Integrated Fire and Weed Management Planning through a National Parks and Protected Areas Cooperative Studies Program at Oregon State University Cascades Campus

The National Park Service intends to award a cooperative agreement to Oregon State University for a project titled "Integrated Fire and Weed Management Planning through a National Parks and Protected Areas Cooperative Studies Program at Oregon State University Cascades Campus." The project aims to develop integrated fire and weed management planning documents for John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and other parks in the region. The project will involve collaboration between Oregon State University and the National Park Service to synthesize recent studies and develop guidance documents and public outreach content. The project will also involve hiring student interns to perform literature reviews and related tasks. • The project will focus on sagebrush and bunchgrass steppe management and restoration, with an emphasis on integrating fire and exotic plant management. • The project will involve developing a suite of scientific and park management documents for John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. • The project will also involve preparing public outreach resource briefs, website content, and a summary report describing the current scientific understanding of protected-area sagebrush steppe conservation. • The project will provide a much-needed advancement of capability in combatting the degradation of western steppe protected-area landscapes. • The project will improve the knowledge base of sensitive steppe ecological dynamics. • The project will benefit university students who will gain important professional experience in data analysis, ecological synthesis, and translation of science into tangible management and restoration actions.