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The distribution of the greater sage-grouse (hereafter sage-grouse; Centrocercus urophasianus) has declined to 56% of its pre-settlement distribution (Schroeder et al. 2004) and abundance of males attending leks has decreased substantially over the past 50 years throughout the species’ range (Garton et al. 2011, Garton et al. 2015, WAFWA 2015). Livestock grazing is a common land use within sage-grouse habitat, and livestock grazing has been implicated by some experts as one of numerous factors contributing to sage-grouse population declines (Beck and Mitchell 2000, Schroeder et al. 2004). However, there are also numerous mechanisms by which livestock grazing might benefit sage-grouse (Beck and Mitchell 2000, Crawford...
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The distribution and abundance of cheatgrass, an invasive annual grass native to Eurasia, has increased substantially across the Intermountain West, including the Great Basin. Cheatgrass is highly flammable, and as it has expanded, the extent and frequency of fire in the Great Basin has increased by as much as 200%. These changes in fire regimes are associated with loss of the native sagebrush, grasses, and herbaceous flowering plants that provide habitat for many native animals, including Greater Sage-Grouse. Changes in vegetation and fire management have been suggested with the intent of conserving Greater Sage-Grouse. However, the potential responses of other sensitive-status birds to these changes in management...
Although biotic responses to contemporary climate change are spatially pervasive and often reflect synergies between climate and other ecological disturbances, the relative importance of climatic factors versus habitat extent for species persistence remains poorly understood. To address this shortcoming, we performed surveys for American pikas (Ochotona princeps) at > 910 locations in 3 geographic regions of western North America during 2014 and 2015, complementing earlier modern (1994–2013) and historical (1898–1990) surveys. We sought to compare extirpation rates and the relative importance of climatic factors versus habitat area for pikas in a mainland-versus-islands framework. In each region, we found widespread...
Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) has widely invaded the Great Basin, U.S.A. The sporadic natural phenomenon of complete stand failure (‘die- off’) of this invader may present opportunities to restore native plants. A recent die-off in Nevada was precision-planted with seeds of the native grasses Poa secunda (Sandberg bluegrass) and Elymus elymoides (bottlebrush squirreltail), of both local and nonlocal origin, to ask: 1) Can native species be restored in recent B. tectorum die-offs? And 2) Do local and nonlocal seeds differ in performance? Additionally, we asked how litter removal and water addition affected responses. Although emergence and growth of native seeds was lower in die-off than control plots early in year...
Knowing where a species is found or may be found in the future is critical to developing a successful habitat conservation plan. This quick guide reviews correlation-based and process-based species distribution models and their uses in the context of HCPs. It also addresses considerations for evaluating species distribution models, using multiple models, and working with model uncertainty. Examples are provided.
The goal of the Northwest Basin and Range (NWBR) Synthesis project is to synthesize existing landscape planning and science and develop a shared conservation vision for stakeholders in the region. This webinar provides an overview of the NWBR Synthesis’ work to identify shared conservation priorities, including: - The Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation framework - How the NWBR is using the framework to synthesize current landscape planning and science - How experts will vet this process
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FY2014There is increasing interest in climate change adaptation, particularly since the release of the Presidents Executive Order on Climate Preparedness in November, 2013, yet many field staff remain uncertain how to put adaptation into practice. Our goal with this project is to bridge the gap between the wealth of high-level climate adaptation guidance and the field staff who carry out specific regulatory processes, specifically Habitat Conservation Plans. Following best practices from the literature on linking science and management, we will begin with a focus on what people do rather than on the climate science. We will map the current HCP development and approval process in Region 8, identify where and how...
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FY2017There is an increasing concern and need for the conservation of springsnails and other endemic mollusks and for conservation of the unique spring and springbrook habitats on which they depend (Hershler et al 2014; Abele 2011). Nationwide, several of these species have been listed as endangered or threatened under provisions of the ESA; others are candidates for federal listing or are undergoing review by USFWS for possible future listing actions. These species can be particularly susceptible to localized threats and specific knowledge necessary for effective site-based conservation is often limited or lacking.Springsnail are particularly susceptible to extinction because the entire population of any single...
This presentation aired as part of the Great Basin LCC webinar series on October 11, 2017. Speakers included Erica Fleishman, U.C. Davis, and Jimi Gragg, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.Description: As the distribution and abundance of non-native cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) in the Great Basin has increased, the extent and frequency of fire in the region has increased by as much as 200%. These changes in fire regimes are associated with loss of the sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and native grasses and forbs in which many native animals, including Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), breed and feed. Managers have suggested changes in fire regimes, fuels treatments and post-fire restoration with...
We examined patterns of genetic variation and diversity of extant pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) populations across the species’ current range in Nevada and California. Our aims were to determine population genetic structure and levels of diversity across the southern portion of the species’ range. We genotyped 13 microsatellite loci from 194 fecal samples collected across 14 localities. Our Bayesian cluster analyses found 2 genetically distinct groups: 1 in the Mono Basin of California and the other encompassing all remaining Nevada Great Basin populations. Considering only the Nevada Great Basin group, we found 4 minimally divergent groups that overlap spatially with many individuals maintaining composite...
With HCPs, reserves are created as one means of mitigating take. This means they are designed to provide a target level of benefits for a particular species or set of species. This quick guide reviews approaches for designing and implementing reserves that address climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, and uncertainty. Examples are provided.
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This dataset consists of points representing seepage site locations and discharge measurements as published in appendices 1-3 of the 2013 publication: Plume, R.W., and Smith, J.L., 2013, Properties of basin-fill deposits, a 1971–2000 water budget, and surface-water-groundwater interactions in the upper Humboldt River basin, northeastern Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5077, https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20135077.
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FY2014Although the future of sage grouse depends on the future of sagebrush, we have limited ability to anticipate impacts of climate change on sagebrush populations. Current efforts to forecast sagebrush habitat typically rely on species distribution models (SDMs), which suffer from a variety of well-known weaknesses. However, by integrating SDMs with complementary research approaches, such as historical data analysis and mechanistic models, we can provide increased confidence in projections of habitat change. Our goal is to forecast the effect of climate change on the distribution and abundance of big sagebrush in order to inform conservation planning, and sage grouse management in particular, across the Intermountain...
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The RCMAP (Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection) dataset quantifies the percent cover of rangeland components across western North America using Landsat imagery from 1985-2023. The RCMAP product suite consists of ten fractional components: annual herbaceous, bare ground, herbaceous, litter, non-sagebrush shrub, perennial herbaceous, sagebrush, shrub, tree, and shrub height in addition to the temporal trends of each component. Several enhancements were made to the RCMAP process relative to prior generations. First, high-resolution training was revised using an improved neural-net classifier and modelling approach. These data serve as foundation to the RCMAP approach. The training database was...
Tags: AB, AZ, Alberta, Arizona, Arizona Plateau, All tags...
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The RCMAP (Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection) dataset quantifies the percent cover of rangeland components across western North America using Landsat imagery from 1985-2023. The RCMAP product suite consists of ten fractional components: annual herbaceous, bare ground, herbaceous, litter, non-sagebrush shrub, perennial herbaceous, sagebrush, shrub, tree, and shrub height in addition to the temporal trends of each component. Several enhancements were made to the RCMAP process relative to prior generations. First, high-resolution training was revised using an improved neural-net classifier and modelling approach. These data serve as foundation to the RCMAP approach. The training database was...
Tags: AB, AZ, Alberta, Arizona, Arizona Plateau, All tags...
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The RCMAP (Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection) dataset quantifies the percent cover of rangeland components across the western U.S. using Landsat imagery from 1985-2021. The RCMAP product suite consists of nine fractional components: annual herbaceous, bare ground, herbaceous, litter, non-sagebrush shrub, perennial herbaceous, sagebrush, shrub, and tree, in addition to the temporal trends of each component. Several enhancements were made to the RCMAP process relative to prior generations. First, we have trained time-series predictions directly from 331 high-resolution sites collected from 2013-2018 from Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) instead of using the 2016 “base” map as an intermediary....
Tags: AZ, Arizona, Arizona Plateau, Black Hills, Blue Mountains, All tags...
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Rangelands have immense inherent spatial and temporal variability, yet assessments of land condition and trends are often assessed relative to the condition of a limited number of representative points. Ecological Potential (EP) data are spatially comprehensive, quantitative, and needed as a baseline for comparison of current rangeland vegetation conditions, trends, and management targets. We define EP as the potential fractional cover of vegetation components bare ground, herbaceous, litter, shrub, and sagebrush represented in the least disturbed and most productive portion of the western U.S. This dataset enables: 1) setting realistic expectations for restoration and management targets at 30-meter resolution,...
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FY2017Increasing effectiveness of post-fire treatments is a management priority, such as is emphasized in Secretarial Order #3336 on rangeland fire and restoration, which prescribes a programmatic, longer-term approach that accommodates the layering of different treatments in sagebrush-steppe rangelands. The phasing of treatments by applying them in different post-fire years is an important part of wildfire response that, along with timing of livestock grazing resumption, likely affects overall project success - but is yet under studied. This projects objective is to determine the incremental gains in increasing desirable perennials and decreasing exotic annual grasses with the phasing of land management actions...
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FY2014This project builds upon the springs and seeps inventory funded by the Desert LCC.This project will: Fill a significant gap in aquatic habitat information for scenario planning. Create a publically available geospatial database of approximately 2,000+ known Great Basin springs. Create a summary report on the biotic and abiotic conditions of the known springs.
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FY2016This project will develop a strategic approach for conservation of wet meadows and riparian ecosystems and the species they support that focuses on threats caused by natural and anthropogenic disturbance. It uses information on (1) the factors that affect wet meadow and riparian ecosystem resilience to both natural and human-caused disturbances at the scale of the watershed and meadow or riparian ecosystem, and (2) the distributions and population abundances of at risk species to determine focal areas for management. Maps of the relative resilience of watersheds and wet meadows are overlaid with data on at risk species and the predominant threats to facilitate this process. Decision matrices are developed...


map background search result map search result map Relations Among Cheatgrass, Fire, Climate, and Sensitive-Status Birds across the Great Basin Environmental Characteristics of Great Basin and Mojave Desert Spring Systems Forecasting Changes in Sagebrush Distribution and Abundance Under Climate Change: Integration of Spatial, Temporal, and Mechanistic Models A Multi-scale Resilience-based Framework for Restoring and Conserving Great Basin Wet Meadows and Riparian Ecosystems Matching support to JFSP projects on post-fire recovery of sagebrush and perennial grasses Adding Climate Smart Principles into Habitat Conservation Planning Development of a Regional Springsnail Conservation Strategy Ecological Potential Fractional Component Cover Based on Long-Term Satellite Observations Across the Western United States Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) Fractional Component Time-Series Across the Western U.S. 1985-2021 Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) Non Sagebrush Shrub Fractional Component Time-Series Across Western North America from 1985-2023 Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) Shrub Fractional Component Time-Series Across Western North America from 1985-2023 Seepage site data for the upper Humboldt River Basin, October 2008 and November 2009 Seepage site data for the upper Humboldt River Basin, October 2008 and November 2009 A Multi-scale Resilience-based Framework for Restoring and Conserving Great Basin Wet Meadows and Riparian Ecosystems Development of a Regional Springsnail Conservation Strategy Relations Among Cheatgrass, Fire, Climate, and Sensitive-Status Birds across the Great Basin Environmental Characteristics of Great Basin and Mojave Desert Spring Systems Forecasting Changes in Sagebrush Distribution and Abundance Under Climate Change: Integration of Spatial, Temporal, and Mechanistic Models Matching support to JFSP projects on post-fire recovery of sagebrush and perennial grasses Adding Climate Smart Principles into Habitat Conservation Planning Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) Non Sagebrush Shrub Fractional Component Time-Series Across Western North America from 1985-2023 Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) Shrub Fractional Component Time-Series Across Western North America from 1985-2023 Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection (RCMAP) Fractional Component Time-Series Across the Western U.S. 1985-2021 Ecological Potential Fractional Component Cover Based on Long-Term Satellite Observations Across the Western United States