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SOUTH SLOUGH RESERVE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION

AGENDA

South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve South Slough Interpretive Center

61907 Seven Devils Road - Charleston, Oregon

December 8, 2016

146th REGULAR MEETING 1:00-4:00 P.M.

I. Call-to-Order

II. Introductions

III. Review of the 145th regular meeting minutes

IV. Public Input*

V. Old Business

VI. New Business 1. Management Plan Revision update – verbal report 2. Property Acquisitions to include within Boundary of SSNERR 3. Use of Herbicides on South Slough – Hannah

VII. Presentations

VIII. Information Reports 1. Administration/Facilities 2. Education 3. Science 4. SSNERR Host Site Update- Jim Paul

IX. Adjourn *Limited to 5 minutes each unless arranged in advance of the meeting. ** This meeting is being held in a facility that is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you need some form of assistance to participate in this meeting due to a disability, please notify Rebecca Muse at 541-888-5558 ext. 134 at least two working days prior to the meeting.

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Table of Contents Minutes 5 Old Business New Business Management Plan Revision update – Hannah verbal report Reserve Boundary 11 Use of Herbicides on South Slough 15 Staff Reports Administration 17 Education 21 Science 31

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SOUTH SLOUGH NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE

MANAGEMENT COMMISSION

Oregon Institute of Marine Biology

Charleston, Oregon

Minutes of the 145th Regular Meeting

March 17, 2016

Commission members present:

Jim Paul, Chair Lonne Mays

Trent Hatfield Toni Ann Brend

Dr. Alan Shanks

South Slough NERR staff and others present:

Gary Cooper, Manager Cynthia Wickham, DSL

Rebecca Muse Bree Yednock

Deborah Rudd Hannah Schrager

Ed Oswald John Bragg

Kathy Andreasen Don Smith

Jenni Schmitt Ali Helms

Laura Mays, FOSS Mike Allman

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Eric Dean Joy Tally

The meeting was called to order at 1:03 p.m. by Jim Paul Director of the

Department of State Lands and Chair of the Commission.

INTRODUCTIONS

Everyone present at the meeting introduced themselves.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

Chair Paul asked if there was a motion to approve the minutes of the previous

meeting. Commissioner Mays moved to approve and Commissioner Shanks

seconded. The motion carried with all in favor.

PUBLIC INPUT

There was no public input.

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NEW BUSINESS

Management Plan Revision

Hannah Schrager gave a PowerPoint presentation to the Commission highlighting

aspects of the 2016 - 2021 management plan revision for the Reserve. Components of

the plan include the Reserve Strategic Plan, Reserve System Program Foundations, the

Administrative Plan, the Resource Protection Plan, Public Uses of the Reserve, and

Facilities development as well as the Land Acquisition Plan. An extensive review in

draft form has been sent to NOAA and staff are waiting for their feedback on the

document. Ms. Schrager explained that NOAA gives specific guidance for the

development of the plan. NOAA has indicated they would like to bring the recently

acquired lands purchased by SSNERR into the Reserve boundary; however, current

Legislation precludes acquisitions that are located north of Valino Island from being

included.

Ms. Schrager asked if the Commission could see any “red flags” in the Reserve’s

strategic plan. Commissioner Brend asked if staff were going to address Swiss needle

cast (SNC) in their efforts to restore the uplands. SNC is a foliage disease that is

specific to Douglas-fir. Ms. Schrager responded that the Wasson project upland

restoration will include some thinning of healthy and diseased trees.

Ms. Schrager concluded by saying once the management plan has been reviewed by

NOAA, the plan will be open for public comment. Chair Paul thanked Ms. Schrager for

the presentation.

Use of Herbicides on South Slough

Gary Cooper asked the Commission for their opinion on the possible use of chemical

herbicides within the Reserve on a case by case basis to facilitate research projects or

to combat invasive species. The Reserve’s administrative rules preclude the use of

herbicides without prior approval of the Management Commission.

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Commissioner Mays replied that any collateral or unintended damage resulting from

their use is a consideration.

Ms. Schrager asked what kind of information the Commission would need from staff.

Commissioner Mays said information from the MSDS charts would be helpful as well

as the findings from any independent studies. He added that amphibians are much

more sensitive to chemical agents than what might be included in the charts or

research studies. Commissioner Brend said it would be helpful to consult the EPA,

and to also look into using organic herbicides or biological agents.

Commissioner Shanks suggested looking at possible alternatives to the use of

herbicides and also finding what the Europeans consider an acceptable risk in each

case. Commissioner Hatfield said the potential value of the research should be

weighed in with the possible risks and that he was not in favor of giving a blanket “no”

to the idea. Chair Paul recommended looking at the status of the label requirements

as some are not as up to date as others. The Commission agreed that it would be very

important to consider how the herbicides might affect the local aquaculture.

Staff Reports

Rebecca Muse gave a brief update on the progress of several grant applications and

the status of facilities and new staff hires. She expects to hear from NOAA shortly

regarding the renovation grant for the research lab and the operations grant for the

Reserve will be submitted in the next week.

Joy Tally briefed the Commission on recent activities and workshops for the education

program. Estuary Explorers has been a very successful after-school learning

opportunity thanks to Astrea; and Eric Dean is building new partnerships and

featuring popular new events for the calendar. Joy has been busy with OCEP, a NOAA

teacher training workshop program that is in its sixth year of funding at South

Slough.

Deborah Rudd along with FOSS has the internship program up and running in full

swing. Joy concluded by handed the Commission copies of the new Coastal Training

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Program Needs Assessment from John Bragg.

Bree Yednock and Hannah Schrager pulled out some highlights for the research and

stewardship programs. There are many “hands-on science” opportunities for staff,

volunteers and school groups with all of the monitoring and sampling fieldwork. The

weather station is up and running in its new location. Adam and Ali are busy with the

maintenance and data download of the pH and pCO2 sensors. Jenni Schmitt is

heading up the local stakeholders collaborative effort: Partnership for Coastal

Watersheds. Staff is waiting to hear the status of the NERRS Science Collaborative

proposals that are pending.

Hannah continues to serve as a participant on the Coos Watershed Association’s

restoration projects team and she is making progress on the Wasson Creek Watershed

Restoration Plan. The Coquille Tribe granted funds to restore the culturally significant

shed on the old Fredrickson homestead. The Tribe will provide specially milled period

lumber (late 1800s) from their portable sawmill for the restoration. Commissioner

Brend thanked FOSS and all others who helped on the grant.

Chair Paul asked if there were any questions and Commissioner Brend asked if staff

had seen any lamprey. Staff acknowledged that a lamprey was sighted near the Port’s

Distant Water Fleet Facility. In late July staff plan to borrow equipment to determine

the abundance of lamprey in South Slough.

ADJOURNMENT

Chair Paul adjourned the meeting at 3:10 p.m.

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Reserve Boundary Update:

The State of Oregon, NOAA, and Reserve partners have supported the incorporation of ~1,100

acres into the Reserve with the finalization of the 2017-2021 Reserve Management Plan. These

lands have been acquired through various conservation grants since 2008. All acquisitions were

made from willing sellers and were formally approved by the State Land Board to be managed

as part of the South Slough Reserve. At this time we are seeking the approval from the Reserve

Management Commission to update the formal boundary of the Reserve within the

Management Plan and with the Federal Registry.

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Information of Lands Acquired for the South Slough NERR to be brought into the Reserve Boundary

North Creek Headwaters is a 2.4 acre parcel with a derelict log cabin on it. It is located along Salal Lane next to other

residential lots on acre+ parcels. The acreage not covered by the log cabin is second growth conifer forest upland.

Hidden Creek Headwaters is a 1.6 acre parcel with a derelict shop-like building located on it. The property is located

along Seven Devils Road near the entrance to the SSNERR Interpretive Center. The acreage not covered by the shop-like

building is second growth conifer forest and disturbed pasture grass.

Wasson Creek Headwaters parcels were purchased from Plum Creek Timber Company. These parcels are predominately

composed of young, overly dense forested uplands. All parcels have been logged within the last 30 years and most of

them have been logged multiple times. Of the ~670 acres (in yellow on the map), 644 acres are evergreen forest, 26

acres are palustrine forested wetland (likely located in riparian areas).

Salal Land Upland parcels were purchased from Roseburg Resources, a timber production company. These parcels are

predominately composed of young, overly dense forested uplands. All parcels have been logged within the last 30 years

and most of them have been logged multiple times. Of the ~435 acres (in orange on the map) 274 acres are evergreen

forest, 126 acres are mixed forest, 23 acres are palustrine forested wetland (likely located in riparian areas), 3 acres are

estuarine emergent wetland, and 9 acres are beach/unconsolidated shore. Since a majority of these parcels are located

north of Valino Island, only ~110 acres of the ~435 are currently being pursued to incorporate into the Reserve

boundary.

Acquisition Name Acres Approx. Location or

Coos County Tax Lot

Year

Acquired

Seller Funding Source

North Creek Headwaters (Log Cabin on Salal Lane)

2.4 T26S R14W S23 TL700 (62109 Salal Rd)

2008 Sebesta PAC/Gustafson Estate

Hidden Creek Headwaters (Building near interpretive center)

1.6 T26S R14W S26 TL900 (61819 Seven Devils

Rd)

2008 Burbee PAC/Gustafson Estate

Wasson Creek Headwaters

~670 Lat: 43°16’27.14”N Long: 124°20’44.10”W

(multiple lots)

2011 Plum Creek Timber Co.

CELCP/Gustafson Estate

Salal Lane Uplands (only partial will be included)

~110 to

include

~435 total

Lat: 43°18’41.38”N Long: 124°19’55.35”W

(multiple lots)

2011 Roseburg Resources

Co.

CELCP/Gustafson Estate

Common School Fund tracts

~312 T26S R13W S19 TL501 T26S R13W S20 TL200 T26S R13W S30 TL101

2011 State of Oregon

CELCP/Gustafson Estate/PAC

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Common School Fund tracts were purchased by compensating the Oregon Department of State Lands Common School

Fund, in order to transfer management out of the Common School Fund and into Reserve management. All of these

lands have been logged at some point. Of the 312 acres (in blue on the map), it is estimated that 11 acres are palustrine

forested wetland (likely located in riparian areas), 2 acres are persistent palustrine emergent wetland (likely located in

riparian areas), and the rest is relatively young mixed evergreen forest.

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Herbicide Use in the Reserve:

In late summer 2016, the Management Commission approved the one-time use of herbicide to

control gorse on Indian Point. Since the control effort took place, it’s been discovered that the

gorse population in Reserve managed lands is much larger than originally known. Furthermore,

there are significant populations of scotch broom and pampas grass in the uplands of the

Reserve. At this time, Reserve staff seek the approval of the Management Commission to

include herbicide use as an option for invasive species control in 2017.

OAR 142-010-002(3) states that “ Chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides will be used

within the Reserve only if necessary to assure sound management of the ecosystem. Any

allowed application of such chemicals shall be approved in writing by the Commission, after

consultation with the Advisory Group, in accordance with best management practices so as to

prevent direct application or discharge to the estuary waters. It is the intent of the Commission

to preferentially utilize nonchemical management techniques of pest control. Chemicals will be

utilized for pest or weed control only after it has been determined that the nature and integrity

of the ecosystem is endangered by the pest or weed.

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Administrative/Facilities Report Administrative

Attached are the state budget reports for the 2015-17 biennium through

September, 2016.

The Land Acquisition and Construction grant (PAC grant/NOAA funding) was

submitted on January 28, 2016 for $329,000 and approved by NOAA in June.

This grant will fund the ECOS building expansion. The project includes

reorientation of the garage, additional parking, expansion of the wet laboratory,

and additional offices to support Science staff as well as interns and partners.

Landscaping will be included along with all available sustainable design

elements and green infrastructure. Gary and Rebecca have met with OIMB staff

several times in preparation for bidding/construction to begin. The grant will

be transferred to OIMB and they will be the general contractor for the project.

Currently an agreement is being drafted that will include the timelines and

monies transferred as each phase is started/completed.

FY16 Ops Award was submitted and awarded June, 2016. These monies cover

salaries, travel to annual meeting, supplies and special projects that include

Sentinel site piling installation and Marine Debris Exhibit design/construction.

We are currently going through the permitting process to get the piling

installed in the slough. The Marine Debris exhibit bidding process has been

uploaded to ORPIN and bids are currently being accepted.

BWET 2016 was awarded in July, 2016 with monies available for use August 1,

2016 through July 31, 2017. This grant covers Teacher workshops and is a

collaborative effort with Hatfield Marine Science Center.

Astrea Strawn completed her AmeriCorps United Communities Science

Outreach Specialist assignment in August.

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We added Jesse Gilfillan as our newest AmeriCorps volunteer in September.

Jesse will continue work with local elementary school students through the

Estuary Explorers after-school program. This program has advanced South

Slough’s mission by supporting improved science and math education with real

world applications.

Brian Mladendich ended his temporary employment as a GIS technician for a

special project in August. We hired Jane Rombouts to replace him to complete

the project with an estimated end date in early 2017.

Five staff members attended the Annual Meeting in Williamsburg, VA in

November.

Facilities

Long time Park Ranger Assistant, Don Smith, retired at the end of May. We

will miss his love for the trails and all around “get the job done” attitude.

Recruitment for this position started while Don was still here. During the

interviews, it became very apparent that Larry “Talo” Silver stood out among

the applicants. Talo has been a contracted employee through Cardinal

Services for almost a year, funded for by FOSS, and was in charge of our

Aquarium maintenance during this period. He started full time in the position

on June 20, 2016. He has transitioned very well and is making the position

his own. Since the FOSS funded contracted employee work was only supposed

to be temporary, we incorporated these duties into the Park Ranger Assistant

position. One of the added bonuses of hiring Talo was his experience with the

Aquaria exhibits. Since we were able to add those duties into his job

description, we now have a permanent employee dedicated to the upkeep and

maintenance of the Aquaria.

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During the middle of August, Maintenance staff poured concrete to replace the

sidewalk behind the Interpretive Center that was taken out during the building

reconstruction in Fall 2015 when it was sliding down hill. Staff did a great job

and it looks like a professional did it.

In October/November, we contracted with CFPA for inmate crews to complete

the Hidden Creek boardwalk, adding gravel to the Tunnel trail and work on the

Indian Point property for trail clearing. These partnerships with CFPA and

inmate crews allow us to complete large jobs in a small amount of time at a

very cost effective price.

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SSNERR Education Program update

February 19, 2016 through October 31, 2016

The period of time covered in this update reflects the busiest seasons for South Slough education

staff. Spring brings a larger number of school programs and moves quickly into summer with

Summer Science Camps and other outreach programs. As summer ends and the school year

begins school programs resume and there are several outreach events that take place in the last of

the good weather. This tremendous amount of work was accomplished by full time education

staff, interns, AmeriCorps members, a FOSS supported summer camp position and volunteers.

Professional meetings

The Reserve Education program was asked to participate in the development of an Oregon

Marine Debris Action Plan (MDAP) sponsored by NOAA. Joy Tally, Reserve Education

Coordinator, attended a 2 day session in Newport that began the planning for MDAP, which is

currently under review. There will be a 2nd meeting this November to continue the process.

Joy Tally attended the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators (NAME) annual conference in

Metchosin, BC in August. NAME is a partner in the Oregon Coast Education Program (OCEP)

and hosts the education modules created by OCEP on the NAME website. Joy led a workshop

on OCEP modules and presented a poster on the OCEP project.

Eric Dean attended the Environmental Education Association of Oregon Annual Conference in

Sisters, Oregon. The conference had interactive sessions which addressed Next Generation

Science Standards (NGSS) and Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) topics.

Eric Dean, Jesse Gilfillan, Julia Bingham and Joy Tally attended the Coastal Learning

Symposium in Newport. This gathering hosted by the Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Oregon

Coast STEM Hub brings together pre-K through 12 teachers and informal educators to share how

they connect their students to the forest, coast and ocean. Joy Tally presented on the Oregon

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Coast Education Program (OCEP) with OCEP Coordinator Cait Goodwin. Joy Tally also

presented a session on using the Reserve’s SWMP data in the classroom.

Education Program Totals

For the period from February 19 to October 31, 2016 an overall total of 190 educational

activities were conducted for 5,247 participants. There were 711 contact hours and 570 hours of

preparation recorded. These totals include all types of education, interpretation, training and

outreach. This reporting period is longer than the usual interval; therefore program totals will be

higher than normal.

Including visitors to the South Slough Interpretive Center, a combined total of 9,460 individuals

learned about estuaries and coastal watersheds through South Slough education programs and

interpretive facilities during this period.

Staffing capacity during this period was enhanced by the addition of an 11 month AmeriCorps members,

a part-time seasonal AmeriCorps position, 2 education interns and one FOSS support summer camp

position.

Visitation and Visitor Services

Independent of education programs 4,213 people visited the interpretive center from mid-

February through October 2016 accounting for an average of 19 visitors per day. This represents

the high tourist season for the coast, including Oregon spring break for schools and increased

visitation in the summer months. The period covered by this report spanned 211 days when the

South Slough Interpretive Center was open to the public. Public hours for the building remain

10am – 4:30pm, Tuesday through Saturday, throughout the year.

Formal Education & Training

A total of 81 formal education programs were offered for 2,333 participants during the period

from mid-February to October 2016. A total of 252 contact hours and 185 hours of preparation

time were recorded. Programs were offered on-site at the reserve as well as at schools in Coos

Bay. Professional development activities occurred at the Siuslaw Middle School in Florence,

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Southwestern Oregon Community College, Hatfield Marine Science Center and the Oregon

Coast Aquarium in Newport and the South Slough Interpretive Center.

Of the formal education programs, 59 were delivered for elementary level classes, 9 for middle

school classes, 5 for high school classes, 8 for college level classes, and 10 professional

development trainings for teachers. This data has been submitted as a part of the required

performance indicators included in the National Estuarine Research Reserve’s performance

measures database.

The demand for formal education program offerings is highest during the spring as many schools

plan culminating events for the school year. AmeriCorps member Astrea Strawn completed three

more rounds of the 2015-16 Estuary Explorers program at Madison Elementary School, Sunset

Middle School, Blossom Gulch Elementary School and Lighthouse Charter School. Lighthouse

Charter School in North Bend is a new school for the program. Estuary Explorers provides

afterschool activities focusing on science and nature for students in Kindergarten through 7th

grade.

Jesse Gilfillan, who as an intern in the science program this summer, began her 11 month term as

an AmeriCorps member at South Slough in September. Jesse has begun her first round of the

Estuary Explorers program at Blossom Gulch Elementary and Millicoma Middle School. Jesse

will also begin to mentor students in the program during school hours.

Oregon Coast Education Program (OCEP)

OCEP represents a partnership of education institutions working to advance the use of best

practices in field and classroom-based education to incorporate meaningful watershed education

experiences for students. Through teacher professional development workshops and activities,

teachers receive support to facilitate coastal education activities with their students. Institutions

participating include South Slough NERR, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Hatfield Marine

Science Center, Portland State University, and the High Desert Museum. Funding for OCEP has

been provided through the NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program.

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In its 5th year, the project continues to be implemented by a core leadership team from partnering

institutions. The OCEP project coordinator, Cait Goodwin based at Hatfield Marine Science

Center, works with the existing OCEP alumni network to recruit and train new teachers. The

project aims to directly impact 120 teachers.

Three community workshops took place in Florence, and Coos Bay. The project has reached 93

teachers through community workshops. B-WET Year 5 helped OCEP conduct 2Teachers on

the Estuary (TOTE) workshops at South Slough, June 27-30 and July 11-14 in Newport. A total

of 22 teachers participated in these multi-day coastal education workshops.

The OCEP leadership team submitted a grant proposal on February 9th for an additional $60,000

to support teacher professional development. This project will harness the power of OCEP

alumni teachers, project partners, developed education modules, and lessons learned to dive

deeper into the implementation of OCEP education modules and best practices in local schools.

OCEP project coordinators will work with OCEP mentor teachers to strengthen the integration of

coastal education in four Oregon communities on the Oregon Coast, Bend and Portland. The

project will directly impact 10 OCEP teachers who will work with 30 new teachers and 800

students. This funding was officially awarded on July 29, 2016.

Gray Family Foundation – Fishing the Tides

Funding has been provided by the Gray Family Foundation through the Oregon Community

Foundation in the amount of $10,000 to complete the Fishing the Tides project. The Fishing the

Tides project goals are to: 1) Train teachers to engage their students in inquiry-driven study of

real world issues related to our understanding of fisheries and the role that science plays in

managing our natural resources for the benefit of all. 2) Develop a curriculum module comprised

of activities, data products, and tools to support and enhance student understanding of the role

estuaries play in the health of fish populations. 3) Provide field and classroom-based experiences

that support and enhance the understanding of change over time in estuaries and possible causes.

This project will be developed in support of a multi-year scientific study that is designed to

collect data on fish populations in the Coos estuary through sampling and analysis of historic

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data for locations in Coos Bay and South Slough. Pilot field and classroom activities are

currently being planned and delivered.

Community Education, Interpretive & Outreach Activities

Interpretive programs continue to be offered for a diverse public audience of children, adults, and

families. A total of 105 interpretive and outreach programs were offered and 2,914 people

attended activities ranging from toddler programs, nature films, seaweed art workshops and art

openings. Eric Dean, Education Specialist, continues to expand the interpretive program

opportunities with new programs such as Owl Prowls and by building partnerships with local

partners such as the Coos Art Museum. There were 458 hours of contact time and 361 hours of

preparation time recorded. A significant portion of this time was dedicated to 4 South Slough

Summer Science Camps. This summer new meeting locations and destinations for older students

were introduced. This data is being provided to NOAA as part of the performance measures

reporting requirements on a semi-annual basis.

The Education Program Specialist, Public Involvement Coordinator and Education Coordinator

spent a week improving their kayak skills. All three now have various levels of American Canoe

Association training for paddle skills and guiding groups.

Several Reserve education and science staff helped to deliver the coastal forest and streams and

estuaries sections of the Oregon Coast Master Naturalist program this summer. This program

will bring volunteers already trained in coastal natural history to the Reserve.

With the opening of the Charleston Marine Life Center (CMLC) at the Oregon Institute of

Marine Biology this May, we have begun to offer programs in the partnership with CMLC. This

provides a new meeting space for programs in Charleston.

Public Involvement

Volunteers/Internships

An average of 29 SSNERR volunteers logged in 5,849.3 hours valued at $134,943.35 during the

time period of January 1, 2016 through October 31, 2016. The program category hours

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breakdown included 2,281.7 education, 2,522.85 research/stewardship, 596 administration,

253.75 other (individual trails and maintenance volunteers), Treasures school program volunteer

180.5 and 14.5 trail crew hours. (Some volunteers worked in more than one category)

During Spring 2016, the Reserve hosted five FOSS internship positions. Gabriela Guaiumi and

Tanner Diebold helped with vegetation monitoring and fish seining. Tait Miller helped with

trails and Stewardship projects. Erica Wilkinson and Carly Otis assisted in the Education

Department with school programs and community outreach.

Over the summer months, the Reserve hosted several interns from a variety of programs and one

FOSS intern, Jesse Gilfillan who assisted with Sentinel Sites and other research projects.

This fall the Reserve hosted four FOSS Internship positions, Sabine Berzins helped with the

RTK/GIS monitoring, Sabina Hedlova worked on Fish Seining Research, Megan Hoff

participated in the Water Quality Monitoring Internship, and Julia Bingham served as the

Education and Outreach intern. Mike Thomas will be working this winter to continue the

RTK/GIS as well as assisting with the fish inventory projects. Stipend awards are available

through the Friends of South Slough Reserve, Inc. Funding was provided through an Oregon

Community Foundation Grant, a Zonta International Grant, sponsorships from local businesses

and donations from members. Recruitments for spring internships will be posted in February

2017.

Friends of South Slough (FOSS) Board of Directors

The FOSS Board meets every fourth Tuesday in Charleston at the Port of Coos Bay Marina RV

park facility from 4-6 pm. SSNERR staff program leads also attend the meetings to facilitate

communication with our 501C3 partner. FOSS has been managing expenses for several grants

and keeping everything up to date as required.

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This spring FOSS purchased a new card reader for the bookstore to comply with updated

security codes. Lonne Mays put together a training manual for those making sales in the

bookstore to reference.

The Charm Trail initiative FOSS sponsored in partnership with the Coos Art Museum has been

bringing several visitors to the Interpretive Center who have not been before; FOSS is already on

the third round of charms.

FOSS has two volunteers assisting with their social media posts. Ruth Bell liaises with the

FOSS webmaster to send information and photo updates. Mary Nuss keeps up the FOSS

Facebook page and writes “Throwback Thursday” posts highlighting excerpts from the South

Slough Adventures which have proven to be quite popular. Another new volunteer, David

Kollen is helping SSNERR with their “Field Note Friday” Facebook posts and will eventually

help FOSS with their website blog section.

FOSS put in a lot of effort toward the October Membership Drive and Trail and Treat Run

Fundraiser in support of the Internship Program but it was cancelled due to an incoming storm.

Plans to reschedule the event sometime in July 2017 are underway. FOSS has some new

inventory in their bookstore and has appointed a new manager, Board Member Mary Nuss.

Board Member Dave Lunde has served as the Manager for several years and felt it was time to

pass the duties on to someone else. Mary formerly worked for BLM and has experience with

State Parks style gift shops.

Outreach/Marketing

This spring/summer staff, FOSS and volunteers participated in several outreach activities. A

Social Media volunteer training, the Charleston Oyster feed, a special showing of Avatar with an

education table and activity for Earth Day weekend, festival booth training for volunteers, the

Bay Area Brigade Clean-up, a local Visitor Center volunteer training, Wednesday Farmers

Market and the Empire Clamboree.

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A virtual, collaborative meeting with several members of the National Estuarine Research

Reserve Association (NERRA) to assist Lake Superior NERR with establishing a friends group

was held in July.

This fall staff, FOSS and volunteers participated in several outreach activities, a Leadership

Training Summit, the Wednesday Farmer’s Market, the Salmon Celebration, a Collaborative

Meeting Facilitation Training, Stand up for the Bay on National Estuaries Day, Octoberfish, an

Oregon Coast Visitor’s Association Media and Marketing seminar, and the Science on the

Screen series in partnership with Egyptian Theatre.

The Egyptian Theatre is the recipient of a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation via the

Coolidge Corner Theatre to produce a series of movies for Science on Screen a “Creative

pairings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from

the world of science, technology, and medicine.” (www.scienceonscreen.org)

This movie series is free to the public and will feature a guest lecture from each of the following:

North Bend High School Science Department, Marshfield High School Science Department,

Southwestern Oregon Community College Foundation, Charleston Marine Life Center and the

South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. A small portion of the grant funds will be

dispersed amongst each of the organizations.

The South Coast Development Council has recently selected the South Slough Public

Involvement Coordinator to serve on the Rural Tourism Studio Steering Committee. Oregon’s

Rural Tourism Studio is a robust training program designed to assist rural communities in

sustainable tourism development through a grant provided by Travel Oregon. This is a one year

commitment.

Coastal Training Program

Green infrastructure

The coordinator is working with state and community partners to develop and provide training in

best practices for managing storm water using green infrastructure. A workshop planned for

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October is being rescheduled for late January or early February; October proved to be a busy

month for many in the target audience and we were not able to achieve our minimum registration

threshold.

Symposium By the Sea

The reserve collaborated with OCM, Wells NERR, and the Central Coast GIS Users Groups to

present work done at the NERRS using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for education and

research, including a presentation on the NERRS’ Roadmap for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, at

the Symposium By the Sea September 15 in Lincoln City. The CTP coordinator presented the

new Federal Aviation Administration regulations governing the use of unmanned aerial systems

(UAS) by government agencies and public institutes, and worked with the conference organizers,

OCM, and Wells NERR to host Sue Bickford, Education Coordinator at Wells, at the one-day

conference. Bickford is the author of the NERRS’ roadmap for using UASs.

Highlights from the conference: UASs, or drones, will play an increasingly important role as a

data collection platform that provides extremely high resolution aerial imaging, can employ a

variety of environmental sensors, and significantly reduce costs and the adverse impacts of

surface data collection in environmentally sensitive areas. Collaborative partnerships are

recommended to spread the cost of expensive equipment and tap into expertise from a variety of

agencies or institutes. (See the NERRS, OSU, and Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife for relevant

examples.)

20th GIS Frameworks Forum

The coordinator presented concepts underlying a data fair at the 20th GIS Frameworks Forum

Sept. 30 in Bend. The data fair as envisioned as an opportunity for data producers and providers,

and decision makers, to meet, network, and discover solutions to a variety of challenges and

barriers that limit the usability of environmental data. Forum participants voiced support for the

data fair and recommended SSNERR approach the Urban and Regional Information Services

Association (representing GIS professionals in Oregon and southwestern Washington) with a

proposal to pilot a data fair at the 2017 GIS In Action Conference next April.

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Pacific Marine Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership

The coordinator participated in the annual Pacific Marine Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership

steering committee in Portland Oct. 13-14. PMEP is in the process of mapping estuarine habitats

using CMECS; documenting tidal wetland loss for the West Coast (Ore., Cal., and Wash.),

identifying habitat stressors in four coastal ecoregions to prioritize juvenile fish habitat

restoration in Washington, Oregon, and California estuaries. Over the last year PMEP has

worked to compile and summarize literature to set ecological priorities for habitat restoration,

and refined managers’ understanding of the approximate, historic extent of estuaries. PMEP is

now developing outreach products, including a data viewer, GIS-based Story Maps, and other

tools, to help prioritize estuarine habitat projects locally throughout this region using data

products developed by PMEP, including an inventory and classification of West Coast estuaries

using CMECS, a state of knowledge report for 15 representative fish and shellfish species that

use west coast estuaries for juvenile development, and a data assessment of these species’

habitats. PMEP is a coalition of state, tribal and federal governments seeking to advance regional

and national goals related to juvenile fish habitat. Members include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, NOAA Fisheries, the Forest Service, the Makah Tribe, the Yurok Tribe, California

Dept. Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Departments of Fish

and Wildlife and of Ecology, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, The Nature

Conservancy, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and SSNERR.

NERRA-NERRS annual meeting

The coordinator will participate in the NERRA-NERRS annual meeting in Chesapeake Bay

November 13-18. At the meeting the Education and CTP coordinators will facilitate an all-sector

discussion of conservation action education. The term refers to an area of education that lies

between the formal K-12 schooling and decision maker training programs previously referred to

as community education, a vague description at best that fails to convey an area of interest or

concern of the reserve. A session exploring conservation action education will generate ideas on

how to inspire people to take action to achieve conservation through dynamic, informal learning.

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SCIENCE PROGRAM UPDATE

March 17, 2016 – December 8, 2016

MONITORING

NERRS System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP)

Ali Helms (Estuarine Monitoring Coordinator) and Adam DeMarzo (Monitoring Technician)

continued to operate the water quality, weather and nutrient components of SWMP.

SWMP Data: Ali & Adam completed monthly field and lab work associated with the water

quality, meteorological and nutrient long-term monitoring stations. They completed monthly

and quarterly data uploads and submissions to the NERRS SWMP Centralized Data Management

Office (CDMO) on time and annual data submissions for 2015 were submitted in April (water

quality), May (meteorological), and June (nutrient) 2016. Data submissions include data that

have undergone several levels of quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures,

metadata development, calibration and field logs, and instrument and sensor inventory.

System-Wide Monitoring Program data for the SSNERR and all other Reserves are accessible

online at http://cdmo.baruch.sc.edu.

The final data collection for the meteorological station was made on 5/4/15 from its previous

location on the OIMB campus. The station has been moved due to a wind turbine (see section

below on Weather Station Relocation) and data collection will resume following completed

installation. We received the delayed nutrient samples from the University of Washington

Marine Chemistry laboratory and Ali completed the 2015 annual nutrient submission on

6/15/16. In April, Ali completed the 2015 annual water quality submission and in August, she

completed the final meteorological 2014 data review and 2014 data are now authenticated

through the CDMO, which means they have been through final tertiary reviews and are the final

authoritative dataset.

The water quality instruments at the four SWMP stations have all been switched to the Yellow

Springs Instrument (YSI) EXO2 sonde platform from the older version 6600 V2. The major

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differences between the EXO and 6600 platforms are wireless communication and smart sensor

technology, which allows sensors to automatically be recognized by the sonde for easier

calibration and configuration. The sensors can also be batch calibrated and then distributed to

individual instruments. The ports allow wet-mateable connections which prevent damage

during wet field conditions and allow probes to be swapped easily in the field if needed. The

EXO instruments are used for the four core SWMP stations as well as the four secondary Coos

Bay SWMP stations.

Estuary pH Monitoring: Ali Helms and Adam DeMarzo continued instrument cleanings, data

downloads, and maintenance of the Sami pCO2 and SeapHOx pH monitoring equipment at the

Valino Island station. The pH and CO2 sensors were retrieved from the water, cleaned of fouling,

and data were downloaded on 3/22/16, 4/7/16, 4/22/16, 5/9/16, 5/23/16, 6/8/16,

6/22/16, 7/5/16, 7/20/16, 8/18/16, 9/15/16, and 10/17/16. Instruments were programmed and

deployed the following day or within three days unless other maintenance issues interfered with

redeployment. The SAMI CO2 sensor battery failed on 6/29/16 and a battery was ordered and

replaced on 8/16/16. The sensor was redeployed 8/18/16. Discrete water grab samples were

collected at high tides on 3/28/16, 4/6/16, 4/25/16, 5/5/16, 5/17/16, 6/7/16, 6/23/16, 8/4/16,

8/29/16, 9/26/16, 10/5/16, and 10/27/16. The grab samples will be used to check sensor

performance and calibrate the data. Grab samples from May 2015-February 2016 were

analyzed for alkalinity, TCO2, pCO2, and pH by Burke Hales lab at Oregon State University and

results were submitted to the Reserve in July 2016. These data will be analyzed with the

continuous instrument data collections to calibrate the pH data.

Background on estuary pH monitoring: The two water quality instruments (Sami pCO2 and

SeapHOx) were acquired through the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program to collect

measurements related to the carbon dynamics of the South Slough estuary in order to

understand the rising pH (less acidic) trends detected by the YSI 6600 SWMP dataloggers. From

1995-2010, SWMP pH levels indicate an increasing trend (less acidic) while analysis of more

recent data 2011-2013 show decreasing (more acidic) pH values; overall the annual mean and

median linear regressions indicate an increase in pH with interannual and seasonal variability

between years. The Sami pCO2 sensor is collecting continuous carbon measurements of the

partial pressure of carbon dioxide gas (pCO2). pCO2 is one of four carbon cycle measurements

(pH, Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC), and Total Alkalinity (TA)) that helps to understand ocean

acidification processes. pCO2 can provide information on community respiration, biological

productivity, gas exchange, calcification, and cycling of carbon in a system. The second sensor,

the SeapHOx, is collecting high resolution pH and also includes oxygen and

temperature/conductivity sensors.

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Real-Time Data: As a participant in the US Integrated Coastal Ocean Observing System

(IOOS)/Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing System (NANOOS), we operate

telemetry systems at all four of the core SWMP water quality stations and the weather station

(currently being relocated) to provide real-time data available at www.nvs.nanoos.org/Explorer.

Data Management: The Centralized Data Management Office (CDMO) is the technical support

team dedicated to data management activities associated with the SWMP data collected at the

28 reserves. Recent activities of the CDMO include data processing and database changes to

accompany the newer YSI EXO water quality sondes and modification of the Data Export System

and Real Time Data Application for adding SWMP station type designations, optional

parameters, and vegetation monitoring applications. Additionally, the CDMO is upgrading the

main database server, CDMO Manual, and Standard Operating Procedures related to EXO water

quality instruments, telemetry, and streamlining data uploading processes. They are working on

completing past water quality, nutrient, and weather data reviews for reserves so all data will be

authenticated. Adam and Ali attended the annual SWMP Technician Training Workshop held in

Myrtle Beach, SC from 3/15-3/17/16.

The CDMO now provides data hosting for SWMP stations that are established and maintained in

addition to the required stations (4 water quality and 1 weather), and these are known as

Secondary SWMP stations. The SWMP database has a new designation column for all stations

(isSWMP column) for distinguishing Primary or Secondary stations. Reserves can upload raw

data from secondary SWMP stations and the CDMO will provide web services if the station is

telemetered. Data must be collected for one year at the station and the stations must follow all

SWMP protocols and be reserve run in every respect. SSNERR has four water quality stations

eligible for secondary SWMP status that were established as part of the Partnership for Coastal

Watersheds inventory project. Ali Helms completed the required metadata document for the

four secondary hosted stations and is working on the data quality assurance/quality control

following the NERRS SWMP procedures and utilizing the data upload service and tools for

secondary SWMP stations.

Weather Station Relocation: Science staff are in the process of relocating the long-term SWMP

weather station, previously located on the campus of the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology

(OIMB) from August 2001-April 2015, due to the installation of a 140 foot wind turbine by OIMB

in December 2014. Adam DeMarzo worked with the NERRS SWMP Oversight and Data

Management Committees to obtain approval for a new location that meets the required

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specifications for a SWMP weather station and after review of several sites, staff selected Tom’s

Creek Marsh located at the south end of the reserve.

In September 2015, science staff completed removal of the weather sensors, and the datalogger

from the old tower and sensors were mailed off for recalibration so they would be ready for

installation on the new station. In October 2015, the old 10 ft. tower was removed from the

Army Corp platform tower to be reused at the new site, and construction of the new wooden

platform base for the station began with help from maintenance staff, Mike Allman and Nate

Damewood. In November, construction of the new wooden platform base for the station was

completed with help from Mike Allman (SSNERR facilities staff). The new platform was installed

at Tom’s Creek on 12/29/15 and the tower was mounted on the wood platform 1/29/16. The

temperature/humidity, barometric pressure, and wind sensors and the CR1000 datalogger were

calibrated in October/November 2015 and a new Apogee PAR (Photosynthetically Active

Radiation) sensor was purchased in April 2016. The fiberglass enclosure, the Satlink Transmitter,

the CR1000 datalogger, the solar charge regulator, and the barometric pressure sensor were

installed on the tower on 4/1/16. The solar panel, wind sensor, and Photosynthetically Active

Radiation (PAR) sensor were installed 5/2/16. On 5/10/16, the relative humidity/ air

temperature sensor was installed on the tower, the rain gauge was installed on a wood post

near the tower, most of the sensors were wired into the datalogger except the rain gauge, and

all sensor heights from the ground were measured.

On 6/28/16, the rain gauge was secured to the wood post, the wind sensor propeller was

installed and oriented North. The solar panel was removed in order to install the Stevens V2TH

antenna. The antenna was installed and oriented south and at 40° elevation; it was not wired.

The rain gauge wiring was completed. On 7/15/16 the solar panel was remounted and secured

with hose clamps. On 8/5/16, the excess rain gauge cable (from wood post over to the tower)

was buried and secured.

Remaining tasks including reorienting the wind sensor, leveling the PAR sensor, installing rain

gauge clips, wiring the solar panel, grounding the station, updating the LoggerNet firmware and

weather program, and securing cables were completed September/October 2016.

The station began data collection and transmission on 10/19/16 at 15:00 PST.

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Other Monitoring Projects

Bacteria Monitoring: We continued monthly monitoring of fecal indicator bacteria at the SWMP

nutrient monitoring stations. The bacteria data are of interest to the Partnership for Coastal

Watersheds project, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for Total Maximum

Daily Load (TMDL) standards and to Oregon Department of Agriculture (DOA) as they conduct

commercial and recreational shellfish bacteria assessments. Volunteers from the Surfrider

Foundation continued to use the ECOS (Estuarine and Coastal Ocean Sciences) lab for their

monthly monitoring of fecal indicator bacteria at local beaches.

Climate Reference Network: The NOAA Climate Reference Network station at Frederickson

Marsh stopped transmitting 3/13/16. Data were collected for the missed transmissions with a

storage module, the transmitter, fuse, fuseblock, and dessicant were replaced inside the

enclosure on 3/25/16. The rain gauge was pumped out on 05/25/16 and 10/14/16 and NOAA

completed annual maintenance for the station on 10/29/16.

SeagrassNet Monitoring: Science staff completed quarterly eelgrass sampling at Valino Island

on 4/8/16, 7/5/16, and 10/17/16 using the SeagrassNet sampling protocol. SeagrassNet is an

international monitoring program established to document the status and health of seagrasses.

The natural southward migration of Day Creek channel has been affecting the north end of two

of the established 50-m transects that are sampled routinely (the deep and mid transects) over

time. There are six out of twelve plots that are in the channel, where eelgrass used to grow.

Staff added six new plots on each of these two transects by using a random number generator

to select new quadrat locations. These quadrats numbers (12 per transect) are important for

maintaining enough plots for our Sentinel Site Monitoring, since this site is also used as one of

the four eelgrass monitoring sentinel sites. During the monitoring this year (2016), staff noticed

that the eelgrass has been declining along these permanent monitoring plots. In particular, the

October sampling results had low to zero eelgrass percent cover and density for most plots with

only 3/48 plots with any eelgrass; the highest percent cover recorded was 25% with 37 shoots

per meter squared as the highest density in this plot. For comparison, in October 2015, the

average percent cover for all plots was ~ 50%, with many plots having 70-95 percent cover.

Science staff are unsure what is causing this sudden, rapid decline in eelgrass at this site. The

Day Creek channel migration is a possible influence, but it has been affecting the north ends of

the transects for many years.

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Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS): SSNERR is a

participant in a partnership project that provides real-time water quality data for shellfish

growers in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska through the NANOOS Visualization System (NVS);

http://nvs.nanoos.org/ShellfishGrowers.

For the final year of the 2011-2015 award, science staff submitted a no cost extension, itemized

budget, and budget forms for the remaining 2015 funds to be spent by 12/31/16 since the

previous award will overlap with the new 2016-2020 award. Progress reports for the current

funding year 2015 were submitted on 06/24/16. NANOOS is submitting a Data Management

Plan for IOOS Certification for each of the observing data assets and South Slough submitted a

Data Management Plan for NERRS SWMP water quality and weather station data contributions

on 6/29/16. Science staff submitted the new FY16-20 subcontract package, including statement

of work, budget, budget justification, and letter of commitment to University of Washington on

7/8/16. The final progress report for FY11-FY15 award was submitted 08/15/16.

Ali Helms participated remotely in the Annual NANOOS PI and Governing Council meetings on

August 10-11, 2016, and gave a presentation on South Slough’s high level accomplishments

from the FY11-FY15 award. She highlighted three projects: 1) the partnership between South

Slough Reserve, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians, and

the NANOOS Data Management and Communications Committee to operate a telemetry water

quality station at the North Spit of the Coos estuary and provide data access through the

NANOOS Visualization System 2) the Olympia oyster restoration and conservation guide for

Oregon and California, and 3) the series of teacher training workshops delivered through the

Oregon Coast Education Program and Northwest Marine Educators that accessed water quality

data and impacted educators throughout Oregon and Washington. As a result of discussions

from the PI meeting, South Slough water quality and weather stations will be included in the

NANOOS Visualization System Climatology Application.

Changes were made to the existing SWMP water quality data collection platforms to

accommodate telemetry with the new EXO sonde instruments, including changes to the Satlink

transmission programs, a signal output adapter to convert the EXO sonde output so the sensor

measurements can be transmitted, and an EXO compatible field cable. All changes were made

to the Charleston, Valino Island, and Winchester Creek stations and Elliot Creek station is the

final station that needs to be completed with telemetry changes. The Valino Island station

antenna was replaced 10/17/16 and the SatLink Transmitter was replaced 10/18/16 and

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telemetered data began correct transmissions on 10/18/16 13:45 PST but began failing

intermittently on 10/25/16. Staff are continuing work to resolve current issues with this station.

We partner with one of the local tribes, Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and

Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI) to provide telemetry equipment for their North Spit BLM Boat Launch

sonde station in lower Coos Bay. The data are available to end users through the NANOOS

Visualization System (http://nvs.nanoos.org).

NERRS Sentinel Sites Monitoring: The NERRS Sentinel Sites program pairs the long term water

quality and water level data collected at SSNERR’s SWMP sites with data quantifying other

factors (e.g., marsh elevation, plant community, vertical accretion, soil salinity, groundwater

level) to help interpret long term changes in wetland emergent marsh plant communities and

eelgrass beds.

This past February SSNERR science staff deployed five water level loggers into the groundwater

wells at the Hidden Creek sentinel station. Groundwater level and temperature loggers have

been collecting data at six sites at Hidden Creek sentinel station since February 2016. Every

three months, ground water wells are pumped out (to clear sediment from inside the wells) and

data is downloaded in the field. Data will enable SSNERR science staff to directly track changes

in average daily or monthly tidal inundation periods for Hidden Creek marsh root zone and

marsh surface, key controlling factors influencing plant community dynamics in tidal wetlands.

The loggers will collect one year’s worth of data.

SSNERR purchased a dedicated high-precision water level data logger to be deployed in the main

channel of Winchester Creek, near the Hidden Creek marsh sentinel station. The dedicated

water level data logger, is needed because the water level data collected with SWMP’s multi-

parameter loggers are not collected with a high enough precision to meet the data analysis

requirements of the Sentinel Sites project. The water level logger will be directly correlated with

elevation using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network by surveying it to three

new deep rod benchmarks. Permits for the permanent piling platform that will be installed in

Winchester Creek near Hidden Creek marsh to mount the water level equipment were

submitted to state and federal regulatory agencies in August. If permits are approved in time,

staff will work with a contractor to install the piling during the in water work period October 1,

2016-Feb 15, 2017.

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Science staff and several interns (NOAA Hollings Scholar Sadia Crosby, NOAA NCCOS Sentinel

Site intern Chloe Lee, FOSS intern Jesse Gilfillan, and NCCOS water quality intern Madeline

Poethke) completed Sentinel Site biomonitoring work in June and July at six marsh and three

eelgrass sites. Data collected included vegetation surveys and surface elevation table and

marker horizon measurements. Additional work included setting up two new transects at

Winchester Marsh site.

Science staff received NOAA’s Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS equipment in September and

October. Using the equipment, staff and FOSS intern Sabine Berzins collected marsh elevation

data at all biomonitoring plots where vegetation data were collected in the summer. In addition,

three new vertical control marks were surveyed into our local network.

SSNERR now houses NOAA’s digital leveling equipment. In October, science staff used the

equipment to level in the Charleston SWMP station to the local vertical control network, from

three established benchmarks. This will allow depth measurements from the data sondes to be

correlated to tidal elevation.

Science staff submitted the Sentinel Site Implementation Plan for Hidden Creek Marsh to NOAA

in June. This plan is an essential component for SSNERR to become a fully operation Sentinel Site

and includes relevant protocols and sampling timelines for each site. The plan also includes a

Vertical Control Plan. The document will help SSNERR science staff to develop strategies for

synthesizing data, reach intended audiences, and ensure results are relevant to coastal

managers.

Once fully operational as a Sentinel Site, SSNERR will have a competitive advantage for funding

opportunities to support the program through NERRS, NOAA’s broader Sentinel Site program,

and partnerships with other state and federal agencies.

Wasson Watershed Monitoring: Science staff continue baseline monitoring of the Wasson

Creek lowlands, in preparation for anticipated restoration work. Weekly Coho salmon spawning

surveys are being conducted (with the help of FOSS interns and volunteers) for October 2016

through early February 2017. Lamprey monitoring occurred as well as part of the effort

described below.

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Lamprey Monitoring: Very little is known about lamprey distribution or abundance in the Coos

watershed and in particular the South Slough watershed. As a result, SSNERR and ODFW staff

teamed up in August to survey lamprey distribution and assess relative abundance in

Winchester Creek. Surveys began on Wasson Creek and proceeded up Winchester Creek,

extending into each major tributary. Implementing a newly signed MOU between SSNERR and

ODFW, survey work was accomplished using ODFW lamprey shocking equipment, ODFW take

permits, and SSNERR and ODFW staff time.

RESEARCH

SSNERR Projects

European Green Crabs in the Coos estuary: In April, SSNERR began a project to survey the

distribution of green crabs in the Coos estuary. Sampling in April was conducted in Haynes Inlet

with Sylvia Behrens Yamada (OSU) and yielded a record number of green crabs (compared to

annual catch numbers at the same site since the early 2000s). Summer sampling in Coos estuary

was conducted by Christina Geierman (North Bend High School teacher funded by a grant from

the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust) and consisted of one 24 hour trapping period at each of 31

sites in total spread across the lower, middle, and upper regions of the Coos estuary. Summer

sampling in South Slough was done bi-weekly from July through August at five sites and led by

Collin Williams (Oregon Sea Grant Undergraduate Summer Scholar). Project results will be

presented in a poster at the NERRS annual meeting in November.

Native Oyster (Ostrea lurida) Recruitment in Coos estuary: Oyster settlement plates were

deployed in Haynes Inlet, Downtown Coos Bay, and Coalbank Slough in April of 2016 to continue

a multi-year recruitment study started by an OIMB graduate student in 2012. Oyster

recruitment was monitored every two weeks by interns and science staff through August, but no

oysters recruits were observed at any site during that period. The decision was made to leave

half of the settlement plates at each site through the winter to determine if recruitment could

be observed over longer sampling period.

Fish Assemblages of South Slough and Coos Estuary: SSNERR staff, interns, and volunteers

continued monthly seining at six sites in South Slough; seasonal seining was done at Palouse,

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Larson, and Willanch Creeks in the upper estuary by OSU/USFS project partners. SSNERR staff

continues to maintain three YSI 6600 sondes at the upper estuary sites; the sensors are

calibrated and data are downloaded monthly. The project is designed to characterize seasonal

patterns of fish and invertebrate species diversity, richness, and presence/absence throughout

the estuary. An additional component of the project is to assess habitat use of the Kunz

restoration site by fishes, which was last investigated in 1997-1998. Fyke netting in Kunz will

begin in November 2016. Two additional temporary part-time field technicians (Erica Wilkinson

and Sam Schrager) were hired to work on the project through March 2017.

Eelgrass mitigation monitoring on the North Fork of the Siuslaw River

On June 8th, SSNERR science staff and interns conducted effectiveness monitoring of eelgrass

transplant sites near ODOT’s Hwy126 Bridge replacement site across the North Fork of the

Siuslaw River. This mitigation project began in 2007 when eelgrass clusters were relocated from

the bridge site to areas north and south of the bridge. Monitoring has been conducted at the

transplant sites either annually or bi-annually since 2007. The final year of monitoring for this

project will be done in 2018.

Partner Projects

Blue Carbon: SSNERR continues to collaborate with the EPA to quantify the rate of carbon

sequestration in Coos estuary tidal wetlands, including SSNERR’s “sentinel sites”. Coring was

completed in the summer of 2015 and Cesium coring results for Hidden Creek marsh were

incorporated into accretion rates used for the NERRS Sentinel Site data synthesis project: Marsh

sustainability in the face of sea level rise. SSNERR staff continue to work with EPA Scientist, T

Chris Mochon Collura, to collect elevation data at each of the sampling sites (expected to be

complete winter 2016/17). This will relate each sampling location to Mean High High Water and

Mean Sea Level.

Partnership for Coastal Watersheds (PCW): The PCW continues to move forward. The group is

guided by a committee that includes representatives of the Coos County Planning Department,

City of Coos Bay (planning and city council), South Coast Development Council, Stuntzner

Engineering (planning), Department of Land Conservation and Development, Southwest Oregon

Community College, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and

citizens at large. Currently the group is focused on two projects: finalizing the Communities,

Lands & Waterways Data Source (Data Source) project, which is an encyclopedic compilation of

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all available data describing the socioeconomic and environmental conditions in the lower Coos

watershed; and beginning the Coos estuary land use analysis. As the sixth largest estuary on the

US west coast, the Coos estuary is one of Oregon's most valuable estuarine resources, both in its

abundance, diversity, and quality of natural resources and in its economic and cultural values.

However, modern management of the estuary and surrounding shorelands is based on the

economic and social drivers of the 1970’s era within which local land use plans were developed.

The PCW agrees that current estuarine and shoreland use regulations need to evolve to reflect

today’s economic and social drivers while proactively addressing environmental changes and

protecting natural resources.

PCW highlights: � The Data Source chapters are nearly complete with Jon Souder (formerly Coos Watershed

Association, now Oregon State University), continuing to finalize the socioeconomic

chapters.

� The PCW is attempting to find funding for a dedicated website for the Data Source.

Currently it is housed on the PCW website:

http://www.partnershipforcoastalwatersheds.org/lands-waterways-data-source/

� PCW members directed the development of a successful NERRS Science Collaborative grant

proposal to do a land use analysis for the Coos estuary (awarded August 2016). In order to

identify areas where zone change will benefit estuarine management, the project will

synthesize existing information to compare actual uses of estuarine and shorelands to

regulatory zoned uses. For targeted areas, SSNERR staff and PCW members will apply a

triple bottom line lens (economic, social, and ecosystem services) to generate scenarios and

recommendations for Coos County to use when revising its Coos Bay Estuary Management

Plan.

� Also guided by the PCW, SSNERR staff are working with the Coos County Planning

Department and University of Oregon’s Community Service Center to provide a gap and

needs assessment of the Coos Bay Estuary Management Plan based on Oregon’s Statewide

Planning Goals, the Data Source assessments, and new estuary and shoreland habitat maps.

This needs assessment will provide a legal perspective of necessary revisions, and help the

county focus on areas where more information is needed in order to revise the plan.

Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard: Oregon’s Department of Land

Conservation and Development (DLCD) was awarded funding by NOAA in November 2015, and

SSNERR was named a subcontractor. SSNERR’s role is to validate the Coos estuary habitat

classification scheme developed in 2014 by DLCD. The protocol that a former SSNERR science

program staff member (Colleen Burch Johnson) developed for “ground-truthing” the

classification scheme will be used by a new grant-supported temporary staff member to refine

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the Coos estuary habitat classification scheme. Brian Mladenich was hired part-time in March to

begin work to incorporate data specific to the Coos estuary into the classification standard;

however, was unable to finish the work due to conflict with another job. Jane Rombouts was

hired in September to continue the work.

Northwest Climate Science Center-USGS Sea-level rise project: SSNERR continues to be a partner in the Northwest Climate Science Center (NWCSC) Sea-Level Rise Project - Marshes to mudflats: climate change effects along a latitudinal gradient in the Pacific Northwest - led by John Takekawa, USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Vallejo, CA. The project objectives are to: (1) measure morphological and ecological characteristics (e.g., elevation, tidal range, vegetation) along transects crossing the habitat continuum of tidal marsh, intertidal mudflat, and subtidal shoals; (2) model vulnerability of these nearshore habitats and dependent avian indicator species to projected climate change effects; and (3) examine spatial variability of these projected changes along the latitudinal gradient of the Oregon and Washington coasts. Coos Bay is one of eight study sites. SSNERR staff and volunteers assist the project by downloading data from water level and conductivity loggers at two locations near Bull Island in the upper portion of the Coos estuary. Every four to six months we download and re-launch the loggers during low tide, and send data, photos and field notes to USGS. The last download of data from the loggers was done in June. Effects of Eutrophication on Eelgrass and Grazing Invertebrates: This project began in April of

2016 to study the effects of nutrient enhancements and grazer removal on eelgrass growth and

density in five Oregon estuaries. The project is led by Fiona Thomas Nash (Oregon State

University) and SSNERR is a partnering agency. Bree Yednock coordinated staff, volunteers, and

interns to assist with monitoring at two eelgrass beds on the North Spit of the Coos estuary on

April 8, June 7, August 3, and November 16. SSNERR also hosted an undergraduate student

intern (Jessica Liaudat, hired through OSU) during the summer of 2016 who lived at Spruce

Ranch and conducted a mesocosm experiment at the SSNERR lab.

Blue Carbon Eelgrass Mapping in Canada and the United States: SSNERR is collaborating on a

project with Fred Short (University of New Hampshire), Margot Hessing-Lewis (Hakai Institute),

and Jeff Gaeckle (Washington Department of Natural Resources) to create maps of eelgrass

habitat for blue carbon resources using algorithms/GIS and to measure seagrass plant carbon

storage and sequestration from surface sediment and deep cores at sites in British Columbia,

Washington (Puget Sound), and Oregon (South Slough). The project will rely on previously

collected data from the SeagrassNet monitoring program and biomass data for Oregon from

previous work done by Margot Hessing-Lewis as part of her PhD research as a NERRS Graduate

Research Fellow (2007-2010). SSNERR will contribute by continuing to collect SeagrassNet

monitoring data at Valino Island, adding shallow sediment cores (collected quarterly) for three

transects, and providing assistance for collecting and processing the deep sediment cores. Fred

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Short and Ali Helms coordinated field work and lab processing for the Oregon sites May 22-25,

2016. Several science staff, including Adam DeMarzo, Hannah McDonald, Ryan Scott, and intern

Madeline Poethke provided field assistance for the coring work. Six deep cores (150 cm) were

collected from Valino Island and Hidden Creek eelgrass beds along with nine shallow sediment

cores and GPS locations for all cores were taken. Cores were processed in the lab by cutting

into 2 cm, 5 cm, or 10 cm sections, splitting subsections for three subsamples for grain size

analysis, Pb210 analysis, and dry bulk density and elemental/isotopic analysis, and taking three

wet weights for the combined three subsample bags, the Pb210 subsample, and the dry bulk

density subsample. All samples were shipped to the University of British Columbia in

Vancouver, BC.

Ocean Acidification/ pH monitoring, and effects on eelgrass

South Slough is providing assistance to Oregon State University scientists Francis Chan and Sally

Hacker and PhD student Caitlin White on Caitlin’s PhD project, which she began Summer 2016.

The project was submitted as a NERRS Science Collaborative pre-proposal in February 2015 but

was unsuccessful; however, Francis and Sally were still eager to begin the work and apply for

future funding. Caitlin is deploying a SAMI CO2 sensor and a SeaFet pH sensor near the

Charleston SWMP station to collect time-series partial pressure carbon dioxide and high

resolution pH monitoring data.

NERRS Science Collaborative Research Proposals

The NERRS Science Collaborative (NSC) is a competitive grant program administered through the

University of Michigan Water Center that funds research conducted in a NERR that specifically

focuses on end user needs and that uses collaborative methods. In early 2016, science staff

worked with partners to develop five collaborative research pre-proposals and one integrated

assessment pre-proposal for the NSC 2016 funding announcement. Three preproposals were

not invited to the full proposal process: Estuarine Acidification in South Slough and Impacts on

Eelgrass (PI’s Francis Chan and Sally Hacker, OSU); Pharmaceutical Contaminants in Coos Estuary

and Impacts on Native Oysters (PI Elise Granek, PSU); Modeling Sea Level Rise at Sentinel Sites

(PI, Matt Ferner, SFBNERR). However, the following three proposals advanced to the full

proposal stage, were selected for funding, and began in November:

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Hydrodynamic Model of Coos Estuary: The primary focus of the proposal is to develop a

hydrodynamic model for the Coos estuary to characterize present-day sediment distribution,

monitor sediment fluxes to the estuary, and model how circulation and sediment patterns in the

estuary will respond to change (e.g., sea level rise or channel dredging). The project is led by

David Sutherland (University of Oregon) and David Ralston (Woods Hole Oceanographic

Institution). SSNERR will be involved in collecting sediment data and providing data from water

quality stations and sentinel stations.

Blue Carbon Stocks Assessment of Pacific Northwest: This project will involve end users to

characterize data and information needs related to coastal blue carbon policy, development of a

database to house all blue carbon data collected in the Pacific Northwest, and a research project

to quantify carbon budgets and sequestration potential for different tidal wetland habitats

across the Pacific Northwest. The project is being led by a team from the Pacific Northwest

Coastal Blue Carbon Working Group (of which SSNERR is a member). SSNERR science staff will

be involved in project planning and fieldwork coordination for the Coos estuary. SSNERR CTP is

involved in the policy needs assessment. The project co-PIs are Craig Cornu (formerly at SSNERR,

now at the Institute for Applied Ecology) and Jude Apple (Padilla Bay NERR).

Coos Estuary Land Use and Zoning Integrated Assessment: This project will result in feasible

land use options for Coos County to update their Estuary Management Plan in part by

identifying areas where zone change will benefit estuarine management. The project will create

three main products: 1) a land use and zoning analysis, to highlight lands that are underutilized,

have conflicting zoning, or whose zoned uses are now obsolete; 2) An evaluation of options that

will include multiple integrated land use scenarios that balance environmental, economic, and

socio-cultural interests and which have undergone external technical review; and 3) A lessons

learned guide to share with other Oregon coastal communities and planning agencies. The

project is organized by SSNERR staff (Jenni Schmitt) and will be led by the Partnership for

Coastal Watershed. Faculty members from UO’s Community Service Center are included as

partners on the project and will be brought in to facilitate public meeting and technical

workshops for scenario development.

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Other Research Proposals

Eelgrass Mapping: Friends of South Slough was awarded a $64,141 grant from the Pacific

Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership to fund eelgrass mapping of the Coos estuary.

This project was developed by and will be led by SSNERR staff.

Green Crab Distribution and Abundance: SSNERR was awarded $15,000 from the M.J. Murdock

Charitable Trust’s Partners in Science program to study European green crabs in the Coos

estuary. The grant provides a stipend for a high school science teacher (Christina Geierman) to

work for two summers on a green crab monitoring project.

Oregon Coastal Ecosystem Long-Term Ecological Research Site: The grant proposal submitted

to the National Science Foundation by faculty at the OIMB and SSNERR staff for the

establishment of a Long-Term Ecological Research Site was not selected for funding.

Research For Undergraduates: SSNERR partnered with OIMB faculty on a grant proposal

(submitted in August) to the National Science Foundation to fund the development of a

Research for Undergraduate Students program. If funded, the grant will provide stipends for

undergraduate students to work at the OIMB and SSNERR on summer research projects under

the mentorship of OIMB and SSNERR scientists.

Water Resources and Climate Change: SSNERR was included as partner on a Coastal and Ocean

Climate Applications proposal, submitted by Oregon Sea Grant. The proposed project will

characterize future changes to temperature and precipitation, hydrology, and vegetation for

Oregon’s coastal watersheds. It will then use this information to work with focus communities,

including the Coos Bay area, to understand and evaluate threats to water supply and inform

watershed planning efforts.

Visiting Researchers

SSNERR supported our PMEP Fish Assemblage Project research partners from OSU/USFWS during their April, July, and October seining trips in the Coos estuary by

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providing housing at Spruce Ranch. SSNERR interns and staff also participated in fieldwork. Throughout the summer, graduate student Jen Motley and undergraduate student Jessica Liaudat used SSNERR lab space and stayed at Spruce Ranch while working on an eelgrass project. In May, Aaron Galloway (OIMB) conducted fieldwork at Valino Island associated with the Ocean Bitemap project to study predation rates and predator communities in eelgrass habitats. SSNERR staff assisted with site selection and fieldwork for the project. In May, graduate student Brian Myers from UC Riverside/San Diego State University conducted research on hummingbirds in SSNERR and stayed at Spruce Ranch. In June, Andrea Hawkes (UNC Wilmington) visited SSNERR to collect sediment cores at her long-term research site in Hidden Creek Marsh. In July, SSNERR staff assisted graduate student Amy Ehrhart (Portland State University) in deploying oyster bags in South Slough. In August, graduate student Elena Tuttle conducted research on the marsh plant Schoenoplectus pungens at several sites in the Coos estuary and South Slough. She stayed at Spruce Ranch and used SSNERR lab space. In August, SSNERR staff assisted researchers Tim Davidson (UC Sacramento), Richard Emlet (OIMB), and Nancy Treneman with site selection for biofouling and shipworm projects in South Slough and the greater Coos estuary. In August and October, SSNERR staff helped graduate student Caitlin White (OSU) deploy pH and pCO2 sensors in South Slough near the Charleston SWMP station. SSNERR continues to serve as a field site for graduate student Keyyanna Blount (UO) who is measuring gas fluxes at multiple marsh locations within the reserve.

Intern activities

FOSS interns Tanner Diebold (April-June) and Sabina Hedlova (September-November) and

Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholar Collin Williams assisted with the native oyster recruitment

study in Coos estuary and the fish assemblage project in South Slough.

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SSNERR hosted Sadia Crosby (NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship), Chloe Lee (NOAA NCCOS

Sentinel Site intern), Madeline Poethke (NCCOS water quality intern Madeline Poethke) and

FOSS intern Jesse Gilfillan during the summer to work in projects related to the SWMP and

Sentinel Sites programs.

STEWARDSHIP

Invasive Species: SSNERR continues to be involved in various invasive species projects. The

stewardship coordinator is still an active participant with the Gorse Action Group (GAG) and has

recently helped them firm up their strategic plan. In May, International Port of Coos Bay

employees spent a volunteer day pulling pampas grass at the Reserve. In July, the 6-9th grade

summer camp participants spent an afternoon cutting back invasive species on Indian Point.

Herbicide use for gorse control at Indian Point was approved by the Management Commission

at a public meeting in August and the application contractor made one pass over the invaded

roadways on the property in September. Reserve staff also pulled invasive purple loosestrife, as

part of a CoosWA project, on some property that neighbors the Reserve in August. In October

and November a Coos Forest Protective Association (CFPA) inmate crew cut back large patches

of invasive scotch broom and escalonia on Indian Point, in preparation for upcoming cultural

surveying.

Restoration Projects:

Wasson: The Wasson Creek Watershed Restoration Plan is moving along. The fourth advisory

team meeting was held in July and the group spent the whole day together discussing the

uplands, the drafted lowland channel designs, and the planting plans. The final report on the

2015-2016 avian survey was also presented. The group made a site visit to further discuss

upland project potential. Several professors from Oregon State University attended the advisory

team meeting to provide ideas for upland restoration and research opportunities. The OSU

Extension forester is now an active contributor to the Wasson group. The OSU student, Sean

Marcum, who was working on upland modeling, completed his project and that information is

being used to inform planning. The stewardship coordinator has requested an eight-month

extension to the OWEB grant that is funding the effort in order to have more time to develop

the upland plan and finalize the lowland pieces.

Indian Point: In March, the Indian Point grant was extended until 2018 so that the remaining

$127,000 of funds could be used for cultural resource surveying and restoration project work. As

a result of the extension, an intergovernmental agreement between the Coquille Indian Tribe

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and the Reserve is facilitating the cultural resource surveys and research to meet Section 106

compliance for restoration project activities. A contractor was also selected for completing

ecological assessments, habitat viability assessments, and research for the development of

restoration and public use plans for Indian Point.

Since spring, the stewardship coordinator has made several site visits to Indian Point with

various specialists and stakeholders. Cultural site visits have been made with local Tribal Historic

Preservation Officers, archeologists, and Tribal members and staff. In July, a trip was made

around the shoreline of Indian Point in a Tribal canoe with CTCLSI staff and archeologists. Site

visits to the known endangered western lily population have been made with USFWS, State

Parks, and Coos Forest Protection Association, to discuss restoration ideas. In May, the SSNERR’s

watershed monitoring coordinator (Schmitt) led an effort to physically map the existing lilies so

that the Reserve can track the population size over time.

Fredrickson Shed:

The stewardship coordinator has been project managing Fredrickson Shed work since spring.

The initial contractor suggested the use of a specialized historical contractor, so with help from

Coquille Tribal staff, Cal Lewis was hired to take over the project. As of now, the initial

Fredrickson Shed ‘arrested decay’ project is complete with all objectives met. The final report

has been submitted to the Coquille Tribal Community Fund. However, a re-visioning of the

project to embrace a more thorough restoration of the structure has resulted in FOSS working

on a proposal for a Phase 2. If funded, Phase 2 will result in a safe, usable structure for

education and cultural programs. The Coquille Tribe has donated thousands of dollars in custom

milled materials to the project.

The stewardship coordinator continues to serve as a participant on the Coos Watershed

Association’s restoration projects team.

Education & Outreach: The stewardship coordinator continues to support the education and

outreach programs at SSNERR; representing the Reserve at career fairs, presenting at regional

colleges, leading field trips for students and learning groups like the Master Naturalists, and

helping support Friends of South Slough programs.

Land Acquisition:

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Coos County approached the Reserve over a year ago to begin exploring possibilities of a land

exchange between some state owned property and some County owned acreage adjacent to

the southern boundary of the Reserve (known as the Elwin Deal Parcels). The County owned

acreage comprises some of the last remaining bottomlands not currently managed by the

Reserve in the South Slough watershed. After several months of meetings with County staff,

Commissioners, Reserve, and DSL, the County decided to wait on proceeding with an exchange.

Reserve staff are keeping abreast of acquisition funding opportunities in case the status of the

Elwin Deal Parcels changes or other priority areas arise for sale.

Management Plan Revision: The stewardship coordinator is still working with NOAA to finalize

components of the now 2017-2021 Management Plan. After much research into the state and

Reserve process for updating the Reserve boundary, there will be a formal boundary expansion

incorporated into the plan so it can be updated with the National Federal Registry.

Involvement with Partner Project Work:

- OWEB project review team member for the Pistol River estuary project (USFWS)

- Completed Leadership Coos in spring, currently participating in the program as part of the

strategic planning committee

- Reserve representative for the Coos Head Area Master Plan being developed by the CTCLUSI,

attending ongoing community advisory group meetings and providing feedback on planning

efforts

- Assisted the Public Outreach Coordinator with managing the Watchman’s Canoe filming

project on Reserve property

- Recently accepted to the Coos Bay Bureau of Land Management’s Resource Advisory Council

for a multi-year term

- Ongoing coordination of inmate crews for preparing trail access for cultural surveying and

ecological assessments at Indian Point

OTHER SCIENCE PROGRAM ACTIVITIES, including cross-sector cooperation

NERRS Committees and Projects

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SWMP Guidance Committee: In April, May, June, and August 2016, the SWMP Guidance

Committee and Data Synthesis Work Group members (Marie Bundy, Dwight Trueblood, Willy

Reay, Ed Buskey, Matt Ferner, Sandra Erdle, Ali Helms, Shon Schooler, Robin Weber, Joan

Muller, Linsday Spurrier, Cory Riley, Kerstin Wasson, and Willy Reay) held conference calls to

discuss several topics related to the national SWMP syntheses and data products as well as the

applications of SWMP data and protocols to Sentinel Sites and development of the Sentinel Site

Application Module 1. Members reviewed the purpose of the data synthesis, primary and

secondary audiences, and approaches and developed strategies for communicating SWMP value

and products.

Bivalve Working Group: Bree Yednock continues to be a member of the Bivalve Working Group

with Brandon Puckett, North Carolina NERR; Nikki Dix, Guana Tolomato NERR; Kerstin Wasson,

Elkhorn Slough NERR; Angie Doroff, Katchemak Bay NERR; and Jeff Crooks, Tijuana NERR. The

group met periodically over the summer to design and distribute a survey to gather and

summarize bivalve-related research currently being done by the NERRS.

Sentinel Sites Workgroup: Ali Helms joined the NERRS Sentinel Site workgroup, which was

formed to develop SSAM-1 outreach strategies, review outreach products from the MARS report

card, integrate remote sensing/habitat mapping into Sentinel sites, review Sentinel Site plans,

develop CDMO data templates for sediment data, and manage inventory of SSAM-1 equipment,

capacity building and data acquisition.

Habitat Mapping and Classification Review Team: Jenni Schmitt joined this newly formed team

in September. The team will apply a three-tiered review system for habitat mapping products

submitted by each reserve. Habitat maps standardize the way high-resolution land cover data

(wetland, aquatic, and upland habitats) are classified within the NERRS.

Mid-Atlantic Pilot Project Advisory Committee: Jenni Schmitt began participating on this

advisory committee in August. The committee provides feedback for a pilot project that is

developing a road map for how regional networks of reserves can apply Sentinel Site findings to

regional issues.

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Meetings / Presentations / Trainings

SSNERR Watershed Monitoring Coordinator, Jenni Schmitt:

March 2016 – December 2016 – Convened monthly meetings with the Partnership for

Coastal Watersheds to report on progress in the development of the Communities,

Lands & Waterways Data Source, and facilitated grant development for the Coos Estuary

Land Use Analysis, including meetings between the group and the granting agency.

March 2016 – December 2016 – Coordinated with DLCD on SSNERR subcontractor work

to refine their Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard for the Coos

estuary, including hiring of a part time GIS Technician at South Slough.

March 2016 – Participated in mandatory agency-wide “Speed of Trust” training

March 2016 – Attended an RTK and Leveling training by NOAA

March 2016 – Attended training by Dr. Sylvia Yamada on green crab capture techniques.

March – October 2016 – Coordinated volunteer and intern involvement for Sentinel Site

project.

March – August 2016 – Participated in grant development for U. Oregon hydrodynamic

model proposal.

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April 2016 – Participated in Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Tool for Coastal

Habitats webinar.

May 2016 – Participated in Department of Land Conservation and Development’s 312

evaluation.

May 2016 – Sat in on the Oregon Shellfish Task Force meeting in Charleston.

June 2016 – With other SSNERR staff, presented to a Master Naturalist group on

Sentinel Sites.

June 2016 – Attended a South Coast GIS users group meeting.

July 2016 – Attended a Wasson Creek restoration advisory board meeting, led by

Hannah McDonald.

July 2016 – Presented Sentinel Site protocols and background to OSU film crew for

Estuary Ecology online course.

July – December 2016 – Participated on the Mid-Atlantic Pilot Project Advisory

Committee.

August 2016 – Attended training on electrofishing protocols for lamprey by ODFW staff.

September - December 2016 – Participated in NOAA-led Habitat Mapping and

Classification training to review habitat maps products from other reserves.

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September – October 2016 – Participated in multiple conference calls relating to a grant

being submitted by Oregon SeaGrant to study Oregon coastal water supply in relation to

climate change.

October 2016 – December 2016 – Trained interns on how to conduct a Coho salmon

spawning survey then coordinated intern involvement in weekly surveys.

October 2016 – Was trained by retired surveyor John Minor on proper digital leveling

techniques.

October 2016 – Met with Dave Ember, Madeleine Vander Heyden, Hannah Schrager,

and Max Beeken to discuss habitat restoration options for the endangered Western bog

lily on Indian Point.

October 2016 – Participated in restoration webinar on cranberry bog restoration.

November 2016 – Attended the NERRS Annual Meeting.

November 2016 – Led a staff exploration of South Slough’s Darlingtonia beds near Tom’s

Creek

SSNERR Estuarine Monitoring Coordinator, Ali Helms:

March 2016 – Attended Wasson Creek watershed restoration project planning meeting

at the Coquille Tribal Headquarters, including discussions on upland inventory and

modeling, lowland vegetation planning, fish and wildlife survey, and stream hydrology

and restoration

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March 2016 – Contributed SWMP and additional monitoring and research program

narrative elements to the NERRS Operations Award grant proposal

March 2016- Attended the annual NERRS SWMP Technician Training Workshop held in

Myrtle Beach, SC

March 2016 – Participated in Ocean acidification webinar: CO2 system studies in

brackish waters: what should I measure and why?

March 2016 – Reviewed the Marsh Resilience to Sea Level Rise NERRS sentinel site

synthesis manuscript before submission to two journals (Global Change Biology,

Biological Conservation)

April 2016 – Participated in the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Tool for

Coastal Habitats webinar

April 2016-Advised OIMB professor and post doctoral student on project location site

for the Ocean Bitemap project (global effort mapping predation rates and predator

communities in eelgrass habitats) by scoping out field sites near Valino Island

May 2016 – Helped David Sutherland/University of Oregon with proposal development

for the NERRS Science Collaborative project Understanding of Sediment Dynamics and

management applications and serving as Data management team member on the

project

May 2016 – Coordinated and participated in a blue carbon coring project in eelgrass

habitat for Oregon sites (Valino Island, Hidden Creek) with visiting professor Fred Short

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May 2016 – Attended part of the Oregon Shellfish Task Force meeting related to water

quality and monitoring shellfish for biotoxins and fecal indicator bacteria (Oregon

Department of Agriculture presentations)

May – July 2016 –Coordinated and mentored a NOAA National Centers for Coastal

Ocean Science (NCCOS) intern, Madeline Poethke, who worked on SWMP water quality,

estuarine acidification, and sentinel sites projects

June 2016 – Co-presented with Jenni Schmitt and Joy Tally to Oregon Master Naturalist

group on Overview of Sentinel Sites Marsh Resilience to Sea Level Rise Data Synthesis

June –July 2016 Co-coordinated and participated in the Reserve’s Sentinel Site

monitoring project collecting data on plant communities, sediment dynamics, and

groundwater level at tidal marsh and eelgrass sites

June - November 2016 – Helped review, decide on organization and write content for

the Oregon Department of State Lands website revision project

July 2016 Participated, with Jenni Schmitt, in development of an Oregon State University

online Estuarine Ecology course, which involved demonstrating Sentinel Site monitoring

techniques and activities at Hidden Creek for filming

August 2016- Assisted researchers with site selection and discussion for deploying

structures to track invasive, wood-boring invertebrates, primarily shipworms

August 2016 – Participated with other staff in an invasive species activity to pull purple

loosestrife from Barview Wayside

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August 2016 – Participated in meeting with DSL management to discuss South Slough as

it fits within DSL and potential transfer of the Reserve to a different state or university

partner

August 2016 – Contributed and tested marsh data from Danger Point for an online excel

tool included in the Marsh resilience to sea level rise manuscript for other researchers

to be able to use the MARS indices

August-October 2016 - Assisted Oregon State University PhD student, Caitlin White, with

site reconnaissance, deployment, and retrievals for pH and CO2 monitoring instruments

August-November 2016 – Developed and submitted Joint Army Corp of Engineer and

General Authorization state removal/fill permits for installation of a permanent pilings

for mounting a water level instrument for the Sentinel Site project, Continuing to work

with Bree Turner and Tyler Krug (ACOE) on information and letters for compliance with

National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic

Preservation Act including consultations with National Marine Fisheries Service, US Fish

and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Department

of Land Conservation and Development, State and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices

September 2016 – Analyzed and summarized SWMP nutrient total suspended solid (TSS)

data from the Boathouse station for Craig Young to help with the Charleston Marine Life

Center tank displays

September 2016 – Participated in marsh Cryocoring methods training in Newport, OR

for marsh accretion measurements

September-November 2016- Coordinated and mentored a SWMP water quality Fall

intern, Megan Hoff who helped with water quality and estuarine acidification projects as

well as Sentinel Site elevation surveys and Estuary Explorers with the education staff

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September 2016- Joined and participated in meetings with the Sentinel Site Workgroup

to help with a NERRS Science collaborative transfer grant to develop outreach products

from the MARS report card and begin developing CDMO data templates for sediment

data

September-October 2016- Helped collect marsh elevation data using NERRS Real-time

kinematic equipment at Sentinel Sites

October 2016- Developed PowerPoint summarizing South Slough’s estuarine

acidification monitoring project for Matt Ferner’s presentation to highlight the scientific

value of NERRS long-term monitoring of environmental stressors

October 2016 – Interviewed and selected 2017 Hollings Scholar candidate, Tim Nagle-

McNaughton to work on SWMP/ Sentinel Sites project during Summer 2017

October 2016- Co-led, with Joy Tally, an education program for Oregon State University

graduate and undergraduate Estuarine Ecology course to teach Sentinel Site methods

and SWMP data access

October 2016- Participated in information call for the NERRS Science Collaborative

Hydrodynamic Model/Sediment dynamics project to identify data sources

November 2016 – Led visit to piling installation site at Hidden creek Sentinel Site with

tribal historic preservation officers from the Coquille Indian Tribe and the Confederated

Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians to address any concerns with

the piling location and cultural resources in the area

December 2016 – Participated in the Oregon coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia

(OAH) monitoring network webinar led by Lisa Phipps (Tillamook Bay NEP)

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SSNERR Lead Scientist/Research Coordinator, Bree Yednock:

March-November 2016 – Coordinated volunteer and intern involvement in monthly

seining fieldwork for fish assemblage project

March-November 2016 – Attended monthly FOSS meetings

March-November 2016 – Attended regular Partnership for Coastal Watersheds

meetings

March-December 2016 – Mentored three interns and one post graduate fellow.

March/September 2016 – Attended OIMB Student Orientations

March 2016 – Participated in day long “Speed of Trust” training

April 2016 – Co-led Leadership Coos fieldtrip to the Reserve

April 2016 – Participated in Natural Resources Career Panel at Southwestern Oregon

Community College’s Spring Hiring Forum

May 2016 – Participated in NERRS Research Coordinator webinar meeting

May 2016 – Co-led seining fieldtrip for Harbor Lights Middle school group

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May 2016 – Participated in multiple NERRS Science Collaborative grant proposal

development meetings with members of the Pacific Northwest Coastal Blue Carbon

Working Group and University of Oregon.

June 2016 – Gave a presentation on estuaries and SSNERR research for the Master

Naturalist Course

June 2016 – Led seining activity for teacher workshop

July 2016 – Participated in meeting of the technical advisory group for the Wasson

Restoration Project

July 2016 – Led seining activities for Summer Camp

July 2016 – Tabled at the Farmer’s Market for outreach on SSNERR’s research programs

August 2016 – Attended Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholars Symposium in Newport

August 2016 – Participated in purple loosestrife pull at Barview Wayside

August 2016 – Attended training on electrofishing protocols for lamprey by ODFW staff

September 2016 – Participated in planning meeting for OIMB campus with UO planning

group

September 2016 – Attended IOOS/NERRS joint meeting at the Jacques Cousteau NERR in

New Jersey

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October 2016 – Presented at the State of the Coast conference in Gleneden Beach

October 2016 – Gave a “Science on Screen” presentation at the Egyptian Theater

October 2016 – Attended Milla-bots meeting at the Millacoma School to help students

with a robot building project

November 2016 – Met with BLM fuels specialists to discuss control options for reed

canary grass in Wasson

November 2016 – Attended the NERRS annual meeting in Williamsburg, VA

December 2016 - Participated in the Oregon coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia

(OAH) monitoring network webinar led by Lisa Phipps (Tillamook Bay NEP)

SSNERR Stewardship Coordinator, Hannah Schrager:

March 2016 – Participated in the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s English Ivy Forum

March 2016 – Member of the OWEB USFWS National Coastal Wetland Conservation

Grant review team for the Pistol River Estuary Proposal

April 2016 – Attended the weeklong Society for Ecological Restoration conference in

Portland, Oregon.

April 2016 – Facilitated a special meeting for the Gorse Action Group

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April 2016 – Participated in the quarterly Bio Breakfast coordinated by the Oregon

Department of Fish and Wildlife

May 2016 – Presented a two day restoration class at Clark College

June 2016 – Participated in the South Coast GIS User Group’s quarterly meeting

June 2016 – Submitted the formal Request for Cultural Resource Compliance to the

USFWS for Indian Point project planning and work

July 2016 – Lead the fourth Wasson Technical Advisory Committee meeting

July 2016 – Lead an upland Reserve site visit for OSU Professor Matt Powers to discuss

research and partnership opportunities

August 2016 – Made various site visits across the Reserve with OSU Forest Pathologist,

David Shaw, and OSU Extension Forester, Norma Kline.

August 2016 – Coordinated an invasive purple loosestrife pull for Reserve staff

September 2016 – Coordinated various meetings and site visits between Coos County,

DSL, and Reserve staff to explore the Elwin Deal Parcel land exchange

September 2016 – Lead a Reserve tour for four OSU Forestry Program Professors and

visited the CB/NB water board forest management area

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October 2016 – Visited The Nature Conservancy’s Ellsworth Experimental Forest, various

Clatsop County forests, and the Hopkin’s Demonstration Forest to study up on upland

restoration techniques, management, and contracting

October 2016 – Managed inmate crews and met with foresters, archeological

specialists, lily biologists, project contractors, and restoration students at Indian Point to

begin project work

November 2016 – Met with BLM staff to discuss Reed Canary Grass control options in

the Wasson Creek drainage

November 2016 – Begin work with the BLM Resource Advisory Council