Coastal Oregon. The Pacific Lamprey RMU in this region is at relatively lower risk than those of the Columbia River basin. The most serious threat in this region is stream and floodplain degradation. California - Conservation planning has been initiated in California using similar methods employed in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Preliminary results indicate the majority of the Pacific Lamprey RMU is at relatively high risk in the California region (Xxxxxx et al. 2011). The threats identified most often in the California region include stream and floodplain degradation, degraded water quality, dewatering and reduced stream flows, and restricted tributary passage.
Coastal Oregon. The Oregon coastal zone includes an ecologically complex fusion of watersheds, estuaries, and the nearshore region of the Pacific Ocean that is intermingled with the urban environment of numerous small coastal communities. Extensive stretches of xxxxx beaches are punctuated by rugged mountainous capes and rocky headlands, and the shoreline and nearshore marine environment is characterized by a series of littoral circulation cells. The Oregon coastline includes 19 state parks that provide long-term protection and access to the shoreline habitats. In addition, the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge provides protected status to 1,853 offshore rocks and islands (including Orford Reef, Rogue Reef, and Xxxx Reef) that span 320 miles of the Oregon coastline. Major undersea banks (i.e., Heceta, Stonewall, Nehalem) and submarine canyons occur along the continental shelf, and the marine environment is inhabited by myriad marine organisms including diverse communities of algae, invertebrates, fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals. The Oregon R-IEA will develop and test an integrated ecosystem-based approach to improved understanding, problem solving, and management of resource issues within linked watershed, estuary, and ocean ecosystems. The primary focus of the Oregon R-IEA is to establish a conceptual framework and comprehensive synthesis of the scientific information and management planning work conducted within the diverse components of Oregon’s outer-coast land-margin ecosystems. Successful implementation of the pilot project will demonstrate the material and energy transfer links between the terrestrial, marine, and urban elements of the coastal landscape, and document the ecosystem functions and services that are provided to coastal residents. The pilot project will focus on concurrent and complementary development of the conceptual framework for R-IEAs and EBM approaches along the Oregon coast, and will likely address ongoing management issues and emerging conflicts over use of the nearshore marine zone for commercial and recreational fishing, designation of marine protected areas, wave energy and mariculture. In addition, the Oregon R-IEA will also address the responses of coastal and nearshore habitats to climate change, coastal erosion, spread of non-indigenous species, and efforts to develop responsible fishery harvests and sustainable coastal communities. Ecosystem-based management approaches currently under development in Yaquina Bay, Coos Bay, or ...
