Brandis Oaks Savannah Restoration Project: Homepage

Oblique aerial photograph of project research area from the south, March 31, 2005 (Luna Aerial Photography).

The Brandis Oak Savannah Restoration Project is a plan to convert 40 acres of invasive Douglas-fir trees and Brachypodium sylvaticum (false brome) grass to native oak savannah and woodland habitat as it may have existed in the area from 200 to 500 years ago.

The 18 eastern-most acres (pictured above) have been set aside for the primary purposes of providing needed wildlife habitat for scarce native plant and animal species, and as an outdoor classroom and laboratory for local Benton County students, teachers, and researchers.

Additional planned uses of the property include public outdoor recreational opportunities (such as hiking, biking, bird watching, or wildflower photography); prescribed fire and wildfire management training opportunities; a managed 1/8 mile wide firebreak separating OSU Research Forests from north Corvallis residences, and simply enjoying the newly-restored scenic vistas of Corvallis, the Willamette Valley, and Marys Peak.

Website launch date was the last day of school, by Juniors : June 15, 2005. Updates have followed and will continue.

	Restoration Plan	April 1, 2005 draft plan for achieving nine project goals developed under the guidance of project landowner, consultants, and advisors.
	Site History	This site apparently has a long history--perhaps millions of years--of serving as a refugium for native plants during times of catastrophic changes in climate, geology, and (in more recent times) human use and culture.
	Animals	A primary goal is to provide needed long-term habitat for a number of listed “"Sensitive,"” “"Threatened,"”or “"Endangered"” animal species, specifically: Fender's blue butterfly, western bluebirds, western gray squirrels, and sharp-tailed snakes. Other animals, including deer, moles, and rabbits, can become habitat-damaging pests.
	Plants	The principal goal of this project is to re-establish combinations of native shrubs, bulbs, vines, grasses, and wildflowers of the oak savannah environment likely found in this location from 200 to 500 years ago. A secondary goal is to possibly establish and maintain colonies of Kincaid's lupine. Weeds, including brachypodium, blackberries, scotch broom, and poisonoak, are a big problem.
	Student Experiments	Two long-term student research projects are proposed that can develop valuable information for other oak woodland and upland prairie restoration projects, and also help provide a sound basis for making better informed management decisions in the long-term (ten to 100 year) development of this particular environment.
	Maps & GIS	Project area maps, aerial photographs, GIS layers, GPS reference points, survey notes, and panoramic QTVR video files from 1851 to 2005.
	References	Experts, texts, maps, graphics, links, and other sources of information cited throughout this website.

This website was created in the first weeks of June, 2005 to serve as a basis for student education and research projects for the next two school years. It has been designed and constructed as a collaboration of Oregon Websites and Watersheds Project, Inc. (ORWW), teacher Dan Bregar's Environmental Sciences and Web Design classes at Crescent Valley High School, and local sponsors (listed below). Authors are Bob Zybach, ORWW Program Manager, Anthony Vaughan and Brookman Holmes, Junior students in Mr. Bregar's Web Design class, and Josh Meredith, ORWW videographer and website designer.

Individuals and organizations that have provided funding and other needed resources to develop and maintain this website include NW Maps Co., Crescent Valley High School, Jack Brandis, the Clemens Foundation, and Wilma Hull.