BI 101 McKee: Ecoregion web resources
Oregon ecoregion resources
These recommended resources are great places to start learning about your ecoregion. You may also want to do a general web search, but make sure that the sources you select are high quality.
- Conserve Oregon EcoregionsFrom the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife - EcoregionsProvides pdf flyers on each of the eight ecoregions
Recommended websites on Oregon natural resources
- Institute of Natural Resourcesland management research from Oregon State University
- Oregon Costal Atlastools and data about the Oregon coast
- Oregon Department of Environmental Qualityincludes information on water quality, air quality, and waste management
- Oregon Soil Surveysfrom the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Oregon Blue BookOfficial almanac and fact book for the state of Oregon
- Oregon/Washington Bureau of Land ManagementInformation on how public lands are managed by the Department of the Interior. Their Flickr page has great pictures of landscapes and wildlife.
- Oregon ExplorerMaps, tools and data about Oregon natural resources, from Oregon State University
Web Search Tips
Research universities and government organizations collect and publish information on wildlife and natural resources. Some of these websites are listed here. However, you may also need to do your own web searching.
-- Add site:gov to limit your results to government websites, or site:edu to search only educational institution.
Example: 
Oregon plants and animals
- Common Trees of the Pacific Northwestfrom Oregon State University
- Encyclopedia of Lifeauthoritative free online resource aims to provide pictures of every species; slow to load
- Endangered Species in Oregonfrom the Department of Fish and Wildlife; includes scientific names
- Invasive Species in Oregonfrom the Oregon Invasive Species Council
- Oregon Biodiversity Information Centerfrom Oregon State University
Evaluating Sources: Questions to Ask
How do you know if a source is right for your research? Below are some questions you can ask about your sources. There are no good or bad sources, but sources can be useful or not useful based on the evidence you're looking for.
- Who is the author? What do you know about the author’s background? (hint: Google the author). What makes the author an expert on this particular topic (remember that experience and research are markers of expertise as well as education)?
- What journal, magazine, organization, or website published this information? Look for an "about" page on the publisher's website (or explore their website) and also Google the name of the publication/organization/website (or look for a Wikipedia page about it) to learn more about the publisher of the information. What kind of reputation does it have? What is their purpose in sharing this information? Is it known for promoting specific points of view?
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Can you tell where the information in the article came from? Do they share any information from other sources or does it seem like they’re sharing their opinion? If they used other sources, do those sources seem worth trusting?
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Based on your answers to these questions, would you trust this source? If not, could anything from this article still be useful? Often articles link to other useful resources or mention other authors and studies that could be helpful.
You may not get good answers from all of these questions, but still trust a source. For example, an opinion piece from a noted expert in a specific field could be a useful source, but chances are, they are not going to be citing sources. Information from the Centers for Disease Control website is trustworthy, but much of it doesn't have an author. You have to weigh each of these factors when making your decision.