A Shrub-Steppe Refugia
Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility (NWSTF) Boardman extends 47,400 acres across a mosaic of grassland and shub-steppe landscapes. Together with the adjacent Boardman Conservation Area, it represents one of the few remaining parcels of native grassland and shrub steppe habitats remaining in the Columbia Plateau ecoregion of north central Oregon.
Ecostudies Institute works within NWSTF Boardman to enhance this habitat through restoration actions such as firebreak revegetation and invasive plant control of priority weeds.
We utilize long-term vegetation monitoring to track changes in the ecosystem over time. These changes inform our continued management efforts in supporting habitat for priority species such as the Washington ground squirrel (Urocitellus washingtoni).
A population of blooming balsamroot (Balsamorhiza careyana) among an arid grassland community within NWSTF Boardman. Theresa Galhouse 2025.
Our Methods: Habitat Enhancement and Firebreak Revegetation on NWSTF Boardman
On NWSTF Boardman, we focus our invasive control efforts on cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and a variety of nonnative invasive broadleaf weeds including Russian thistle (Salsola kali), diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa), rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea), and yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis).
We control these aggressive invaders with tools including large-scale mowing and herbicide application, which prepare sites for seeding and planting native species such as Great Basin Big Sage (Artemisia tridentata) and hardy native forbs including yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and flax (Linum lewisii). These actions work to establish and supplement native plant communities that have declined due to disturbances such as wildfire and the proliferation of invasive annual grasses (IAGs).
Phlox (Phlox longifolia). Ecostudies Institute 2023.
Landscape view of NWSTF Boardman. Kelsey Flathers 2025.
Restoration Crew treating invasive plants. Kelsey Flathers 2025.
Great basin big sage (Artemisia tridentata). Kelsey Flathers 2025.
