Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plants and Animals of Oregon

Extinction is a natural process. Today, however, plant and animal species are disappearing world-wide at an accelerated pace. Based on current trends, half of the species on earth will be extinct within the next 100 years. The major cause of this phenomenon is large-scale destruction of native habitats, which has increased since European settlement began in the mid 1800\u27s - in Oregon and throughout the New World. Once lost, a species can never be recovered, and there is no way of knowing how useful it may have been. We do know that human beings and many of their industries depend on plant and animal products. About 50% of all pharmaceuticals have a natural component as an active ingredient, yet less than one percent of the world\u27s species have been chemically analyzed and tested. Many invertebrates and plants contain undescribed and highly functional compounds. Limnanthes floccosa subsp. grandiflora, or wooly meadow-foam, a rare plant that grows in southwest Oregon, has been recently found to produce a hybrid with the more common member of the genus, Limnanthes alba. This hybrid grows well in the poorly drained soils of the Willamette Valley and produces a valuable oil used for soaps, plastic and rubber production. In addition, the new hybrid meadow-foam does not require the field burning necessary for other crops. This species, and many other Oregon natives, will be lost without intervention. The purpose of this book is to provide land managers, owners and interested parties with a list of those species in Oregon which are in greatest jeopardy

Natural area identification and protection : Phase I report on the inventory of natural areas on private lands

"This document is an interim report by the Heritage Program, submitted to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Branch. It summarizes: 1) the data collected on natural areas in private, county and municipal ownership throughout the state; 2) the techniques used to collect this data; 3) a system for storing, analyzing and making accessible natural area data and for setting preservation priorities; and 4) an examination of and recommendations concerning techniques for protecting natural areas in Oregon.