UERC 2022 Program
Monday, March 7th, 2022
1:00 - 1:15 PM | Welcome & Introduction
Emcee: Olyssa Starry | Portland State University
1:15 - 2:00 PM | Keynote - Portland: Explorations on the Green Edge
Alan Yeakley, PhD | Professor and Chair, Department of Geography & Environmental Systems, University Of Maryland Baltimore County
2:00 - 2:20 PM | Break
2:20 - 3:10 PM | Equity & Human Dimensions
Moderator: Aaron Ramirez | Assistant Professor of Biology & Environmental Studies, Reed College
2:20 - 2:30 PM | Restoration of School Campuses - A Piece to the Urban Climate Challenge
Jane Tesner Kleiner | Landscape Architect, Ecologist and Environmental Educator, nature+play designs
2:30 - 2:40 PM | Engaging the Houseless Community in Tree Planting and Maintenance
Matt Krueger | City of Portland
Barbie Weber | Ground Score Association
2:40 - 2:50 PM | Pursuing Equitable Urban Tree Canopy Coverage in Vancouver, WA
Adela Miller | Americorps Public Spaces Steward, City of Vancouver Urban Forestry
2:50 - 3:00 PM | Mutually Beneficial Collaborations Between Residential Conservation Programs and Academic Researchers: Lessons from St. Louis
Nina Fogel | PhD Candidate, Saint Louis University
3:00 - 3:10 PM | Q&A
3:10 - 3:30 PM | Break
3:30 - 4:20 PM | Wildlife
Moderator: Joe Liebezeit | Staff Scientist & Avian Conservation Manager, Portland Audubon
3:30 - 3:40 PM | Lamprey and Boney Fish Salvage During Restoration at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Joe Skalicky | Fish & Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office
3:40 - 3:50 PM | Predicting Mesopredator Interactions in the Portland Metropolitan Area
Hunter Storm | Project Coordinator, Urban Wildlife Information Network, Portland
3:50 - 4:00 PM | Ecoroof Bio-Diversity in Residential Neighborhoods
Tom Liptan | Ecoroof Researcher
4:00 - 4:10 PM | Whitaker Ponds Wild! A High School Interdisciplinary Urban Wildlife Ecology Project
Joe Ferguson | Alliance High School
4:10 - 4:20 PM | Q&A
4:20 - 4:30 PM | Wrap Up
Tuesday, March 8th, 2022
9:00 - 9:05 AM | Welcome, Announcements & Introduction
Amy Chomowicz | City of Portland
9:05 - 9:50 AM | Keynote - Curating Settler Colonialism in The Wapato Valley of Oregon
David G. Lewis, PhD | Associate Professor of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies, Oregon State University
9:50 - 10:10 AM | Break
10:10 - 11:00 AM | Climate & Ecosystem Services
Moderator: Brendan White | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
10:10 - 10:20 AM | Predicting Urban Air Temperatures Using Land Cover Type and Satellite Observations of Surface Temperatures
Garett Pignotti | Washington State University
10:20 - 10:30 AM | Quantifying Ecosystem Services Using i-Tree Eco Model Within Urban Forests Provides Educational Opportunities for Students
Amy Johnson | Portland Community College
Jacob Swanson | Portland Community College
10:30 - 10:40 AM | Improving Climate Resiliency and Management Practices in Conservation Planning by Developing a ‘Climate Lens’ at West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Emma Russell | Undergraduate Researcher, Portland State University
10:40 - 10:50 AM | Carbon Sequestration Potential After Riparian Restoration—A Baseline Study of Carbon Stocks and Mycorrhizal Communities
Guenevere DiGioia | MS graduate in Sustainable Forest Management, Oregon State University
10:50 - 11:00 AM | Q&A
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Poster Session
12:00 - 12:50 PM | Habitat
Moderator: Lindsey Wise | Biodiversity Data Manager, Institute for Natural Resources
12:00 - 12:10 PM | Quantifying Impacts to Water Quality from the Introduction of an Invasive Wood-boring Insect
Dominic Maze | Biologist, Environmental Regulatory Coordinator, City of Portland Environmental Services
12:10 - 12:20 PM | Metro’s Bond Refinement: Identifying Acquisition Priorities in the Urban Target Area
Lori Hennings | Senior Natural Resource Scientist, Conservation Program, Parks and Nature Department, Metro
12:20 - 12:30 PM | Spatial and Seasonal Variations of Microplastic Concentrations in Portland’s Freshwater Ecosystems
Rebecca Talbot | Portland State University
12:30 - 12:40 PM | Whitaker Ponds Natural Area Remediation Project: A Brilliant Example of Successful Partnership, Communication and Realization of Goals
Laura Guderyahn | Portland Parks and Recreation
12:40 - 12:50 PM | Q&A
12:50 - 1:00 PM | Closing Remarks and Poster Awards
Lori Hennings | Senior Natural Resource Scientist, Conservation Program, Parks and Nature Department, Metro
2:30 - 3:30 PM | Tours
Tour - Who Builds it Best? Engineers vs. Beavers in a Constructed Wetland
Led by Katie Holzer | City of Gresham
Visit a large constructed stormwater treatment wetland in Gresham with resident beaver families. Check out water quality data, habitat, and beaver coexistence devices.
Tour - Beaver and Human interactions in a Suburban Stream
Led by Heejun Chang | Portland State University
Visit a range of nature-based storm infrastructure facilities with beaver dams in suburban residential areas in west Portland. How suburban development, beaver dams, and other storm facilities affect flow and water quality data.
Tour - Shwakuk Wetlands - A Community-Led First Foods Project
Led by:
Serina Fast Horse | Kimimela Consulting
Toby Query | Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
Julie Matney | Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
Jennifer Devlin | Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
Visit a 5 acre wetland in the Columbia neighborhood where a former pumpkin patch has been transformed into a community imagined space where Indigenous Traditional and Ecological Knowledge is being uplifted and reimagined for our current context.
Tour - Harborton Habitat Restoration Site
Led by Colin McLaren | PGE
In 2020 PGE restored several acres of Willamette River floodplain habitat at their Harborton site by removing dredge spoils placed on site in the early and mid-20th Century and introducing native plants and habitat structures. Harborton supports a regionally significant northern red-legged frog breeding site, which informed and influenced restoration design. Site monitoring in 2021 documented over 120 plant species, 43 bird species, deer, elk, coyote, and wild juvenile Chinook and coho salmon.
Tour - Linnton Mill Restoration Site
Led by Kari Dupler | RestorCap
The site is located along the Willamette River in the Linnton neighborhood. The restoration included removal of hundreds of pilings, old buildings, and fill materials to create off-channel habitat for juvenile salmonids. The site also includes habitat structures for other species including mink, bald eagle, osprey, and other wildlife in the area. The work was completed in 2019 and RestorCap is currently monitoring and managing the site.
