January 2006 Stories

Susan Kephart: 911 for Threatened Plants

A well-intentioned hiker who wanders off the trail at Cascade Head to capture a scenic photo may unintentionally trample one of the last existing populations of the seabluff carnation, known to scientists as Silene douglasii var. oraria.

There are three remaining populations in the world—all in Oregon, where the flower is listed as “threatened.” They grow precipitously along the cliffs of Cascade Head, seven miles north of Lincoln City on the Oregon coast. The spectacular headland is a Nature Conservancy preserve and United Nations Biosphere Reserve.

Scientists hope to restore threatened plants in the Pacific Northwest. They have reintroduced native plant species and helped repopulate vulnerable areas for years, but Willamette University Professor Susan Kephart is trying a new tack. Instead of planting annuals, the quick and easy way to repopulate coastal prairies, she coordinated the planting of nearly 1,000 perennial seeds and seedlings by students, local citizens and Earthwatch volunteers.

Her restoration and research findings were featured as the October cover story in The American Journal of Botany and have generated inquiries from around the world.

Kephart and Willamette student Diana Lofflin posed several critical questions: Can we successfully reintroduce rare plants? Do plants with a more diverse genetic background have higher survival rates than inbred plants? How can we best restore native populations?

“We found that continued inbreeding within a closely related group of plants is linked to poor seedling survival and affects the viability of future generations,” Kephart said.

Willamette University students and Earthwatch Institute volunteers from around the world helped Kephart and Lofflin compare seedling establishment of the rare coastal plant with its more widespread relatives in the Cascade Mountains.

The seabluff carnation is one of many species scattered across fragmented habitats in isolated, at-risk plant communities, and may be losing the genetic diversity that would help it cope with future threats. It is affected by coastal development, trampling, damage from seed predators and browsing deer. Climate change may pose another yet-unstudied threat.

The good news is that Kephart’s research shows that it is possible to reintroduce rare plants, even on grazed areas.

“But the plants with a more diverse genetic background have a better chance of survival than inbred progeny,” Kephart said. “It’s the same idea as not marrying your cousin. Lethal genes in a family lineage can hide in individuals, but they can come together in offspring, leading to stunting or death.”

Kephart’s research shows that inbred offspring are, in fact, stunted and have yellowed leaves, while outbred plants are larger and put forth more abundant flowers.

She has studied native plant populations at Cascade Head for more than 20 years; the current reintroduction project began in 1998.

Kephart and her students would like to see self-sustaining seabluff carnation populations restored to their historical habitat, along with continued protection of native grasslands.

“Oregon’s headlands were once mostly native flower prairies,” Kephart said. “Although reintroduction is a relatively recent and potentially important restoration tool, its benefits are still uncertain since much research remains to be done.”

Ai Motoda: Helping Others

Ai Motoda came from Japan to study at Willamette University. She ended up becoming a community service superstar.

Motoda has just completed 10 months of study through Tokyo International University of America (TIUA), a partnership between Willamette University and Tokyo International University that brings Japanese students to Salem. Here, they study English and gain insights into American culture. This year, TIUA and Willamette celebrate 40 years of this unique partnership.

Motoda, a senior majoring in international relations from Saitama, Japan, came to TIUA and Willamette to improve her English skills and learn more about America. “I couldn’t speak English very well before I came here,” she says as she sips a cup of green tea. “In Japan, I studied English beginning in junior high school, but we never spoke it. I could write some English, but I couldn’t speak it.”

TIUA students like Motoda take intensive English language courses as well as other elective courses, all taught in English by TIUA and Willamette faculty. They may live in Kaneko, the TIUA site located just across the street from the main Willamette campus, or in other student housing. Being with fellow Japanese-speaking students makes the study abroad experience more comfortable for Japanese students. Being exposed to Willamette students gives them knowledge of American society and familiarity with local customs, valuable assets in an increasingly international marketplace.

Motoda says several things about American culture have surprised her. “The roads are huge here,” she says with a laugh. “The food is very different too. I have gained weight. I sent my picture to my parents and they were surprised.”

She has been pleasantly surprised by the open, friendly attitude of Willamette students. “In Japan, if I meet someone I don’t know, I couldn’t just say hello or how are you doing. In America, everyone says hi or hello. They are more friendly. I like that very much.”

Motodata says she’d like to take that openness back with her when she returns to Japan. “I’m going to try it, but the culture is so different. People will be surprised.”

Another thing she’ll take back is a strong commitment to helping others. During her 10 months in Salem, Motoda became a veritable community service superstar, logging more than 125 volunteer hours. She’s cared for abused horses at Cougar Creek Ranch, helped clean up Oregon beaches and streams, and taught school-aged children. Her involvement in community service has enabled her to share her Japanese heritage. She’s tutored children in Japanese language and taught the art of origami, Japanese paper folding. Most recently, she sold onigiri, Japanese rice balls, to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief.

“Ai always goes above and beyond when it comes to volunteering her time to help those in need,” says Tori Gustaveson, International Program Assistant at TIUA.

Motoda says her study-abroad experience has been challenging, but it has dramatically increased her self-confidence. “In Japan, I didn’t think positively. When I had homework, I didn’t think I could do it. Now, I believe I can. If I had trouble, I’d ask my American friends or my professor for help. Being here has helped me think more positively.”

She’s so taken with American culture, she wants to eventually live and teach here permanently. “When I go back to Japan, I will keep studying the Japanese language. I want to be a Japanese teacher in America. I can see a different side of myself here. I like that. I see myself living in America.”

Torey Jovick: Opening to the World

Torey Jovick ’06 lived in Chile for a year to learn Spanish. She not only came away with language skills, she gained a new world perspective.

“I was determined to learn Spanish while I was in Chile,” says the Willamette University senior Spanish major. “I knew a five-month study abroad wasn’t going to be long enough. I wanted to learn the language and get into the culture. My goal was to live in Chile, not just be a tourist.”

When she left Willamette for South America last July, the naturally outgoing Jovick didn’t anticipate how challenging it would be to live in a foreign culture. “My first semester at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso [Catholic University] was exhausting; one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. There were so many cultural differences; the language barrier was hard; even getting around on the busses was tough. There were times I wondered if I was going to get through it.”

She lived with four different host families. None of them spoke English. “It was Spanish 24/7. I often didn’t know what was being said. I felt lost and out of place.”

University classes, all taught in Spanish, were a challenge, but the two-hour afternoon family dinners were worse. “Imagine sitting around a table for two hours trying to understand what’s going on. In class, the language was slower, more methodical. In the family conversation around the table, there was a lot of slang and back and forth talk. The family meal is a big part of Chilean culture and I had to be patient, sit back and try to learn.”

Even the style of Spanish spoken in Chile proved difficult. “Chileans use all kinds of slang; they talk really fast and they don’t pronounce their d’s and s’s. It can be really hard to understand. I had to learn to tune my ear to it.”

Language wasn’t the only challenge Jovick faced. The blond, blue-eyed senior stood out from the crowd; something that made her uncomfortable. “It’s obvious I’m not Chilean. Walking out the door and having people stare at me was a battle I faced every day. It was hard to always be the one being looked at. I felt like I had to be on all the time. ” Sometimes men on the street would make rude comments. “I’d keep my head down and keep walking.”

During her most difficult times in Chile, Jovick found solace talking with her host family and friends, especially other foreign exchange students. She also wrote in her blog, the on-line journal available to every Willamette University study-abroad student. “The blog was wonderful. It was an opportunity to write about what was happening. It helped me put things in perspective.”

In addition to taking classes at the university, Jovick volunteered at orphanages. “Community service as always been important to me and I wanted to continue doing that in Chile. It allowed me to explore a whole other part of the culture.”

Two days a week, Jovick traveled by bus to orphanages where she taught recreation classes. She also spent time every week at a children’s hospital. “The orphanages lack resources for toys or supplies to keep the children occupied. The boys’ orphanage had this little backyard patio with no grass, just dirt. They had goal post-type things with no nets. They didn’t even have a soccer ball.”

Jovick used her creativity to invent games and other organized activities for the children. “The children really looked forward to my visits. Even though it was a challenge, it was a good experience for me too.”

By the end of the first semester, Jovick felt more comfortable with the language and more acclimated to the culture. She packed a knapsack and by bus for two weeks explored the deserts of northern Chile. “I hadn’t planned to go alone, but wanted to see more of Chile. In some ways, it was a lonely time. In other ways, it was wonderful. Traveling alone for two weeks forces you to talk with people. By then, my Spanish was good enough that I could communicate and people were really friendly and helpful.”

She spent the summer with another host family on a dairy farm in southern Chile. It provided a view of rural Chilean life and another opportunity for community service.

She worked in the community’s city building with the mayor and his staff conducting surveys of families living on the outskirts of town. It was here she encountered Chile’s poorest of the poor. “You can’t imagine the poverty there. They live in shacks with tin roofs. They are so poorly educated that they don’t even have the desire to improve their condition. Every once in a while, in all this poverty, you’d see television in one of the homes. It was weird.”

Jovick’s second semester at the South American university was vastly different and much better than her first. “By then, I knew the university system and what to expect from the culture. My Spanish was pretty good. I’d met friends and we’d go out to dinner and hang out. I made some really great Chilean friends.”

Now that’s she’s returned to Willamette, Jovick is volunteering with the Oregon District Attorney’s Office as an advocate for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault and juvenile crimes. She uses her now-polished Spanish skills to help Spanish-speaking clients. “Can you imagine what it would be like to be in another country and have to go through the court process without understanding what is going on?” she asks. Jovick, who is planning on living in another Spanish-speaking country next year, adds, “It’s great to be able to use my Spanish skills to help people.

In the future, Jovick plans to attend graduate school or law school to study international law and international relations. “This experience has taught me so much. It’s made me value relationships more, especially family. It’s also taught me that the United States isn’t the center of the world. There’s a whole world out there waiting for me.”