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Energy, Land Use, and Sagebrush Ecosystems: Finding the Delicate Balance

This web resource is a compilation of research projects related to Energy, Land Use, and Sagebrush Ecosystems. Investigators at the USGS Science Centers (FORT and FRESC), and Central Regional Office have brought biological and ecosystem research and mapping expertise to a partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming Game and Fish More...

  • Photo of a badger

SAGEMAP: GIS Database for Sage Grouse and Shrubsteppe Management in the Intermountain West

SAGEMAP - Spatial Data for Sage Grouse and Shrubsteppe Systems is needed for research and management of sage grouse and sagebrush steppe habitats in the western United States. This website is a product of the NBII Great Basin Information Project. Find out more from this resource on sage grouse as endangered species, habitat information, More...

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Ecological Foundations for Fire Management in North American Forest and Shrubland Ecosystems

Fire occurs in many North American ecosystems, and most of these systems are resilient to fires that occur within a broad range of variability in frequency and intensity. In a recent USFS publication (General Technical Report PNW-GTR-779, ), USGS scientist Jon Keeley led a team of scientists from various agencies and academic institutions in More...

  • cover, USFS General Technical Report PNW-GTR-779

Monitoring Populations of Sage-Grouse: Proceedings of a Symposium at Idaho State University Hosted by University of Idaho and Idaho State University

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and the Gunnison sage-grouse (C. minimus) are species of concern because of their population declines and shrinking geographic distributions. Of continuing interest is the question of population abundance and trends. This publication answers the questions that deal with sage-grouse population, More...

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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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Vegetation responses to natural regulation of elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

A quasi-experimental situation exists in Rocky Mountain National Park, where elk (Cervus elaphus) populations have increased 3-fold since 1968 following their release from artificial controls within the park. Increases in elk habitat use and decreases in deer habitat use were observed. Significant increases in cover of mosses and lichens occurred More...

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Southwest Exotic Plant Information Clearinghouse

The Internet Map Server (IMS) visually displays the non-native, invasive plants (weed) occurrences in the current (2003) SWEMP database. An IMS allows you to interactively draw, query, and print maps. The SWEMP IMS was developed from ESRI's ArcIMS presentation product.The Southwest Exotic Plant Information Clearinghouse is a cooperative effort More...

  • SWEMP IMS Screenshot, United States Map

Conservation Genetics: Plants

This web page presents samples of genetics and genomics research from the USGS Biological Resources Discipline about the conservation genetics of plants.

  • John A. Young sampling American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) for genetic analysis.

Wyoming Sagebrush Fire

Periodic fire is a natural part of sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the Great Basin. However, a suite of human-caused factors has dramatically changed fire regimes in many of these systems. Decades of fire suppression and livestock grazing have produced dense, single-aged sagebrush stands and invasion by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) has increased More...

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National Resources Monitoring Partnership (NRMP)

Natural resource managers face complex decisions that require a clear understanding of the status of wildlife populations and their habitats. Monitoring is key to making effective management decisions and evaluating the outcomes of those decisions. The goal of NRMP is to improve the accessibility of monitoring efforts to resource managers to aid More...

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National Resources Monitoring Partnership (NRMP) Newsletter

Natural Resource Monitoring Partnership (NRMP) is a collaborative effort by the natural resource management community to improve monitoring efforts in order to support effective evaluation and decision-making by sharing information on monitoring projects and protocols. The Natural Resource Monitoring Partnership was built for easy access to More...

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Fire and Research Management Exchange System (FRAMES)

The Fire Research And Management Exchange System or FRAMES is a systematic method of exchanging information and transferring technology between wildland fire researchers, managers, and other stakeholders. In partnership with the US Geological Survey's National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Program, FRAMES is implementing web-based More...

  • Image of forest fire