After many years, Demeter Design is complete, I am smiling from the amount we have accomplished in such a short time! The Demeter glossary will stay for now. The site is too valuable a resource to dump entirely :)

Thank you to my staff for your tireless efforts and to our clients and partners that worked with such enthusiasm to restore Oregon salmon habitat.

 My partner is now working as a NEPA specialist at an engineering firm and I am shifting my consulting services towards a non-profit. Much more straight-forward to begin a non-profit from the beginning rather than boot-strap the status onto an existing company. Check out the new site at http://landstudy.org!

The new site will focus more on my own work along with updates from our facebook, twitter, and linkedin accounts (yah social media!)

I am currently working with the Friends of Outdoor School to rebuild their website. Nothing fancy. Just plain and simple HTML to serve as a resource and marketing tool. I love the idea of "styling up" so the CSS will start small and get prettier as the content fills the site. I am hosting it for now until they decide on a new service. You can find the page in progress in the links page on the new site.

See you soon!

Cara

Long time no see! As you have likely intuited lots of changes (all for the better) here in Oregon. First on a personal note. My partner has moved on to work on NEPA for a telecommunications firm. I am still on the non-profit track but am going back to school (yeah!) for zoo animal biology. Luckily there is an affordable program through a local community college that just started. I am really looking forward to it. My passion has always been conservation biology but it is a difficult field to break into. So far all of my research has focused on the habitat side and I would love to work directly with animals.

Additionally with me taking over the firm I get the opportunity to revision and repurpose. The first thing I want to do is develop a more cohesive board. Most of our partners were too busy for any serious involvement (although their help and input was always greatly appreciated). I am looking forward to finding a more flexible group of people to participate.

Finally I am really looking forward to just being married to my husband and not his business partner. It puts a lot of strain (good and bad) on a relationship. We certainly went through a gauntlet and came out mostly* unscathed.

Hope to see you back soon, and look for a newly designed space both on this blog and our home site, demeterdesign.net

Finally check out the twitter feed, ceres.society

Cheers!

Aerial Photography Links for Oregon

2011 1 meter NAIP Imagery

The Oregon Geospatial Enterprise Office is now providing access to 2011 NAIP Imagery (1-meter) through a dynamic image service for thefollowing counties: Benton, Clatsop, Columbia, Gilliam, Lincoln, Morrow, Polk, Tillamook, Washington, and Yamhill. The 2011 NAIP will beavailable statewide, however the remaining counties are still being processed, so stay tuned. If you want to use the imagery locally, you can download it from the USDA/NRCS Geospatial Data Gateway: http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/GDGOrder.aspx#.

The 2011 imagery is accessible through ArcGIS REST, WMS, and WCS services:

·       REST Endpoint: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/rest/services/Framework/Imagery_Mosaic2011/ImageServer

·       WMS Endpoint: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/services/Framework/Imagery_Mosaic2011/ImageServer/WMSServer?

·       WCS Endpoint: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/services/Framework/Imagery_Mosaic2011/ImageServer/WCSServer?

·       Preview/ArcGIS.com: http://bit.ly/qB6s1t

Other Imagery hosted by GEO:

GEO also hosts Imagery for 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2009. Use the same links as listed above, substituting the year you'd like to connect to in order to access those epochs.

In addition to dynamic image services (as listed above), we have cached imagery services for the 2009 1/2 meter NAIP product, currentlyavailable in two projections: Oregon Lambert Int' Ft (cached down to 1:4k) and Web Mercator Aux Sphere (cached down to 1:36K).

Oregon Lambert Projection:

·       REST: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/rest/services/BaseMaps/BaseMap_Imagery2009/MapServer

·       WMS: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/services/BaseMaps/BaseMap_Imagery2009/MapServer/WMSServer?

·       Preview/ArcGIS.com: http://bit.ly/nK50gx

Web Mercator Projection:

·       REST: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/rest/services/BaseMaps/BaseMap_Imagery2009_WM/MapServer

·       WMS: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/services/BaseMaps/BaseMap_Imagery2009_WM/MapServer/WMSServer?

·       Preview/ArcGIS.com: http://bit.ly/pYMlVQ

Please contact me with any questions or other general feedback about these Imagery Services.

Thanks,
Erik

________________________________

Erik Endrulat, GISP

GIS Analyst-Web Administrator

DAS EISPD Geospatial Enterprise Office

955 Center St. NE, rm 470

Salem, OR 97301 | 503-378-2781

Twitter: @OregonGEO

Apples top group's most contaminated list | ajc.com

Strawberries, celery, apples, enjoy them organically or wash them first.

Apples top group's most contaminated list | ajc.com

Worlds Largest Morel in my Backyard!

That is just the cap!!! For those of you who want my theory as to why they are so large, get in touch.

Zebra mussels stopped at border | MailTribune.com

Zebra mussels stopped at border | MailTribune.com

The boat inspection stations pay off!

King crabs invade Antarctica

King crabs invade Antarctica

Interesting article about the migration of king crabs into the southern ice fields. Normally they can't survive the extremely frigid temperatures and it is thought that they haven't been present in the antarctic ecosystem for eons. As temperatures becomes more tolerable they have moved in, found themselves a nice home where no prey species have hard shelled defenses and proliferated.

Man-made Earthquakes

"The commission has said preliminary studies showed evidence potentially linking injection activities with nearly 1,000 quakes in the region [Arkansas] since September, including the largest quake to hit the state in 35 years -- a magnitude 4.7 on Feb. 27"

Where Have All the Salmon Gone

Foley Creek in Oregon is as ideal as a non-wild stream can get. Cold water, limited human interaction, complex, flows directly into the lower Nehalem River not more than a few miles from the Pacific ocean. The headwaters are managed for private timber production while the lower reaches meander between private rural houses and cow pastures. There is even a berry farm or two but it is far from heavy use. There isn't one culvert! I have seen many streams in Oregon. There are salmon in the craziest places. They can become stranded in a puddle no longer than myself and only a few inches deep as high flows recede. They can jump through perched culverts that make me want to get a tetanus shot just by looking at them. They can hang out in warm bacteria ridden waters for days before succumbing to stress related deaths. They are even found in road and pasture ditches. They are an amazingly resilient genus. For some reason though, Foley Creek is missing salmon. They are not present in the numbers one would expect. The gradient is perfect, the gravels and pools are there, it isn't too flashy, but for some reason, year after year, I have yet to see one fish either adult or juvenile in this stream. I know they are there from Fish and Wildlife counts, but the numbers are limited. My neighbors saw one spawning Coho, once. What is the problem? Coho, Steelhead, and Chum can live in warmer waters than Foley. They can make it through almost any barrier on other streams while Foley's passage is unbarred. They make it to the top of the Nehalem River despite a waterfall, sediment flushes, and high temperatures. One would think that Foley Creek, both by proximity and by nature would be flush with salmon and trout. Not one cutthroat though. I know how to look too. I have been doing this for the better part of a decade. I see the most ideal gravel bed and associated pool almost on a daily basis. Where are they?
I have several hypotheses:

•  There are numerous steep gravel roads that intersect Foley Creek, some of which deliver sediment during heavy rains. These bury those pristine gravel beds that could be ideal for spawning. 
• There is limited wood which is needed for gravel sorting and cover.
• There are some reaches that have no riparian cover and temperatures could become elevated. 

The reason I reject these hypothesis is because these issues are present in almost every stream I have encountered and it doesn't limit fish as much as it does in this stream.

The return is low. Even if smoltification failed and every cohort was killed as the result of one of these three reasons then strays would recolonize the stream, but they don't to the degree they need to in order to sustain a viable population.

I have a second hypothesis, one that runs deeper and faster to the point. A hypothesis I, as a restoration biologist, avoid like a plague-ridden alley because it is too sad for me to comprehend.

The oceans are dying. This hypothesis is supported by a great deal of evidence (mostly through process of elimination). If the dams along the Columbia were the limiting factor then we would see more salmon in coastal streams where passage is not barred. If heat were the limiting factor the same would be true. If habitat complexity was the limiting factor then the restoration work which has occurred over the past twenty to thirty years or so would make such a difference that we could see a correlation between our work and salmon populations.

While dams definitely cause direct and indirect mortality, as does temperature and habitat simplification, the adult returns are almost always dependent on 'a good ocean year'. What does that mean? A good ocean year refers to ideal temperatures, currents, food, and limited take from all predators including humans.

There is more evidence that our dying oceans are the primary limitation to salmon populations; the pH is changing, the currents are changing, the temperature swings are increasing, the freshwater inputs are increasing, the food web is shifting. These are preventing our freshwater restoration work from being as effective as it can be. We can keep the young ones alive but we can't do anything to increase their adult survival once they hit the salt water.

I would call myself crazy, if it wasn't just salmon. Then there is the coral, the turtles, the whales, the multitude of tiny fishes, and a host of other creatures I can't name, all dying at faster-than-historical rates.

What can one do? I don't know.

Trying the Hello Bar

Sorry if this doesn't work, still getting the bugs out, the bar at the top of the page should take you there. Neat gadget, I will change periodically.

North Coast Land Conservancy Series

In between gusts or rain and wind the first signs of spring are beginning to show: willows are starting to bud up and bright yellow skunk cabbage blooms are pushing their way up through the soil. We're all looking forward to watching spring slowly unfold on Oregon's beautiful North Coast! This month we have some great opportunities for you to become inspired by the natural world around you. Join us for Listening to the Land and Saturday Morning Stewardship as we explore the beauty and regenerative power found in the wetlands. Listening to the Land Wetlands: A Documentary about Art and Ecology Wednesday March 16, 7:00-9:00 PM, Seaside Public Library with filmmaker Carl Vandervoort and artist Deborah DeWit Documentary filmmaker Carl Vandervoort and Oregon artist Deborah DeWit collaborated on this 1-hour film that follows the artist for a year both in her studio and on the adjacent land that has provided her inspiration and subject matter for over a decade: a former dairy farm surrounded by suburbia, slowly undergoing wildlife habitat restoration. The film juxtaposes DeWit's feelings of responsibility as an artist to use her creativity to explore truths of the natural experience with the voices of environmental activists, citizens and restoration workers, all of whom address the theme of the value of encountering, preserving and enlarging the "wild" world. A question and answer session with both artist and filmmaker will take place after the screening. For more information on Wetlands: A Documentary about Art and Ecology, visit www.wetlandsdocumentary.com. Listening to the Land is a winter natural history lecture series co-sponsored by the Necanicum Watershed Council. For more information on this and other Listening to the Land programs, please visit our website atwww.nclctrust.org, or contact NCLC Development Director Teresa Retzlaff at (503) 738-9126 orteresar@nclctrust.org. Saturday Morning Stewardship: Stewardship at Fishers Point Wetland Saturday March 26, 10:00 am-1:00pm (meet at Wheeler Train Station at 9:45) Participate in the stewardship of a beautiful coastal wetland by joining North Coast Land Conservancy for this month's Saturday Morning Stewardship event. Work will take place at NCLC's Fishers Point property near Wheeler, and offers a rare chance to visit this wetland marsh at the edge of Nehalem Bay. We'll be picking up trash and debris littering this sensitive habitat, so bring waterproof rubber boots, gloves, rain gear, water and a lunch to enjoy in this beautiful setting. We'll need lots of volunteers to make this effort possible, so please join us in the fun! We will meet at the Wheeler Train Station at 9:45 am and carpool to Fishers Point. For more information, contact Celeste Coulter, North Coast Land Conservancy Stewardship Director at (503) 738-9126 or celestec@nclctrust.org. Thanks for your interest. See you outside!

North Coast Land Conservancy is supported in large part by donations from people like you. Please consider supporting us!

Food, Farming, and Science

I read an interesting blog post by Mark Bittman of the NY Times. It didn't contain any information that was new to me. As a scientist working on environmental issues and as a person passionate about food, the post touched on topics near and dear to me. My interest wasn't piqued by the topic but rather by the response. Never have I read a more polarizing non-discussion. They ran from inflammatory to choiresque but the choicest of them told him to mind his own business and leave science to the scientists and farming to the farmers. As a scientist working on sustainable farming issues I felt like I could say something in his defense but they I realized there wasn't much of a point. When does an angry farmer or an irate hippie ever listen? Certainly not to the rational voice among three hundred other rational voices on a NY Times blog. Letting it lie, I will encourage you to read the article on your own, especially the 250+ comments.

California Fish Die-off

Contrary to the original story, the million + dead sardines in California did not die due to the weather but rather from being forced into a harbor while under the influence of domoic acid. The harbor was warmer than their habitat, warmer water has less dissolved oxygen and they suffocated. Domoic acid, a powerful neurotoxin, had accumulated in the fish. Researchers believe that this could have caused them to become disoriented and swarm to King's Harbor, they also are looking into the possibility of oxygen deprived sea-water. What was domoic acid doing in the ocean? It is often the byproduct of algae blooms (sometimes red-tide), a toxic algal bloom did occur 12 miles south at Redondo beach. Changing ocean conditions often bring on these blooms. Unseasonably warm water, nutrient run-off, plankton die-off, and many other things can cause algal blooms. 

Japan Earthquake

I don't feel right saying much about these disasters. I feel saying anything trivializes it. There is a constant stream of chatter and discourse already being had, my voice doesn't need to be added to the mix. I will say though, like many in the US, I have both friends and family in Japan. My cousin and my very close friends brother and his wife live there, in Tokyo.

Although they are well (I haven't heard about my cousin yet) it doesn't change the gravity. There are entire villages missing. I won't take up this space to argue against nuclear power, that isn't what we should be doing right now. We should do as much as we can, emotionally, financially, or otherwise to help the devastated communities.

I can't say I hope because that feels too small. I do pray for the best but at this point what will one prayer do except make me feel slightly better? I can ask for guidance but in the end we have only our selves and our individual faith, whatever that may be, in God, Allah, the Divine, the infinite, or in nothing. This puts the world into perspective. What seems so large one day that it drives every action is washed away the next so that you can't even remember why it was important.

Final note, an earthquake this large can change the tilt of Earth's axis. We have lost a little time. These events happen daily, sometimes large, sometimes small, sometimes devastating. Can you remember the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami a few years ago? Chances are if you weren't there or didn't know someone effected you have already replaced that disaster with the next. What about the Pakistan flooding? There are thousands of daily disasters, sometimes so small that they only touch one person, and we forget. The most recent awful fills our minds and yesterdays tragedy is lost to time. People are resilient but with peace we can be strong. When we spend our lives fighting each other we can't ever be prepared, mentally, emotionally, financially, physically, to deal with something of this nature. Be kind and compassionate, a loving hand goes a long way to someone in distress.

Assume the Worst

If you are aware of global events then you are up to date on China and human rights issues. Having been banned from the Chinese microblogging site Sina (am still trying to get back on it) and a regular new reader of Boxun at Blogger I can say that the Chinese government definitely doesn't want you saying that they stole Tibet from its people (clearly it is more complex than that with a long history of the Chinese borders growing and contracting, but this instance I stand by what I say, they stole it much in the same way we stole lands from the Native Peoples of America). They don't want you to stage protests, they have even gone so far as to tell University students to alter their out-door game playing routine so it doesn't look like they are gathering to speak! With March Madness upon us, I can only imagine a university here trying that, it sounds like something out of Harry Potter 5, "okay, you can play basketball but only the five players that are on the court can be allowed in the stadium, they others have to rotate in from a second building and they aren't allowed to speak to the starting 5."

What would the Wisconsin protests look like in Beijing? They are in a public building, could that even happen in China?

I think that like most countries the people of China are very much like the people of the US. We want personal peace, prosperity, family wellness, and a variety of gadgets. We don't want our gadgets to be made by slaves or come at the cost of a beautiful waterfall or forest. The difference is the fear. The Chinese government postures this ultra-control when it is clear that they are desperate to maintain their power. Every action they take spills out fear. It is clear that they are afraid of losing their control, of change brought on peacefully and democratically where all people have the right to speak, not just the right people.

I believe that the global community will get there. Taking Qaddafi as an example, he is widely regarded as a crazy joke rather than the unflappable leader he once was considered. Look at Al Qaeda, this group has not been able to accomplish with all the weapons and posturing in so many years what took a relatively small group of people a matter of weeks to do just through speaking and standing in place.

So when China closes down even more they are forgetting that we already know what they are doing. We are already familiar with their oppression, they have not forgotten the Tiananmen Square protests and neither has the world. We know what they are doing and if we can't see it for our own eyes through the work of global independent journalists than we will assume the worst.