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Human Influence on California Fire Regimes

Periodic wildfire maintains the integrity and species composition of many ecosystems, including the Mediterranean-climate shrublands of California. However, human activities alter natural fire regimes, which can lead to cascading ecological effects. Increased human ignitions at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) have recently gained attention, but More...

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Ecosystem Services Derived from Wetland Conservation Practices in the United States Prairie Pothole Region with an Emphasis on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve and Wetlands Reserve Programs

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with the USDA Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service, initiated a study to develop and apply approaches to quantify changes in ecosystem services resulting from wetland restoration activities funded by the USDA. Surveys from this study included catchments with seasonal and More...

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Science for Planning: It's More than Just the Biology

The Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Program (PASA) of the Fort Collins Science Center is dedicated to studying the relationship between humans and the environment. PASA scientists conduct and integrate biological, social, and economic analyses so that resource managers can use the resulting information to make informed decisions and resolve More...

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Effects of Fuel Management Treatments in Pinon Juniper Vegetation at a Site on the Colorado Plateau

Pinon-juniper woodlands have expanded beyond their historical range in the western United States, due partly to land management practices such as fire suppression that began with settlements of the region in the late 1880s. This woodland expansion has replaced sagebrush steppe vegetation, leading to decreased wildlife habitat, soil seedbanks, and More...

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Community Structure and Adaptive Strategies of Fungi in Geothermal Soils

There are approximately 500,000 abandoned mines in the western US. Collectively, these mines pollute rivers, streams, and western reservoirs with millions of tons of metals annually that degrade aquatic habitat and water used by humans for drinking, recreation, and irrigation. However, there is great potential in decreasing or eliminating the flow More...

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Landowners' Opinions Contribute to USDA Conservation Policy via USGS Survey

Because farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners manage two-thirds of the Nation�s land, environmental and conservation goals have become key factors in formulating national agricultural policy. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is the largest environmental program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), with More...

  • white-tailed deer in its habitat

Human-dimensions review of human-wildlife disturbance: a literature review of impacts, frameworks, and management solutions

A Human-Dimensions Review of Human-Wildlife Disturbance: A Literature Review of Impacts, Frameworks, and Management Solutions The following report was prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Refuge System in support of their Comprehensive Conservation Planning (CCP) efforts by the Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch More...

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California Red-Legged Frog Movement and Habitat Use

Once an abundant frog throughout much of central and southern California, the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) is now rare in the Sierra Nevada foothills and the southern portion of its range. In parts of the central Coast Range, however, large, vigorous populations do remain. Most protection efforts for this threatened species have More...

  • California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)

USGS Model Helps Explain Trends in Greater Sage-Grouse Range Reduction

Long-term trends in landscape conditions have significantly reduced sagebrush habitat and populations of greater sage-grouse, according to a new study examining the bird's chances of survival. The species, which is being considered for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act, has experienced significant population declines in recent More...

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Bioassessment of the Finger Lakes Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project: Responses of Fish and Aquatic Invertebrates

The Upper Mississippi River System has been highly modified for human use since the late 1800s. One effect of these modifications is that many side channels and backwaters are slowly filling with sediment. The Finger Lakes area of the Upper Mississippi River is a system of six connected backwater lakes just below Dam 4 near Kellogg, Minnesota. More...

  • Image of Lock & Dam 5 located near Whitman, Minnesota

Development of a Decision Support System for John Day Reservoir

Scientists at the Columbia River Research Laboratory and the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center are developing geographic information system, or GIS, based tools to assist managers with making decisions regarding the natural resources in and around the John Day Reservoir. The reservoir hosts many species of fish and wildlife, including More...

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Using Demography and Movement Behavior to Predict Range Expansion of the Southern Sea Otter

Management agencies are interested in the development of a realistic predictive model of the southern sea otter population recovery and range expansion into southern California, as this would facilitate the informed assessment of potential impacts of sea otters on important industries (e.g., fisheries, eco-tourism), potential negative effects of More...

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