Through extensive research and interviewing of professionals in environmental and horticultural fields, the following five areas have been identified as priorities for Oregon and the Northwest. SPROUT’s efforts will not be limited to these areas but will focus around them initially.

Wetlands / Wastewater Remediation

• Wetlands are productive ecosystems, improving the quality of water that flows through them by filtering out impurities, actively degrading waste, and removing pollutants through plant uptake. The root systems of wetland plants such as reeds, bulrushes, and cattails do much of the work; providing surface area for beneficial bacterial growth, filtration of solids, nutrient uptake, and oxygen infiltration. There is growing interest in the use of engineered or constructed wetlands that utilize the natural wetland processes of vegetation, soils, and microbial activity to assist in treating wastewater. These wetland treatment options can be quite cost effective while reducing the water quality impacts on the local watershed.

Phytoremediation

• Phytoremediation is the emerging technology of using plants to extract, degrade, contain or immobilize contaminants in soil, groundwater, or surface water. Some plants are particularly good at uptake or processing of certain kinds of contaminants. Specific mechanisms of phytoremediation include:
• Extraction of contaminants from soil or groundwater, through their uptake and storage in the plant’s shoots, leaves, or roots. Contaminants, usually metals, are concentrated in the plant tissue and then the plant is harvested and removed from the site. In the future, plant extraction may also be a method for mining and recycling the metal.
• Degradation of contaminants, particularly organic compounds such as PCP’s, through uptake and metabolism by the plant. Through the natural plant process the chemical makeup of the compound is changed to a less toxic form. In some cases, volatile contaminants are released into the air through plant transpiration.
• Containment or Immobilization of contaminants, through their uptake into the root zone, even if the plant or tree is itself not removed. Some tree species, for example, take up large amounts of water and hydraulic control of contaminated groundwater can be achieved through the sheer amount of water consumption by the plants.

Urban Water Management and Ecoscaping

• In recent years, this has become an increasing area of interest in the Pacific Northwest, with the tremendous population growth in the Puget Sound and Portland metro areas, and with the growing recognition of urban growth impacts on salmon and stream restoration. The new field of “low impact development” uses engineered green space to intercept, store, or transport stormwater- particularly important for the recharge of our groundwater resources; to sequester air pollutants such as excess carbon; or to filter industrial run-off contaminants. Techniques used in stormwater management include raingardens planted close to downspouts or other outlets of concentrated stormwater run-off; green roofs which greatly reduce an urban development’s impervious surface area while slowing down the run-off that is left; and vegetated swales that act as biofilters for pollutants washing off buildings and streets. Other plants for green spaces have the ability to withstand drought and provide an attractive and functional urban landscape without intensive use of water, fertilizers, or pesticides, further reducing the impacts of urban development on water/ air quality and stream habitat.

Native Plant Restoration and Invasive Species Control

• Restoring native plant communities can be an environmental end in itself- the creation of fundamental habitat for native wildlife. Also, the use of native plants in managed landscapes can reduce the need for extensive resource input, such as fertilizer, pesticides, water, etc., because native plants are often better adapted to the climate of the area. One major challenge with native plant restoration is competition from invasive species. Invasive plants are usually non-native species, can grow and spread very quickly to crowd or kill other plant populations, often have negative impacts on local resources (by drying up water sources or poisoning animal herds), and are often difficult to control with conventional methods.

Riparian Area Restoration

• We are quickly learning the importance of riparian corridors in protecting water quantities and qualities. Vegetated corridors (with native vegetation, that is!) keep temperatures in streams cool for fish health and minimal evaporation loss of water; filter or contain run-off pollutants; provide erosion control of stream banks; help minimize the easy transport/ spread of invasive plant seeds and fragments to other areas; and link together habitat conservation fragments.