Institute for Natural Resources - Portland

About the Institute

The Institute for Natural Resources - Portland is part of the Institute for Natural Resources (INR) based at Oregon State University in Corvallis. The INR was created by OSU and the Oregon Legislature in 2001 as an independent institute in the Research Office of OSU. At Portland State University, INR - Portland is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences .

As a research institute, INR helps decision makers identify and use relevant science in making natural resource policy and management decisions. INR works with local, state, federal, non-profit, and private organizations to produce maps, assessments, scientific reviews, datasets, and analyses for use in conservation planning, prioritization, and management.

INR-Portland consists of three main programs:

Our Programs

Snowy plover chicks on the beach with sand dollar.

Oregon Biodiversity Information Center

ORBIC's key function is to maintain, develop and distribute biodiversity information in Oregon. The center works with a variety of agency, NGO, and private partners to provide the most comprehensive information on plants, wildlife, fish, fungi, and vegetation throughout Oregon and maintains a rare and endangered species database.

Mountain with meadows, snow patches, and scattered trees.

Natural Areas Program

The Oregon Natural Areas Program works to protect high quality native ecosystems and rare plant and animal species by guiding the selection of priority areas for the establishment of natural areas.

Imagery of elevation zones of mountains and a river valley.

Landscape Assessment and Mapping Program

The Pacific Northwest Landscape Assessment and Mapping Program (PNW-LAMP) works to model vegetation patterns in Oregon and beyond in relation to natural resource management, wildlife, and ecology.

INR-Portland maintains a detailed database on rare species distributions, statuses, taxonomy, and more. Requests for rare species data or other inquiries can be made via Data Requests.

Data Requests

Learn about opportunities to work at or volunteer with INR.

Opportunities

Many recent and archived publications are available online from INR.

Publications

More Resources

INR-OSU Website

Additional information about the Institute for Natural Resources and the majority of our publications and other products are available on INR's OSU website. Descriptions of services, focus areas, featured projects, and staff profiles can also be found here.

Oregon Explorer

The Oregon Explorer program is an INR and OSU Libraries natural resources digital library providing access to data, mapping and reporting tools, stories and other archived information to help local citizens, planners and policymakers make more informed decisions about Oregon’s natural resources and communities.

Invasive Species and iMapInvasives

INR manages the Oregon iMapInvasives program. iMapInvasives is an online, GIS-based invasive species reporting and querying tool providing information on where invasives are found and to track treatments and outcomes for managers, researchers, and the public.