Biology Department

Sandy River Gorge Field Study Award

Sandy River

Sandy River, 1963 (original artwork by Arch Diack)

The Sandy River Gorge Field Study Award is an endowed fund administered by the Biology Department at Reed College. The fund was established by Arch and Fran Diack and provides an opportunity to conduct student-originated, independent research and field studies in the Sandy River Gorge east of Portland. The award was established in recognition of the Diack's great interest in the Sandy River Gorge Natural Area and their desire to encourage original contributions by students to scientific problems in the natural world. The Nature Conservancy shares in this cooperative project.

Potential topics include (but are not limited to) plant and animal ecology and behavior, geology, air and water pollution, dam removal effects, and other issues related to the Sandy River Gorge. Copies of reports of previous work are available as examples of the nature and scope of suitable projects. A list of previous project awards is provided below.

Information about this fellowship can be obtained from Dr. Keith Karoly (Biology Dept.) or from the Chair of the Biology Department.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications for the Sandy River Gorge Field Study Award should be submitted to Kristy Gonyer (B115), Biology Administrative Coordinator according to the annual deadline posted on the application form.

Previous Projects Under the Sandy River Gorge Field Study Award

  • Redfern, Craig (1974) Breeding Bird Census: Sandy River Natural Area, The Nature Conservancy.
  • Bayne, David; Scriven, Ellen (1975) A Survey of Lichens in the Middle Sandy River Gorge.
  • Budwill, Karen (1976) A Synecological Study of Forest Vegetation on The Nature Conservancy's Sandy River Area, Oregon.
  • Galen, Candace (1976) A Study of the Effects of Slope Aspect upon Forest Composition in the Sandy River Gorge Natural Area.
  • Cazzulino, Dana; Kohn, Joshua; Tada, Etsuko (1977) A Survey of the Flora of the Sandy River Gorge Natural Area with Emphasis on a Search for Rare and Endangered Species.
  • Little, Dean (1978) A Classification of the Current Status of the Sandy River Gorge by Vegetation Mapping and Photography.
  • Wood, Nancy (1979) Human Use of the Sandy River Gorge.
  • McGrath, Kathleen E.; Kingsley, Paul D. (1981) Aspects of Water Quality of the Sandy River, Summer 1981.
  • Parker, Karen (1982) Analysis of Understory Vegetation of a Low Elevation Old Growth Forest in the Sandy River Gorge.
  • Lukas, David (1983) Survey of the Herpetofauna of the Sandy River Gorge.
  • Piper, Robert C. (1984) The Elk of the Sandy River: A Summer Study.
  • Schultz, Stewart; French, Robert (1985) Sandy River Database Manual.
  • Shapiro, Leo (1985) Berberis (Mahonia) aquifolium and B. (M.) nervosa (Berberidaceae) in the Sandy River Gorge.
  • Vann, Carol Sue (1985) Characterization of Mature Canopy of a Low Elevation Old Growth Forest Site in the Sandy River Gorge.
  • Russell, William O. (1987) Some Attributes of the Tributaries in the Sandy River Gorge: a Survey from Bull Run to Buck Creek.
  • Sillett, Stephen C. (1988) An Investigation of the Epiphytic Lichen Communities within the Canopy of Two Old-Growth Douglas Fir Trees Dwelling in a Low Elevation Old-growth Foreset Along the Sandy River.
  • Campbell, John L. (1989) Summer Water Relations of Neckera douglasii: Variation Between Microhabitat and Evidence for Intra-specific Adaptation to Water Use.
  • Dwyer, Cullen M. (1990) Edaphic Characteristics and Forest Composition - with Special Consideration of Acer macrophyllum.
  • Weiblen, George D. (1991) Reproductive biologies of Tellima grandiflora and Tolmeia menziesii.
  • Evans, Margaret (1992) Breeding system of tall bugbane, Cimicifuga elata (Ranunculaceae)
  • Richardson, Jonathan H. T.; Gaynor, Jenifer A. (1993) A Survey of Mosses of the Sandy River Gorge with Special Consideration of Moss Succession on Logs.
  • Kramer, Ariana M. F.; Brehm Bert G. (1996) A Check List of Plants and Other Biota of the Sandy River Gorge.
  • McGlaughlin, Mitchell (1998) Genetic Variability, Ploidy, and Reproductive Isolation in Clonal Oxalis oregana (Oxalidaceae) .
  • Gillick, Karl (2000) Gradients in in situ photochemical efficiency of artificially hydrated thalli of Lobaria oregana in old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest.
  • Zaret, Kyla (2001) The Utilization of Artificial Cover Objects for Monitoring Terrestrial Salamanders of the Sandy River Gorge.
  • Draper, Will (2005) Investigation of Nitrogen Fixation in the Porella / Nostoc Association Found in Old-Growth Douglas-Fir Forests.
  • Hightower, Paul (2007) A quantitative investigation of floral color variation in Claytonia sibirica (Portulacaceae) .
  • Balog, Sarah (2009) Lead and Licorice Ferns in the Columbia and Sandy River Gorges.
  • Holt, Gabriel (2009) Two Years Out: Macroinvertebrate Monitoring for Continued Effects of the Sandy River's Marmot Dam Removal.
  • Slein, Maggie (2018) The Thermal Tolerance of Freshwater Zooplankton in Lakes of the Sandy River Basin.
  • Wells-Moran, Shannon (2020) Effects of Fog on Coastal Vegetation Health in Washington, Oregon, and California.
  • Zoll, Ingrid (2020) Diagnosing Trees From Space: Remote Sensing Individual Thuja plicata  Health In An Urban Environment.