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The Pacific Northwest Interagency Natural Areas
Committee has promoted the establishment and management of natural areas
in Oregon and Washington--protected areas devoted to research, education,
and conservation of biodiversity. This growing collection of sites is
now unmatched in its diversity and representation of both common and
unique natural ecosystems found throughout this region.
Numerous opportunities exist in Oregon and Washington to do field research on sites that are permanently protected from resource extraction and other forms of active management. These areas, called Research Natural Areas (RNAs), can be found throughout all the ecoregions that occur in these two biologically diverse states. Research Natural Areas are primarily located on federal lands. These areas represent a wide variety of habitats and ecosystems along elevational gradients from alpine to lowlands; biogeographic gradients ranging from coniferous forests of the Cascades and Coast ranges to semiarid deserts and prairie ecosystem of eastern Washington and Oregon; and a broad array of streams, lakes and wetlands. |
