Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national fore... more Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national forest watershed vulnerability pilot assessments. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-884. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 32 p. plus appendix.
Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national fore... more Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national forest watershed vulnerability pilot assessments. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-884. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 32 p. plus appendix.
Stream channel cross sections were first compared in 1986 in grazed reaches and inside a 47-yr.-o... more Stream channel cross sections were first compared in 1986 in grazed reaches and inside a 47-yr.-old grazing exclosure along Wickiup Creek in eastern Oregon. Significant differences between grazed and ungrazed channels were found at that time. In 1998, we measured 49 cross sections placed at a similar spacing inside the exclosure and in three grazed reaches in order to examine changes over 12 yr. Although the grazed channels were still significantly different than the ungrazed, in two out of three grazed reaches, the channels showed improvement in all parameters since 1985 although not all of these were statistically significant at the 90% level. Since 1990, the Wickiup riparian pasture has been managed more cautiously than many other streamside pastures in eastern Oregon and our results indicate that under careful grazing management, stream channels may show improvement from destructive past grazing without complete exclusion of livestock. As an alternative to the intensive method of measuring channel cross sections that was used in this study, we propose a rapid method of measuring stream channels that might be more useful in future studies of riparian grazing impacts. [
The Umatilla River provides multiple beneficial uses including native salmon habitat, water suppl... more The Umatilla River provides multiple beneficial uses including native salmon habitat, water supply, and recreation. Because of existing water quality, the Umatilla River has been listed as water quality limited for temperature and sediment by the state of Oregon. The Umatilla National Forest maintains gaging stations at three sites on the upper Umatilla River watershed: the North Fork Umatilla River,
Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national fore... more Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national forest watershed vulnerability pilot assessments. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-884. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 32 p. plus appendix.
The northern Blue Mountains sustained heavy rain and rapid snowmelt in November 1995 and rapid sn... more The northern Blue Mountains sustained heavy rain and rapid snowmelt in November 1995 and rapid snowmelt over frozen soil in February 1996. The result was multiple record flood events, with February peak flows being more wide-spread and of higher magnitude. In addition to flooding, the storms triggered debris flows and slides on the Umatilla National Forest. These features commonly occurred
... It is generally assumed that a recovering stream in a meadow system should become narrower an... more ... It is generally assumed that a recovering stream in a meadow system should become narrower and deeperthat is ... In a widely cited study that demonstrated statistically significant differences in channel morphology between grazed and ungrazed areas, Clifton (1989) measured ...
Riparian or streamside areas are the focus of considerable management and public interest in the ... more Riparian or streamside areas are the focus of considerable management and public interest in the interior Northwest. Unfortunately, the vegetation and geomorphic characteristics of streamside areas are difficult to assess across large landscapes because streamside areas are geographically small in much of the arid interior. However, managers and scientists need methods to assess streamside conditions across large landscapes for land management planning, watershed analysis, and landscape simulation modeling. We present proposed methods for characterizing streamside vegetation and topography by using geographic information systems, terrain models, and photo-interpreted vegetation maps. We proposed application of resulting information for restoration planning and linkage to landscape wildlife and aquatic habitat models in the upper Grande Ronde subbasin of northeastern Oregon.
Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national fore... more Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national forest watershed vulnerability pilot assessments. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-884. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 32 p. plus appendix.
Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national fore... more Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national forest watershed vulnerability pilot assessments. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-884. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 32 p. plus appendix.
Stream channel cross sections were first compared in 1986 in grazed reaches and inside a 47-yr.-o... more Stream channel cross sections were first compared in 1986 in grazed reaches and inside a 47-yr.-old grazing exclosure along Wickiup Creek in eastern Oregon. Significant differences between grazed and ungrazed channels were found at that time. In 1998, we measured 49 cross sections placed at a similar spacing inside the exclosure and in three grazed reaches in order to examine changes over 12 yr. Although the grazed channels were still significantly different than the ungrazed, in two out of three grazed reaches, the channels showed improvement in all parameters since 1985 although not all of these were statistically significant at the 90% level. Since 1990, the Wickiup riparian pasture has been managed more cautiously than many other streamside pastures in eastern Oregon and our results indicate that under careful grazing management, stream channels may show improvement from destructive past grazing without complete exclusion of livestock. As an alternative to the intensive method of measuring channel cross sections that was used in this study, we propose a rapid method of measuring stream channels that might be more useful in future studies of riparian grazing impacts. [
The Umatilla River provides multiple beneficial uses including native salmon habitat, water suppl... more The Umatilla River provides multiple beneficial uses including native salmon habitat, water supply, and recreation. Because of existing water quality, the Umatilla River has been listed as water quality limited for temperature and sediment by the state of Oregon. The Umatilla National Forest maintains gaging stations at three sites on the upper Umatilla River watershed: the North Fork Umatilla River,
Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national fore... more Mark. 2013. Assessing the vulnerability of watersheds to climate change: results of national forest watershed vulnerability pilot assessments. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-884. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 32 p. plus appendix.
The northern Blue Mountains sustained heavy rain and rapid snowmelt in November 1995 and rapid sn... more The northern Blue Mountains sustained heavy rain and rapid snowmelt in November 1995 and rapid snowmelt over frozen soil in February 1996. The result was multiple record flood events, with February peak flows being more wide-spread and of higher magnitude. In addition to flooding, the storms triggered debris flows and slides on the Umatilla National Forest. These features commonly occurred
... It is generally assumed that a recovering stream in a meadow system should become narrower an... more ... It is generally assumed that a recovering stream in a meadow system should become narrower and deeperthat is ... In a widely cited study that demonstrated statistically significant differences in channel morphology between grazed and ungrazed areas, Clifton (1989) measured ...
Riparian or streamside areas are the focus of considerable management and public interest in the ... more Riparian or streamside areas are the focus of considerable management and public interest in the interior Northwest. Unfortunately, the vegetation and geomorphic characteristics of streamside areas are difficult to assess across large landscapes because streamside areas are geographically small in much of the arid interior. However, managers and scientists need methods to assess streamside conditions across large landscapes for land management planning, watershed analysis, and landscape simulation modeling. We present proposed methods for characterizing streamside vegetation and topography by using geographic information systems, terrain models, and photo-interpreted vegetation maps. We proposed application of resulting information for restoration planning and linkage to landscape wildlife and aquatic habitat models in the upper Grande Ronde subbasin of northeastern Oregon.
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Papers by Caty Clifton