Digital Commons Network^™

Nest Preferences Of Solitary Cavity Nesting Bees In Portland, Or, Stefanie Steele

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Native bees are threatened by habitat loss through urbanization, however there is increasing interest in creating bee nesting habitat in urban areas. Although about a third of our native bees use cavity nests, few studies have examined the role of nest height or cavity size in attracting our lesser known native cavity-nesting bees, or even determined what species are present in the region. To determine what species were present, and whether they showed preferences for nesting at a certain height or cavity diameter, we set up artificial wooden cavity nest blocks across fourteen locations in the greater Portland, OR area. …

Wildlife Cameras On College Campus Provide Community Engagement And Research Opportunities, Valance Brenneis, Lisa Freeman, Michelle Hesek, Rodé Krige, John Pettitt

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Wildlife cameras have been used to document animal diversity in the Rock Creek Environmental Studies Center (RCESC) on the Portland Community College (PCC) Rock Creek campus for the last five years (2016 – 2020). The RCESC is a 110-acre natural area composed of upland coniferous forest, wetlands, and oak woodland habitat located on the western edge of the Urban Growth Boundary and connected with the Tualatin Mountains via Rock Creek. This area is managed to provide wildlife habitat, floodplain function, and experiential learning for students and the broader community. In 2017, a wetland enhancement project was initiated in partnership with …

A Successful Monitoring And Mitigation Project To Address Bird Window Collisions At The City Of Portland’S Columbia Building, 2015-2019, Mary Coolidge, David Helzer, Jade Ujcic-Ashcroft

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Avian window collisions kill an estimated 365-988 million birds each year in North America. This places collisions among the top three anthropogenic sources of mortality for wild bird populations, after habitat destruction and free roaming cats. A 2019 study indicates a nearly 30% decline in North American bird populations since 1970. Community science monitoring from 2009-2011 documented 69 species of warblers, thrushes, sparrows, hummingbirds, flycatchers, woodpeckers, and hawks that collided with buildings in Portland. Nationwide research shows that over half of all collisions occur at low rise commercial buildings, and that most collisions occur within the first 40-60 feet of …

Estimating Federal Agents’ Deployment Of Lethal Zinc Chloride Gas In Portland Or Using A Bayesian Hierarchical Model, Juniper Simonis

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Law enforcement’s use of chemical weapons is a threat to human and environmental health, exemplified during 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, OR, where city, county, state, and federal agencies have deployed various chemicals for over 100 days. In July, US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents used an exceptionally toxic and unknown weapon to quell free speech in support of Black lives and against federal presence. With significant support from the community, I combined first-hand accounts, print media, videos and photos of munitions, primary literature, and analytical chemistry to identify the weapon as gaseous Zinc Chloride (ZnCl_{2 …}

Trail Impact Monitoring In Forest Park, James Mitchell

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Forest Park is an appropriately named 5,200-acre natural area located in northwest Portland, Oregon. A recent study estimated park usage near half a million annual visits and found “trails” to be the park’s most highly valued feature. Unfortunately, many trails were not designed for such traffic as evidenced by slipping hazards, erosion and other ecological impacts. In response to these observations, I partnered with Portland Parks & Recreation to conduct an objective trail impact assessment prescribed by the Forest Park Natural Resource Management Plan (NRMP). I modified methods from past studies to expand on a recently completed trail condition class …

Gardener Perceptions Of Native Pollinator Plants, Aaron G. Anderson, Isabella Messer, Gail A. Langellotto

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Native plantings are used in urban areas to improve pollinator habitat. To achieve wide adoption, these plant choices must be attractive to home gardeners as well as to pollinators. We distributed two surveys to identify native Willamette Valley pollinator plants that are aesthetically pleasing to home gardeners. The first survey sought to ascertain baseline attractiveness, and asked gardeners to rank the attractiveness of 23 wildflowers on a 1-5 Likert scale. In second survey, we were interested in how sharing information on the benefits of these plants impacts perceived attractiveness. We asked gardeners to rate the attractiveness of a subset of …

Enhancing Grassland Habitat In The Middle Of The Columbia River, Matt Paroulek, Sarah Wilson

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

The Port of Portland initiated a 50-acre grassland enhancement project on Government Island in 2012 to mitigate for future impacts at properties adjacent to the Portland International Airport (PDX). One of the primary project objectives was to create a site that provides the habitat structure and function necessary to support grassland associated wildlife, particularly grassland birds and pollinators. Prior to implementation the site was highly degraded and dominated almost exclusively by pasture grass and non-native broadleaf species. The Port began site preparation in 2012 which included herbicide applications and mowing to achieve the bare ground necessary for seeding. In the …

Understory Species Increase Project: Evaluating Establishment From Seed, Erin M. Mcelroy

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Urban forest fragments are frequently managed with an aim to reduce invasive species and promote native species diversity. However, natural regeneration of native forest species, including herbaceous understory species that are especially sensitive to site conditions, is often lacking in these environments. Herbaceous understory species are important for nutrient dynamics in forests and they contain higher biodiversity than other forest strata. Many restoration projects implemented throughout the Willamette Valley in Oregon focus primarily on the establishment of the dominant woody species typical of a Pacific Northwest riparian forest. The lack of focus on the herbaceous understory species can be attributed …

Considerations When Mixing Source Populations For Plants In Restoration, Adrienne St. Clair

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

While it is commonly understood that diverse genetics in plant populations assist with ecological or species recovery, genetic theory is difficult to distill into concrete decisions for action. An approach called Regional Admixture Provenance mixes seeds from multiple populations within the same geographic region and has been suggested as one method for establishing genetically diverse populations. However, few studies have examined this technique empirically to see how established populations compare to source populations and target outcomes. We used neutral genetic markers to follow genetic diversity through the production of golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) for reintroduction. We tracked diversity …

Can Turtles And Humans Coexist? An Examination Of The Minimum Habitat Requirements Of Western Painted Turtles In Oregon, James P. Holley

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Abstract: Oregon’s native turtle species have undergone population declines over recent decades and are both listed as Sensitive-Critical in the Oregon Conservation Strategy. Exact causes of this decline are not known, but most hypotheses involve habitat loss as the primary cause. To better understand these region-wide declines, I performed local historic data, aquatic vegetation and complexity surveys, and two years (2019-2020) of turtle nesting surveys at sites distributed throughout the Lower Willamette Basin to determine minimum habitat requirements for a self-sustaining turtle population. Western painted turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) are the most common native turtle in this area. This study …

Tadpoles Survive Urban Pollutants And Cages To Show Conservation Value Of Altered Landscapes, Katie A. Holzer, Max Lambert, Lauren Chan, Marissa Eckman, Laura Guderyahn, Kelly Smalling

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Field surveys show that frogs and salamanders are attracted to urban stormwater ponds, but the relative survival of eggs and tadpoles in these ponds was unknown. This study is the first of its kind to conduct a field-based reciprocal transplant experiment to directly examine the effects of urban stormwater ponds on growth and survival of a sensitive species. We collected red-legged frog eggs from existing populations in Portland and Gresham and transplanted them to outdoor cages in various types of ponds throughout the area. We collected water quality data from each pond throughout the experiment and tracked the growth and …

Sensitive Amphibian Populations Persist Through Time Using Constructed Stormwater Ponds, Marissa Eckman

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Most of the natural ponds that amphibians need to survive in the Gresham area have historically been drained or filled in for agricultural or urban development. Newly constructed stormwater facilities have been attracting pond-breeding amphibians, but are these facilities good habitat or death traps? The City of Gresham re-surveyed ponds originally surveyed twelve years prior to see if frog populations are persisting in urban environments using constructed ponds. These surveys were performed using volunteers to increase levels of community engagement in the city. We found that all four native pond-breeding amphibians (Rana aurora, Pseudacris regilla, Ambystoma macrodactylum, Ambystoma gracile …

Survival And Growth Of Pacific Madrone Following Four Years Of Establishment Care, Lea Wilson

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

The Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii) presents a perplexing challenge for tree planting projects in urban areas of the Pacific Northwest. The charismatic evergreen is desirable for its environmental and aesthetic benefits and seeming tolerance of tough conditions. At the same time, survival of individual plants in planting projects is low. In January of 2017, we planted 144 Pacific madrone trees in Baltimore Woods, a restored urban natural area in North Portland. Plots were designed to test irrigation frequency, exposure to light, and size-at-planting on survival and growth. This work is intended to inform planting and establishment protocols that …

Oak Prairie Working Group Oak Prioritization Mapping, Nicole Ruggiero, Aiman Duckworth

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

The Intertwine Alliance Oak Prairie Working Group (OPWG), a partnership of more than 30 agency, nonprofit, and community groups, completed a working Strategic Action Plan (SAP) to guide our conservation outcomes for imperiled Oregon white oak ecosystems. The SAP outlines actions for advancing spatial data, land conservation, active stewardship, knowledge, and community education, engagement, and advocacy around oak and prairie conservation. This talk outlines the work that the Oak Prairie Working Group is doing with Biohabitats, Inc. to create a spatial prioritization of oak conservation opportunities across the Regional Conservation Strategy planning area (RCS). Identifying high value conservation opportunities in …

Restoring Habitat For Fish And Wildlife Injured By Contamination In The Portland Harbor Superfund Site, Lauren Senkyr

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

Habitat restoration in Portland Harbor is underway. This presentation will provide an overview of habitat restoration planning efforts led by NOAA and the Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council. The Trustee Council is made up of representatives from 5 Tribes and several state and federal agencies. Together these entities developed an ecological restoration plan to restore habitat for natural resources impacted by contamination from the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. The 11 mile stretch of the Willamette River that brings these entities together is listed as a Superfund Site due to high levels of multiple harmful pollutants. This same stretch of …

Collaborating With Indigenous Community To Restore Our Landscapes, Serina Fast Horse, Allison Rose

Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium of Portland/Vancouver

The City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services and Portland State University's Indigenous Nations Studies Department have formed a collaborative partnership for an innovative project that is reimagining best practices for habitat restoration and community engagement. The project is based on integrating Indigenous Traditional Ecological and Cultural Knowledge (ITECK) throughout the process of restoring a former pumpkin patch into a healthy first foods wetland habitat. Through relationship and trust building, this project has begun breaking ground to reveal the unique possibilities of meaningful engagement with Indigenous people for healing our landscapes, both environmental and social. After two years into the …

The Pacific Sentinel: March/April 2021, Mini Issue, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Vivian Veidt

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• Royalty Notwithstanding
• A Man, a Plan, and a Virus
• United We Stand?
• Dreamhouse and Other Horrors
• The Art of the Podcast

Theory(Ies) Of Culture And Compassion: Indian Writers Call Out Local And Global Politics Under The Pall Of Covid-19, Priya Kapoor

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Theory(ies) of culture and compassion: Indian writers call out local and global politics under the pall of Covid-19 This paper is a reading of essays by Indian writers who are writing in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic beginning with the first phase of the Lockdown initiated by Indian Prime Minister Modi in March 2020. Globally read writers, Arundhati Roy, Pankaj Mishra, Arjun Appadurai, Amitav Ghosh, and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen assess the state of affairs both domestically and globally in their respective essays. Empire, disease, neo-liberalism, democracy, poverty, climate change and migrant workers are the hot button issues on …

Using An Ethos Of Care To Bridge The Digital Divide: Exploring Faculty Narratives During A Global Pandemic, Kari Goin Kono, Sonja Taylor

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Prior to the COVID-19 emergency, some faculty resisted the move to digital learning formats due to concerns for student equity or that engagement would suffer. The purpose of this study was to understand how faculty adapted their courses during the rapid shift to remote and online learning in the spring of 2020, and to understand the role of equity in their experiences. Faculty narratives revealed that elements such as flexibility, reducing coursework to essential content, and personalization—all stemming from an ethos of care - were effective in mitigating the equity issues that surfaced during the emergency transition to universal remote …

Communities Of Place Vs Communities Of Interest In The United States: Citizen Information And Locally Unwanted Land Uses In Eia, Hal T. Nelson, Samantha Hass, Kirsten Sarle, Alex Renirie

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Highlights

• The distances from citizens' addresses to the project were geocoded.
• Citizen comments either contested knowledge in the EIA or provided missing information.
• Type of Community → Concern/Type of Information →Project Outcome
• Contested knowledge on the need for the project was important.
• Institutional preferences were important in explaining the outcomes.

Rethinking Streets For Physical Distancing, Marc Schlossberg, Rebecca Lewis, Aliza Whalen, Clare Haley, Danielle Lewis, Natalie Kataoka, John Larson-Friend

TREC Final Reports

This report summarizes the primary output of this project, a book of COVID-era street reconfiguration case studies called Rethinking Streets During COVID-19: An Evidence-Based Guide to 25 Quick Redesigns for Physical Distancing, Public Use, and Spatial Equity. COVID-era needs have accelerated the process that many communities use to make street transformations due to: a need to remain physically distanced from others outside our immediate household; a need for more outdoor space close to home in every part of every community to access and enjoy; a need for more space to provide efficient mobility for essential workers in particular; and a …

Evaluating A Commercially Available In-Duct Bipolar Ionization Device For Pollutant Removal And Potential Byproduct Formation, Yicheng Zeng, Prashik Manwatkar, Aurelie Laguerre, Marina Beke, Insung Kang, Akram S. Ali, Delphine K. Farmer, Elliott T. Gall, Mohammad Heidarinejad, Brent Stephens

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We conducted a series of experiments to evaluate the gas and particle removal effectiveness and potential for byproduct formation resulting from the operation of a commercially available in-duct bipolar ionization device. Laboratory tests were conducted with the ionizer installed in a small air handler serving a large semi-furnished chamber. Chamber experiments were conducted under (i) normal operating conditions to characterize the impact of the ionizer on concentrations of particles (0.01–10 μm), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and aldehydes, and (ii) particle injection and decay conditions to characterize the impact of the ionizer operation on particle loss …

Drinking To Cope In The Covid-19 Era: An Investigation Among College Students., Cynthia D. Mohr, Sheila K. Umemoto, Thomas W. Rounds, Philip Bouleh, Sarah N. Arpin

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in abrupt, drastic changes to daily life in many nations. Experiences within the United States have varied widely. In the State of Oregon in the early months of the pandemic protective protocols (e.g., social distancing) were comparatively high, resulting in concern for increases in loneliness and COVID-related stress. The present study of college students examined the indirect relationship of loneliness and other stressors to alcohol use, via drinking-to-cope motives.

An Ethic Of Care? Academic Administration And Pandemic Policy, Stephanie A. Bryson

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This reflexive essay examines the adoption of an intentional ‘ethic of care’ by social work administrators in a large social work school located in the Pacific Northwest. An ethic of care foregrounds networks of human interdependence that collapse the public/private divide. Moreover, rooted in the political theory of recognition, a care ethic responds to crisis by attending to individuals’ uniqueness and ‘whole particularity.’ Foremost, it rejects indifference. Through the personal recollections of one academic administrator, the impact of rejecting indifference in spring term 2020 is described. The essay concludes by linking the rejection of indifference to the national political landscape.

Navigating Fierce Love During The Pandemic: Reflections Of A Pinay Scholar Warrior, Alma M. O. Trinidad

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article presents reflections of a Pinay Scholar Warrior of Kapu Aloha and Mahalaya during the pandemic. Excerpts from her social media and reflections from her personal journal reveal the complexities of navigating fierce love in social work teaching and service. Issues related to facilitating critical analyses of social determinants of health, grief and loss, and rediscovering strengths and joys. Implications of women of color in the academy is alluded.

How Transitional, Restorative, And Transformative Justice Will Address Racial Injustice, Isabelle Garnand

University Honors Theses

Racism is still deeply embedded in the United States. Dominant white cultural narratives do not acknowledge African-Americans’ experiences, and previous methods of addressing it have not been sufficient. Through a literature review using PsychInfo, Google Scholar, and Google the author researched how transitional, restorative, and transformative justice have been used in the U.S. and other countries to establish what methods of each would be best adopted for the U.S. The author proposes change through addressing racism on the state and county level using these multiple levels of justice throughout the U.S. to create space to perpetuate conversations, actions, and beginning …

Experiences Of Shame, Exclusion, & Appropriation In Mindfulness-Based Wellness Culture, Charlotte Grace Starling

University Honors Theses

Yoga, meditation, and other mindfulness practices provide numerous benefits both physical and mental health to their practitioners. There is less research exploring the role mindfulness-based wellness programs and practices fit within the cultural environment of the United States and how the mindfulness movement influences wellness culture and practices. These practices and spaces have been accused of harming folks who don't fit the dominant social narrative of thin, white, upper-middle-class participants. This paper aims to explore how the United State’s commodification of mindfulness practices contributes to experiences of shame, exclusion, and appropriation in wellness culture. This is done by a literature …

Group Theory Visualized Through The Rubik's Cube, Ashlyn Okamoto

University Honors Theses

In my thesis, I describe the work done to implement several Group Theory concepts in the context of the Rubik’s cube. A simulation of the cube was constructed using Processing-Java and with help from a YouTube series done by TheCodingTrain. I reflect on the struggles and difficulties that came with creating this program along with the inspiration behind the project. The concepts that are currently implemented at this time are: Identity, Associativity, Order, and Inverses. The functionality of the cube is described as it moves like a regular cube but has extra keypresses that demonstrate the concepts listed. Each concept …

Remote Data Collection: How Broadband Connectivity Affected The Conversion Of Physical Performance Testing To The Remote Setting During Covid-19: A Research Assistant's Assessment, Ramyar Eslami

University Honors Theses

The GET FIT Prostate and Exercising Together trials conducted by Dr. Kerri Winters-Stone incorporate exercise intervention for cancer survivors during or after completing their therapy. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the laboratory assessment of both studies was conducted in-person. However, the transition to remote assessment was required due to the safety precautions of COVID-19. Protocol outcomes for administering tests like the short physical performance battery (sPPB), which includes the 4m usual walk (4MW; m/s), chair stands (CS; sec), and standing balance measurements, were completed via a video conferencing interface called Cisco Webex.

Transitioning to remote testing determined the validity of remote …

Combating Ecosystem Collapse From The Tropics To The Antarctic, Dana M. Bergstrom, Barbara C. Wienecke, John Van Den Hoff, Lesley Hughes, David B. Lindenmayer, Tracy D. Ainsworth, Christopher M. Baker, Lucie Bland, David M J S Bowman, Shaun T. Brooks, Josep G. Canadell, Andrew J. Constable, Katherine A. Dafforn, Michael H. Depledge, Catherine R. Dickson, Norman C. Duke, Kate J. Helmstedt, Andrés Holz

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Globally, collapse of ecosystems-potentially irreversible change to ecosystem structure, composition and function-imperils biodiversity, human health and well-being. We examine the current state and recent trajectories of 19 ecosystems, spanning 58° of latitude across 7.7 M km , from Australia's coral reefs to terrestrial Antarctica. Pressures from global climate change and regional human impacts, occurring as chronic 'presses' and/or acute 'pulses', drive ecosystem collapse. Ecosystem responses to 5-17 pressures were categorised as four collapse profiles-abrupt, smooth, stepped and fluctuating. The manifestation of widespread ecosystem collapse is a stark warning of the necessity to take action. We present a three-step assessment and …