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Displaced: Distinguishing Housing Outcomes from Judicial Outcomes in Oregon’s Eviction Cases
Get PDFIn an eviction case, the tenant’s housing outcome refers to whether the tenant remains in their home (the unit) at the end of the eviction process. At the end of the eviction process, either the tenant remained in the home or was displaced. Unfortunately, housing outcomes are not systematically recorded as part of the eviction process. In some cases, the tenant’s housing outcome is recorded in the case records or court documents, but this is not always consistent. To address this, we developed three categories of housing outcomes—remained, displaced, and undeterminable—to measure the outcomes of eviction cases filed in Multnomah County, Oregon, even though there are only two de facto outcomes (remained and displaced).
Housing outcomes differ from judicial outcomes, which refers to the legal outcome of an eviction lawsuit. Researchers and policymakers often rely on judicial outcomes as a proxy for housing outcomes. Studies have relied on judgments of eviction to estimate tenant displacement during the eviction process. However, tenants can be displaced during the eviction process without a judgment of eviction being issued against them. Similarly, the dismissal of an eviction case is often assumed to mean that the tenant has remained in their home. In reality, some eviction cases are dismissed because the tenant has either already moved out or agreed to leave. Recognizing that judicial outcomes and housing outcomes are distinct allows us to measure them independently. By doing so, we can use both metrics to guide policy making and program evaluations that prioritize housing stability and retention.
This report defines housing outcomes, describes the method we developed to determine housing outcomes using court records and case documents, and demonstrates how housing outcomes differ from judicial outcomes
Cost Comparison of Congregate, Motel, and Village-Type Shelters for People Experiencing Homelessness
Get PDFVillage and motel shelters exemplify the expanding field of “alternative” shelters for people experiencing homelessness, largely defined in contrast to “traditional” congregate shelters. Little research compares the financial costs of alternative and traditional shelter models. The research team analyzed cost data for 13 alternative shelters (six villages and seven motel shelters) and nine traditional congregate shelters in Portland, Oregon. Costs were assessed per “unit” (i.e. shelter bed or motel room) to account for differences in shelter sizes. Village shelters had the highest per-unit set-up costs (88,462), while congregate shelters had the lowest (16,654, with village shelters at 28,409. Although congregate shelters had the lowest costs, other factors such as community needs, site availability, and client experiences and outcomes should also be considered when planning new shelters
Beyond the Shadow of Large Cities: Small and Mid-Sized Cities as Hidden Epicenters of Eviction
Get PDFMost eviction research focuses on large cities, leaving us with limited knowledge of evictions in smaller cities. Our analysis of evictions in three small and mid-sized cities in Oregon reveals that these cities can also experience severe eviction crises. By collecting and hand-coding data from justice courts, we provide a comprehensive view of evictions in these cities–including the role different types of courts play–for the first time
Northern Red-Legged Frog Use of a New Under-Road Crossing and Adjacent Upland Habitat
No full textA population of northern red-legged frogs (Rana aurora) located in northwest Portland must make a perilous crossing over U.S. Hwy 30 to access their breeding habitat in the floodplain of the Willamette River. To address the significant frog mortality that has historically resulted from this seasonal crossing, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife managed the installation of an under-road crossing structure, completed in October 2024. To date, no studies have documented the effectiveness of crossing structures installed for R. aurora use, and few studies have examined their effectiveness for amphibians after installation. To meet these needs, our research will determine the efficacy of the structure for facilitating the migration of red-legged frogs between their lowland and upland habitats by combining the use of passive camera monitoring, PIT tagging, radio tracking and upland habitat analysis, in collaboration with partners at Oregon Metro, ODFW and USGS. Our study aims to investigate structure use as a mechanism for improved habitat connectivity for R. aurora and other species, a key issue for wildlife managers identified in the Oregon Conservation Strategy (OCS), while simultaneously informing management for an OCS species. This presentation will outline our study objectives, predictions and hypotheses, describe ongoing field methods, and share our preliminary findings from the first frog migration following structure installation, with the goal of generating valuable discussion about amphibian movement and habitat connectivity in urban ecosystems
The Fate of Recycled Water in Restored Wetlands
No full textThis research investigates the hydrological fate of treated wastewater used for irrigation at a restored wetland site (Thomas Dairy) near Tigard, Oregon, that is managed by Clean Water Services (CWS). CWS is interested in understanding how treated wastewater moves through plants and soil in ecosystems that might be targeted for recycled water application. Using a water balance approach, we evaluated irrigation inputs, soil infiltration dynamics, and hydraulic conductivity measurements across three soil types with different textures and other properties. Field measurements were collected using advanced sensors (TEROS and ATMOS devices) and laboratory tools (KSAT) to quantify soil hydraulic properties and assess infiltration rates.
We found significant variability in hydraulic conductivity among soil types. Cove Clay exhibited low hydraulic conductivity, with slower water movement due to finer particles, while McBee silty clay loam soils had higher hydraulic conductivity due to coarser soil texture. Trends in matric potential and water content illustrate the dynamic nature of soil hydrology, with shallow soils responding faster to irrigation and environmental changes compared to deeper soils.
These results provide critical insights into the fate of recycled water in restored wetlands, emphasizing the influence of soil characteristics on water storage and movement. These hydrologic assessments will help understand the likelihood of groundwater recharge with different irrigation rates at Thomas Dairy, with the potential to impact water management practices relating to water reuse. In the long run, this assessment will help CWS evaluate sites for water reuse, supporting more sustainable water management and better irrigation practices
Moss Appreciation Week : Cultivating in Students a Practice of Looking Closely at the Landscape Around Them
No full textThis February marks the seventh year that Lewis & Clark College has celebrated Moss Appreciation Week. Moss Week was created as a way to increase awareness of bryophytes in our especially mossy environs (and as a way to lure our friend John Christy of the PSU Herbarium to campus). Since then it has grown from a few small workshops to a campus-wide celebration. With a schedule intertwining scientific and creative offerings, academic and otherwise, including a keynote lecture, a moss petting zoo, a moss walk, terrarium making with moss collected from campus, student designed stickers, student-authored moss poetry featured on custom bookmarks, and as of late, a gastropod derby, Moss Week has grown into something more than we imagined: it has proven to be a way of building community and a sense of identity by encouraging a place-based sensibility among our student body. Moss Week invites students to take a closer look at the quietest and smallest (visible) life forms in our shared landscape and, in doing so, it aims to cultivate a practice of observation and reverence. This poster will share some lessons learned over the past seven years that might carry over to others working in environmental education and outreach. These lessons include the value of offering a range of modalities for engagement, privileging reverence as much as if not more so than information conveyance, and the expansive possibilities of opting to focus not on an elusive, charismatic megafauna, but rather a nearly omnipresent, diminutive miniflora
Comparative Soil Health in Urban Agrofrestry: A Case Study on Detroit\u27s Perennial Agriculture Sites
No full textUrban ecosystems are being intentionally developed to enhance innovation and resilience, addressing various community needs. Urban agriculture, particularly, involves cultivating food on soils affected by industrial activities. Urban agroforestry serves as a strategy to generate ecosystem services while increasing the availability of regionally adapted fruit and nut trees. Unlike annual crop production, agroforestry initiatives require less extensive soil management and labor, which can in turn enhance soil health. This case study examines soil health indicators—physical (bulk density), chemical (soil organic matter fractions), and biological (microbial diversity)—in one young urban food forest compared to two older conventional urban orchards in Detroit, MI, USA. Soil samples from cultivated fruit and nut perennials and their managed alleyways within the three agroforestry systems were analyzed at independent soil health labs. Preliminary findings indicate that mean bulk density was significantly higher in managed alleyways compared to agroforestry systems. Additionally, there are larger pools of total carbon and nitrogen in mineralized organic matter than in particulate organic matter across the study sites. Furthermore, microbial communities are more prevalent in the agroforestry systems than in their alleyways. The continued ongoing analysis aims to compare the soil health of the young urban food forest with that of the older urban orchards over time. Overall this study offers initial results to understand how longterm perennial agriculture can benefit soil health in urban systems
Connecting Canopies: Portland-Vancouver Regional Urban Tree Policy and Program Summary
No full textTrees are crucial green infrastructure in a changing climate, but urban trees face an array of threats as cities grow and redevelop. Without plans, policies and programs for their conservation, tree loss undermines the long-term health and viability of urban communities.
We developed a framework to summarize and compare urban tree policies and programs for the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region, using interviews and a cross-comparison of codes, investment and staff levels, and other features. Across the region, urban tree policies and programs differ among 42 distinct jurisdictions. Most communities have tree codes, but they vary in their strength and comprehensiveness. Staffing and management levels for trees also vary and are frequently split across departments within a jurisdiction. Few jurisdictions have tree or canopy cover inventories, and fewer use these inventories to direct tree management and investments. Investment levels in trees are difficult to ascertain and variable from one jurisdiction to another. Community partnerships and workforce development programs for trees are also inconsistent and frequently absent. Most community partnerships rely on volunteers, and few invest in jobs to plant and care for trees in low tree canopy settings.
Despite their ecological significance, urban tree policy and program information for the Portland-Vancouver region is difficult to access, and governance is fragmented with no minimum standards of protection or care. We compared our findings with two prior regional urban tree policy and program assessments from 2000 and 2010, to suggest that limited progress has been made over the past 20 years
Bringing DEI to Nature Education: A Community Based, Culturally Specific Approach
No full textSince 2022, Beaverton Black People’s Union (BBPU) and the Tualatin Hills Nature Center at Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) have partnered to offer the annual Black & Green Fellowship, a paid four-day experience for Black high school students in the Beaverton area. The Fellowship empowers youth to take up space and gain comfort in nature by building a relationship with a park site and building community with each other. Sessions are led by professional facilitators and subject matter experts on topics associated with nature and mental health. We focus on increasing students’ understanding of the connection between nature and mental health, offering techniques for nature-based self-care and wellness and providing take-home tools to integrate self-care into their lives. We would like to share the results of this partnership program, entering its fourth year, including both successes and lessons learned. This program gives insight into the creation of culturally specific programming using a community-led model. Additionally, the Black & Green Fellowship Program has led to a deeper, more trusting relationship with the BBPU, and is currently resulting in new program ideas and events planned for 2025 and beyond, illustrating an example of how community-based equity and inclusion work can succeed
Wind and Topography Underlie Correlation Between Seasonal Snowpack, Mountain Glaciers, and Late-Summer Streamflow
Get PDFIn a warming climate, net mass loss from perennial snow and ice (PSI) contributes a temporary source of unsustainable streamflow. However, the role of topography and wind in mediating the streamflow patterns of deglaciating watersheds is unknown. We conduct lidar surveys of seasonal snow and PSI elevation change for five adjacent watersheds in the Wind River Range, Wyoming (WRR). Between 2019 and 2023, net mass loss from PSI is equivalent to ~10-36% of August-September streamflow. Across 338 manually classified PSI features \u3e0.01 km2, glaciers contribute 68% of the total mass loss, perennial snowfields contribute 8%, rock glaciers contribute 1%, buried ice contributes 6%, and the remaining 17% derives from semi-annual snowfields and small snow patches. Surprisingly, watersheds with more area-normalized seasonal snow produce less late-summer streamflow (r = -0.60), but this correlation is positive (r = 0.88) considering only deep snow storage (SWE \u3e2 m). Most deep snow (87%) is associated with favorable topography for wind drift formation. Deep seasonal snow limits the mass loss contribution of PSI features in topographic refugia. We show that watersheds with favorable topography exhibit deeper seasonal snow, more abundant PSI features (and hence greater mass loss during deglaciation), and elevated late-summer streamflow. As a result of deep seasonal snow patterns, watersheds with the most abundant PSI would still produce 45-78% more late-summer streamflow than nearby watersheds in a counterfactual scenario with zero net mass loss. Similar interrelationships may be applicable to mountain environments globally