THE ANNUALIZATION OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST GRASSLANDS: IMPLICATIONS FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Generalmethods:For the first objective, I combined a remote-sensing dataset of plant functional group cover estimates with USDA gridded soils data and topographic variables derived from digital elevation models to explore the landscape drivers of increasing annual dominance in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. I completed the analysis of this dataset using regression analysis and wrote and submitted a manuscript for peer review in an academic journal. Moving forward, I may need to revise the analyses and manuscript as necessary (based on peer-reviewed feedback) and resubmit for publication.In the grazing and native prairie restoration experiment, I established 96 plots across six paddocks, crossing a grazing treatment (grazed/ungrazed) with a pasture community treatment (annualryegrasspasture/ perennial grass pasture) with a native seeding treatment (seeded/control). In October 2021, I seeded a mix of 10 native prairie species to each seeded plot. In January 2022, I constructed grazing exclusion fences, and the bison began a rotational grazing schedule in February. Between February-June 2022, the bison completed two full rotations through the experimental paddocks, grazing each for 4-8 days at a time. Along with an undergraduate field assistant, I monitored germination, vegetation growth, and cover each month from November through June, and collected flowering and pollinator data in June. Moving forward, we plan to reseed for at least one additional season and continue the grazing rotations and plot monitoring through spring 2023. I will then complete a thorough analysis of the two years of monitoring data and prepare a manuscript for publication, targeting a regionally focused, applied restoration journal (e.g., Northwest Science). The data from the experimentwill be analyzed with three-way mixed-effect models to test for the interactive effects of pasture type, grazing, and native seed additions on response variables, with plot and block as random effects.Efforts used to cause a change in knowledge, actions, or conditions of target audience:Manuscripts from the proposed study and experiment will be written to cause a change in knowledge for academic/scientific community. Presentations and meetings will be used to increase knowledge and communication between local farmers/land managers and researchers. Direct collaboration with a local farm may cause them to adopt new practices based on scientific results. Engaging with other farmers and stakeholders (through local watershed councils, networking, etc.) will increase communication to spread the knowledge.Evaluation of outputs for its impact on the intended audiences:I will use a project timeline to evaluate my progress, completion of deliverables, and achievement of project milestones. Additionally, the actions taken by the farm in response to the experimental results will be paramount in evaluating this project's success at achieving "translational ecology."I will be openly collaborating with the farm managers: the research will be directly informed by their interests and needs, and they are very receptive to adapting their management practices based on scientific results. If the farmadopts new practices based on our results, thiswill serve as an ultimate litmus test. Wewill communicate our results with other local land managers and farmers. A receptiveness to adapting management practices will further serve as an evaluation method.