Precipitation changes and urban growth are two factors altering the state of water quality. Changes in precipitation will alter the amount and timing of flows, and the corresponding sediment and nutrient dynamics. Meanwhile, densification associated with urban growth will create more impervious surfaces which will alter sediment and nutrient loadings. Land and water managers often rely on models to develop possible future scenarios and devise management responses to these projected changes. We use the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to assess the sensitivities of stream flow, sediment, and nutrient loads in two urbanizing watersheds in Northwest Oregon, USA to various climate and urbanization scenarios. We evaluate the spatial patterns climate change and urban growth will have on water, sediment and nutrient yields. We also identify critical source areas (CSAs) and investigate how implementation of vegetative filter strips (VFS) could ameliorate the effects of these changes. Our findings suggest that: 1) Water yield is tightly coupled to precipitation. 2) Large increases in winter and spring precipitation provide enough sub-surface storage to increase summertime water yields despite a moderate decrease in summer precipitation. 3) Expansion of urban areas increases surface runoff and has mixed effects on sediment and nutrients. 4) Implementation of VFS reduces pollutant loads helping overall watershed health. This research demonstrates the usefulness of SWAT in facilitating informed land and water management decisions.

The Darlingtonia fens, found on serpentine soils in southern Oregon, are distinct communities that frequently undergo dramatic changes in size and shape in response to a wide array of environmental factors. Since few systems demonstrate a balance among high water tables, shallow soils, the presence of heavy metals, and limited nutrients, conservative efforts have been made to preserve them. This dissertation investigates the role of fire on nutrient cycling and succession in three separate fens, each a different time since fire. I specifically analyze the spatial distributions of soil properties, the physical and ecological characteristics of ecotones between Jeffrey pine savanna and Darlingtonia fens, and the vegetation structure of fire-disturbed systems. Soil, water, and vegetation sampling were conducted along an array of transects, oriented perpendicular to community boundaries and main environmental gradients, at each of the three fens. Abrupt changes in vegetation, across communities, were consistently identified at each of the three sites, although statistical analysis did not always identify distinct mid-canopy communities. Below-ground variables were likewise distinguished at the fen and savanna boundary for two of the three sites. At the third site, discontinuities did not align with the fen boundaries, but followed fluctuations in soil NH4. My results suggest that below-ground discontinuities may be more important than fire at preserving these uniquely-adapted systems, while vegetation undergoes postfire succession from fen to mid-canopy to savanna after approximately 100 years since fire. Although restoration of ecosystem structure and processes was not the primary focus of this study, my data suggest that time since fire may drive ecosystem processes in a trajectory away from the normal succession cycle. Moreover, time since fire may decrease overall vigor of Darlingtonia populations.

The continued increase in homelessness in Portland, Oregon is in part a result of the systemic restructuring of the welfare state as well as a shift in local governance purviews. Primarily this has eradicated the affordable housing stock in the city which is compounded by the limited availability of emergency shelter spaces. These and other financial constraints have left a depleted service support system to cover a rising homelessness problem. In response to this, contemporary social movements have been focusing attention on economically marginalized groups such as the homeless, calling for rights to access resources in cities such as housing. This approach critiques the neoliberal policies that have bolstered entrepreneurial approaches to urban growth. Neoliberal policies result in a failure to maintain financial support for the well-being of the homeless and connected support services. This research examines one alternative to the traditional approach to sheltering the homeless. It focuses on a self-organized homeless tent city in downtown Portland, Right 2 Dream Too, which has become a critical resource in homeless emergency service provisioning. The rest site's success as an emergency service is primarily predicated on its geographic proximity to a nexus of social services in the Old Town neighborhood. Drawing on ethnographic work and archival data, I analyze the multiple spatialities of this self-managed site to better understand homeless individuals' experience with this place and other related spaces, as a means to understand its value as an emergency service for the homeless in Portland, and other cities with similar constraints. I argue this perspective is essential for mitigating homelessness in Portland and informing the decision-making surrounding its relocation.

Literature for and about successful volunteer literacy programs highlight and advocate for practices that inform administrators and trainers of the needs and expectations of volunteer tutors. Applications of this knowledge can affect the type of policies that administrators implement in their programs and the type of support that they provide for their tutors. This project was an opportunity for the researcher to reflect on his experiences as a consultant and trainer with community-based programs and to increase his understanding of the volunteers in order to assist in future administration and training work.

Art is often used as a catalyst to stimulate redevelopment and neighborhood change. This often occurs inadvertently as the presence of artists in certain communities can attract both public and private investment to revalorize economically depressed areas. Marginal neighborhoods in inner-urban areas offer inspiration and diversity to artists seeking lower-cost housing. Their presence effectively makes these marginal communities "safe" for middle-class residents looking to live in a funky, urban neighborhood. Ultimately, however, artists are eventually priced out of the communities they helped to create. The Alberta district in northeast Portland, Oregon has used art to create an identity that distinguished it from other redeveloped neighborhoods throughout the city, having become known as the Alberta Arts District. The research presented in this thesis traces the history of the Alberta district from its roots as a thriving streetcar community through its years as a dilapidated, crime-ridden neighborhood, and into its current state as a vibrant arts district. I show how the commercial corridor along Alberta Street has evolved to reflect the changing demographic composition of the surrounding neighborhood. Additionally, housing in the surrounding residential neighborhood has experienced a dramatic increase in average sale price and an upfiltering of aesthetic appearance. Many are attracted to the Alberta district for its vibrancy and diversity, the people and businesses that contribute to the diverse atmosphere may disappear as real estate becomes increasingly more expensive.

Pleistocene marine terraces of the northern Oregon coast are an important factor in understanding the tectonics and paleoseismicity of the central Cascadia subduction zone. The lowest marine terrace, tentatively correlated to 80,000 year old Whiskey Run terrace of southern Oregon, is intermittently exposed in the present day sea cliff along an 80 km section of coastline between Tillamook Head and Cape Kiwanda. Terrace sediments consist largely of fine material such as clay, silt and fine sand with several locations containing large amounts of gravel derived from nearby headlands and steep bedrock hills. The terrace sediments are interpreted to be deposited in back-barrier marine environments, such as a bay, very similar to the bays which presently exist on the northern Oregon coast. Interbedded with terrace sediments are peat horizons which represent buried marsh or forest surfaces. These peat horizons have gradational lower contacts and abrupt upper contacts with terrace sediments indicating that the marsh or forest surfaces formed gradually above sea level and were suddenly downdropped below sea level to be buried by bay sediments. Such features are consistent with a seismically active Cascadia subduction zone which produces interseismic coastal uplift and coseismic coastal subsidence.

Western juniper has rapidly expanded into sagebrush steppe communities in the Intermountain West during the past 120 years. This expansion has occurred across a wide range of soil types and topographic positions. These plant communities, however, are typically treated in current peer-reviewed literature generically. The focus of this research is to investigate watershed level response to Western juniper encroachment at multiple topographic positions. Data collected from plots used to measure vegetation, soil moisture, and infiltration rates show that intercanopy sites within encroached Western juniper communities generally exhibit a significant decrease in intercanopy plant density and cover, decreased infiltration rates, increased water sediment content, and lower soil moisture content. High-resolution remotely sensed imagery and Geographic Information Systems were used with these plot level measurements to characterize and model the landscape-scale response for both biotic and abiotic components of a Western juniper encroached ecosystem. These data and their analyses included an inventory of plant density, plant cover, bare ground, gap distance and cover, a plant community classification of intercanopy patches and juniper canopy cover, soil moisture estimation, solar insulation prediction, slope and aspect. From these data, models were built that accurately predicted shrub density and shrub cover throughout the watershed study area, differentiated by aspect. We propose a new model of process-based plant community dynamics associated with current state-and-transition theory. This model is developed from field measurements and spatially explicit information that characterize the relationship between the matrix mountain big sagebrush plant community and intercanopy plant community patterns occurring within a Western juniper dominated woodland at a landscape scale. Model parameters (states, transitions, and thresholds) are developed based on differences in shrub density and cover, steady-state infiltration rates, water sediment content, and percent bare ground in response to juniper competition and topographic position. Results from both analysis of variance and multivariate hierarchical cluster analysis indicate that states, transitions, and thresholds can be accurately predicted for intercanopy areas occurring within the study area. In theory, this model and the GIS-based layers produced from this research can be used together to predict states, transitions, and thresholds for any location within the extent of the study area. This is a valuable tool for assessing sites at risk and those that have exceeded the ability to self-repair. / Graduation date: 2005

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influence the ability of teachers and administrators to use data obtained from a data warehouse to inform instruction. The mixed methods study was guided by the following questions: 1) What data warehouse application features affect the ability of an educator to effectively use the application for data driven decision making? 2) What sorts of training or professional development and workplace norms are needed to help educators use data warehouse applications more effectively? 3) How do differences in leadership affect an organization's use of data warehouse applications? 4) What, if any, impact has the use of data warehouse applications had on instructional strategies and student performance? Forty-five teachers and administrators completed the survey. A focus group of four administrators and interviews with four teachers provided qualitative data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data. The qualitative data was coded in several cycles to determine common themes. The results from the qualitative and quantitative data were then compared to determine areas of similarities and differences. The factors that influenced an educator's ability to use a data warehouse application to inform instruction included ease of use of the application, access to student data in a timely manner, and the ability to view data on individual students and small groups of students. The type of data most useful to the participants was summative and formative assessment data. Training and workplace norms influenced the use of the application. The more training received, the easier the educators found the application was to use. Dedicated time to review data and the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues also enhanced the ability of educators to use the application to inform instruction. Educators who thought the use of the application was important to building and district level administrators tended to use the application more frequently. Based on the educator's perceptions, the use of the data warehouse application appeared to have some impact on influencing changes in instructional strategies. Any changes in student performance were attributed to the changes in instructional strategies. Two unexpected findings emerged from this study. The ability to use technology affected an educator���s use of the data warehouse application. A greater comfort level with the use of technology in general was attributed to greater use of the application. Finally, educators needed to have sufficient skills in the use of data in the data driven decision making process to successfully implement the use of the data warehouse application. / Graduation date: 2013

Attention has been drawn to the observation that environmental benefits under the current regulatory approaches are diminishing with respect to increased pollution control costs. Regulators have begun to appreciate that while environmental gains can still be achieved under the current command and control system, the most significant environmental gains have already been made, and an alternative regulatory approach might be warranted for continued environmental improvement. This study found that regulatory initiatives that seek to address business incentives and disincentives may yield better environmental outcomes. Internal characteristics such as corporate environmental directives, waste audit and environmental performance tracking systems and linkage of compensation to environmental performance are evident in firms that have attempted to adapt to regulatory pressures. These characteristics, according to organizational models, are posited to improve the environmental performance of firms as environmental issues are linked to key business decisions. This study was conducted by surveying firms in the forest products industry. Certain firms were found to exhibit specific internal characteristics indicative of good environmental performance. The study attempts to identify the implication this finding has on regulators in terms of policy design and implementation. The study suggests that the optimum regulatory strategy is a hybrid of a command and control approach and a market-based approach which blends the compliance assurance of the command and control approach to address motivating firm behavior with the flexibility of the market-based approach to provide firms incentives to improve environmental performance. The study concludes that the value of such a hybrid approach which attempts to address firm incentives and disincentives related to their environmental practices will result in improved environmental performance. / Graduation date: 1998

The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to guide middle school and high school students into critical thinking about environmental issues. Through keen observation of their bioregion and through an integration of interdisciplinary literature which focuses on Oregon writers, students will be challenged to think, write, and discuss current issues effecting local natural resources. The bibliography was designed to incorporate integrated learning, collaborative activities, and handson investigation. The students' community becomes a learning laboratory, a place in which to identify, a place to value, and a place to contribute through active participation in restoration of resources and through other positive activities. Learning to respect diverse and complex viewpoints on environmental issues will help develop good evaluative skills. As responsible, participating members of their community, students can be encouraged to lead the way, providing good role models both to families and to younger students. The diverse literary collection will provide access to a broad range of voices about the land and Oregon, in particular. These become invitations for students to write about their place, their home. Writing empowers students to make connections between experience, thought, and word. Students writing, thinking, and reseeing their community as a place to value and protect is the goal of Time to Listen. / Graduation date: 1995