Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)
$49,700

Over the last century, lampreys have suffered dramatic declines in Oregon. Today, five of the ten lampreys in Oregon are on the state’s sensitive species list and are therefore categorized as Oregon Conservation Strategy Species (OCS). Three of these OCS species: Western River Lamprey (Lampetra ayresii), Western Brook Lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni), and Pacific Brook Lamprey (Lampetra pacifica) lack distribution data, which is the primary challenge to assessing their conservation status throughout Oregon. Hence, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has identified that determining distribution is a primary research priority for these lampreys. Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling is a highly sensitive, efficient, and non-invasive tool for determining species distributions.  Results outlining detection of Lampetra DNA in the previously collected samples will be used to inform additional, targeted sampling efforts. Here, we will coordinate (i.e., recruit, educate, train, and advise) existing and new professional partners (agencies, tribes, watershed councils, etc.) and amateur naturalists (Oregonians) to collect new eDNA samples. This approach addresses the top priority for conservation of Oregon lampreys — education and outreach, while also filling-in spatial data gaps that were not previously covered by the Pacific Lamprey and Bull Trout surveys. This proposal is for funds to cover laboratory costs of assaying existing and new (to-be-acquired samples) water samples for Lampetra eDNA.