Operation oak: Mapping Oregon’s iconic trees protects habitat, builds connections
By D.K. Row
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It’s sweaty hot – 90 degrees hot – as
the July afternoon blazes sunny radiance
at Mount Talbert Nature Park in Clacka-
mas. Coolly, Savahna Jackson and Sequoia
Breck gaze upward at the tall white oak
trees looming over them.
Slowly, they approach one, as if
encountering something beautiful and
mysterious for the first time. Then Jackson
and Breck begin a duet they’ll conduct
many times throughout the day: Breck
gently places a global positioning system
device on the tree’s broad trunk, like a
doctor listening to a patient’s heart, while
Jackson receives then inputs information
about the tree on her iPhone several paces
away.
Jackson and Breck are mapping white
oak trees at Mount Talbert Nature Park.
Their diligent work this July afternoon
serves a large project bringing together
several core elements of Metro’s nature
work: protecting fragile habitats, collabo-
rating with partners, fostering community
and honoring culture and history.
The young women – both work for the
Native American Youth and Family Center
or NAYA – oversee about 100 volunteers
who’ve committed weeks of their personal
time to help map endangered white oak
trees across the greater Portland region,
including at Metro sites like Cooper
Mountain Nature Park, Canemah Bluff
Natural Area and Mount Talbert.
Known as the Regional Oak Map-
ping Project, this effort is produced and
overseen by a group of partners, includ-
ing Metro, the Intertwine Alliance and
Kingfisher Ecological Services. The goal
is simple: to create a baseline map of how
much white oak remains in the region.
“This is the only native oak to this part
of the state,” says Lori Hennings, a senior
natural resources scientist at Metro who
is co-leading the effort. “But no one has
managed to create an aggregate map of
Oregon white oak.”
There are urgent reasons to pursue
such an expansive project right now.
Oregon white oak habitats were once
plentiful in the region and even thrived
Courtesy photos by Fred Joe
Sequoia Breck spent much of her summer mapping the region’s endangered white
oak trees – part of an expansive project to create a baseline map to support conser-
vation and restoration efforts across the region.
Below: Savahna Jackson, Sequoia Breck and Ted Labbe
in abundance from California to British
Columbia. But urbanization, farming
and other factors began to suppress the
white oak. Today, in the Willamette Valley,
upland prairie and oak savanna habitats
have been reduced to single-digit percent-
ages of their historical range.
“The clock is ticking,” says Ted Labbe,
a biologist from Kingfisher Ecological
Services co-leading the project with
Hennings.
This work has consequences beyond
the white oak itself. As the trees have
declined, so have the plants and animals
that rely on them: the Western gray squir-
rel, white-breasted nuthatch, Fender’s
blue butterfly and many more. A fragile
ecosystem – many generations in the mak-
ing – is threatened.
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10
•
Siletz News
•
May 2016
Oaks have been at the forefront of
Metro’s natural areas work. Fueled by two
voter-approved bond measures, Metro has
protected more than 13,000 acres of land
on behalf of the region, including some
of the best remaining oak habitats. From
Graham Oaks in Wilsonville to the Wil-
lamette Narrows in West Linn, restoration
projects are helping oaks make a come-
back on this land.
But in an urban region, preserving
oaks is difficult. Gone are the days when
it was simple to plan fires that would man-
age faster-growing species like the Doug-
las fir, which deprive oaks of sunlight
and water. Fire-resistant oaks survived
the burn, while their competitors did not.
Three years ago, Hennings and Labbe
began to create a high quality map of the
white oak that could be used as the basis
for conservation and restoration efforts.
With financial support from Metro and
grants to bolster their project, they began
by collecting and compiling existing
GIS-based oak maps. Hennings then led
a team that developed the project’s own
fine-scale map.
A Metro Nature in Neighborhoods
grant supports the current stage, which
dispatches volunteers to verify and refine
the traditional maps. Professional field
surveys will then fill in gaps and add
more detail.
The two leaders describe public
involvement as the project’s soul because
of the potential to create passionate
stewards among the public and develop
a partnership with the Native American
community.
Native Americans studiously culti-
vated the white oak widely for genera-
tions. That careful shepherding is why the
project teamed up with NAYA, which cre-
ates opportunities for Native Americans
through partnerships, programs and advo-
cacy. Jackson and Breck were handpicked
and hired through NAYA to help manage
volunteers, who conducted most of the
field work during the summer.
Jackson, 22, and Breck, 19, are from
the Portland area and plan to complete
college. Both pursued the white oak proj-
ect because of its connection to nature and
the chance to engage their inner science
nerd. They also saw an opportunity to
learn leadership skills that would benefit
them – and the public – in the future.
“I’m so happy to help restore part of
the culture of our Tribes and to help the
public while I’m doing it,” says Jackson,
a Klamath Modoc Indian.
“We’re doing something significant
in terms of educating the public about
the environment and to remind them to
value the habitat we all share,” says Breck,
a Siletz Indian.
Back at Mount Talbert, an afternoon
of mapping trees is complete. The air is
still thick and the temperature is climbing
a few ticks. As Jackson, Breck and Labbe
walk back to the parking lot, they survey
the trees and land around them, including
an area that was recently restored through
a controlled fire.
“We’re trying to do a lot here,” says
Labbe, taking in the breadth of this quiet
piece of heaven not far from the city.
“We’re trying to bring Native people into
the fold as well as create job opportunities
for them. And we’re trying to help save the
white oak.”
Read more stories from Metro at
oregonmetro.gov/parksandnaturenews
General Council Meeting
May 7, 2016 • 1 p.m.
Siletz Tribal Community Center • Siletz, Oregon
Call to Order
Invocation
Flag Salute
Roll Call
Approval of Agenda
Approval of Minutes
Tribal Council Committee Reports
Tribal Members’ Concerns
Chairman’s Report
Announcements
Adjourn
