J. Ryan Bellmore
Email: belljame@isu.edu
Phone: 208-282-2139
Hometown:
Springfield, Oregon
BS: Oregon State University
Ryan is working on his doctorate with Dr. Colden Baxter in the ISU Stream Ecology Center. He has a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University, and previously worked as a fisheries biologist with the US Geological Survey in Klamath Falls, Oregon. His current research focuses on floodplain and restoration ecology in the Columbia River basin. Ryan is particularly interested in the ecological importance of floodplains in montane river networks, and the restoration of these habitats. He has study sites in both the upper Salmon River basin in central Idaho, and also the Methow River in northern Washington. On the Salmon River Ryan is attempting to quantify the importance of river-floodplain segments in terms of aquatic production and retention, and he is also assessing the restoration potential of a dredge-mined floodplain in the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River. In the Methow system, Ryan is working in conjunction with USGS and Bureau of Reclamation scientists to build a quantitative food-web as part of a pre-restoration assessment for a proposed restoration project. One of the aims of both restoration assessments is to determine whether or not anadromous salmonids may be limited by food availability. The results of this research will help us understand the function of floodplains in montane systems, and should also help guide the prioritization of future restoration projects in the Columbia basin.