Intro to an Oregon eDNA Cooperative Working Group

In January 2025, a group of 33 professionals from local and federal government agencies, universities, utilities, and nonprofits gathered in Tigard, OR to begin organizing a collaborative group of scientists and practitioners employing environmental DNA analysis in their environmental assessment, stewardship, and restoration work. While not yet formally named, this “Oregon eDNA Cooperative” group seeks to foster collaboration; sharing of costs, resources, and samples; open and streamlined data access; and method standardization. This presentation will serve as an invitation to the UERC community to join us, as well as summarize the outcomes from the group’s kickoff workshop.