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RESEARCH PLAN AND METHODS MANUAL FOR THE OREGON WETLANDS STUDY
Citation:
Magee, R., S. Gwin, R. Gibson, C. Holland, J. Honea, P. Shaffer, J. Sifneos, AND M. Kentula. RESEARCH PLAN AND METHODS MANUAL FOR THE OREGON WETLANDS STUDY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-93/072.
Description:
The goals of the Oregon Wetlands Study are to develop a monitoring method for characterizing and comparing natural and project freshwater, emergent wetlands in different land use settings, and to obtain information that will improve wetland management strategies employing restoration and creation in replacement of permitted wetland losses. our study objectives addressing these needs. for freshwater palustrine wetlands dominated by emergent vegetation and open water are: 1) determine the number of wetlands converted to other land types and identify causes of direct loss, 2) evaluate the relationships between surrounding land uses and attainable quality of wetlands, 3) evaluate the replacement potential of wetlands to aid in development of performance criteria for projects, and 4) evaluate how project design and implementation affect replacement potential to facilitate development of design guidelines. ampling will be focused on populations of wetlands. ariability among wetlands in different land use settings, and effects of factors such as land use or project age on wetland attributes will be evaluated. he study area is located in the metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon. tudy sites include all natural and project wetlands in the study area meeting wetland type and size criteria, and for which access could be obtained. spects of vegetation, soils, hydrology, wetland morphology, and extent of buffers will be sampled systematically using a grid of transects. ata describing these variables will be examined using characterization and comparison analyses to identify differences in populations of natural and project wetlands in different land use settings.