The Oregon Biodiversity Information Center's (ORBIC) primary mission is to track the distribution and status of all of Oregon’s flora and fauna as is possible. For species considered to be at-risk in Oregon, location and population data is managed for all of the observations and occurrences in the state.
ORBIC is Oregon's local member of the NatureServe Network of natural heritage programs, utilizing their rigorous core standards and methodologies to assess status, risk, and condition of the state's biodiversity. Standardized methods allow sharing of conservation information across jurisdictional boundaries.
We've been known by a few names over the years: starting in 1974 as a conservation data program with The Nature Conservancy, then established by the Oregon Legislature as the Oregon Natural Heritage Program in the Natural Heritage Act of 1979 (ORS 273.561-.591 [SB 448]), we later became the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center and now the Oregon Biodiversity Information Center, to reflect our wider set of programs and research. We became part of the Institute for Natural Resources when it was established in 2001 under ORS 352.808.
ORBIC works to answer three questions: What is it? Where is it? How is it doing?
If you are interested in learning more about our work, please contact Eleanor Gaines.
Core Work
