About the Project

Our research was conducted through the Environmental Leadership Program at the University of Oregon. This program is conducted over Winter and Spring terms, from January through June. The first term focused on getting acclimated with the team and learning the methods and protocols that we would be using in the Spring. Through this, we began to organize our roles, along with evaluating the deliverables that we were required to create in order for us to be successful in the program. During the Winter, we had the opportunity of visiting each of the varying field sites of all three ELP teams. This allowed us to gain insight into the operations of all the teams and get more background on the program as a whole. 

 

During the Spring term, the team began to put these methods into practice. Mondays consisted of a brief lecture from Peg and team meetings to set objectives for the week. On Fridays, weeks 1-6, the team visited the High Banks Field Site and conducted their methods and protocols. Weeks 6-10 were focused on lab work and prepping for the final presentation. The field site is located in Springfield, Oregon on a 140-acre plot of land owned by EWEB.

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The goal of the project is field experimentation for the artificial selection of plant and microbial communities that accelerate carbon stabilization in soils. Specific techniques applied at the field site and in the SPA Lab included installing lysimeters, sampling soil for PH, respiration and aggregate stability, and plant survivorship surveys.