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WWU Graduate School Collection

San Juan Islands

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Full-Text Articles in Environmental Studies

Was The Grass Always Greener? Mapping The Historical Extent Of Grassland Ecosystems In The San Juan Islands, Kailey Schillinger-Brokaw Jan 2023

Was The Grass Always Greener? Mapping The Historical Extent Of Grassland Ecosystems In The San Juan Islands, Kailey Schillinger-Brokaw

WWU Graduate School Collection

The San Juan Islands, an archipelago in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the Washington coast, are one of the few places native temperate grasslands are found in western Washington State. These ecosystems are important sources of biodiversity and support many rare and endemic species. In addition to their ecological importance, native temperate grasslands have profound cultural significance to the Coast Salish peoples who historically stewarded these landscapes using traditional land management practices-particularly fire-for the production of bulb crops such as common camas (Camassia quamash). Unfortunately, these ecologically and culturally valuable ecosystems have become rare, greatly impacted by the …


Investigating Perennial & Annual Eelgrass (Zostera Marina L.) In Padilla Bay As Potential Donor Sources For Seed-Based Restoration, Yuki Wilmerding Jan 2023

Investigating Perennial & Annual Eelgrass (Zostera Marina L.) In Padilla Bay As Potential Donor Sources For Seed-Based Restoration, Yuki Wilmerding

WWU Graduate School Collection

This paper explores recovery of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) meadows through seed-based restoration to address declines from natural and anthropogenic disturbances. The study focuses on the Joe Leary meadow site in Padilla Bay, Washington, aiming to (1) determine the spatial distribution of perennial and annual Z. marina, (2) understand variation in flowering shoot density and potential seed production, and (3) compare the phenology of flowering shoots. These objectives were investigated using field-based methods to collect presence/absence transect data for delineation, quadrat-based count data, and monitor seed development. Data collection occurred in the summer throughout the flowering life stage …