Progress 06/19/06 to 07/01/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Project activities which occurred during the last year included lab work, lecturing, and mentoring of undergraduate students. The following lab work was conducted on soils collected from Ebey's Landing, Whidbey Island and American Camp, San Juan Island (44 samples total): total carbon and nitrogen, available nitrogen, total phosphorous, pH, and cation exchange capacity. Preliminary results of these data, along with soil moisture and temperature data, were shared during a 1-hour lecture to a class at the University of Washington entitled, "Special Issues in National Parks" in February of 2006. This lecture also gave a large amount of background information on why prairie ecosystems are important targets for restoration. Two undergraduate students have been involved in the field data collection. In helping out with this study, they have learned new technological skills, such as how to use a time domain reflectometry (TDR) device and a handheld GPS unit. They have also gotten
the opportunity to visit interesting native prairie remnant sites in western Washington and to practice their data collection skills. One student has developed his senior project based on this project. A poster of preliminary findings was presented at the annual Soil Science Society of America Conference in Indianapolis in October of 2006. The final outcome of this project will be a master's defense and a bound copy of the graduate student's thesis. The thesis will be made available to other ecologists working in the field of prairie restoration. A final presentation will also be made specifically for National Park Service employees.
PARTICIPANTS: UW graduate student, Samantha Martin Sprenger, was the main individual who worked on this project, under the guidance of her graduate adviser, Dr. Darlene Zabowski. Other students who helped with data collection included: Amanda Thorton, Joshua Hegarty, Carson Sprenger and Cindy Flint. Personnel from the National Park Service who helped with the set up of this project were Regina Rochefort, Bill Gleason, and Peter Dederich. Peter Dunwiddie from The Nature Conservancy collaborated on project design and provided insightful guidance. Andrew Grey, of USFS, helped with using TDR technology. S. Sprenger has been able to make important contacts with professionals in the field of restoration ecology which may benefit her in her future career development.
TARGET AUDIENCES: Ecologist and restoration specialists working in Puget Sound or on prairies will find this information of use. Agencies currently involved in prairie restoration in our region include: The Nature Conservancy, the National Park Service, the Department of Natural Resources, Unites States Fish and Wildlife, and the North Puget Sound Prairie Working Group.
Impacts
Findings from this project have helped to better understand microsite conditions in native prairie sites in western Washington. It has been shown that certain vegetation types have consistently higher soil moisture and lower soil temperatures than other vegetation types. The extreme conditions observed in the summer months at these locations help to explain why some planting efforts have been unsuccessful in the past. The aspect of this project which monitored a rare, threatened species (Castilleja levisecta) , found that there was not a significant difference in soil moisture and temperature between high and low survival areas. This information will help guide restoration specialists to look at other variables that may affect C. levisecta survival. One main focus of this project was to monitor soil moisture in prairie restoration areas, and it is hoped that this information will clarify better sites for planting of endangered species.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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