Skip to main content
Advanced Search

Filters: Tags: {"type":"Fiscal Year"} (X) > partyWithName: U.S. Geological Survey (X)

45 results (44ms)   

View Results as: JSON ATOM CSV
thumbnail
Introduction: Tamarisk (Tamarix spp., also saltcedar) is a non-native tree introduced to the United States during the 19th century as an ornamental species and solution to erosion in the American West (Robinson 1965). Tamarisk can form dense monotypic stands, which have been linked to a decline in richness and diversity of native plants (Engel-Wilson & Ohmart 1978; Lovich et al. 1994) and wildlife (Anderson et al. 1977; Durst et al. 2008) in riparian areas. As a result, natural resource managers have invested millions of dollars to control tamarisk (Shafroth & Briggs 2008). Few studies have conducted community-level analyses to document the impact of one of these methods, the introduction of a native enemy or predator,...
Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags...
thumbnail
A combination of citizen science inventories and expert assessments will be used to collect critical baseline information on known spring and seep resources using the Spring Ecosystem Inventory and Assessment Protocols and adapting them as needed for the unique arid Sky Island ecosystems. The assessment will collect information on channel morphology, riparian and wetland vegetation, water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and wildlife. This information will be combined with historic data from cooperating agencies (Pima County, Santa Cruz County, USFS, NPA, USGS, USFWS, BLM, and AGFD) in a regional, on-line database to provide a landscape level context for managing resources, which was previously unavailable due...
A combination of citizen science inventories and expert assessments will be used to collect critical baseline information on known spring and seep resources using the Spring Ecosystem Inventory and Assessment Protocols and adapting them as needed for the unique arid Sky Island ecosystems. The assessment will collect information on channel morphology, riparian and wetland vegetation, water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and wildlife. This information will be combined with historic data from cooperating agencies (Pima County, Santa Cruz County, USFS, NPA, USGS, USFWS, BLM, and AGFD) in a regional, on-line database to provide a landscape level context for managing resources, which was previously unavailable due...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: ArcGIS REST Map Service, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2011, AZ-02, AZ-03, Arizona, Arizona, All tags...
thumbnail
The USGS Southeast Ecological Science Center (SESC) Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database provides records of sightings and capture data of non-native (introduced) aquatic species over the entire the United States (Benson 1999). For areas within the SALCC region, the NAS currently contains records dating back to 1885 for over 200 nonindigenous plant and animal species. This project seeks to utilize these data along with new GIS-based data on current and future (e.g. SLEUTH) landscape and climate parameters to develop models of invasive species introductions and dispersal across the SALCC region. Both multi- and single species models will be considered in these analyses. We will then utilize a formal decision-analytic...
This project used species distribution modeling, population genetics, and geospatial analysis of historical vs. modern vertebrate populations to identify climate change refugia and population connectivity across the Sierra Nevada. It is hypothesized that climate change refugia will increase persistence and stability of populations and, as a result, maintain higher genetic diversity. This work helps managers assess the need to include connectivity and refugia in climate change adaptation strategies. Results help Sierra Nevada land managers allocate limited resources, aid future scenario assessment at landscape scales, and develop a performance measure for assessing resilience.
Categories: Data, Project; Tags: 2011, 2013, CA, California Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Conservation Design, All tags...
thumbnail
The importance of riparian ecosystems in semiarid and arid regions has generated interest in understanding processes that drive the distribution and abundance of dominant riparian plants. Changes in streamflow patterns downstream of dams have profoundly affected riparian vegetation composition and structure. For example, in the southwestern United States, flow regulation has contributed to the replacement of many riparian forests historically dominated by the native Populus fremontii (Fremont Cottonwood) and Salix gooddingii (Goodding’s Willow) by the exotic species Tamarix spp. (Salt Cedar). The proposed project will help guide reservoir release decision making to enhance downstream recruitment of native cottonwood...
thumbnail
The Desert LCC identified the need for a Protected Areas spatial database that showed land ownership, management designations and conservation status for lands in the United States and Mexico. However, the existing Protected Areas database was found to be particularly prone to boundary and database errors that affected its potential use. This USGS project will develop a single, seamless, error-free Protected Areas dataset for the full geographic scope of the Desert LCC. This will involve acquiring numerous spatial layers from Federal, State, and NGO organizations which are responsible for administering and/or managing areas that have a designated protected status. Protected Area will be categorized as defined by...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags...
thumbnail
Executive Summary: Evolution of policies that guide operation of individual reservoir systems begins with a relative flurry of activity associated with building of dams. Over perhaps a ten year period, operations are proposed in anticipation of construction, implemented when a dam is complete, and then modified as the effects, capabilities, and limitations of the project become better understood. After these initial adjustments, the policy process slowly begins to simmer. Operational changes are the driven by short-term influences that are largely episodic (e.g. droughts and floods) and long-term influences (e.g. social and economic factors) that affect operations more gradually.
Climate velocity is a concept derived from the intersection between ecology and climate change. It attempts to summarize the rate of climate change on a spatial scale as a movement rate (usually in units of kilometer per year) that a species would need to maintain to remain in its current climatological niche in the face of climate change. We now have downscaled climate models for the main Hawaiian Islands. In conjunction with the rainfall atlas of contemporary climate we have the information to calculate climate velocity for Hawaii, providing a useful index of the rate of climate change for conservation and resource managers. The goal of this project was to produce climate velocity maps for the seven main Hawaiian...
Recent studies show that past and ongoing environmental changes have been substantial and have likely already affected conservation efforts in Hawaii. Much of the state has experienced substantial drying, including decreases in mean annual precipitation since the 1920s, longer rainless periods, and decreasing stream flow. Temperatures have been increasing in the state for the last 40 years, especially at higher elevations where most native habitats and species currently persist. Unfortunately there are few long term monitoring efforts that allow us to understand plant species responses to these past, ongoing and future shifts in environmental conditions. Consequently, we know little about how environmental shifts...
thumbnail
Explore climate change impacts on vegetation across the Desert and Southern Rockies LCCs using historical monitoring data collected from 23 sites across the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Mojave and Colorado Plateau deserts for 30-50 years. This data will then be combined with ecosystem water balance model simulations to establish features of water availability critical for plant species response. Results will allow managers to identify species and communities at risk under future climate scenarios based on predicted changes in plant water availability. Due to the high variability in soils, incorporating a detailed understanding of soil water availability beyond bioclimatic envelope approaches in the desert Southwest is essential...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2012, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, Academics & scientific researchers, All tags...
thumbnail
In the desert southwest biodiversity is facing a changing landscape due to human population growth, expansion of energy development, and from the persistent effects of climate change among other threats. The 2012 Desert LCC science needs document recognized the importance of modeling and predicting habitat area, fragmentation and corridor network connectivity for a broad range of wildlife taxa. Tools and methods from conservation planning are available to address some of these issues, but tools to evaluate the expected benefits of corridors in mitigating climate change effects are only in their infancy. This USGS project will use quantitative spatial analysis and principles from landscape ecology to determine where...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Downloadable, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service, Shapefile; Tags: 2012, AZ-01, AZ-02, AZ-03, AZ-04, All tags...
thumbnail
We developed multi-scale habitat suitability models for black-tailed prairie dogs (BTPD) in the southwestern Great Plains, corresponding to the western region of the Great Plains LCC. We used long-term (10-yr), high-resolution datasets on BTPD colony boundary locations collected at 7 study areas distributed across the region to develop resource selection functions based on colony locations and expansion patterns. Models are based on (1) soil maps and associated Ecological Sites (NRCS SSURGO database), (2) a topographic wetness index based upon water runoff and solar insolation patterns (TWIsi) that tests a priori hypotheses for topographic controls on BTPD, and (3) broad climatic gradients in temperature and mean...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2011, BTPD, BTPD, CO-04, Climate Change, All tags...
thumbnail
The RESTORE Act (33 U.S. Code § 1321) directs 80% of Clean Water Act penalties from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (likely to be in the billions) to Gulf of Mexico restoration. Gulf partners profess a common goal of “restoring and protecting the natural resources…and economy of the Gulf Coast region”(Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council 2013:2), yet specific and explicit objectives that quantify what it means to actually achieve this goal remain undefined. Despite the presence of numerous conservation partnerships along the Gulf of Mexico, there is concern that this unprecedented opportunity will lack a coordinated response (NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program 2013). The success of the RESTORE Act will hinge...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, AL-01, All tags...
thumbnail
This project highlights the potential for LCCs to facilitate collaboration among conservation practitioners and research scientists to plan for the future. A team of UMass scientists is developing a landscape change, assessment and design model to assess ecosystems and their capacity to sustain populations of wildlife in the northeastern U.S. in the face of urban growth, climate change, and other stressors. The project plays a major role in developing the science and data for two collaborative landscape planning and design efforts: 1) the pilot Landscape Conservation Design for the Connecticut River Watershed, and 2) Nature’s Network, which expands and elaborates on the data to extend to throughout New England and...
Categories: Data, Project; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, All tags...
Coastal change is an important issue for all coastal regions of the LCC Network, yet there are vast differences in the tools and information available across coastal regions. While the key uncertainties may differ across the Network, all coastal LCCs have been working to advance coastal resilience and adaptation. In some coastal areas, there are significant resources available to communities to understand coastal change and the discussions are now focused upon adaptation and incorporating natural resource considerations. In other regions, few tools exist for either communities or resource managers to address observed and predicted coastal change. The ultimate goal for LCCs is to have decision makers informed about...
A century of fire exclusion across many forest types in the western U.S. has resulted in unforeseen changes, including high fuel accumulations, high densities of trees, and increasing dominance of fire-intolerant species. These changes are particularly acute in forests that historically experienced high frequency and low severity fires. In response, the NPS Pacific-West region supports a large prescribed fire program to reduce understory fuels and forest density. Prescribed fire has been generally successful at reducing understory fuels and threats of catastrophic fire, and treated stands are expected to be more resistant to future wildfire. Less well understood is how well prescribed fire confers resistance to...
thumbnail
The best hope for recovering and maintaining ecosystem function and services for the tallgrass prairie ecosystem is reconstruction. To that end, tallgrass prairie reconstruction efforts are on-going across federal, state, and non-profit organizations and among private landowners throughout the upper Midwest. Despite this heightened activity, a framework for comprehensive evaluation and adaptive learning from past reconstruction efforts is lacking. With an increasing percentage of already limited natural resource budgets being applied to reconstruction activities, it is imperative that we make the best use of these funds by developing best practices for reconstructions. The growing number of completed reconstructions...
thumbnail
Hawaiian forest birds are imperiled, with fewer than half the original > 40 species remaining extant. Recent studies document ongoing rapid population decline and project complete climate-based range losses for the critically endangered Kaua’i endemics ‘akeke’e (Loxops caeruleirostris) and ‘akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi) by end-of-century due to projected warming. Climate change facilitates the upward expansion of avian malaria into native high elevation forests where disease was historically absent. While intensified conservation efforts attempt to safeguard these species and their habitats, the magnitude of potential loss and the urgency of this situation require all conservation options to be seriously considered....
map background search result map search result map Black-tailed Prairie Dog Habitat Suitability Modeling for the Southern Great Plains: Cross-scale Analysis of Soils, Topography and Climate Implications of climate change for avian conservation in Great Plains landscapes Springs and Seeps Inventory, Assessment, and Management Planning Project Impact of Ecosystem Water Balance on Desert Vegetation: Quantification of Historical Patterns and Projection under Climate Change Corridors, Climate Change, and Conservation Planning in the Desert Southwest Development of Protected Areas Digital Spatial Data for the Desert LCC Managing water and riparian habitats on the Bill Williams River with scientific benefit for other desert river systems Developing a Framework for Evaluating Tallgrass Prairie Reconstruction Methods and Management Establishing Explicit Biological Objectives to Guide Strategic Habitat Conservation for the Gulf Coast Assessing the potential of translocating vulnerable forest birds by searching for novel and enduring climatic ranges Mechanisms of aquatic species invasions across the SALCC Designing Sustainable Landscapes in the Northeast Region Resources: Managing water and riparian habitats on the Bill Williams River with scientific benefit for other desert river systems Final Report: Effects of Biocontrol and Restoration on Wildlife in Southwestern Riparian Habitats Springs and Seeps Inventory, Assessment, and Management Planning Project Managing water and riparian habitats on the Bill Williams River with scientific benefit for other desert river systems Resources: Managing water and riparian habitats on the Bill Williams River with scientific benefit for other desert river systems Final Report: Effects of Biocontrol and Restoration on Wildlife in Southwestern Riparian Habitats Springs and Seeps Inventory, Assessment, and Management Planning Project Springs and Seeps Inventory, Assessment, and Management Planning Project Assessing the potential of translocating vulnerable forest birds by searching for novel and enduring climatic ranges Black-tailed Prairie Dog Habitat Suitability Modeling for the Southern Great Plains: Cross-scale Analysis of Soils, Topography and Climate Implications of climate change for avian conservation in Great Plains landscapes Mechanisms of aquatic species invasions across the SALCC Designing Sustainable Landscapes in the Northeast Region Establishing Explicit Biological Objectives to Guide Strategic Habitat Conservation for the Gulf Coast Developing a Framework for Evaluating Tallgrass Prairie Reconstruction Methods and Management Development of Protected Areas Digital Spatial Data for the Desert LCC Corridors, Climate Change, and Conservation Planning in the Desert Southwest Impact of Ecosystem Water Balance on Desert Vegetation: Quantification of Historical Patterns and Projection under Climate Change