Community Presentations
On the first Thursday of every month, the MidCoast Watersheds Council hosts guest speakers at our community meetings. Below are the past presentations that have been shared with us. To see who will be speaking at our next meeting, be sure to check our News & Events page.
october 2019
Using bioblitzes to better understand our world: Ian Throckmorton
A BioBlitz is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Conducted by groups of scientists, naturalists, and volunteers, these events are an increasingly powerful way to establish a baseline and conduct ecological monitoring that may otherwise not be feasible. It is also an opportunity for local people to learn more about the life around them from professionals. Ian Throckmorton’s presentation walked our audience through how the application iNaturalist is becoming an integral part of BioBlitzes on the Central Coast, and how one may use the app in conjunction or separate from a formal BioBlitz event. To view his slides, click on the presentation title above for a link to a PDF document
September 2019
DEVELOPING A DISSOLVED OXYGEN TMDL FOR THE SILETZ RIVER: Ryan Shojinaga
At the fall quarterly meeting of the Siletz Watershed Council, Ryan Shojinaga discussed the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) work to develop a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Siletz River. The goal of this process is to determine the causes of the dissolved oxygen impairment and identify the maximum allowable pollutant loads in order to attain the dissolved oxygen standards. To view his slides, click on the presentation title above for a link to a PDF document. In addition, you may also view the full Analysis of Dissolved Oxygen Dynamics on the Siletz River, referenced in Ryan’s presentation, by clicking here.
Celebrating 20 Years of Ocean Study: Heather Fulton-Bennett
From sea star wasting disease to ocean acidification, our coastal ecosystems are changing in ways that may test their resilience. While understanding these changes and their impacts can be daunting to study, long-term monitoring and research can provide information that can help us decide on appropriate management steps. The Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) has been doing such monitoring on the west coast for two decades. Now celebrating its 20th year, this collaboration between four west coast universities and partners including local, state, and federal agencies, and local community members helps us better understand our coastal oceans. PISCO’s Heather Fulton-Bennett highlighted some of the results of this work in her slides below.
august 2019
Habitat Restoration Work: Evan hayduk
Restoration work is at times as much of an art as it is a science, and is never finished until natural processes are restored. Culvert replacements, large wood placements, dike removal, invasive species management, and riparian planting and fencing are all parts of the suite of actions the MidCoast Watersheds Council and partners take on the ground to restore habitat and watershed scale processes, supporting salmon and everything else that depend on them. It takes understanding site characteristics and working in partnership with the landwoners, other organizations, and agencies to determine the right actions for any particular project and to see these tasks through. Years after these exciting projects wrap up, MCWC continues monitoring them to ensure that the actions taken are working to achieve the desired goals. Evan’s presentation shed light on the benefits expected or seen from various restoration projects, illustrating before and after conditions on the ground.
june 2019
monitoring oregon’s coastal salmon populations: Mike Lance & Erik suring
At the summer quarterly meeting of the Siletz Watershed Council, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Mike Lance and Erik Suring discussed where and how the Salmonid Life Cycle Monitoring Project studies coho populations, general trends in their status, results of monitoring efforts in the Mill Creek watershed near Logsden, and how all this information is used by managers and collaborators to help protect these important fisheries while providing opportunities for responsible use.
c2c trail: Jim golden
Jim took us on a virtual tour of the entire route, from the bike paths and country road sections on the Valley side, to the actively managed forest lands and old growth reserves within the Coast Range, before the ultimate end on the sandy shores of Ona Beach in Brian Booth State Park. The east half of the route was opened in 2016. Just 6 miles of trail is left to complete the western half of the route, and is C2C is always looking for volunteers to help in these and maintenance efforts. You can learn more at: http://www.c2ctrail.org/
May 2019
Integrated stormwater management: Mike Broili
Over the past 150 years, most development has occurred without consideration of the impacts to the natural systems that sustain us. In the face of present day environmental issues coupled with the expected population growth in this region, we must collectively rethink how we develop our built environments and the impacts they have on hydrology and other supporting natural systems. Mike’s presentation described the techniques and tools used in restoring site hydrology in the built environment
Click on the title above to view the presentation.
april 2019
Ocean acidification and hypoxia: Caren Braby
Since the early 2000s, low-oxygen—or hypoxia—has been observed in Oregon’s coastal waters. In 2006, Oregon was one of the first places in the world to observe the direct impacts of ocean acidification. Since then, both ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH) events are intensifying. There are now signs that these events are undermining the rich food webs of Oregon’s ocean and estuarine ecosystems, putting iconic fisheries and coastal communities that depend on them at risk. Caren’s presentation helped us understand the science behind OAH events, as well as what the state of Oregon is doing to achieve economic and ecosystem resilience in the face of them.
Click on the title above to view her presentation.
march 2019
Mid-coast fish district fisheries, stock status, and restoration: Paul Olmstead
At the Quarterly Meeting of the Siletz Watershed Council, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Mid-Coast Assistant District Biologist presented us with an overview of fall Chinook, coho, and steelhead fisheries and stock status, as well as an update on the restoration work ODFW is currently undergoing in the Siletz Basin and the projects they’ll begin there this summer.
Click on the title above to view his presentation.
Wave energy on the oregon coast: Burke Hales
Sources of renewable energy to complement existing solar and wind are needed to help Oregon reduce its contribution to climate change. Burke shared with us information on how wave energy can fill this niche, and the development of Oregon State University’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences’ wave test facility: PacWave.
Click on the title above to view his presentation.
February 2019
Twenty Years of Monitoring Stream Habitat and Salmon: Mark Stone
When you work as a Biosurveyor in Oregon’s Central Coast for over two decades, you are bound to see some beautiful places and meet some interesting faces along the way. Mark’s presentation was filled with some of his favorite photos and lively stories, reminding us that we are lucky to live and work in this region.
January 2019
orcas of the oregon coast: Colleen weiler
Did you know that orca whales follow a matrilineal social structure? That the endangered Southern Residents frequent the Oregon Coast? Or that restoring natural conditions to aquatic environments on land can help rebuild the salmon populations necessary for their survival? Colleen walked an eager crowd through all this and more.
Click on the title above to view her presentation.
2015
Predation on trout: implications for restoration. Brooke Penaluna. USFS.
Native Freshwater Mussels of the Pacific Northwest: Lifestyles of the benthic and sedentary. Shelly Miller. Pacific Northwest Freshwater Mussel Workgroup.