Our mission is to conserve native species and habitats through
restoration, research and education.
"Nobody can enjoy unless we all enjoy, truly enjoy." — Maya Angelou
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Black Lives Matter
The Institute for Applied Ecology stands against racism The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, and the ongoing violence and oppression endured by communities of color have caused terrible hurt and triggered ever louder, rightful demands for change. Racism, prejudice, and mistreatment of people of color have no place in a peaceful society and yet are still woven into our institutions.
Environmental conservation and racism are intersecting issues. The colonizing attitudes and behaviors that have damaged the earth are mirrored in our society’s racism, and the toll of environmental damage is most heavily exacted on marginalized peoples. The effort to save our natural world and the fight to address climate change must join in support of Black Lives Matter to sow love and reconciliation.
Our field of natural resource conservation is dominated by white faces and perspectives. We must educate ourselves on these topics, work towards increasing diversity, and demand changes from our own organizations and those with which we interact. Environmental conservation requires environmental justice.
We have work to do. IAE has joined forces with other environmental nonprofits and agencies to promote equity, diversity and inclusion in our organizations individually and collectively.
At IAE, we seek systemic changes in ourselves, our organization, and our community. We are learning to interrupt racist behavior, restructure power, and end privilege.
Many of us want immediate change and greater accountability from ourselves, our leaders, our society, and those who are sworn to protect us. We’re marching, listening and speaking out. And we want to hear from you about how we can be better allies. We know we will make mistakes but we will not remain silent.
I wish you all the best in this difficult and transformative time. I'm confident that we stand together in support of positive change.
Sincerely,
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Tom Kaye, Executive Director
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A New Partnership for Native Seed on the Oregon Coast
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Beyond the craggy cliffs and crashing waves, the Oregon coast is host to a diverse array of habitats that support unique flora and fauna. However, these coastal ecosystems are among the most rare and impacted ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. As a result, threatened species like the Oregon silverspot butterfly (
Speyeria zerene hippolyta
), Coho salmon (
Oncorhynchus kisutch
), western snowy plover (
Charadrius nivosus nivosus
), and other plant and animal species that make their home here are greatly imperiled.
Read More
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Bee Sticks in the Name of Conservation
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By
Matt Bahm
,
Steve Walters, David Cappaert, Lauren Merrill, and Annie Joliff
Willamette daisy (
Erigeron decumbens
) was once found throughout the Willamette Valley in northwestern Oregon, but is now restricted to only a few scattered remnant populations. Conservation efforts have increased the amount of Willamette daisy on the landscape, but there is still much to learn to continue to improve restoration efforts. One of the issues facing the species is low seed production in populations, likely caused from the decrease in size and isolation of remaining populations. IAE has partnered with the Army Corps of Engineers, Eugene District to determine if crossing different populations of Willamette daisy will increase the amount of viable seed produced.
Read More
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IAE Celebrates the Seeds of Success Program’s 20
th
Birthday
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On May 8th, 2020, the Seeds of Success program turned 20 years old. Seeds of Success (SOS) is a national initiative led by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to collect wild native seed for research, native plant materials development, restoration, and germplasm conservation. SOS collections are the first step in making native plant materials available on a scale that can meet the BLM’s restoration needs.
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What's Blooming Now? Checker-mallows!
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If you rode your horse or walked through western Oregon grasslands on a late May day 200 years ago, chances are you would have seen checker-mallows aplenty among the many wildflowers. Today these grasslands are few and far between, but in some habitat remnants checker-mallows still make a showy spring bloom.
Read More
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Natural Areas Association Webinar: Unlocking Boundaries, 6/23/20
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Unlocking Boundaries: Propagating Native Plants with Incarcerated Populations.
Register today for a free, live Natural Areas Association webinar with IAE Ecological Education Program Director
Stacy Moore
and Education Coordinator
Tyler Knapp
, 9 am PDT (noon-1pm EDT), June 23.
This webinar is free and open to the public, but you must
Register Here first
.
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Staff Spotlight: Raina Pedraza
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Could there be a crazier time to start a new job?
Raina Pedraza
started her position as IAE Accounting Assistant less than a month before the pandemic lockdown closed our physical office indefinitely, and most employees began working remotely. Yet, Raina took it all in stride. Not only did she take on her brand new duties with ease and professionalism, she quickly began to help IAE adapt our accounting processes to the new remote work environment. Raina received her B.S. in Business from Western Oregon University, specializing in Finance and Accounting. Previously she worked as a non-profit accountant for the Western Oregon University Foundation. She has always been passionate about environmental protection, and loves that her position at IAE allows her to pursue this passion while using her accounting and finance skills. In her free time, Raina loves to spend time with her husband and their two cats. She loves to cook, read, and listen to true crime podcasts.
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Invasive Species Cook-off
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Sadly, this year's Invasive Species Cook-off in-person event is cancelled. However, please stay tuned, we are planning new opportunities for you to learn about and celebrate the eradication of invasive species from the comfort of your own backyard! We hope you will join us.
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Fender's blue butterfly update
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It is June! Our local favorite, the endangered Fender's blue butterfly, is just finishing up its flight period on the lower elevation portion of its range in Oregon's Willamette Valley, and is approaching peak flight in its slightly higher elevation sites on the rim of the foothills. The often cool, cloudy and rainy conditions this spring have proven challenging, but our dynamic team of solo surveyors, including contractors and IAE staff, have prevailed in collecting the monitoring data we need to track Fender's blue's annual progress towards recovery and response to habitat restoration. Stay tuned for a blog later this summer with a preview of survey results. Photo credit: Riley Duncan, IAE Contractor.
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The Estuary Technical Group was recently in the field at Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Coos County, Oregon, monitoring the effectiveness of the tidal wetland restoration nine years after the dikes were breached. Native plant communities, like these meadows of Lyngbye's sedge (
Carex lyngbyei
), are becoming widespread at the site, along with their inhabitants like the marsh wren (
Cistothorus palustris
).
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Staff from IAE's Ecological Education Program recently helped Peter Moore plant 500 Kincaid's lupine at Herbert Farm and Natural Area (City of Corvallis, Oregon). IAE has been gradually augmenting the small natural populations of this threatened plant, and expanding into newly restored upland habitats. The plants were grown by IAE's Plant Materials Program specifically for Herbert Farm with funding from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program. At right is IAE Ecological Education Coordinator
Dionné Mejía
.
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IAE Board of Directors:
Ken Bierly, President; Cary Stephens, Vice President; Laurie Halsey, Treasurer; Deborah Clark, Secretary; Jason Bradford, Anne Bradley, Mak Estill, Brandy Humphreys, Debbie Johnson, Shinji Kawai, Carol Savonen, Sunia Yang
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