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EOU biology students play part in restoration projects at Ladd Marsh, Bear Creek

Contact: Laura Hancock | University Advancement | lhancock@eou.edu

 

Biology students discover an
Oregon spotted frog during a
recent field trip.

Thursday, June 8, 2006
LA GRANDE, Oregon – As biology students at Eastern Oregon University are busy completing coursework, they are also making a significant contribution to the conservation efforts of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Grande Ronde Model Watershed.

In April and May, students conducted a survey of Oregon spotted frogs at Ladd Marsh and began a bio-monitoring project at Bear Creek, a tributary of the Grande Ronde River.

The ODFW needed to find out if Oregon spotted frogs were breeding in any of the new ponds at Ladd Marsh. The students in Karen Antell’s Principles of Biology class were ready to help. Because the Oregon spotted frog is considered a sensitive species, tracking its breeding patterns is essential in protecting the species.

     Photos by Karen Antell / Above: Students in Karen Antell's Principles of Biology class search for Oregon spotted frog egg clusters in Ladd Marsh. Left: Bear Creek and Longley Meadows are now part of a permanent conservation easement. Right: Students from left, Julia Deutsch, Marika Debos, and Ashley Kane examine aquatic invertebrates sampled from Bear Creek.

 

Spotted frogs are known to inhabit Ladd Marsh, but the extent of their breeding locations was previously unknown. Union County vector control was preparing to spray for mosquitoes on the marsh and the survey was necessary to locate where the frogs might be breeding so that the county could avoid spraying in that area.

“Frogs breath through their skin,” said Antell, associate professor of biology. “They are very susceptible to insecticides and other pesticides.”

The frogs commonly breed during the first two weeks of April and then the tadpoles disappear for the rest of the summer after they hatch. Students canvassed nearly 500 acres of the marsh near Hot Lake Road and the public access area along Peach Road, checking each pond and flooded area to see if they could find any egg clusters. Laura Mahrt, associate professor of biology, led another group of students to help.

“Ladd Marsh has many acres of suitable habitat and few staff, so the students provided an important amount of human-power to survey a large area of the marsh in a short time,” Antell said

“The class did an excellent job. They had to walk through a lot of water and the students successfully located long-toed salamander eggs, which are harder to find than spotted frog eggs.”

The survey revealed that the spotted frog population in the marsh is contained to one breeding pond, as it has been in years past. However, more egg clusters were discovered in the pond this year than last year, a good sign for the spotted frogs. Their numbers have been threatened by the invasive bullfrog, a non-native species in the Grande Ronde Valley.

In May, Antell’s students had another chance to participate in a hands-on service learning experience. Antell volunteered the assistance of her class after receiving a faculty scholar’s grant to begin a bio-monitoring project at Longley Meadows in collaboration with the Grande Ronde Model Watershed. Bear Creek is located about three miles west of Hilgard State Park.

Photo / Laura Hancock / University Advancement
Sheldeen Pua, a senior biology student at EOU, and David
Benavente, a junior, examine macroinvertebrates sampled
from Bear Creek. Identifying the samples is the first step in
building a reference collection of macroinvertebrates.

As a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, Bear Creek has been restored from a drainage ditch to a natural meandering channel through Longley Meadows. The meadow has been placed in a permanent conservation easement by the property owners of the Alta Cunha Ranch.

Biology students took samples of all aquatic macroinvertebrates living in the stream to help monitor the quality of the water as the restoration project progresses. Students will be involved with the monitoring project for at least the next three years.

“Some species are more tolerant to disturbances than others, so as vegetation grows and water quality improves, we should begin to see changes in insect species composition,” Antell said. “The data collected now will become more valuable in the next five to ten years.”

Back in the lab, six senior biology students will receive research credits for identifying each species sampled at Longley Meadows. Their findings will help to establish a reference collection of macroinvertebrates living in Bear Creek. 

“This is a perfect project because students are learning how to follow specific sampling, protocols and collect field data while providing a service to the GRMW and the landowner,” Antell said.

Another site Antell plans to take her class to next year is End Creek, located near Hunter Road. Samples of the insects living there will be collected to create the same type of baseline data as the other restoration site at Longley Meadows. The insect sampling will follow last year’s efforts by EOU chemistry students who tested the water quality of End Creek prior to the start of the stream excavation and restoration by the GRMW.

James Stafford, a senior student in Antell’s class, participated in the spotted frog survey and invertebrate sampling. Although he is not planning to pursue a career in field work, he said that the experience was beneficial.

“The class teaches many observation skills, as well as data collection and methods for surveying the outdoors in a scientific way,” he said.

“We have the power to preserve and improve upon our natural environment so that future generations can not only enjoy its beauty, but also the resources it has to offer.”

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