Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory (La Grande)
Legacy
Established in 1968, research at the lab has been linked for over 30 years to the 28,000 acre Starkey Experimental Forest and Range about 34 miles southwest of the lab (the “Starkey Project”). The lab is well known for research strengths in radio telemetry to study wildlife movement at the landscape scale. This research expertise is strengthened by close proximity to Starkey Experimental Forest and Range.
Facilities Information
The La Grande lab is located in Eastern Oregon near the Blue Mountains and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Partnerships with nearby Eastern Oregon University have led to jointly led workshops, like a Bark Beetle short course in 2008. University students are frequent visitors to both sites, and La Grande hosts internationally attended conferences like the Mountain Invasion Research Network. Station scientists regularly interact with the La Grande community in settings Oregon Saturday Academy’s “Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering” program, and at rangeland “Field Days.”
Address
1401 Gekeler Lane
La Grande, OR 97850
Voice: 541-963-7122
Science
The lab’s primary research area is wildlife movement at the landscape scale. An antenna array at the lab supports work to study the movements of elk, deer and cattle fitted with radio collars at the nearby Starkey Experimental Forest and Range. Technicians working on the “Starkey project” store field tracking gear at the La Grande lab and work on computers plugged in to the lab’s antenna array. Nearby Eastern Oregon University adds to opportunities for collaborative research, and students regularly visit the lab for tours as part of coursework.
People
About 14 permanent research scientists and support staff work at La Grande. Temporary employees include seasonal field technicians, data entry interns, and occasional post-graduate research participants placed by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). Four employees of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest share space at the facility, along with about 8 employees of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at its La Grande Wildlife Research Office. The lab also hosts one post-doctoral researcher working on the Starkey ungulate ecology project via a collaboration between the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Teams
La Grande Forestry and Range Sciences scientists work on Starkey Ungulate Ecology team, Data Collection team, and Landscape and Ecosystem Management Team.
Contribution
Our lab supports Pacific Northwest Research Station programs including: Ecological Process and Function Program, Resource Monitoring and Assessment Program, Land and Watershed Management Program. The lab is also a contributing member of the National Council for Stream and Air Management.