About CPRS
For more information please refer to document:
CPRS Fact Sheet -- .pdf format (2.9 MB)
Eco-Regional Studies and Conservation Planning
The National Gap Analysis Program (GAP)
The National Gap Analysis Program determines the distribution and extent of vegetation communities and animal species, and their occurrence in protected areas (such as Parks and Wilderness), as a means of assessing conservation priorities. The CPRS is contributing to this effort by assessing the accuracy of vegetation maps and distribution of vertebrate species (birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles) over the Colorado Plateau, and providing information to Federal, State and tribal agencies and the general public on the natural communities in this area, which habitats and species are best protected, and which ones may need additional protection. These studies are supported by an extensive Geographic Information System (GIS) laboratory housed at CPRS.
Endangered Species Studies
Plants and animals that have declined and are threatened with extinction reflect the condition of our biological environment, and are important in their own right as irreplaceable elements of our natural heritage. The cprs has worked on numerous studies of endangered species, including an inventory project for Mexican spotted owls on the Colorado Plateau, the distribution, ecology and genetics of the Southwestern willow flycatcher throughout its range in the southwestern United States; and, the effects of changing river levels from the operations of Glen Canyon Dam on wintering bald eagles and spawning rainbow trout in the Grand Canyon. The cprs also conducts general surveys of the biology, population size, and current threats to other rare and endangered species in National Parks and other Federal lands on the Colorado Plateau.
The Mexican spotted owl, a less well-known relative of the northern spotted owl, has a range centered in the Colorado Plateau area, and is also found in the desert mountains and canyons to the south in Arizona and Mexico. cprs researchers have carried out extensive surveys for spotted owls and have also studied their nesting habitat in the canyon country of the Colorado Plateau, tracked the movements and dispersal patterns of young after they leave the nest, and evaluated the effects of forest fire on the habitat and movement of spotted owls.
The southwestern willow flycatcher is a small gray-green songbird that lives in streamside habitats of southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and southern Utah and Colorado. Partly because of habitat loss, this race has declined seriously in numbers, and in 1996, was placed on the Federal Endangered Species list. The cprs has played a major role in determining the current distribution, habitat, and population status of the southwestern willow flycatcher and in aiding state and Federal agencies in protecting the species. cprs staff are continuing important studies on the demography of neotropical migrant bird stop-over sites along the Colorado River Corridor, conservation genetics, and threats posed by brown-headed cowbird nest parasitism . The cprs also conducts surveys of the biology, population size, and current threats to other rare and endangered species in National Parks and other Federal lands on the Colorado Plateau.
Vegetation Distribution, Ecology, and Dynamics
The Southwest supports a wide variety of vegetation types, from hot desert shrubs to alpine tundra on the highest peaks. Differences in elevation, exposure, and soil type create an intricate mosaic of plant cover across the landscape, and this mosaic is an important component of the plant and animal diversity of the region. cprs conducts research on vegetation classification, mapping, and community dynamics.
Non-native plants are a serious and growing problem in the western United States. These are weedy grasses, broad-leaved plants, and sometimes shrubs and trees that may take over rangelands and make them unsuitable for grazing, compete with native plants for room to grow, and cause degradation of wildlife habitat. cprs scientists have been assessing which non-native plants are the most serious threats in the Southwest, compiling biological and ecological information and distribution maps on these species, and collaborating with other Federal, state, and private agencies to make this information widely available.
Data Management and Dissemination
The primary goal of research conducted by cprs staff is to provide biological data for the sound, long-term use, management, and protection of our natural resources. Hence, an important function is in providing access to this scientific data for government agencies, states, and the general public. Data management and dissemination projects include regional natural resources biographies (National Parks on the Colorado Plateau, and the Navajo Nation), and databases on particular plant and animal species of interest (such as the southwestern willow flycatcher, yellow-billed cuckoo, and non-native plant species). Map-based information is increasingly important for landscape level studies and management of natural resources. The cprs developed and maintains a global positioning system (GPS) base station to provide highly accurate location information for research and management over the southern Colorado Plateau area, and has developed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases for plant and animal species, landscape features, and aspects of human use of the land, for National Parks and other areas across much of the Colorado Plateau.
Wildlife Studies / Inventory and Monitoring
National Parks, National Forests, Bureau of Land Management, and other public lands provide refuges for plant and animal communities. With increased development and habitat loss, such public lands will be the last stronghold for natural populations of some species. The cprs carries out surveys of plant and animal species on public lands (inventories), studies of changes in plant and animal populations over time (monitoring), and ecological studies of species of particular interest.
Inventory and monitoring studies have included community monitoring of birds in the changing riparian habitats of the Colorado River, comprehensive studies of plants and animals at Montezuma Castle and Navajo National Monuments, and surveys for threatened and endangered species. Examples of research conducted on wildlife ecology have included behavior of reintroduced desert bighorn sheep at Zion National Park, habitat evaluation of pronghorn antelope in northern Arizona, and inventories of herpetefauna, mammal and bird communities over the Colorado Plateau.