William J. Ripple Papers, 1927-2014

Collection Overview

Title: William J. Ripple Papers, 1927-2014

Predominant Dates: 1972-2014

ID: MSS Ripple

Primary Creator: Ripple, William J.

Extent: 12.0 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The William J. Ripple Collection is arranged into 10 series: 1. Early Coursework and Research Papers, 1976-1983; 2. Publications and Manuscripts, 1984-2013; 3. Research Projects and Proposals, 1973-2004; 4. Press Releases, Articles, and Newspaper Clippings, 1972-2014; 5. Reference Material, 1927-2010; 6. Committees and Associations, 1985-1994; 7. Course Material, 1985-2008; 8. Website design, 2001; 9. Posters, 2014; and 10. Tree Cores, 2000-2010.

Date Acquired: 00/00/2015

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

This collection consists of materials collected and generated by Professor William J. Ripple, College of Forestry, Forest Ecosystems and Society. Professor Ripple has been a professor at Oregon State since 1984. The collection primarily consists of reference materials in Landscape Ecology, trophic cascades, as well as over 100 of William J. Ripple’s publications.

Scope and Content Notes

The WIlliam J. Ripple collection consists mainly of his publications, including his thesis and papers from his early coursework. The majority of publications cover the field of trophic cascades and remote sensing systems. Both the final publications as well as manuscripts are included. In addition to his many publications, this collection contains reference materials used when conducting research and writing. The reference materials cover landscape ecology, the spotted owl, and geographic information systems (GIS). Also included are newspaper clippings and articles that discuss Ripple's work, particularly on trophic cascades and the impacts of predation. Also included are posters featuring Ripple and classroom materials.

More than half of the boxes in this collection contain tree cores taken during his research of the relationship among wolves, elk and aspen. This series includes tree cores from Yellowstone, Yosemite, Jasper and the Great Plains.

Another noteworthy part of this collection are the research project materials and proposals. These bring to light other research interests of Ripple, that include the Oregon Mosaic project, and research into the ozone’s effect on conifers and his work with Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) in New Zealand.

Biographical / Historical Notes

William J. Ripple was born on March 10, 1952 in Lesterville, South Dakota. He received his undergraduate degree in science at South Dakota State University in 1974. He then went on to attend the College of Mines and Earth Resources in 1978 at the University of Idaho to earn a Master’s degree of Science. After this, he attended Oregon State University (OSU) and received a Ph.D. in Geography in 1984 and became a faculty member in the OSU College of Forestry, Department of Forestry Ecosystems and Society as a professor in Ecology. Ripple began his career conducting research on old-growth forests and spotted owls. His research evolved to look at the impact of predators on ecosystem structure. His research has led to a new field called “trophic cascades,” which are indirect interactions that can control entire ecosystems. This is seen when predators in a food web alter the behavior of their prey, which in turn lowers the predation on the next trophic level.

Professor Ripple is a distinguished professor who was the director of the Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory (ERSAL) and current director of the Trophic Cascades Program. He teaches courses on Forestry Ecosystems and Society. His prominent research and work in the field of ecology has led him to consult with groups that include the National Academy of Sciences, the White House, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He has now published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, most of which pertain to his work with trophic cascades. He has received multiple awards for his work, including a Distinguished Professor Award in 2014 and a Spirit of Defenders Award for Science in 2009.

Author: Maya Bergmann

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 13 boxes, including 9 oversize boxes.

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: Ripple donated the materials to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center in 2015.

Related Materials: Materials related to this collection may be found in the Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory (ERSAL) Records (RG 218) and the College of Forestry Records (RG 139). The Fisheries and WIldlife Department Records (RG 190) may contain additional information on the impact of predation and of species reintroduction. Some articles by Bill Ripple are available through OSU's ScholarsArchive.

Preferred Citation: William J. Ripple Papers (MSS Ripple), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Early Coursework and Research Papers, 1976-1983

Series 1 consists of Ripple’s papers written during his time in the master’s program at University of Idaho, as well as papers he wrote and exams that were taken while attending the Ph.D. program at Oregon State.

Box-Folder 1.01: Missouri River Paper, 1976
Box-Folder 1.02: Papers and Exams, 1981-1983

Series 2: Publications and Manuscripts, 1984-2013

Series 2 consists of Ripple’s publications, as well as drafts for many of these publications. The publications in this series are collaborative texts, as well as some written solely by Ripple. The majority of his publications are about his extensive work on trophic cascades, which are indirect interactions that can control entire ecosystems. This is seen when predators in a food web alter the behavior of their prey, which in turn lowers the predation on the next trophic level. These publications includes ERSAL's Remote Sensing Research journals and his extensive work on aspen regression, which looks at the impact of wolf extirpation on local ecologies. This series also includes a number of children’s books written by Ripple.

Box-Folder 1.03: Remote Sensing Research, 1984-1986: Includes Monitoring Annual Ryegrass with the Landsat Thematic Mapper Bands, Landsat Thematic Mapper Band Transformations for Characterizing Grass Vegetation, Spectral Reflectance Patterns of Some Key Cascade West Slope Vegetation Types, and Spectral Reflectance Relationships to Leaf Water Stress.
Box-Folder 1.04: Remote Sensing Research (Draft), 1984: Contains the draft for Monitoring Annual Ryegrass with the Landsat Thematic Mapper Bands
Box-Folder 1.05: Remote Sensing Research, 1986: Includes Assessing Elk Trail and Wallow Impacts in Mount Rainier National Park, and Classification of Digital Landsat Data for Wildlife Management Applications of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation of Oregon.
Box-Folder 1.06: Remote Sensing Research (Draft), 1986: Contains the draft for Classification of Digital Landsat Data for Wildlife Management Applications on the Warm Springs Indian Reservations of Oregon.
Box-Folder 1.07: Remote Sensing Research, 1987: Includes The Influence of Soil Organic Matter Content and Soil Particle Size of Spectral Reflectance, and Assessing Elk Trail and Wallow Impacts in Mount Rainier National Park.
Box-Folder 1.08: Remote Sensing Research (Draft), 1987: Contains the draft for Assessing Elk Trail and Wallow Impacts in Mount Rainier National Park.
Box-Folder 1.09: Remote Sensing Research, 1988: Includes Assessing Elk Trail and Wallow Impacts in Mount Rainier National Park, a Quarterly Progress Report.
Box-Folder 1.10: Remote Sensing Research (Draft), 1988: Contains the draft for Assessing Elk Trail and Wallow Impacts in Mount Rainier National Park
Box-Folder 1.11: Remote Sensing Research, 1989-1990: Includes Measuring Forest Fragmentation in the Cascade Range of Oregon and two issues of Geographic Information Analysis: An Ecological Approach for the Management of Wildlife on the Forested Landscape.
Box-Folder 1.12: Remote Sensing Research (Draft), 1989-1990: Contains the drafts for Measuring Forest Fragmentation in the Cascade Range of Oregon and Geographic Information analysis: An Ecological Approach for the Management of Wildlife on the Forested Landscape.
Box-Folder 1.13: Remote Sensing Research, 1991-1992: Includes two publications of Geographic Information Analysis: An Ecological Approach for the Management of Wildlife
Box-Folder 1.14: Remote Sensing Research, 1996-1997: Includes An Introduction to Digital Methods in Remote Sensing Forested Ecosystems: Focus in the Pacific Northwest, USA, and Remote Sensing of Aspen Change in Northern Yellowstone National Park.
Box-Folder 1.15: Remote Sensing Research, 2002: Includes Human Influence on Wildlife Abundance and Distribution Along Lewis and Clark Trail.
Box-Folder 1.16: 1984 Publications, 1984
Box-Folder 1.17: 1985 Publications, 1985
Box-Folder 1.18: Rangeland Management Research, 1985-1986
Box-Folder 1.19: 1986 Publications, 1986
Box-Folder 1.20: Expert Systems, 1987
Box-Folder 1.21: 1987 Publications, 1987
Box-Folder 1.22: 1988 Publications, 1988
Box-Folder 1.23: Quadtree Data Structures, 1988-1989
Box-Folder 1.24: Measuring Forest Fragmenting, 1989
Box-Folder 1.25: Measuring Forest Fragmenting, 1989
Box-Folder 1.26: Measuring Forest Fragmenting Referees, 1989
Box-Folder 1.27: Publications list, 1987-1989
Box-Folder 1.28: 1990 Publications, 1990
Box-Folder 1.29: Journal of Wildlife Management (Draft), 1990
Box-Folder 1.30: 1991 Publications, 1991
Box-Folder 1.31: Irrigation Report, 1993
Box-Folder 1.32: 1993 Publications, 1993
Box-Folder 1.33: 1994 Publications, 1994
Box-Folder 1.34: 1996 Publications, 1996
Box-Folder 1.35: 1997 Publications, 1997
Box-Folder 1.36: 1998 Publications, 1998
Box-Folder 2.01: Aspen Regression in Yellowstone, 1999
Box-Folder 2.02: Aspen Recruitment, 1999
Box-Folder 2.03: 1999 Publications, 1999
Box-Folder 2.04: 2000 Publications, 2000
Box-Folder 2.05: Wolves, Elk and Aspen, 2000-2001
Box-Folder 2.06: 2001 Publications, 2001
Box-Folder 2.07: 2002 Publications, 2002
Box-Folder 2.08: Spotted Owl, 2003
Box-Folder 2.09: 2003 Publications, 2003
Box-Folder 2.10: Assessment of Riparian Cottonwoods (Draft), 2003
Box-Folder 2.11: 2004 Publications, 2004
Box-Folder 2.12: Ecology of Fear (Draft), 2004
Box-Folder 2.13: 2005 Publications, 2005
Box-Folder 2.14: 2007 publications, 2007
Box-Folder 2.15: 2008 Publications, 2008
Box-Folder 2.16: 2009 Publications, 2009
Box-Folder 2.17: 2010 Publications, 2010
Box-Folder 2.18: 2011 Publications, 2011
Box-Folder 2.19: The 6th Mass Extinction (Draft), 2011
Box-Folder 2.20: 2012 Publications, 2012
Box-Folder 2.21: Mesopredator Effects After Wolf Extirpation (Draft), 2013
Box-Folder 2.22: Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems, 1989 (Book)
Box-Folder 2.23: GIS Examples in Natural Resources, 1994 (Book)
Box-Folder 2.24: GIS for Resource Management, Undated (Book)
Box-Folder 2.25: Keiko the Whale, 1998 (Children's Book)
Box-Folder 2.26: Ostriches, 2005 (Children's Book)
Box-Folder 2.27: Scorpions, 2005 (Children's Book)
Box-Folder 2.28: Kangaroos, 2005 (Children's Book)
Box-Folder 2.29: Camels, 2005 (Children's Book)
Box-Folder 2.30: Raccoons, 2006 (Children's Book)
Box-Folder 2.31: Wolves, 2006 (Children's Book)

Series 3: Research Projects and Proposals, 1973-2004

Series 3 consists of Ripple’s research projects and proposals. All of these research projects were conducted during his time with the Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory (ERSAL) including his work on the Oregon Mosaic. Items include spotted owl data/research, aspen regeneration research, Oregon Mosaic prints and negatives, as well as special use permits.

Box-Folder 2.32: Oregon Mosaic Registration, 1973
Box-Folder 2.33: Oregon Mosaic Prints, 1973
Box-Folder 2.34: Oregon Mosaic Negatives, 1973
Box-Folder 2.35: ERSAL Forest Management, 1986
Box-Folder 2.36: Conifers Exposed to Ozone, 1986
Box-Folder 2.37: New Zealand AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer), 1987
Box-Folder 2.38: Geographic Information Analysis: Management of Wildlife, 1987
Box-Folder 2.39: Long Term Ecosystems Research, 1988
Box-Folder 2.40: Spotted and Great Horned Owl Proposal, 1988
Box-Folder 2.41: Long Term Ecosystem Research (Phase 3), 1990
Box-Folder 2.42: Landscape Patterns and Spotted Owl Nests, 1992
Box-Folder 2.43: Spotted Owl Landscape Study Images, 1993
Box-Folder 2.44: Predicting Biodiversity Using AVHRR, 1995
Box-Folder 2.45: Spotted Owl Kill Data, 1995
Box-Folder 3.01: Aspen Regeneration in Yellowstone, 1996-1997
Box-Folder 3.02: Oregon Coast Clam Mapping, 2002-2003
Box-Folder 3.03: Special Use Permit, 2004

Series 4: Press Releases, Articles, and Newspaper Clippings, 1972-2014

Series 4 consists of press releases and articles that were written about Ripple and his research with ERSAL. This includes school magazine publications, multiple articles about “Wolves, Elk and Aspen in Yellowstone”, as well as various newspaper clippings that cover these topics, along with others. Notably, this series also contains articles about the awards that Ripple has received for his work.

Box-Folder 3.04: Survey of Wildlife Habitat, 1989
Box-Folder 3.05: The Big Picture, 1990
Box-Folder 3.06: Geo Infosystems Interview, 1993
Box-Folder 3.07: Glimpse of Forest Past, 1994
Box-Folder 3.08: Blueprinting for Forest Growth, 1994
Box-Folder 3.09: Yellowstone Unraveling, 1996
Box-Folder 3.10: 2000 Articles, 2000
Box-Folder 3.11: The Environmental Magazine, 2006
Box-Folder 3.12: Return of the Wolves, 2007
Box-Folder 3.13: Terra, 2007
Box-Folder 3.14: Earle A. Chiles Award, 2008
Box-Folder 3.15: Wildlife Conservation Awards, 2009
Box-Folder 3.16: Cougars Linked to Yosemite Ecosystems, 2009
Box-Folder 5.02: Newspaper Clippings, 1972-1973
Box-Folder 5.03: Newspaper Clippings, 1975-1976
Box-Folder 5.04: Newspaper Clippings, circa 1988-1989: Some newspaper clippings are undated.
Box-Folder 5.05: Newspaper Clippings, 1997-2014

Series 5: Reference Materials, 1927-2010

Series 5 consists of the reference materials that Ripple used while conducting research. A majority of the materials in this series are reference materials on landscape ecology and the trophic cascades. The landscape ecology material spans from 1927 to 2010. This series is also made up of reference materials for quadtree and GIS, as well as his work in New Zealand.

Box-Folder 3.17: Landscape Ecology, 1927
Box-Folder 3.18: Landscape Ecology, 1937
Box-Folder 3.19: Landscape Ecology, 1947
Box-Folder 3.20: Landscape Ecology, 1960
Box-Folder 3.21: Landscape Ecology, 1967-1977
Box-Folder 3.22: Landscape Ecology, 1980-1981
Box-Folder 3.23: Landscape Ecology, 1982-1984
Box-Folder 3.24: Landscape Ecology, 1984-1986
Box-Folder 3.25: Landscape Ecology, 1987
Box-Folder 3.26: Landscape Ecology, 1988
Box-Folder 3.27: Landscape Ecology, 1989-1990
Box-Folder 3.28: Landscape Ecology, 1992-1994
Box-Folder 3.29: Landscape Ecology, 1995-1997
Box-Folder 3.30: Landscape Ecology, 1998-1999
Box-Folder 3.31: Landscape Ecology, 2000-2001
Box-Folder 3.32: Landscape Ecology, 2002-2004
Box-Folder 3.33: Landscape Ecology, 2005-2006
Box-Folder 3.34: Landscape Ecology, 2007-2010
Box-Folder 3.35: Quadtree, 1974-1985
Box-Folder 3.36: Quadtree, 1986-1989
Box-Folder 3.37: GIS, 1984-1986
Box-Folder 3.38: GIS, 1987-1995
Box-Folder 3.39: GIS, 1982
Box-Folder 4.01: ERSAL Reference, 1978-1988
Box-Folder 4.02: Earth Systems (NASA), 1984
Box-Folder 4.03: New Zealand, 1985-1986
Box-Folder 4.04: Expert Systems, 1986-1988
Box-Folder 4.05: Spotted Owl, 1983-1990
Box-Folder 4.06: National Wildlife, 2003

Series 6: Committees and Associations, 1985-1994

Series 6 consists of meeting handouts and minutes from Ripple’s participation in committees and associations. This includes multiple meeting records for the Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, as well as The Wildlife Society and notes from Joint Government Affairs, a national committee that worked with the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping, as well as the House Committee of Energy and Commerce.

Box-Folder 4.07: Joint Government Affairs, 1985
Box-Folder 4.08: Institute for Land Information, 1986
Box-Folder 4.09: Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Meeting, 1986
Box-Folder 4.10: 1987 Committee Meetings, 1987
Box-Folder 4.11: Ecological Society of America, 1988
Box-Folder 4.12: The Wildlife Society, 1990
Box-Folder 4.13: Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 1994

Series 7: Course Material, 1985-1994

Series 7 consists of course material for the classes that Ripple taught at Oregon State, as well as a collection of student papers. It contains course material, including a term reading packet, for FOR 599, Aldo Leopold and Ecosystem Management. The student papers include multiple research papers, a thesis, and a dissertation proposal.

Box-Folder 4.14: Student Thesis, 1986
Box-Folder 4.15: Student Research Paper, 1987
Box-Folder 4.16: Student Research Paper, 1987
Box-Folder 4.17: Mid-term Review, 1995-1996: Ripple's dossier for a promotion is included in this folder.
Box-Folder 4.18: Student Paper, circa 1997
Box-Folder 4.19: Dissertation Research Proposal, 2001
Box-Folder 4.20: FOR 599 Reading, 2008

Series 8: Website Design, 2001

Series 8 consists of the early stages of the designs for the website Wolves in Nature. It includes changes to the original website design, as well as printouts of images that could be found on the website to inform viewers about aspen recruitment in Yellowstone.

Box-Folder 4.21: Wolves in Nature Website, 2001

Series 9: Posters, 2014

Series 9 consists of three posters featuring Ripple. There are two copies of a poster announcing an event that was held when Ripple received the Distinguished Professor Award from Oregon State University. The other shows Ripple looking through binoculars and is titled “We’re Seeing How Predators Balance Nature.”

Box-Folder 5.01: Various Posters, Undated

Item 1/2: Recognizing Excellence (2 Copies)
Item 3: We're Seeing How Predators Balance Nature

Series 10: Tree Cores, 2000-2010

Series 10 consists of tree cores collected for research projects in various geographic locations. Included with these cores are the publications of the research findings based on said cores.

Box-Item Box 6: Tree Cores from Blue River, Arizona and Minnesota: Box also contains the publication pertaining to this collecion of tree cores (Mexican wolves, elk, and aspen in Arizona: Is there a trophic cascade?), 2010
Box-Item Box 7: Tree Cores from Olympic National Park: Box also contains the publication pertaining to this collection of tree cores (Wolves, trophic cascades, and rivers in the Olympic National Park, USA), 2008
Box-Item Box 8: Tree Cores from Yosemite Nation Park: Box also contains the publication related to this collection of tree cores (Trophic cascades involving cougar, mule deer, and black oaks in Yosemite National Park), 2008
Box-Item Box 9: Tree Cores from Zion National Park (1/2): Box also contains contains printouts of images and the publication pertaining to this collection of tree cores (Linking a cougar decline, trophic cascade, and catastrophic regime shift in Zion National Park), 2006
Box-Item Box 10: Tree Cores from Zion National Park (2/2)
Box-Item Box 11: Tree Cores from the Great Plains: Box also contains the publication pertaining to this collection of tree cores (Hardwood Tree Decline following Large Carnivore Loss on the Great Plains, USA), 2007
Box-Item Box 12: Tree Cores from Jasper National Park: Box also contains the publication pertaining to this collection of tree cores (Wolves, elk, and aspen in the winter range of Jasper National Park, Canada), 2007
Box-Item Box 13: Tree Cores from Yellowstone National Park: Box also contains the publication pertaining to this collection of tree cores (Historic aspen recruitment, elk, and wolves in Northern Yellowstone National Park, USA), 2000