OSU forester comes to Sisters

OSU-Cascades has taken science out of the laboratory and into the local pub.

Barbara Bond of the OSU College of Forestry presented a talk, "Views from the Middle of the Mountains," at Three Creeks Brewing Co. last Wednesday evening.

Before Bond presented her program at the pub, however, she felt the pull of what she loves doing most - teaching - and went to Sisters High School, where she joined Matt Orr to deliver a talk to Rima Givot's science class.

She talked about her early years growing up in San Diego - and how she hated math. Things changed as she met various people along the trail from elementary, high school and into college. She told how those people encouraged her to get into science and how she became the forestry scientist she is today.

The evening's presentation at the brew pub started an opportunity for one-on-one discussions between Bond and more than 100 Sisters and Bend residents who crowded into the bar.

Bond began her discussion with a lively presentation on the theory of climate change throughout the Northwest, and the work carried out at HJ Andrews Experimental Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program.

Bond is well qualified to address climate change, as her current research focuses on the impacts of complex, mountainous terrain on forest ecosystem processes, studies that involve developing methods to measure and monitor ecophysiological and ecohydrological processes in complex terrain over the long term.

Current research topics Bond discussed included the impact of nocturnal air drainage and the isotopes of respired CO2 in mountainous drainage flow as an indicator of ecosystem metabolic processes. With graphs, she demonstrated relationships between vegetation water use and stream flow in small basins, and how the development and use of new sensor-network technology over a long term facilitates continuous measurements in complex ecosystems.

Mac Hay, economic development manager in Sisters, said, "Barbara Bond's presentation on the forests around the Sisters Country was excellent. We appreciate OSU-Cascades' continued support of Sisters and our surrounding forests that are such a huge part of our pleasure and our economy."

Bill Anthony, Sisters' district ranger, who was in the audience, was more than pleased with Bond's presentation. He said, "Even though the HJ Andrews forestry lab is on the other side of the Cascades, and in a different biome, the diversity of science coming out of this work is something we can use to move the landscape toward a more resilient condition. We can face the uncertain future better equipped as it's related to climate change."

"Marsha and I both were very pleased and excited to have a real science presentation in Sisters," said local resident Cal Allen. "We did not realize how much we missed being challenged and educated by that type of

lecture.

"Barbara's comments on the elevated average temperatures for January reinforced my observations that Januarys have warmed up; snowshoeing and skiing both are less viable in January than either December or February. And, it was pleasing to see that her findings agreed with my own opinion.

"She did a good job of explaining some very complicated graphs and leading us to important conclusions instead of becoming bogged down in details... I personally believe that science lectures like this one, that are informal but not condescending to the audience, are very valuable to a community."

The Science Pub is a collaboration between OSU-Cascades and the main campus in Corvallis to bring some of OSU's leading researchers to the local community to have the opportunity to delve into their fascinating worlds. Science Pubs are free, but their popularity demands that reservations are made by 5 p.m. the day prior to each lecture. For more information visit http://www.osucascades.edu/sciencepubs.