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Project Overview
Wildlife and Parks 2025 is a part of the Environmental Leadership Program at the University of Oregon, working in partnership with Friends of Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah. This interdisciplinary research project tackles community problems over a shared space. The main goals of this project include evaluating park management practices and human-environment interactions at Buford Park. Over ten weeks, on alternating Fridays and Saturdays, the team monitored uncollected dog waste and mapped its location relative to the nearest garbage bins. Based on this geospatial analysis, the team added three additional bins to strategic locations and then tracked their usage over several weeks. The team also surveyed visitors about their park experience, dog waste, seasonal closures, and coyote behaviors related to human interactions. Lastly, the team collected observational data to monitor coyote behaviors in response to human and dog activity. Wildlife and Parks 2025 ultimately aims to balance positive visitor experiences with responsible wildlife conservation.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the faculty and staff of Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah, specifically Sha Cabal, for their guidance, time, and cooperation throughout this project. Sha’s ongoing support was essential in shaping our understanding of the landscape and helping us carry out our research with care and respect. We also thank Peg Boulay, co-director of the University of Oregon Environmental Leadership Program, for her mentorship, thoughtful feedback, and constant encouragement throughout the Winter and Spring terms. A special thank you to Georgie Olsgard, a dedicated visitor to Buford Park, who served as an insightful resource for our field work, particularly dog scat mapping. Her deep familiarity with the trails enriched our understanding of the site, and we nicknamed one of our key observation paths “Georgie’s Trail” in her honor. Finally, we are incredibly grateful to the park visitors who participated in our surveys and shared their experiences and suggestions with us. These responses and perspectives made this research possible and meaningful. Thank you to our friends and families who encouraged and supported us throughout this project.
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