Restoration and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems

Restoration of aquatic ecosystems involves a broad spectrum of active and passive efforts. Passive efforts rely on natural recovery of ecosystems, such as land use practices that protect riparian zones and sources of wood and sediment that drive the geomorphic and associated biological functions in streams. Active efforts involve more direct intervention, usually applied to specific locations, to treat more specific issues. These range from projects on the scale of dam removals on large rivers to refitting culverts on forest roads for aquatic organism passage.

We are currently involved in monitoring and evaluation of active restoration ranging from removal of large dams on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park to replacements of culverts on national forest roads in the Pacific Northwest. We are also actively engaged in a series of monitoring efforts to track physical and biological (threatened Oregon coast coho salmon and Pacific lamprey) responses to active restoration of large wood in streams on Bureau of Land Management lands in the Umpqua River basin. In 2011, we published a feasibility assessment with partners from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service that led to reintroduction of bull trout into the Clackamas River, Oregon, and we continue to assist in monitoring and evaluation of that effort. Our work on water temperature, water quality criteria, and contemporary forest harvest practices in the Trask River Watershed Study represents major interdisciplinary and interagency collaborations to evaluate the effectiveness of current approaches to passively restoring aquatic ecosystem function across broad extents in the Pacific Northwest.

Primary Investigator

Dunham, Jason B. - View Profile

Related Publications

Penaluna, B.E., Dunham, J.B., Noakes, D.L., 2016, Instream cover and shade mediate avian predation on trout in semi-natural streams: Ecology of Freshwater Fish, v. 25, no. 3, p. 405-411, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eff.12221. [Details]

Suzuki, F.M., Dunham, J.B., Silva, L.M., Alves, C.M., Pompeu, P.S., 2016, Factors influencing movements of two migratory fishes within the tailrace of a large neotropical dam and their implications for hydropower impacts: River Research and Applications, p. online, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rra.3105. [Details]

Dunham, J.B., White, R., Allen, C.S., Marcot, B.G., Shively, D., 2016, The Reintroduction Landscape- Finding Success at the Intersection of Ecological, Social, and Institutional Dimensions - Chapter 5 In Jachowski, D.S., Millspaugh, J.J., Angermeier, P.L., Slotow, R., eds., Reintroduction of Fish and Wildlife Populations: Oakland, California, University of California Press, p. 79-103. [Details]

Penaluna, B.E., Olson, D.H., Flitcroft, R.L., Weber, M., Bellmore, J.R., Wondzell, S.M., Dunham, J.B., Johnson, S.L., Reeves, G.H., 2016, Aquatic Biodiversity in Forests- a weak link in ecological and ecosystem service resilience: Biodiversity and Conservation, p. online, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1148-0. [Details]

Dunham, J.B., 2015, Rangewide climate vulnerability assessment for threatened Bull Trout: Final Report to Northwest Climate Science Center, p. 1-47. [Details]

Reagan, R.E., 2015, Where the Stream Meets the Road- Prioritizing Culvert Replacement for Fish Passage: Corvallis, OR, Oregon State University--M.S. Thesis, p. 69. [Details]

Pyke, D.A., Shaff, S.E., Lindgren, A.I., Schupp, E.W., Doescher, P.S., Chambers, J.C., Burnham, J.S., Huso, M.M., 2014, Region-wide ecological responses of arid Wyoming big sagebrush communities to fuel treatments: Rangeland Ecology and Management, v. 67, no. 5, p. 455-467, http://dx.doi.org/10.2111/REM-D-13-00090.1. [Details]

Clark, S.M., Dunham, J.B., McEnroe, J.R., Lightcap, S.W., 2014, Breeding site selection by Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in relation to large wood additions and factors that influence reproductive success: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, v. 71, p. 1498-1507, http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2014-0020. [Details]

Dunham, J.B., Chelgren, N.D., Heck, M.P., Clark, S.M., 2013, Comparison of electrofishing techniques to detect larval lampreys in wadeable streams in the Pacific Northwest: North American Journal of Fisheries Management, v. 33, no. 6, p. 1149-1155, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02755947.2013.826758. [Details]

Clark, S.M., 2013, Breeding Site Selection by Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in Relation to Large Wood Additions and Factors that Drive Reproductive Success -- M.S. Thesis: Corvallis, OR, Oregon State University, p. 90. [Details]

Penaluna, B.E., 2013, New Insights on an Old Topic- Understanding the Effects of Forest Harvest on Trout in the Context of Climate: Corvallis, OR, Oregon State University--PhD Dissertation, p. 125. [Details]

Hoffman, Jr., R., Dunham, J.B., Hansen, B.P., 2012, Aquatic Organism Passage at Road Stream Crossings - Synthesis and Guidelines for Effectiveness Monitoring: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012-1090, p. 64. [Details]

Dunham, J.B., Hoffman, Jr., R., Arismendi, I., 2011, Practical Guidelines for Monitoring Movement of Aquatic Organisms at Stream-Road Crossings: Stream Notes, U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, p. 1-7. [Details]

Dunham, J.B., Gallo, K., Shively, D., Allen, C.S., Goehring, B., 2011, Assessing the feasibility of native fish reintroductions- A framework applied to threatened bull trout: North American Journal of Fisheries Management, v. 31, p. 106-115. [Details]

Dunham, J.B., Rosenberger, A.E., Thurow, R.F., Dolloff, A., Howell, P.J., 2009, Coldwater fishes in wadeable streams- Chapter 8 In Bonar, S., Hubert, W., Willis, D., eds., Standard Methods for Sampling North American Freshwater Fishes: Bethesda, MD, American Fisheries Society, p. 119-138. [Details]

Fausch, K.D., Rieman, B.E., Dunham, J.B., Young, M.K., Peterson, D.P., 2009, Invasion versus isolation- Trade-offs in managing native salmonids with barriers to upstream movement: Conservation Biology, v. 23, no. 4, p. 859-870. [Details]

Dunham, J.B., Gallo, K., 2008, Assessing the Feasibility of Native Fish Reintroductions- A Framework and Example Applied to Bull Trout in the Clackamas River, Oregon: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1007, p. 15. [Details]

Peterson, D.P., Rieman, B.E., Dunham, J.B., Fausch, K.D., Young, M.K., 2008, Analysis of trade-offs between threats of invasion by nonnative brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and intentional isolation for native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi): Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, v. 65, p. 557-573. [Details]

Hoffman, Jr., R., Dunham, J.B., 2007, Fish-Movement Ecology in High-Gradient Headwater Streams- Its Relevance to Fish Passage Restoration through Stream Culvert Barriers: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1140, p. 40. [Details]

Fausch, K.D., Rieman, B.E., Young, M., Dunham, J.B., 2006, Strategies for Conserving Native Salmonid Populations at Risk from Nonnative Fish Invasions- Tradeoffs in using barriers to upstream movement: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station RMRS-GTR-174, p. 44. [Details]

Dunham, J.B., Chandler, G.L., Rieman, B.E., Martin, D., 2005, Measuring stream temperature with digital data loggers- A user's guide: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Center General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-150WWW, p. 15. [Details]

Rosenberger, A.E., Dunham, J.B., 2005, Validation of abundance estimates from mark-recapture and removal techniques for rainbow trout captured by electrofishing in small streams: North American Journal of Fisheries Management, v. 25, p. 1395-1410. [Details]

Dunham, J.B., Rieman, B.E., Davis, K., 2001, Sources and magnitude of sampling error in redd counts for bull trout: North American Journal of Fisheries Management, v. 21, p. 343-352. [Details]