walterc@engr.orst.edu

My research interests include the physical and biological responses to dam removal, estimation of river channel change from aerial photos, techniques for restoring river habitats to more natural and functional states, and the responses of rivers to habitat restoration techniques.

My project is part of the larger physical and biological monitoring of the Calapooia River associated with the removal of Brownsville Dam in late August, 2007.  I am quantifying the physical changes in the Calapooia River over the first year using two topographic surveys, one pre-removal and one post first winter, and putting those observed changes in the context of recent annual or biannual changes that took place while the dam was still in place by analyzing aerial photos.  The study area consists of two downstream reaches, a reservoir reach, and a far upstream control reach.  The reaches were broken into habitat units with evenly spaced cross sections within the units.  I am digitizing and comparing the characteristics of the active channel and bars within my field study reaches in 9 aerial photos taken between 1994 and 2006.  Average daily discharge will be used to relate measurements, and peak flow between measurements will be used to relate changes.  Since the Calapooia River is no longer gaged for discharge by the USGS, I will be using record extension techniques to estimate average photo day, average survey day, and annual peak flows.

My personal interests include hiking, boating, and sustainable living.