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WILLAMETTE RIVER BASIN TRAJECTORIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHANGE: A PLANNING ATLAS
Citation:
Hulse, D. W., S. V. Gregory, AND J P. Baker. WILLAMETTE RIVER BASIN TRAJECTORIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHANGE: A PLANNING ATLAS. Hulse, DW; Gregory, SV; Baker, JP (ed.), Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, OR, (2002).
Description:
The Pacific Northwest Ecosystem Research Consortium, consisting of scientists at EPA-WED, Oregon State University, and the University of Oregon, completed a planning atlas for the Willamette River Basin in western Oregon. The atlas describes ecological conditions and human activities in the Basin, in the past, currently, and projected into the future, in a format designed to inform local decisions about land and water use and associated environmental policies. Jointly with local citizens, three alternative futures were developed that reflect the major strategic choices being debated in the region. The effects of these alternative futures were evaluated on four major endpoints: (1) the availability of water for competing uses, both consumptive uses, such as irrigation and municipal water supplies, and in-stream uses, such as fish protection; (2) habitat quantity and changes in fish richness in the Willamette River; (3) the ecological condition of streams in the basin, including the index of biotic integrity, fish richness, and two indicators based on invertebrate assemblages, and (4) habitat suitability and abundance of terrestrial wildlife. The data are also used to demonstrate an approach for prioritizing areas for restoration in the Willamette River.