of management actions to promote recovery of a species across their entire distribution. Decision support models are a tool that can inform natural resource management decisions with consideration of the perspectives from a variety of stakeholders who work across large geographic and jurisdictional extents. We offer an example ofAuthorsWilliam R. Brignon, M. Brian Davis, Stephanie Gunkel, Jason B. Dunham, Michael H. Meeuwig, Chris S Allen, Shaun ClementsCan nutrient additions facilitate recovery of Pacific salmon?
Multiple restoration actions have been implemented in response to declining salmon populations. Among these is the addition of salmon carcasses or artificial nutrients to mimic marine-derived nutrients historically provided by large spawning runs of salmon. A key assumption in this approach is that increased nutrients will catalyze salmon population growth. Although effects on aquatic ecosystems hAuthorsJoseph R. Benjamin, James R Bellmore, Emily Whitney, Jason B. DunhamThermal heterogeneity, migration, and consequences for spawning potential of female bull trout in a river-reservoir system
The likelihood that fish will initiate spawning, spawn successfully, or skip spawning in a given year is conditioned in part on availability of energy reserves. We evaluated the consequences of spatial heterogeneity in thermal conditions on the energy accumulation and spawning potential of migratory bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in a regulated river–reservoir system. Based on existing data,AuthorsJoseph R. Benjamin, Dmitri T Vidergar, Jason B. DunhamDecision analysis for the reintroduction of Bull Trout into the lower Pend Oreille River, Washington
The decision to reintroduce a species can be difficult owing to conflicting opinions and objectives, as well as uncertainty of the outcome. Structured decision making addresses these considerations by identifying realistic fundamental objectives and building achievable management alternatives, within a quantitative modeling framework. The process is driven by participation of stakeholders that repAuthorsJoseph R. Benjamin, William R. Brignon, Jason B. DunhamApplication of multiple-population viability analysis to evaluate species recovery alternatives
Population viability analysis (PVA) is a powerful conservation tool, but one that remains unapproachable for many species. This is particularly true for species with multiple, broadly-distributed populations for which collecting suitable data can be challenging. A recently-developed method of multiple population viability analysis (MPVA), however, addresses many limitations of traditional PVA.AuthorsHelen M. Neville, Douglas R. Leasure, Daniel C. Dauwalter, Jason B. Dunham, Robin Bjork, Kurt A. Fesenmyer, Nathan Chelgren, Mary M. Peacock, Charles H. Luce, Daniel J. Isaak, Lee Ann Carranza, Jon Sjoberg, Seth J. WengerSimulating demography, genetics, and spatially explicit processes to inform reintroduction of a threatened char
The success of species reintroductions can depend on a combination of environmental, demographic, and genetic factors. Although the importance of these factors in the success of reintroductions is well‐accepted, they are typically evaluated independently, which can miss important interactions. For species that persist in metapopulations, movement through and interaction with the landscape is prediAuthorsMeryl C. Mims, Casey C. Day, Jacob J. Burkhart, Matthew R. Fuller, Jameson Hinkle, Andrew Bearlin, Jason B. Dunham, Patrick W. DeHaan, Zachary A. Holden, Erin L. LandguthHierarchical multi-population viability analysis
Population viability analysis (PVA) uses concepts from theoretical ecology to provide a powerful tool for quantitative estimates of population dynamics and extinction risks. However, conventional statistical PVA requires long-term data from every population of interest, whereas many species of concern exist in multiple isolated populations that are only monitored occasionally. We present a hierarcAuthorsDouglas R. Leasure, Seth J. Wenger, Nathan Chelgren, Helen M. Neville, Daniel C. Dauwalter, Robin Bjork, Kurt A. Fesenmyer, Jason B. Dunham, Mary M. Peacock, Charlie H. Luce, Abby C. Lute, Daniel J. IsaakRivers are social–ecological systems: Time to integrate human dimensions into riverscape ecology and management
Incorporation of concepts from landscape ecology into understanding and managing riverine ecosystems has become widely known as riverscape ecology. Riverscape ecology emphasizes interactions among processes at different scales and their consequences for valued ecosystem components, such as riverine fishes. Past studies have focused strongly on understanding the ecological processes in riverscapesAuthorsJason B. Dunham, Paul L. Angermeier, Shelley D. Crausbay, Amanda E. Cravens, Hannah Gosnell, Jamie McEvoy, Max A. Moritz, Nejem Raheem, Todd SanfordSurvey of beaver-related restoration practices in rangeland streams of the western USA
Poor condition of many streams and concerns about future droughts in the arid and semi-arid western USA have motivated novel restoration strategies aimed at accelerating recovery and increasing water resources. Translocation of beavers into formerly occupied habitats, restoration activities encouraging beaver recolonization, and instream structures mimicking the effects of beaver dams are restoratAuthorsDavid S. Pilliod, Ashley T. Rohde, Susan Charnley, Rachael R Davee, Jason B. Dunham, Hannah Gosnell, Gordon E. Grant, Mark B. Hausner, Justin L. Huntington, Caroline NashEvaluating trade-offs in bull trout reintroduction strategies using structured decision making
Structured decision making allows reintroduction decisions to be made despite uncertainty by linking reintroduction goals with alternative management actions through predictive models of ecological processes. We developed a decision model to evaluate the trade-offs between six bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) reintroduction decisions with the goal of maximizing the number of adults in the recipAuthorsWilliam R. Brignon, James Peterson, Jason B. Dunham, Howard A. Schaller, Carl B. SchreckStructured decision making for conservation of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in Long Creek, Klamath River Basin, south-central Oregon
With the decline of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), managers face multiple, and sometimes contradictory, management alternatives for species recovery. Moreover, effective decision-making involves all stakeholders influenced by the decisions (such as Tribal, State, Federal, private, and non-governmental organizations) because they represent diverse objectives, jurisdictions, policy mandates, aAuthorsJoseph R. Benjamin, Kevin McDonnell, Jason B. Dunham, William R. Brignon, James Peterson