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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

Modeling Habitat of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the Mojave and Parts of the Sonoran Deserts of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona

A new tool provides land managers with a predictive model for mapping the potential distribution of desert tortoise habitat and to evaluate different land-use issues the tortoises face at a landscape scale. The model incorporates an extensive amount of field data for desert tortoises, as well as environmental data related to landscape attributes, More...

  • Mojave Desert Tortoise found in Piute Valley in Clark County, Nevada, in 2005 Location: NV, USA

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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Community Partners with USGS to Restore Coastal Ecosystem on Maui

A success story of how Kanaha Beach Park once degraded with overuse, invasive species, vehicle traffic, and litter was restored into a cleaner and safer place for people and native wildlife.

  • popolo plants for the Hanaha Beach restoration project

USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities Homepage

USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities provides information on the science activities and research by the U.S. Geological Survey to provide integrated science to support effective ecosystem conservation and restoration in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This website links to features and publications to provide an understanding and management of the Bay More...

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National Park Service (NPS) National Burn Severity Mapping Project

This project addresses the need to quantify fire effects over large, often-remote regions and long time intervals, reflecting collaborative efforts to bring previous research into operational implementation for fire managers and scientists. The project focuses on National Park Service Units and adjoining lands throughout the U.S., combining More...

  • Map image of moose fire project

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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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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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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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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Land Use History of North America (LUHNA)

This website addresses some of these questions for several regions of North America, conveying the importance of a historical context for understanding ongoing changes in land cover and land use. It also aims to inspire scientists, educators, and science administrators to contribute to the development of a comprehensive land-use history of North More...

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Hawaiian Native Birds Research

Introduction to Hawaiian studies of native birds: Hawaiian forest birds, endangered Palila (Loxioides baillieu), endangered Nene (Branta sandvicensis), birds elsewhere in the Pacific, waterbirds and seabirds, and endangered Laysan ducks (Anas laysanensis).

  • Male Laysan Duck. Photo by Evan Jorgenson, USFWS volunteer