Urban and rural-residential land uses : their role in watershed health and the rehabilitation of Oregon's wild salmonids

Abstract

Urban areas currently cover a small fraction of Oregon’s landscape but will expand to accommodate an increasingly large proportion of the state’s growing population and economic activity. Residential developments on rural lands now cover more than twice the area occupied by Oregon’s urban developments and are growing rapidly. Oregon urban and rural-residential developments are frequently located along streams, rivers, estuaries, and coasts. Associated landscape alterations in these areas can impair aquatic ecosystems in a variety of ways. In the Pacific Northwest, there is a growing understanding that aquatic habitat affected by development is important for salmonid populations. This technical report by the Independent Multidisciplinary Science Team (IMST) is a comprehensive review of how human activities in urban and rural-residential areas alter watershed functions, aquatic ecosystems, and the potential implications for salmonid recovery in Oregon. The report focuses on the effects of urban and rural-residential development on Oregon’s watersheds and native wild salmonids; actions that can be used to avoid or mitigate undesirable changes to aquatic ecosystems near developed areas; actions that could facilitate the recovery of salmonid populations in areas affected by development; and the effectiveness of salmonid habitat rehabilitation actions within established urban and rural residential areas.