Future Directions

This project was designed in the hopes that students in the future will continue the program as well as build on top of it. The data gathered from this project are already being used by the Campus Planning office; however continued monitoring will produce a more useful and robust dataset. This page lists a few of the many projects that could be developed. If you have any interest in integrating the environment you live in with the classroom, consider designing a project. It is likely that the department chair of your major will allow you to gain practicum (and possibly even independent study or thesis) credit for the work you do.

Monitoring

It is essential that monitoring is continued, since monitoring by definition requires repeated observations.

• Birds should be monitored every year or at least every other year (although this is suboptimal). Without consistent monitoring, we will be unable to detect trends of any kind
• Invasive plants should be recorded on other parts of campus (Law School and parts of the Graduate School). Once surveyed, plots do not need to be surveyed for 10 years (until 2015-2016). If a project performs invasive plant treatments of any kind, surveys should be performed before and after treatment.
• Frog egg mass surveys should continue yearly or at least biannually.

note- Dr. Bierzychudek in the biology department has said that students continuing monitoring work without any additions would almost certainly receive practicum credit if requested. If you are interested, contact your department chair.

Additional Project Ideas

• Develop additional indicators and/or measures of riparian health
• Research removal techniques for invasive plants (chicken tractors, goats, chemicals, manual labor, etc.) and compare their effectiveness
• Examine energy allocation. E.g.- Anna’s Hummingbirds are present on campus all year. What do they eat and how much time do they allocate their time?
• Examine bird territoriality
• Conduct other behavioral studies. Other common species that could be the focus of behavioral studies, including: Crows (there are at least 10-15 residents around campus), Stellar’s Jays (although they may be too high in the trees to prove a good study organism), Winter Wrens (in the winter and spring only), and Spotted Towhees.
• Investigate how habitats with different invasive plant species differ in the composition of native flora. Such a study could look at interactions between native and non-native plants.
• Investigate how landscaped and natural areas on campus compare in their habitat quality and species (type, quantity, composition) supported.

Most importantly, be creative! Because the Lewis & Clark campus offers you an amazing field research laboratory at your fingertips, there is no need to travel great distances to conduct research on a vast array of topics. Figure out what excites you, then go out and gain hands-on experience. And remember to let us know what you are working on so we can expand this website as well.