INR's Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (ORBIC) was formed in large part to aid in the conservation of Oregon's rare species and ecosystems. The rich diversity of ecosystems and native plants and animals is one of Oregon's most distinctive and valued qualities. Oregon has rain forests, dry Ponderosa pine forests, oak woodlands, alpine meadows, prairies, deserts, marshes, estuaries, dunes, rocky headlands, lakes and streams, and an abundance of plants, animals, fungi, algae, and other species that inhabit them.
ORBIC helps preserve these species and habitats in Oregon by cataloging rare species locations, ranking species by their rarity and risk of extirpation, mapping ecosystem types and habitats, creating species distribution models, monitoring snowy plovers on the Oregon coast, allocating Section 6 funds to endangered invertebrate projects, and participating in a variety of local and regional projects with a wide range of agencies, organizations, and partnerships.
You can learn more about the species on our rare species list and contribute your own observations to assist in conservation efforts on our Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species of Oregon iNaturalist Project. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife also has an Oregon Wildlife Conservation iNaturalist Project focusing on Oregon Conservation Strategy Species and other Oregon wildlife.
If you are interested in learning more about our work, please contact Jesse Laney (for animals) or Nora Dunkirk (for plants and fungi).
