CAMAS

Camas imported from Holland by North Mountain Park Nature Center, Ashland, Oregon in 1990s because local sources of the plant could not be located at that time. These were among the plants harvested for the 2nd annual camas bake that year, April 18, 2004. Photo by Nana Lapham.

ORWW has maintained a consistent focus on the historical, cultural, nutritional, and aesthetic values of camas to precontact Indian communities in the Pacific Northwest in conjunction with its several studies related to native plants and wildlife. The links below connect to projects and reports in which camas was a direct focus. Additional information on this important component of historical Northwest landscapes can be found by linking to the ORWW Camas Library.

	2004 Ashland Camas Bake. This was the 2nd annual camas bake at North Mountain Park Nature Center in Ashland, Oregon. It was hosted by local Ashland Parks ethnobotanist Donn Todt and long-time ORWW contributor, Dr. Frank Lake. The website features documentary video clips of the event by Bob Zybach and photographs by Nana Lapham.
	2007 Owl Ridge Trails Report. This 2009 Oregon Heritage Excellence Award-winning report and website was commissioned by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Indians to research and document the early historical Indian Trails and land use patterns of the upper South Santiam and Blue River subbasins.
	2008 Gordon Meadows Restoration Plan. This proposed plan to restore the Gordon Meadows complex on the upper South Santiam River basin was written by Dr. Bob Zybach for ORWW and commissioned by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde following the successful completion of the 2007 Owl Ridge Trails Report.
	2015 South-North Oregon I-5 Camas Colors Transect. This field report used digital photography and GPS coordinates to document the locations and blossom colors of relict native camas populations located along the I-5 corridor between Hugo and Corvallis, Oregon in May 2015.
	2015 West-East Oregon Camas Colors Transect. This field report used digital photography and GPS coordinates to document the locations and blossom colors of relict native camas populations located between Brownsville and Gordon Meadows, Oregon in May 2015.
	2016 West-East Oregon Camas Colors Transect. This field report used digital photography, tape measures and standardized color charts to further refine, document and extend the camas survey locations and boundaries established in 2015, as well as gather tissue samples of select plants for genetic analysis. Survey was extended from Wren, Oregon to Gordon Meadows in April and May 2016.
	2016 South-North Oregon I-5 Camas Colors Transect. This field report used digital photography, tape measures and standardized color charts to further refine, document and extend the camas survey locations and boundaries established in 2015, as well as gather tissue samples of select plants for genetic analysis. Survey extended from Table Rocks to Salem, Oregon in April and May 2016.
	2015-2016 Camas Colors DNA Analysis. This link is to an Excel file listing all of the camas photographed during the 2015-2016 western Oregon ORWW "Camas Colors" project, with a focus on the 30 plants selected in 2016 for genetic testing.

copyright 2015 Oregon Websites & Watersheds Project, Inc.