{"id":335,"date":"2023-06-19T22:18:09","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T22:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agsci-labs.oregonstate.edu\/klamath\/?page_id=335"},"modified":"2026-01-08T20:27:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:27:13","slug":"socio-cultural-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/agsci-labs.oregonstate.edu\/klamath\/overview\/socio-cultural-team\/","title":{"rendered":"SOCIO-CULTURAL"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cultural ecology is the study of how people shape\u2013and get shaped by\u2013the environments in which they live.  Dam removal and large-scale river restoration projects are bringing changes to the Klamath Basin. These changes are coming in the midst of ongoing environmental, social and economic challenges and opportunities. How do local communities understand and experience the river? How can the diverse views of Klamath Basin communities help shape water resource management decisions? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What we’re doing: <\/span><\/font><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong><\/mark> Our goal is to understand the values, perspectives and experiences of Klamath Basin communities as they experience change and to identify future natural resource management priorities, with an emphasis on water quality. We\u2019re conducting interviews with individuals from the following groups: Agricultural producers, Fishing community members, Local residents, and people working in conservation and restoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collaboration <\/strong><\/mark>with the Yurok Tribe<\/span><\/font><\/strong><\/mark>. <\/strong><\/mark>Our colleagues in the Yurok Tribe are leading a similar effort among tribal members. Data collection in the Yurok Tribe will also focus on cultural resources related to the Klamath River, how river health affects cultural activities, and what role river restoration may play in cultural revitalization.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Outcomes<\/strong><\/mark>. Some of the project outcomes will be academic (for example, scientific papers), while other outcomes will be applied (for example, policy briefs to resource management agencies, or educational materials).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025 Project Updates<\/strong><\/mark>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July 2025, members of our team had the privilege of traveling to the Yurok Reservation to witness a group of Native youth complete a 30-day kayak journey down the Klamath River, through reaches previously blocked by dams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two M.S. students made significant progress on their research this year. Erin Wheeler completed a series of interviews with residents in Copco, California, to understand the impacts of dam removal on the community. Melody Rice worked with Yurok Tribe researchers on building a middle-school curriculum on \u201criver health\u201d that includes insights from ecological science and the traditional ecological knowledge of tribal members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PhD student Becca Wheaton completed a series of interviews with coastal fishermen in southern Oregon and northern California (in the Klamath Management Zone) on their experiences with salmon stock declines and their expectations for the future. She is also spearheading our ongoing survey with groups across the Klamath Basin, including agricultural producers, public agencies, and conservation groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024 Project Updates<\/strong><\/mark>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two OSU researchers (Bryan Tilt and Becca Wheaton) worked with Yurok Tribe researchers (Brook Thompson and Corinne Alton) to design a socio-cultural interview and survey protocol for Yurok Tribe elders. The tribal researchers have administered the survey to about 15 elders (approximately half of our eventual total sample). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Our OSU-based sociocultural group is now analyzing qualitative interview results with two study groups: agricultural water users (farmers \/ ranchers) and conservationists. We have used the qualitative results to build a quantitative survey that we will begin administering with other study groups in December 2024. We are also drafting a peer-reviewed paper on the interview results, contrasting the views of agricultural water users and conservationists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August 2024, two OSU researchers visited the Yurok reservation for the annual Salmon Festival, hosting a tabling event for tribal members about the research project and recruiting potential study participants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of September 2024, we are on-boarding two new master\u2019s students as part of the socio-cultural team (Erin Wheeler and Melody Rice), both of whom will focus on interviews and surveys with rural communities in the lower Klamath Basin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PhD student Becca Wheaton received $12,000 from Oregon Sea Grant through the Malouf Scholarship program to support ethnographic fieldwork with fishing communities in southern Oregon in summer 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to Participate? <\/strong><\/mark><\/strong><\/mark>If you\u2019d like to share your perspectives with us, we invite you to participate in a one-hour interview. The interview can be arranged at a time and place that works for you. Your responses will be kept confidential.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To participate, please contact Dr. Bryan Tilt, Oregon State University, Bryan.Tilt@oregonstate.edu<\/a>, 541-737-3896.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Information<\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequently Asked Questions <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Overview: Cultural Ecology of the Klamath Basin<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet the Socio-cultural Team<\/mark><\/strong><\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Bryan Tilt, Professor of Anthropology
Email: bryan.tilt@oregonstate.edu<\/a>
Website: liberalarts.oregonstate.edu\/users\/bryan-tilt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rebecca Wheaton, Ph.D. Student
Email: wheatore@oregonstate.edu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Erin Wheeler, Master’s Student
Email: wheelee4@oregonstate.edu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Melody Rice, Master’s Student
Email: ricev@oregonstate.edu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hannah Boone, Former Master’s Student
Email:\u00a0booneh@oregonstate.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jenna Davis, Former Master’s Student
Email:\u00a0davijen2@oregonstate.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cultural ecology is the study of how people shape\u2013and get shaped by\u2013the environments in which they live.  Dam removal and large-scale river restoration projects are bringing changes to the Klamath Basin. These changes are coming in the midst of ongoing environmental, social and economic challenges and opportunities. How do local communities understand and experience the river? … <\/p>\n

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