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Oregon Explorer Topics

Oregon Explorer Topics


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Aquaculture is the breeding, rearing and harvesting of fish, shellfish, plants, algae, and other organisms in fresh or salt water. 

Aquatic mitigation seeks to balance alterations made to our aquatic resources with protecting functions such as controlling floodwater, filtering pollution and providing natural habitats for plants and animals.

Biodiversity is the variety of life, and the processes that support it, encompassing species and their genetic variation.

Birds are the most diverse group of vertebrates in Oregon, with over 400 species known, found in all habitats across the state.

The Oregon Century Farm and Ranch Program, has honored the state's rich agricultural heritage since 1958. It awards farm and ranch families that have maintained connections to the land for 150 and 100 years.

Climate change refers to long-term change in global or regional climate patterns, especially a change in the average atmospheric temperature. Changes in Oregon's climate are affecting the state's natural and human systems.

Coastal hazards may be catastrophic such as earthquakes or tsunamis, or chronic, such as coastal erosion, landslides, windthrow and flooding.

Oregon's coast, with its rugged headlands and shifting beaches, along with its susceptibility to natural hazards and its endangered habitats, offers many land use planning challenges.

Enhancing the visibility and promoting coordination of the coastal and marine research and associated data collected along the Oregon coast.

Collective groups unite diverse partners in working together on forest, rangeland, and/or fire resiliency in Oregon. See where they work.

Topics discussing the changes and challenges facing communities in Oregon. Learn how forces within and outside communities influence outcomes.

Conservation refers to preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife. Oregon’s Conservation Strategy offers a blueprint for the state's conservation efforts.

The dairy, cattle and poultry industries are all Important agricultural industries in Oregon. Milk was designated Oregon's official state beverage in 1997. Cattle production is the top agricultural activity in eastern Oregon

Oregon’s economy has diverse sectors and a long history in natural resources. Learn how employment, income, and other factors influence local economies.

Ecoregions are geographic areas with characteristic features such as climate, geology, geomorphology, soils, ecosystem processes, and natural assemblages of plants and animals.

Agencies, local groups, and institutions throughout Oregon offer educational programs about Oregon’s diverse natural resources and ecosystems.

Oregon is one of the country's most agriculturally diverse states, producing more than 220 agricultural commodities. Farming practices have profound impacts on conservation and the environment

The Oregon Forest Practices Act defines rules for state and private forest management, while the National Forest Management Act outlines forest management on the 26% of Oregon managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

A habitat is an ecological or environmental area which supports one or more species of animal, plant or other type of organism.

Natural hazards refers to atmospheric, hydrologic, geologic, and wildfire phenomena that have the potential to affect humans, their structures, or their activities adversely.

Individual health and that of communities is influenced by a host of personal and contextual factors. Learn about trends and influences on health.

One of the keys to understanding changes in rural communities and their resilience is knowing about the dynamics of the influential underlying social structures.

Invertebrates, which include insects, are animals without backbones. They form the largest and most diverse, and least understood animals.

Invasive species are non-native species which spread widely on their own. Many are considered to be noxious, and cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

The Oregon land use planning program is widely recognized for its pioneering efforts to preserve the principle of local responsibility for land use decisions while defining a broader public interest at the state level.

Landscape assessment reviews existing conditions for vegetation, wildlife habitat and potential hazards to prioritize where natural resource management activities may be most effective and result in desirable conditions.

Developing regional solutions from Cascade Head to Cape Perpetua to provide adequate water supplies for water systems and local industry, while providing adequate flows and water quality for fish, wildlife, and our environment.

A natural area is land managed for scientific research and education that contains important biological or physical attributes. In Oregon, these lands are established under the Natural Areas Act.

Oak Creek descends nearly 2000 feet from its timbered headwaters through residential, farm and conservation lands, into the urban reach in Corvallis and its confluence with the Marys River. The Network exists to care for this special place where we live, work and play.

Over the past 250 years, rapid growth in fossil fuel burning and land use changes have caused a dramatic rise in CO2; emissions. As a result the average acidity of the surface ocean has increased about 30% since 1750.

Oregon’s diverse plants include over 3,300 species of flowering plants, 35 species of conifers, and many ferns, mosses and liverworts; plus diverse seaweeds and algae.

Private lands is a legal designation of the ownership of property by non-governmental entities.

Public land includes government-owned land such national parks and forest, wildlife refuges, grazing lands and virtually any land or site to which the public may have access.

Information about race and ethnicity show the diversity of communities and the extent of isolation experienced by various groups.

Increased renewable energy development in Oregon is anticipated in the coming decades, particularly solar energy, wind energy, and associated transmission line development

Oregon is home to 30 species of reptiles, including turtles, lizards and snakes.  Frogs, toads, and salamanders comprise Oregon's amphibian fauna.

Ecological restoration processes recover ecosystems disturbed by human or other kinds of disturbances.

Flowing water provides drinking water, irrigation, habitat for aquatic species and recreation opportunities across the state.

Information to help local residents and policymakers make decisions about rural communities including vitality and changes in Oregon's communities.

Eastern Oregon is home to over 15 million acres of sage-grouse habitat. The SageCon Partnership advances policies and actions that reduce threats to sage-grouse, sagebrush ecosystems and Oregon's rural communities. 

Seven species of salmon, all members of the scientific genus Oncorhynchus, are native to Oregon, many are currently at risk. There are about 200 species of fish found in Oregon.

Soil quality impacts biological and agricultural productivity, environmental quality, and plant and animal health.

"Threatened" species refers to native species likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. "Endangered" species are any native species determined to be in danger of extinction.

Vegetation can refer to either the plants or plant communities that occupy a given area.

Water planning is a critical component to securing Oregon’s instream and out-of-stream water future in the face of increasing water scarcity and uncertainty.  Through planning you can understand your water situation and identify solutions to water challenges.

The term "watershed" is commonly used to refer to an area in which all surface waters flow to a common point. USGS identifies 92 watersheds in Oregon.

Providing access to information to evaluate large landscapes over time in the West

Wetlands are uniquely productive and valuable ecosystems with permanent or seasonal standing water. Salt marshes, pitcher-plant bogs, mountain fens, and desert saltgrass flats are just a few of the wetland types in Oregon.

The Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer is designed to identify the wildland-urban interface and wildfire risk at the property ownership level. It shows a comprehensive view of wildfire risk within the State of Oregon, indicates local fire history, and offers additional resources.

Wildlife can be defined as non-domesticated animals and their associated habitats. The Oregon Conservation Strategy offers a blueprint for conservation of the state’s native fish and wildlife and their habitats.

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