Research
What’s New in the Oregon Outback
At the western end of the Great Basin, PLAYA’s location is of interest to those tracking trends in environmental conditions in Oregon’s high desert. Our edge-effect conditions are especially intriguing in the areas of fire, weather, wildlife + plants, and water (edge effects in ecological science are the “influences of border communities upon each other” [Brittanica.com]). Sharing monitoring data from our home and region is vital to evaluating change and informing best practices throughout time.

PLAYA’s Research page is designed to serve these purposes:
- Provide access to regional and site-specific environmental data
- Build a foundation to inspire scientists, artists, and citizens to instigate new data collection
- Outreach to other organizations, researchers, citizen scientists, and land and water managers.





WEATHER: Tracking changing climate
WILDLIFE AND PLANTS: Observing biota and biosystems
- ebird PLAYA
- Summer Lake Wildlife Area User’s Guide
- Follow an American Avocet for one year with the U.S. Geological Survey’s bird tracking data
- Summer Lake MOTUS Wildlife Tracking System
WATER: Understanding our water