Restoration Glossary
Restoration, conservation, and watershed ecosystems include complex processes that can be challenging to understand. Below is a restoration glossary, complete with definitions of keywords that we often use to describe the watershed restoration we do.
A
Abiotic
adj. non living components in the environment (such as sunlight, water, soil, atmosphere)
Acidic
adj. below 7 pH, is an important component of soil health and water quality
Adaptation
n. a change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment
Aerobic
adj. in the presence of oxygen
Algal Bloom
n. a rapid growth of microscopic algae or cyanobacteria in water, often resulting in a colored scum on the surface
Alkalinity
n. a measure of water's ability to neutralize acids or resist changes that cause acidity, maintaining a stable pH (pH of above 8 is considered alkaline)
Alluvium
n. a deposit of clay, silt, sand, and gravel left by flowing streams in a river valley or delta
Anadromous
adj. relating to fish, a species that spends a portion of its life cycle in both freshwater and saltwater. In the case of salmon, they spawn in cold-water creeks and streams and migrate to the ocean to grow before returning upstream to spawn
Aquifer
n. an underground body of groundwater between soil & rock pore spaces. Groundwater enters an aquifer as precipitation seeps through the soil. (watch a video)
In Oregon, there are several types of aquifers:
1) basalt aquifers- in eastern OR and parts of the Willamette, these are made up of layers of basalt from ancient lava flows
2) River valley aquifers- such as the Rogue, are made up of layers of sand and gravel
3) Bedrock aquifers- found throughout the state, these aquifers are made up of bedrock
with connected cracks
Atmospheric River
n. sometimes called rivers in the sky, these are atmospheric regions that carries large amount of water vapors and release it as rain or snow. The "Pineapple Express" is an example of one of these rivers that brings moisture from Hawaii to the West Coast.
B
Basin
n. a depression in Earth's surface that collects water. The term "drainage basin" is often used interchangeably with "watershed," which is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet
Benthos
n. organisms that live in or on the bottom of bodies of water (lakes, rivers, streams). An example is benthic invertebrates, such as stonefly and caddisfly larvae, which provide essential nutrients (as food) to native fish and wildlife.
Bioaccumulation
n. the process of chemicals building up in an organism over time. Famously, bald eagles faced bioaccumulation of DDT which affected the strength of their eggs and contributed to very low reproductive success. DDT was a pesticide used to control insects (banned in 1972) that polluted water and began to accumulate up the food chain through plankton, then small fish, then larger fish, then birds of prey- like eagles.
Biodiversity
n. the variety of all living things on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi
Biomagnification
n. the concentration of toxins an organism, this is similar to bioaccumulation (which is the accumulation of substance over time in a single organism) but involves multiple organisms as the toxin is concentrated on its way up the food chain. This is a consequence of bioaccumulation through predator-prey interactions.
Biota
n. all living organisms in a specific area (the Greek root bio means life)
Bog
n. a type of freshwater wetland that has high buildup of peat and an acidic pH (3.3-5.5) because its source of precipitation is primarily rainwater.
Brackish Water
n. found in estuaries, bays, salt marshes, and other ecosystems that mix fresh and salt water.
Buffer
n. in ecology, a buffer is a protected area that shield ecosystems from human activity and development. For example, riparian buffers are strips of trees, shrubs, and grasses that are next to waterways and intercept pollutants that may reduce water quality in the waterbody.
C
Canopy
n. the upper layer of tree-cover, formed by mature tree crowns
CFS
AKA "Cubic Feet per Second"; 1 CFS ≈ 8 gallons/second
this is the most common unit of measurement for river discharge (volume and speed); for example, Mississippi River discharge is about 593,000 cfs whereas the Rogue River discharge into the ocean is about 6600 cfs.
Channelization
n. the process of modifying a river by widening, deepening, or straightening a river. This human modification typically occurred to control water flow for navigation or to reduce flood risks. Channelizing rivers disrupts the natural flow of water, leads to reduced water quality, reduces aquatic habitat diversity, and ultimately causes more problems than it solves in the long run.
Climate Change
n. long term shifts in temperature in weather patterns.
weather is the day-to-day conditions,
climate is the average weather conditions for a particular location over a long period of time
Climax Community
n. a stable, mature ecological community that has reached balance with its environment after stages of succession where species are gradually replaced over time
Corridor
n. or ecological corridor are parts of a landscape that allow animals to move between large habitat areas. In modern society, they often bridge gaps created by human development but are not man-made (like crossings). For example, there is a 125-mile migration corridor that Wyoming pronghorn use each year between the Grand Tetons and Pinedale, Wyoming.
Cover
n. in our restoration projects, cover includes boulders, logs, and tree canopies that offer wildlife protection from predators. Additionally, cover can generally mean the material that is reducing soil exposure on banks (such as native vegetation cover)
Clean Water Act
n. the Clean Water Act (CWA) is a federal law that was passed in 1948 and expanded in 1972. This crucial law regulates pollutant discharges and water quality, It's partner law is the Clean Air Act that was first passed in 1963.
D
Detritus
n. dead organic matter (fallen leaves, animal remains, waste, etc) that serves as a crucial nutrient source in ecosystems, especially aquatic systems
Dissolved Oxygen
n. the amount of oxygen gas freely mised within a body of water. It is a key indicator of water quality and is crucial for the survival of many aquatic species.
Disturbance
n. a discrete event, such as a wildfire, that disrupts the structure of an ecosystem, community,or population. It can be natural or human-induced, and it can reboot an ecosystem. Some species are specifically adapted to take over immediately after a disturbance. Disturbances can be important to ecosystems, but increasing disturbance frequencies, including increased frequency and duration of fires, floods, and disease, can ultimately lead to species declines and loss of ecosystem services over time.
Drought
n. a prolonged period of abnormally low precipitation that results in a water shortage
E
Ecological Restoration
n. The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.
Ecology
n. the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment.
Ecotone
n. areas of steep transition between ecological communities, ecosystems, or ecological regions along an environmental gradient.
Effluent
n. liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river or the sea.
Endemic
adj. in ecology, a species native to a specific area and not found anywhere else in the world. Endemic species are often found in isolated areas, such as islands, mountains, or mountain ranges.
Ephemeral
adj. [or intermittent] streams or wetlands that are dry most of the year, but flow after it rains. They are common in arid and semi-arid regions. Ephemeral waterbodies can be important habitats for plants, fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals.
Erosion
n. the geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or water.
Endangered Species Act (ESA)
n. passed in 1973, established protections for fish, wildlife, and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered. There are currently 23 species of fish, 5 amphibian or reptile species, 8 bird species, and 16 mammals threatened and endangered in the state of Oregon.
Eutrophication
n. the process where a body of water becomes excessively enriched with nutrients, typically nitrogen and phosphorus, leading to excessive plant growth (mainly algae), which can deplete oxygen levels in the water, causing harm to aquatic life and disrupting the ecosystem balance.
F
Fauna
n. all the animal life in a specific region or time period.
Fecal Coliform Bacteria
n. a group of bacteria specifically found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals, including humans, and their presence in water indicates potential contamination from feces, often signifying the possibility of other harmful pathogens being present as well.
Fish Kill
n. a localized mass die-off of fish populations. Many, but not all, fish kills in the summer result from low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the water.
Fire Regime
n. A fire regime is the pattern of wildfires and bushfires in a specific area over time. It includes the frequency, intensity, duration, and seasonality of fires. Fire regimes shape plant and animal communities, impact nutrient cycling, and affect overall landscape diversity.
Floodplain
n. An area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high flow.
Flora
n. the plants of a particular region, habitat, or geological period.
Fluvial
adj. relating to a stream or river.
Flyway
n. a route regularly used by large numbers of migrating birds. Oregon sits firmly in the Pacific Flyway, which stretches from Alaska to Patagonia. Millions of birds fly this route twice a year, stopping along the way to rest and refuel.
Forb
n. plants (sometimes referred to as herbs) that are herbaceous (not woody). Goldenrod and fireweed are common examples.
Fracking
n. Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is revolutionizing oil and gas drilling across the country. However, without rigorous safety regulations, it can poison groundwater, pollute surface water, impair wild landscapes, and threaten wildlife.
Freshet
n. the flood of a river from heavy rain or melted snow.
G
Global Warming
n. the long-term heating of Earth's surface observed since the pre-industrial period (between 1850 and 1900) due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere.
Gravel Push-up Dam
n. Gravel pushup dams are a historical water diversion practice that allows landowners to divert water from the stream for use on their property. These dams can be more than six feet tall, and span the entire stream channel, presenting a barrier to fish passage and aquatic organism movement.
Groundwater
n. water that exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surface.
H
Hydrologic Cycle
n. also known as the water cycle, is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface. It's a complex system that involves many processes, including evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.
Hydrology
n. the science that encompasses the occurrence, distribution, movement and properties of the waters of the earth and their relationship with the environment within each phase of the hydrologic cycle.
Hydrophytic Vegetation
n. plants that have adapted to grow in water or in soil that is frequently flooded. Hydrophytes have adapted to survive in low-oxygen conditions by evolving ways to collect oxygen and are often found in wetlands, lakes, and marshes.
Hyporheic Flow
n. Active exchange between the main stream channel water and groundwater within the hyporheic zone (usually underground).
Hyporheic Zone
n. The saturated sediment-filled space under the streambed and adjacent riverbanks where there is an exchange between the main stream channel water and groundwater.
I
Index of Biological Integrity (IBI)
n. a scientific tool that measures the health of aquatic ecosystems. It compares the types and numbers of aquatic life in a body of water to what is expected for a healthy ecosystem.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
n. Integrated pest management (IPM) combines the use of water-safe chemical and mechanical practices to control noxious weeds.
Impoundment
n. a natural or artificial body of water that is enclosed by a dam, dike, or floodgate. Impoundments can be used to store water, sediment, or waste.
Indicator Species
n. an organism whose presence, absence or abundance reflects a specific environmental condition. Indicator species can signal a change in the biological condition of a particular ecosystem, and thus may be used as a proxy to diagnose the health of an ecosystem.
Infiltration
n. the process of water moving into the ground through soil or rock. Infiltrated water recharges groundwater, which can be used as a source of drinking water and increases resilience for ecosystems in the case of drought.
Invasive/Noxious Species
n. Invasive species are those that have been introduced to an area from other parts of the world; they have an adverse affect on the habitats they invade economically and/or ecologically. Noxious weeds are non-native, aggressive and invasive, but have the potential to be eradicated or controlled. All noxious weeds are invasive species, but not all invasive plant species are categorized as noxious weeds.
Invertebrates
n. the largest group of animal species, encompassing an enormous array of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Characterized by their lack of a spine, they include insects, spiders, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, and corals. Insects are the largest and most diverse group of invertebrates, serving as important pollinators, controlling vegetation, helping to decompose plants and animals, and providing food for wildlife.
L
Ladder Fuels
n. alive or dead vegetation that allow a fire to spread from the ground to the treetops where wind can increase the spread of the fire. They can include shrubs, grasses, and tree branches.
Large Wood Structure
n. Complexes comprised of multiple large and medium-sized logs and trees that are installed into rivers and streams using machinery, according to designs developed by engineers.
Limnology
n. the study of the biological, chemical, and physical features of lakes and other bodies of fresh water.
Litter
n. dead organic material that falls to the ground and accumulates on the soil's surface. Litter can include leaves, twigs, bark, needles, and dead animals. (A different use of the word is, of course, trash.)
Littoral
n. the shallow area of a lake, river, or sea that borders the shore
M
Macrophyte
n. aquatic plants growing in or near water. They may be either emergent (i.e., with upright portions above the water surface), submerged or floating. Examples of macrophytes include cattails, hydrilla, water hyacinth and duckweed.
Metric
n. a standardized way of measuring a component of the environment. Metrics can be used to assess the impact of human activity on the environment, or to measure the health of an ecosystem.
Mitigation
n. the process of reducing or offsetting the negative effects of human activities on the environment.
N
Navigable Waters
n. bodies of water that are used or can be used to transport commerce, or that are subject to the tides. This term is important as it is in the text of the Clean Water Act and establishes federal jurisdiction over water quality and TMDL's in certain waterbodies.
NEPA
n. stands for the National Environmental Policy Act, a United States law that requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impact of their actions. The law was passed in 1969 and signed into law in 1970. It requires federal agencies to evaluate the environmental impact of their actions
Non-Point Source
n. pollution that cannot be traced back to a single source, such as a pipe. It can come from many different places, including agricultural areas, construction sites, and paved surfaces.
O
One Hundred Year Flood
n. a flood event that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year, meaning statistically, it is likely to happen once every hundred years; it's essentially a way of describing a flood with a 1 in 100 chance of being equaled or exceeded annually.
Organic Matter
n. material composed of carbon-based compounds that originate from living organisms, including plant and animal remains, waste products, and living organisms themselves, at various stages of decomposition.
P
Parent Material
n. the geologic material from which soil horizons form. There are seven variations of parent material. Weathered Bedrock, Till, Outwash Deposit, Eolian Sand, Loess, Alluvium, and Local Overwash.
Perennial Stream
n. a stream that has flowing water all year, except during prolonged droughts. The water in a perennial stream comes from groundwater and rainfall runoff.
Periphyton
n. the material growing on submerged surfaces (rocks, logs) in freshwaters.
pH
n. stands for "potential hydrogen" and refers to a measurement of how acidic or alkaline a substance is, typically used in relation to water environments, with a scale ranging from 0 (highly acidic) to 14 (highly alkaline).
Phytoplankton
n. microscopic, single-celled organisms that live in water and use photosynthesis to produce their own food, essentially acting as the "plants" of aquatic ecosystems; they are the base of many marine food webs, capturing sunlight and carbon dioxide to create oxygen through photosynthesis, similar to land plants, and are considered a crucial part of the Earth's carbon cycle.
Point-Source
n. a single, identifiable location or source from which pollutants are discharged, like a factory smokestack, a sewage treatment plant pipe, or a drain, meaning the pollution can be traced back to a specific, discrete point of origin.
Population
n. a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area and reproduce with each other.
Potamology
n. the scientific study of rivers. It is a branch of hydrology that studies the physical and chemical processes that occur in rivers.
Prescribed Fire
n. also known as prescribed burns or controlled burns, refer to the controlled application of fire by a team of fire experts under specified weather conditions to restore health to ecosystems that depend on fire.
R
Redd
n. a nest for salmonid eggs.
Regeneration
n. the process by which an ecosystem recovers from damage and replenishes itself.
Release & Recruit
Our strategy for riparian restoration. This approach involves controlling weeds with chemical and mechanical methods (Release) while preserving the existing native plant community. Once the competition between noxious weeds and native plants for light and nutrients is minimized, those native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers can thrive again (Recruit).
Reservoir
n. a storage area in an ecosystem that holds water, nutrients, or energy.
Resilience
n. the ability of an ecosystem to maintain its structure and function in the face of change or disturbance. It can also be defined as the capacity to resist damage and recover from a disturbance.
Restoration
[see Ecological Restoration]
Riffle
n. a shallow, fast-moving area of a stream where water flows over rocks.
Riparian
adj. A riparian zone/area is the interface between land and a river or stream or body of water.
River Mile (RM)
A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. We use RMs to name projects and protect landowner anonymity.
Runoff
n. is the movement of water across the Earth's surface, and is a key part of the water cycle. It occurs when precipitation, snowmelt, or irrigation can't be absorbed by the soil and instead flows over the land.
S
Salinization
n. the accumulation of water-soluble salts in soil, which can harm the environment, agriculture, and water quality.
Salmonid
The shortened name of the family Salmonidae which includes over 200 species collectively. Among salmonids, are salmon, trout, and steelhead.
Sedimentation
n. the process by which particles in a fluid settle out and are deposited. In ecology, sedimentation can impact the quality of water, the health of aquatic organisms, and the development of coastal habitats.
Snag
n. a standing dead or dying tree that provides vital habitat for wildlife.
Soil Compaction
n. the process of soil particles being pressed together, reducing the amount of space between them. This process can be caused by foot or wheel traffic, or by agricultural practices like plowing.
Steward/Stewardship
v/n. To steward is to carefully manage resources. Stewardship is the responsible use and protection of natural resources.
Stormwater
n. water from rain or snow that flows over land and into waterways, instead of soaking into the ground. It can also be called rainwater runoff.
Subsidence
n. the gradual sinking of the Earth's surface due to the movement of underground materials. this can be caused by fracking, mining for water, thawing permafrost, compaction, and sinkholes.
Succession
n. the process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time. Gradually, these communities replace one another until a “climax community”—like a mature forest—is reached, or until a disturbance, like a fire, occurs.
Sustainability
n. the ability of ecosystems to maintain their structure, processes, and composition over time. It involves managing resources responsibly to meet current needs while preserving the environment for future generations.
T
TMDL
n. AKA "Total Maximum Daily Load"
This regulatory term is the calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant allowed to enter a water body. The term originates from the Clean Water Act.
Topography
n. the study of the physical features of an area, including its elevation, landforms, and contours. In ecology, topography is important because it affects soil formation, erosion, and nutrient distribution, which in turn affects the ecosystem.
Toxicity
n. the harmful effect of a substance or activity on an organism or ecosystem. Toxic substances can be physical, chemical, biological, or radiological.
Tributary
n. a river or stream that flows into a larger river or body of water.
W
Water Table
n. the underground boundary between the unsaturated zone (where soil is partially filled with water) and the saturated zone (where soil is completely filled with water), essentially marking the upper surface of groundwater in the ground; it is the level at which water pressure equals atmospheric pressure and where water can be readily extracted from the soil through wells.
Watershed
n. An area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet.
Wellhead Protection Area
n. a designated area around a well that supplies public drinking water. The purpose of a WHPA is to protect the well from contamination that could impact the quality of the water.
Wetland
n. diverse, productive ecosystems of ecological and economic value. These systems are classified by their hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and presence of water during some duration of the year.
Z
Zooplankton
n. small, drifting animals that live in water and are a vital part of the food chain. They are heterotrophic, meaning they consume other organisms.