We examined more than 250 reports and peer-reviewed publications that were relevant to our research synthesis. Despite the large loss of oak and prairie plant communities in the Willamette Valley, there has been surprisingly little research conducted on the ecology of wildlife in these habitats. Other than studies conducted on the federally endangered Fender’s blue butterfly, almost no research has been conducted on how wildlife responds to restoration efforts. Our understanding of wildlife relationships in grassland and oak communities in the Willamette Valley relies mostly on natural history observations. To date, the work conducted on wildlife in the Willamette Valley has focused and descriptive accounts of species occurrence, distribution, and habitat associations.
Little research has been conducted on wildlife in Oregon white oak and prairie habitats in Oregon , despite the profound interest from the public and natural resource agencies.
Photo credits: checking nest box, Dan Rosenberg/OWI; banner landscape, Gary Kamer/NRCS.
Restoration plans typically do not account for territory size, breeding site fidelity, dispersal capability, and local distributions of rare species. Yet these factors strongly influence the probability a species will occupy a habitat patch.
Wildlife presence & reproductive success are affected by the size and configuration of habitat patches, as well as landscape mosaic in which they are embedded. Yet site selection of restoration projects is primarily guided by programatic goals & needs, not wildlife science.
Our review failed to reveal a single study that measured the response of any vertebrate species to restoration practices in Willamette Valley woodlands or grasslands. To date, any benefits of habitat restoration to wildlife must be considered conjectural.