University of Oregon Environmental Leadership Program
Stream Stewardship 2017
Who Are We?
Stream Stewardship is one of the conservation science based community projects currently being undertaken by the Environmental Leadership Program at the University of Oregon. The students who make up the Stream Stewardship team all have backgrounds in science and ecology. Therefore, the restoration and protection of ecosystems is considered by everyone involved to be both a passion and a top priority. Stream Stewardship focuses on assessing and monitoring valuable aquatic ecosystems.
Throughout the course of the Environmental Leadership Program, the Stream Stewardship team will be partnering with the McKenzie Watershed Council to facilitate floodplain enhancement at two sites along the McKenzie river. Deer Creek is located approximately sixty-five miles east of Eugene and is the largest tributary to the McKenzie river. Last year’s Stream Stewardship team collected pre-project data at the site. This year, our team will repeat data collection methods to analyze the effectiveness of the project. Overall, the combined data sets will determine if the project was successful in restoring the integrity of the floodplain.
Springfield Oxbow is located just upstream from Eugene Water and Electric Board's (EWEB) water distribution station. At this site our team will be collecting baseline data including invasive species and side channel mapping. This site has not been previously researched, so we are building the initial data set. These sites are essential habitats for threatened and endangered aquatic life, and their conservation is essential for helping to maintain and improve water quality. Using a variety of field methods, the Stream Stewardship team will conduct hands on research to help formulate conservation plans for these areas in question.