Fort Collins Science Center 

Fiscal Year 2008 Science Accomplishments 

Compiled by Juliette T. Wilson 

Open-File Report 2009-1107 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

U.S. Geological Survey 
U.S. Department of the Interior 

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary 

U.S. Geological Survey 

Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director 

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 2009 

For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living 

resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS 

For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, 

visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod 

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Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply 

endorsement by the U.S. Government. 

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual 

copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. 

Suggested citation: 

Wilson, J.T., Compiler, 2009, Fort Collins Science Center—Fiscal Year 2008 Science Accomplishments: 

USGS Open-File Report 2009-1107, 58 p. 

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Contents 

Science for Natural Resource Management .................................................................................................................. 1

2008 Science Accomplishments.................................................................................................................................... 2

Biological Informatics ................................................................................................................................................. 2

Enterprise Information................................................................................................................................................ 3

Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources ......................................................................................................... 5

Invasive Species ........................................................................................................................................................ 6

Status and Trends of Biological Resources ............................................................................................................... 9

Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Marine Ecosystems......................................................................................................17

Wildlife and Terrestrial Resources ............................................................................................................................22

Sharing the Wealth: Access to Products.......................................................................................................................25

Products and Publications.........................................................................................................................................25

Sharing the Wealth: Access to Expertise......................................................................................................................25

Workshops................................................................................................................................................................25

Training.....................................................................................................................................................................26

Making a Difference (Customer Satisfaction) ...............................................................................................................28

Letters, Emails, Non-USGS Awards..........................................................................................................................28

For More Information ....................................................................................................................................................32

Appendix I: FORT Publications Delivered in FY 2008 ..................................................................................................33

Appendix II: Other FORT Products Delivered in FY 2008.............................................................................................43

Appendix III: FORT Staff Accomplishments and Activities............................................................................................45

Appendix IV: USGS Science Strategy Directions and Programs Supported by 2008 FORT Scientific and 

Technical Accomplishments .........................................................................................................................................53 

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Introduced Burmese pythons have become established in the greater Everglades ecosystem and are expanding their range in south Florida. FORT scientists and 

cooperating investigators are developing techniques for detecting, capturing, and controlling populations of giant constricting snakes in Florida and elsewhere. 

Here, researchers at Everglades National Park, along with FORT research zoologist Gordon Rodda (holding snake at far right end), implant a radio transmitter in 

a 16', 155-lb female Burmese python. Radio tracking builds understanding of where pythons spend their time and therefore where they can be controlled in 

practice. Photograph by Lorie Oberhofer, Everglades National Park.
Fort Collins Science Center 

Fiscal Year 2008 Science Accomplishments 

Compiled by Juliette T. Wilson1

Science for Natural Resource Management 

Public land and natural resource managers in the United States are confronted with 

increasingly complex decisions that have important ramifications for both ecological and human 

systems. The scientists and technical professionals at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort 

Collins Science Center (FORT)—many of whom are at the very forefront of their fields—

constitute a unique blend of ecological, socioeconomic, and technological expertise. Because of 

this diverse talent, FORT staff are 

able to apply a systems approach to 

investigating complicated 

ecological problems in a way that 

helps answer critical management 

questions. In addition, FORT has a 

long record of working closely 

with the academic community 

through cooperative agreements 

and other collaborations. FORT is 

deeply engaged with other USGS 

science centers and partners 

throughout the Department of the 

Interior (DOI). We can, and often 

do, incorporate the expertise of 

these partners in providing a full 

complement of “the right people” 

to effectively tackle the 

multifaceted research problems of 

today’s resource management 

world. 

This Greater Sage-Grouse chick weighs in, dwarfed by the pan atop the scale. 

It will be fitted with a radio transmitter to track its movements and survival. 

Photograph Cameron Aldridge, Colorado State University and USGS. Used 

with permission. 

In Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08), FORT’s scientific and technical professionals continued 

research vital to DOI science and management needs. FORT work also supported the science 

needs of other Federal and State agencies as well as non-government organizations. Specifically, 

FORT research and technical assistance focused on client and partner needs and goals in the 

areas of biological information management and delivery, fisheries and aquatic systems, invasive 

species, status and trends of biological resources (including human dimensions), terrestrial 

ecosystems, and wildlife resources. In the process, FORT science addressed natural-science 

 

1

 ASRC Management Services, under contract to the U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colo. 

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information needs identified in the USGS Science Strategy (http://www.usgs.gov/science_ 

strategy/), including understanding and predicting change in ecosystems, climate variability and 

change, energy development and land management, human health and wildlife, and freshwater 

ecosystems. Several science projects expanded in FY08 to meet these evolving needs. The table 

in Appendix IV shows how FORT accomplishments in 2008 relate to specific science strategy 

areas. 

2008 Science Accomplishments 

Highlights of FORT project accomplishments are described below under the USGS 

science program with which each task is most closely associated, although there is considerable 

overlap. The work of FORT’s five branches (Ecosystem Dynamics, Information Science, 

Invasive Species Science, Policy Analysis and Science Assistance, and Trust Species and 

Habitats) often involves major partnerships with other agencies or cooperation with other USGS 

disciplines (Geography, Geology, Geospatial Information, Water Resources). These are noted 

using the following symbols: 

 = major collaborative venture 

= integrated science projects involving other USGS disciplines 

= new science direction 

Biological Informatics 

 Science activities in this category support implementation of technologies and tools to 

integrate, analyze, visualize, and apply biological information to natural resource issues and 

provide research that supports the advancement of biological informatics capabilities. Work 

includes increasing the availability and usefulness of biological data and information and 

applying standards to enhance its discovery and retrieval. 

 FORT Web Applications and Services. Effectively presenting and applying biological 

information to natural resource issues continues to be a priority need of natural resource 

Screen capture from the 

Jonah Infill Data Management 

System, which tracks data 

and information associated 

with surface disturbance and 

reclamation efforts in the 

Jonah Natural Gas Field, 

Wyo. USGS image. 

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agencies. Over the years, FORT’s Web Applications Team has provided applications 

development, infrastructure design and implementation, and technical support for a range of 

Web-based products designed to present and apply natural resource information more 

effectively. Currently, the team is working with FORT scientists to develop records 

management, document management, online mapping and modeling, and decision support 

systems. These systems address issues confronted by scientists working with habitat–energy 

development conflicts, socioeconomic issues, invasive species, resource mapping, and statistical 

assessment. In FY08, FORT generated and began testing pilots of several decision-support 

systems, including a socioeconomic resource management planner, an interagency project 

management system, and Web services for sharing and mapping large datasets for partners in the 

Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative. For the Invasive Species Modeling and 

Assessment System, the Web development team held a demonstration workshop for various 

Interior and agency officials (see “Workshops,” p. 25) and used their feedback to begin refining 

the application. 

 Metadata Development and Quality Control. In order to increase the availability of 

biological data and information, in FY08 the FORT Metadata Team created metadata for FORT 

publications and for information and data products at the project and dataset levels. Metadata 

produced are compliant with the Federal Geographic Data Committee Biological Data Profile 

(FGDC/BDP) metadata standards and are served on the National Biological Information 

Infrastructure (NBII) Clearinghouse. Also, the FORT Metadata Team again served as a national 

contact for metadata submitted to the NBII Principal node, performing quality control steps to 

ensure that metadata prepared for serving online have appropriate content and meet the syntax 

rules specified in the FGDC/BDP Content Standards. FORT staff also instructed sections of two 

NBII-sponsored metadata training courses. 

USGS Scientist Serves as Liaison to the National Ecological Observatory 

Network. In FY08, FORT research ecologist Tom Stohlgren began serving a 

3-year detail as a USGS liaison to the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). In this 

capacity, Dr. Stohlgren has provided scientific guidance on several important aspects of program 

planning, protocol development, and field-testing of biodiversity sampling. NEON is a 

continental-scale research platform for discovering and understanding the impacts of climate 

change, land-use change, and invasive species on ecology. NEON will gather long-term data on 

ecological responses of the biosphere to changes in land use and climate, and on feedbacks with 

the geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. Through this commitment of a USGS liaison, the 

USGS has been an essential partner to NEON as the cooperators design the “domain” strategy 

and develop data-gathering protocols. When implemented, these strategies and protocols will 

augment the scientific understanding and theory required to manage the Nation’s ecological 

challenges. 

Enterprise Information 

 This work involves creating elements of the USGS integrated information environment. 

Integrated Information Environment Support. The USGS Geospatial Info

Office (GIO) currently leads the effort to expand the existing USGS Web-based

These applications and services act as the foundation for the integrated information environment, 

rmation 

 toolkit. 

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supporting science and decisionmaking. In partnership with the GIO, FORT has developed a 

centralized suite of applications, services, and infrastructure designed to make collaboration 

within a science community—and deployment of community-specific applications—faster and 

easier. The adoption of open standards for guiding application development and information 

interoperability means that software developers working with scientists will have a defined, 

supported, and secure platform to deploy high-end, project-specific applications with no ongoing 

license costs. Multiple components were released to production in FY08. For example, the FORT 

Web Applications Team: 

 worked with the Central Region GIO to deploy V3.0 and V4.0 of MyUSGS, the base 

application that encapsulates these collaboration and deployment tools; 

 designed, built, implemented, and now maintains People-Locations-Organizations-Teams 

(PLOT), a “broker Web server” that harvests data from various official data stores, builds 

relations among all the different databases, and generates Web services for each of these 

related data; 

 designed and developed a way for USGS scientists and managers to add and edit content on 

their Web sites through a simple form interface (Simple Content Information Management, 

or SCIM); 

 worked with the USGS geography center in Rolla, Mo., to provide secure authentication 

methods, build and maintain data structures, deliver Web mapping and feature services, and 

deploy application enhancements for the Comprehensive Science Catalog, which in turn 

provides data services that can be used by any partner site; 

 worked with USGS headquarters personnel to provide secure authentication methods, build 

and maintain data structures, and deploy application additions and corrections for the 

Geospatial Management Information System; and 

 completed Phase II implementation of the Central Region Application Hosting Center, which 

consists of over 30 application and database servers and acts as the primary hosting platform 

for data, document, and GIS management systems. 

Wireless Solutions. As part of a continuing effort to improve the information services 

available to FORT scientists and partners, in FY2008 FORT Information Technology (IT) staff 

implemented a wireless network. This new network allows for greater convenience and 

improved productivity of staff and allows FORT partners access to the Internet and email while 

visiting the Center. The system includes a streamlined process to provide controlled access to the 

secured network and integrates a ticketing system with authentication. The architecture enables 

our wireless network to equal wired connections in terms of performance and security while 

providing the mobility, productivity, and life-cycle cost benefits that come from a wire-free 

network. Our solution, which incorporates centralized management to control access and secure 

the network, takes a new approach to wireless implementation; and, as one of the first for the 

USGS, it provides a model for other wireless implementations within the Bureau. 

 Network Security. FORT staff provide technical assistance and develop anti-malware 

solutions and processes for the USGS IT Security Operations Team (ITSOT) and Computer 

Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT). Developed in partnership by the GIO and FORT 

Computer Operations Team, the USGS Enterprise Antivirus Solution currently provides malware 

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protection for more than 9,000 (and growing) USGS systems across the United States in all 

USGS disciplines. In addition to administering this system, FORT staff assist USGS and DOI in 

detecting and resolving malware issues (viruses, trojans, and the like), including variants 

undetectable by many antivirus products. FORT is currently designing and testing a new server 

architecture and deployment plan for the antivirus system, with new and improved anti-malware 

and intrusion detection/prevention capabilities. This new architecture will be implemented in 

2009 with an eventual goal of protecting all USGS systems. 

Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources 

 Activities related to fish and aquatic resources involve research and technical assistance 

that promote understanding of relationships among aquatic species and habitats to conserve or 

restore community structure and function—especially for at-risk species. Products include 

research and technology tools that support problem solving, decisionmaking, and development 

and evaluation of adaptive management strategies for restoration and maintenance of aquatic 

resources. 

Individual River Basin 

Management Decision 

Support Models. FORT developed 

decision support models for the Rio 

Grande and Klamath, Trinity, and Yakima 

River basins to help resource managers 

estimate biological responses to complex 

water management decisions. The lower 

Isleta reach of the Middle Rio Grande in 

New Mexico was the location for 

modeling streamflow and endangered 

species (Rio Grande silvery minnow and 

southwestern willow flycatcher) habitat 

responses to the proposed “Bernardo 

Siphon” project. Modeling using the 

Klamath River Decision-Support System 

was conducted as part of the settlement 

negotiations process for the Klamath 

River Hydropower units. FORT provided 

the Trinity River Restoration Program and 

the Klamath Settlement Resolution 

process with technical guidance on 

SALMOD (Salmonid Population Model) 

application and testing in the Trinity 

River. FORT’s Yakima River Decision 

Support System quantifies and displays 

habitat impacts of multiple reservoir 

operation and irrigation delivery options in 

the upper Yakima River Basin. Finally, 

FORT developed Smart River GIS, which 

Prototype geospatial information system for the Yakima River, Wash. 

Top: Example of a spawning–incubation habitat persistence map for 

Coho salmon. Bottom: Results of a habitat time series analysis for the 

same site and species. Images by Ken Bovee, USGS. 

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couples GIS and 2-dimensional hydrodynamic models to provide interactive visualization of fish 

habitat and fish production model-output responses to different water management options. 

Invasive Species 

 Research on invasive species involves (1) collection, synthesis, and provision of invasive 

species information; (2) early detection and rapid assessment of new invaders or incipient 

populations; (3) monitoring and forecasting changes in populations and distributions of 

established invaders; (4) developing and testing prevention, control, and management strategies; 

and (5) determining invasive species impacts and habitat susceptibility to invasion. 

Control of Invasive 

Burmese Pythons in 

Florida. Invasive Burmese 

pythons have become established 

in the Greater Everglades 

ecosystem and are expanding their 

range in southern Florida. These 

giant snakes (up to 20 ft and 250 

lbs) are efficient predators on 

warm-blooded species ranging 

from wrens to deer and represent 

a novel threat to which native 

species are poorly adapted. In 

2006, FORT scientists with 

expertise in controlling invasive 

brown treesnakes were asked by 

cooperating agencies to initiate a 

major new science direction 

focused on developing techniques 

to detect, capture, and control 

populations of giant constricting 

snakes in Florida and elsewhere. In FY08, we began development of capture tools in areas with 

high python densities outside Everglades National Park. Results will be applied to detecting and 

capturing pythons as they invade Key Largo, in support of conservation efforts for federally 

endangered small mammals. FORT is also conducting a risk assessment of multiple species of 

giant constrictors as potential invaders for use in formulating policy to prevent further invasions. 

Cooperating agencies include the Endangered Species and National Wildlife Refuges branches 

of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), South Florida 

Water Management District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and University 

of Florida. 

Developing eggs in Burmese python. Burmese pythons breed annually and have 

a maximum clutch size of 107 (average is 35), allowing their population to 

increase very rapidly under favorable conditions. Females can carry fertilized 

eggs and release them in a new location. Photograph by Lorie Oberhofer, NPS. 

Considering the Impacts of Climate Change on Invasive Species. It is well established 

that climate is the dominant determinant of the geographic distribution of species, native 

or alien. Long-term management of DOI lands requires forecasts of climate change effects on 

harmful alien, “invasive” species that threaten U.S. ecosystems. FORT invasive species scientists 

have established a scientific foundation for linking climate change projections with invasive 

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species habitat modeling. Our project investigating the potential effects of climate changes on 

harmful invasive species and their distribution in the U.S. will (1) identify the highest-priority 

non-native species likely to invade DOI lands across the country, (2) determine how this suite of 

potential invasives will change under accepted climate scenarios, and (3) quantify and map the 

highest priority vulnerable habitats, now and in the future, focusing on short- and long-term early 

detection programs under competing future climate projections. A 2008 paper emanating from 

this work, “Near-term Climate Projections for Invasive Species Distributions,” was given at the 

2008 Ecological Society of America conference and will be published in Biological Invasions in 

2009. The research integrates habitat modeling, current climate conditions, and climate 

forecasting to estimate the potential spread of invasive weeds under projected climate scenarios 

for 2020 and 2035 and identify management implications. 

Reptile and Small Mammal 

Surveys of Tinian and 

Aguiguan Islands. Brown 

treesnakes have been largely 

responsible for the loss of many 

native birds and lizards on the 

island of Guam. Brown treesnakes 

can survive transportation from 

Guam, placing the entire Pacific 

region at risk of invasion. The 

island of Tinian is considered 

especially high risk due to its 

proximity to Guam, the volume of 

air and sea craft arriving from 

Guam and Saipan, and the 

upcoming military build-up in this 

region (two-thirds of Tinian is U.S. 

military-leased land). In order to 

determine a baseline of current 

herpetological species on Tinian (Military Lease Areas) and on nearby Aguiguan Island (also 

Aguijan or Goat Island), the FORT research team conducted surveys on these islands in 2008. 

They also conducted surveys of non-volant mammals (introduced rats and shrews in this case) on 

Aguiguan, which has been proposed as a mitigation area for military activities on nearby islands. 

The team employed visual surveys, trapping, mark-recapture, and absolute counts to determine 

the distribution and density of potential brown treesnake prey. Results provide management 

recommendations on these islands and discuss potential environmental impacts associated with 

the military buildup in Micronesia. Finally, the team recorded a reptile species not previously 

found on Tinian and located previously unknown local populations of several animals, including 

rare species. Rat DNA was collected on Aguiguan in light of evidence of a new species found on 

nearby islands. This work was done in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(FWS), U.S. Navy, and Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands Department of Lands and 

Natural Resources. 

High densities of non-native rats (Rattus spp.) are present on Tinian and 

Aguiguan. Photograph courtesy of Ginger Haddock, ASRC Management 

Services.

Modeling Capture Probability of the Invasive Brown Treesnake. Visual searching is one 

technique currently used to detect and control invasive brown treesnakes, especially incipient 

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(beginning) populations. The cost of an eradication program depends upon the least capturable 

individual. Heterogeneity (analysis of capture variability) in visual detection probabilities sets 

the cost for control efforts, particularly control programs directed at eradicating an incipient or 

nearly extirpated population. To facilitate development and refinement of detection and control 

technologies, biologists in this study identified and quantified the factors that affect visual 

detection of brown treesnakes. FORT scientists modeled detection probabilities as a function of 

individual covariates (size, sex, condition, prior capture history, and other factors) and latent, or 

unexplained, heterogeneity. This analysis represented the first time that detection probability has 

been modeled at this level of precision for any reptile worldwide. Improvement in our 

understanding of the causes of heterogeneity will not only refine our ability to strategically plan 

eradications, but also will improve the precision of abundance estimates. New data also allow 

comparisons of the relative efficacies of visual searches and snake trapping to help guide 

management planning. 

 The FORT Advanced Invasive 

Species Modeling. Every ecosystem

in the United States has been invaded to some degree 

by harmful non-native species, including plants, 

animals, and diseases. A growing number of these 

species have become "invasive," spreading at such a 

rapid rate that they have contributed to declines in 

native species and changes in ecosystem function. 

To provide ecological forecasting that will help 

managers anticipate and respond to this threat, 

FORT scientists have created an Advanced Invasive 

Species Modeling capability at FORT headquarters. 

This advanced modeling effort is leveraging funding 

from the USGS, NASA, National Science 

Foundation, FWS, and others to better document, 

map, and predict the spread of harmful plants, 

animals, and diseases in the United States. In 

response to this service, FORT partnerships have 

developed rapidly with individual landowners, 

citizen groups, the private sector, nongovernmental 

organizations, and other Federal, State, local, and 

tribal governments to battle invasive species. 

Examples include modeling pythons in Florida, 

Africanized honey bees throughout the Nation, 

tamarisk and Russian olive in the West, invasive 

diatoms in the northern/high-elevation parts of the 

country, and sudden oak death in California. FORT 

will continue to enhance both the modeling 

capability and partnerships in 2009, including 

building models of invasive mosquitoes, which 

carry several diseases transmittable to humans. 

Spectral signature measurements of tamarisk. 

Tamarisk, an abundant invasive shrub, has become a 

dominant riparian woody species throughout much of 

the western United States. Here, scientists are using 

a spectrometer to measure the plant's spectral 

signature, which will support large-scale mapping by 

satellite. Invasive plants like tamarisk exacerbate the 

affects of a changing climate, in this case by usurping 

water from native plants that are already droughtstressed. Photograph by Paul Evangelista, Colorado 

State University. Used with permission. 

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Status and Trends of Biological Resources 

Status and trends research identifies ongoing or impending changes to species, habitats, 

and ecosystems. Key goals include developing and evaluating inventory and monitoring 

protocols, analytic tools, and other technologies to measure biological status and trends; 

collecting, archiving, and sharing critical, high-quality monitoring data in cooperation with 

partners; and providing analyses and reports that synthesize this information for the scientific 

community, resource managers, policy makers, and the public. 

Integrating Agriculture and 

Conservation. FORT assistance 

to the USDA Farm Service Agency 

(FSA) remains focused on refining 

management of lands enrolled in USDAadministered conservation programs. In 

cooperation with the FSA, USDA 

Natural Resources Conservation Service, 

Colorado State University (CSU), and a 

private landowner, we continued an 

investigation on grazing CRP grasslands 

for sustainability and habitat in the 

shortgrass steppe. During 2008, we 

monitored grazing pressure and response 

of above-ground vegetation, roots, and 

soil chemistry during the growing 

season; preliminary data are being 

analyzed. Collaborating with the FSA, 

FWS, and Iowa Agriculture and Land Stewardship, FORT continued a long-term study 

investigating the environmental benefits derived from Conservation Reserve Enhancement 

Program (CREP) wetlands in Iowa. An evaluation of community vegetation and quantitative 

vegetation measurements were discussed in a progress report delivered to the FSA in August, 

2008. Additionally, two existing and two scheduled CREP wetlands were visited to record 

amphibians and evaluate success of the program in terms of creating amphibian habitat in 

agricultural ecosystems. The presence of breeding amphibians could represent added ecosystem 

value and be an indicator of landscape health. Such long-term studies help refine USDA 

agricultural conservation policies and make them more beneficial to both agricultural operations 

and wildlife species.

FORT range scientist Mark Vandever records canopy cover of plant 

species in a 1–2 year old farmable wetland in Iowa. Photograph by 

Arthur Allen, USGS. 

Comparative Vegetation Mapping for Lassen Volcanic National Park, Calif. The 

USGS-National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program partnership is in the process 

of developing vegetation cover maps for most units in the National Park system. New 

methodologies are needed to increase the speed and accuracy of vegetation mapping, reduce the 

cost, and produce a quantitatively based vegetation database. In support of this effort and in 

collaboration with various Federal and private entities, FORT staff continued in FY08 a study 

comparing the widely used, traditional aerial photo-interpretation methodology with the 

relatively new Discrete Classification Mapping (DCM) methodology. DCM could be a more 

accurate and efficient mapping methodology for medium- to large-sized parks. FORT GIS 

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specialists converted the photo-interpreted data to GIS vector format. Concurrently, other 

partners developed the DCM database, designed the accuracy assessment, and collected 

quantitative and qualitative data at 644 locations to provide ground truth for the accuracy 

assessment of both databases. Acquisition of ground-truth data will allow completion of an 

accuracy assessment in FY09 and delivery of the two vegetation databases to the NPS. 

Image Analysis for Growers to Map Weed Cover in Fallow Fields with Color Digital 

Images. In addition to being affordable, weed mapping must be both practical and 

accurate enough for decisionmaking. While mapping options exist, they tend to be expensive to 

implement. In partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), FORT has been 

experimenting with weed mapping using a lower-cost system comprising an inexpensive digital 

camera and commercial software, a GPS receiver, and mapping software developed by FORT. 

The ARS developed the camera and GPS tractor-mounted system for acquiring photographs as 

the tractor traverses a fallow field. FORT developed the image processing algorithm and a series 

of software versions that read in the processed imagery and generate a weed map of the fallow 

field. In FY 2008, ARS and FORT completed and performed an accuracy assessment of the 

system, which showed that growers can get usable information about weed cover from such 

digital color images and maps to help them plan weed management for the next commercial 

crop. This methodology, or modifications thereof, also could have applications in natural 

resources inventory and monitoring where vegetative mapping is required. 

Left: Photograph taken in a fallow farm field showing weed plants, plant debris, and bare soil. Right: FORT’s photo processing 

differentiates weeds (white) from the background (black). The ratio of weed pixels to the total number of pixels in the image is an 

estimate of weed cover. The percent weed cover in thousands of images is used to produce a map of weed cover for the subject 

farm field. Images courtesy of Robert Waltermire, USGS.

Applications of Radar Technology to Studying, Conserving, and Managing Migratory 

Birds. Over the last few years, in cooperation with the University of Southern 

Mississippi, FORT has been involved in a collaborative research project using radar technology 

(WSR–88D weather radar) to study bird migration patterns in the southwestern borderlands 

region. A FORT scientist has taken the lead in developing a collaborative effort bringing 

together scientists from USGS and other agencies and institutions, resource managers, regulators,

and utilities to discuss ways radar technology can be used to answer questions about bird (and 

10
bat and insect) movement patterns to

applied to conservation and management 

actions. A USGS-FWS interagency 

workshop that FORT organized and 

facilitated in 2006, and for which we 

published the

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Products/Publicati

ons/pub_abstract.asp?PubID=22018), 

produced priority action items, two of 

which FORT addressed in 2008. 

Specifically, we developed a Web site 

(

 be 

 proceedings in 2007 (see 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/radar/) that 

provides information about the workshop as 

well as radar applications (USGS 

publications, links to other research, 

bibliographies by topic) to managers, 

regulators, scientists, industry, and other 

interested parties. We also led production 

of the first of several fact sheets requested 

by workshop participants. Entitled “Management and Research Applications of Long-Range 

Surveillance Radar Data for Birds, Bats, and Flying Insects,” this USGS Fact Sheet (2008-3095) 

provides information on applications of long-range radar to avian conservation questions (see 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Products/Publications/pub_abstract.asp?PubID=22359). Also in 

FY08, we published the first peer-reviewed manuscript on radar technology, “Seasonal Passerine 

Migratory Movements over the Arid Southwest,” in Studies in Avian Biology, volume 37, 

published by the Cooper Ornithological Society. The paper provides landscape-level information 

about migrant flight direction, speed, and flight altitudes across the borderlands region. 

As the truck-mounted X-band marine radar with standard open array 

antenna rotates, FORT ecologist Janet Ruth scans the horizon to verify 

targets detected by radar near Tucson, Ariz. Photograph courtesy of 

Janet Ruth, USGS. 

Migratory Bird Response to Environmental Change. Understanding the relations 

among bird populations, agricultural practices, and changing climate is necessary 

for protecting migratory bird species, and many agencies within the Departments of Agriculture 

and the Interior are charged with developing this understanding. In collaboration with the FWS 

and Colorado State University, FORT scientists are developing dynamic mathematical models to 

clarify how agriculturally driven environmental change and global climate change will modify 

conditions and habitats for breeding, migrating, and wintering bird species across prairie wetland 

landscapes in the coming decades. As one step in this process, in FY08 we began estimating the 

expected amount of sediment runoff that would enter wetlands by using the Revised Universal 

Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) populated with spatially explicit soil, topography, land-use, and 

climate data. Additionally, in collaboration with the USGS Water, Geography, and Geology 

Disciplines, we began development of computer models that will determine the long-term 

demographic consequences of climate change scenarios for migratory shorebirds. In partnership 

with the University of Arizona, we are determining the sensitivities of migrating songbirds to 

loss of riparian forests due to global change and water-use patterns. To this end, an existing 

database containing data from more than 30 collaborators studying avian migration along four 

major river systems in the desert Southwest was merged with local and regional weather and 

water data gathered from the USGS and NOAA. The resulting database now includes data on the 

timing of migration, avian diversity, and avian abundance, as well as measures of climate (such 

11
as winter/spring temperature, winter/spring/summer precipitation), water availability (river flow, 

width, depth), and elevation at each avian sampling station. 

Birds of the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands: Distribution, Ecology, and Conservation. The 

borderlands region supports a large number of bird species of conservation concern 

identified by numerous sources, including the FWS and Partners in Flight. However, for many of 

these species, scientists and resource managers lack adequate information on population trends 

and ecology to implement conservation actions. In response to this need, FORT ecologist Janet 

Ruth was the lead associate editor in producing Birds of the US-Mexico Borderlands: 

Distribution, Ecology, and Conservation, volume 37 of Studies in Avian Biology (SAB), 

published by the Cooper Ornithological Society. This volume provides new information about 

changes in bird distribution and abundance; trends and ecology of riparian, wetland, and 

grassland birds; new technology applications; and planning for bird conservation. It is one result 

of a symposium held at the North American Ornithological Conference in Veracruz, Mexico, in 

October 2006. Following two years of work 

with authors and reviewers, the SAB volume

was released to the public at the end of FY08. 

Within the volume, Dr. Ruth also was the lead 

author of the Preface, (see http://www.f

gov/Products/Publications/pub_abstract.asp? 

PubID=22360) sole author on a paper about 

Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow status and 

distribution (see http://www.fort.usgs.gov/ 

Products/Publications/pub_abstract.asp?PubID 

=22138), and third author on a paper about bird 

migration patterns in the borderlands region as 

determined by weather surveillance radar (see 

ort.usgs. 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Products/Publications/

pub_abstract.asp?PubID=22165). 

FORT ecologist Janet Ruth holds a wintering Baird’s Sparrow 

at a sampling site in New Mexico. USGS photograph. 

Summary and Analysis of the U.S. Government Bat Banding Files. From 1932–1972, 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administered and coordinated a Bat Banding Program 

that issued 2 million bands. Of these, approximately 1.5 million were applied to 36 species of 

bats by scientists, their students, and colleagues in many locations in North America. Bands were 

issued and copies of the permanent records are currently maintained by the USGS Patuxent 

Wildlife Research Center, Biological Survey Unit at the Smithsonian Institution, National 

Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. Throughout the program, banders noticed 

numerous negative effects of the bands on bat health and survival, leading to a moratorium on 

bat banding by the FWS and a resolution to cease banding by the American Society of 

Mammalogists in 1973. The justification for the moratorium included a recommendation to 

conduct a detailed evaluation of the program files to determine the value and relevance of the 

biological data that were accumulated in the files. However, this critical evaluation was never 

completed. In an effort to satisfy this need, in FY08 FORT completed a report that provides a 

detailed history of the program, a literature review of bat banding activities during the program, 

and a case study in managing data and applying current mark-recapture theory to a set of banding 

records from Washington State. Based on the findings of the summary and analysis, the report,

12
Summary and Analysis of the U.S. Government Bat Banding Program (USGS Open-File Report 

2008-1363), provides several recommendations on future uses of the Bat Banding Program files 

(see http://www.fort.usgs.gov/products/publications/pub_abstract.asp?PubID=22435). 

Assessment for Pacific Sheath-tailed Bats on Aguiguan, Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands. The last remaining population of a subspecies of Pacific 

sheath-tailed bat was studied in June–July 2008 on Aguiguan by a team including biologists from 

FORT and the USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Hawaii. This study for the 

FWS consisted of assessing abundance and use of caves by these bats (candidate species under 

the Endangered Species Act), establishing baseline site-occupancy models of foraging habitat 

using echolocation calls, and obtaining life history information. Counts of individuals at caves in 

2008 were higher than in 1984, 1995, and 2003. Site occupancy models show that activity and 

occurrence are related to canopy cover, vegetation stature, and distance to roosts, with native 

limestone forest the preferred foraging habitat. Fecal analysis indicates a diet of small insects, 

likely forest-dependent species captured near the canopy. Bat reproduction data suggest a very 

limited capacity for population growth. Management to enhance native forest is critical for this 

subspecies, and further research is needed to improve understanding of its taxonomic status. 

The Use of Science in Decisionmaking. When scientific studies provide inconsistent or 

conflicting guidance, what’s a manager to do? Because this is a high-priority question for 

the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), they asked FORT to investigate how 

Reclamation managers approach disputes over the science used in water allocation decisions. 

Working with Reclamation’s Technical Services Center to develop an understanding of this 

issue, FORT social scientists (1) conducted a literature review, (2) wrote a report summarizing 

Reclamation managers’ responses to a survey and workshop panel about how they make 

decisions in these uncertain situations, and (3) designed a broader study to determine the 

mechanisms currently in use by Reclamation managers and the level of success of these 

mechanisms. Reclamation managers reported using a variety of tools and processes, including 

additional scientific study/peer review, adaptive management, collaborative management, and 

hybrid approaches. Although they were able to identify perceived strengths and weaknesses of 

these approaches, there was little convergence on a single tool or process. Our ongoing research 

will help answer questions about how science supports decisionmaking, and how managers can 

act effectively when the science used in a decision does not provide clear guidance about a single 

course of action. 

 Socioeconomic Considerations for Public Lands Management and Planning. Public land 

managers require clear and objective guidance on the use of socioeconomic information for 

management and planning. Many agencies are required by law to develop a plan for each unit or 

complex of public land (such as refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plans [CCPs] and BLM 

Resource Management Plans). These plans generally must (1) contain an analysis of social and 

economic conditions and (2) evaluate social and economic results from likely management 

scenarios to aid planning decisions and help guide management actions. FORT social scientists 

and economists have worked with more than 12 FWS National Wildlife Refuges and multiple 

BLM Resource Management Areas across the United States to provide social and economic 

assessments in support of their long-term planning. Research involves: 

13
1. social analysis of public attitudes related 

to changes in management; 

2. regional economic impact analyses of 

current and proposed management 

activities; 

3. nonmarket valuation of refuge visitor 

benefits; and 

4. stakeholder evaluations to identify and 

classify 

a. the primary policies, regulations, and 

stakeholders affecting the land unit 

plan, and 

b. obstacles and opportunities 

affecting the planning process. 

In FY08, FORT scientists conducted an 

in-depth stakeholder evaluation for 

Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia to better understand contentious 

community issues as well as common ground that may exist. Refuge and planning staff use this 

information as guidance in developing management alternatives for the CCP. The results of this 

evaluation were presented to stakeholders and the community at large to increase understanding 

of issues and improve public involvement in the planning process. 

A participant in the stakeholder evaluation for Canaan Valley National 

Wildlife Refuge uses the Q-sort method to identify priority refuge issues. 

Photograph by Natalie Sexton, USGS. 

 Training and Technical Assistance for Public Lands Management and Planning. The 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requires assistance in several aspects of CCP 

development: incorporating sound science, training, and creating policy and guidance 

documents. In FY08, FORT assisted in updating the national CCP course and taught the 

biological sections of the course. FORT worked with numerous individual National Wildlife 

Refuges, assisting refuge staff in synthesizing available science in order to develop high-quality, 

science-based biological objectives for the CCPs. In addition, we summarized and disseminated

lessons learned through (1) presentation at the 2008 International Union for Conservation of

Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress to an international audience in Barcelona, Spain, 

and (2) an essay in the e-Journal Sustainability entitled, “Comprehensive Conservation Plann

and Sustainability within the National Wildlife Refuge System” (see http://e

archives

ing 

journal.nbii.org/ 

/vol4iss1/communityessay.schroeder.html). 

 Program Assessment for DOI Agencies. Program assessments provide information for 

agencies to determine whether their programs are meeting the needs of targeted 

customers. In FY08, program assessments were in progress for two agencies. For the USGS, we 

continued our evaluation of the Gap Analysis Program (GAP) with a chain-referral sampling 

process to identify users of GAP data and development of a survey to be conducted in FY09. 

This assessment is critical to strategic planning for the GAP Program. For the FWS, we began a 

series of information projects and needs assessments to help guide the work of the National 

Conservation Training Center (NCTC). The projects include literature reviews on use of wildlife 

webcams, barriers to connecting children with nature, and surveys of conservation and 

14
environmental education professionals. The surveys, to be conducted in FY09, address agency 

barriers to connecting children with nature, training needs of conservation/environmental 

education professionals with an emphasis on training via distance-education methods, and 

distance education as a gateway to onsite training. The background research underpinning this 

survey was completed in FY08. NCTC will use the results of these surveys in future planning to 

maximize the value and efficiency of the learning resources they provide. 

Survey of Moderate-Resolution Imagery Users. Who uses moderate-resolution 

imagery and how do they use it? To answer that question, FORT social scientists 

are collaborating with the USGS Western Geography Science Center to conduct an extensive 

study on the uses and benefits of moderate-resolution imagery such as Landsat. Understanding 

the societal benefits of moderate-resolution satellite imagery and spatial data is essential as 

future land imaging initiatives move forward. A key component of this study is a survey of 

professional users of moderate-resolution imagery. FORT social scientists are leading this effort, 

which will evaluate the uses and societal benefits of moderate resolution imagery in general and 

Landsat imagery specifically. Study objectives are to (1) better understand the uses of moderateresolution imagery, including identifying uses that have previously not been captured or detailed; 

(2) identifying and classifying the users of this imagery, including sectors, application areas, and 

how and why the imagery is being used; and (3) qualitatively and quantitatively measuring the 

societal benefits of moderate-resolution imagery in decisionmaking (focusing on Landsat 

imagery specifically). The first phase of the survey, completed in FY08, was a user assessment to 

identify and characterize potential users. This is important because to date, the population of 

moderate-resolution imagery users has been essentially unknown. The second phase of the 

project will be a survey of the 4,600 individuals identified during the user assessment. The 

survey is currently undergoing review by the Office of Management and Budget and will be 

conducted in early 2009. The results of the survey will be used by policymakers to inform 

decisions about future satellite missions and will provide a clearer picture of the current 

professional user community for moderate-resolution imagery in the United States. 

Social and Economic Evaluation Supporting Adaptive Management for 

Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI). Support for future 

energy development depends on understanding potential socioeconomic effects on communities. 

Several of the key drivers of change identified in the WLCI Science Strategy are social and 

economic issues, and this research provides the necessary social and economic context while also 

providing a strategy for public engagement in the dialogue surrounding energy development. 

Activities that affect natural resources, such as energy development, also can affect communities 

at all levels—including social interactions, economics, and land uses. In FY08, FORT scientists 

produced a draft social and economic assessment to provide a common context for the other 

issues addressed in the WLCI. Additionally, scientists compiled a comprehensive literature 

review on the social and economic research completed on energy development, with a focus on 

oil and gas development in the West. Documenting the impacts and lessons learned from the last 

boom in the 1970s provides a starting point for assessing and coping with the socioeconomic 

impacts of the current one. The report highlights the current state of knowledge concerning 

socioeconomic issues pertaining to oil and gas development in the broader context of Wyoming, 

Montana, and Colorado. 

15
Science Strategy for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative.

Southwestern Wyoming’s wildlife and habitat resources are increasingly 

affected by energy and urban/exurban development, climate change, and other key drivers of 

ecosystem change. To ensure that these wildlife populations and habitats persist in the face of 

development and other changes, the USGS and a consortium of eight public resourcemanagement agencies proposed the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI), the 

overall goal of which is to implement conservation actions. Early in the WLCI's development, 

interested parties had identified and refined the most pressing management needs for achieving 

WLCI goals. In FY08, the USGS—the principal agency charged with conducting WLCI 

science—developed a WLCI Science Strategy to address those management needs through 

research, monitoring, and creating Web-based outlets for WLCI products and information. 

Research approaches outlined in the Science Strategy include developing conceptual models for 

understanding ecosystem function, identifying key drivers of change affecting WLCI 

ecosystems, and conducting scientific monitoring and experimental studies to better understand 

ecosystem processes, cumulative effects of change, and effectiveness of habitat treatments. The 

Strategy's overall process for conducting WLCI science is based on a model recently developed 

by FORT scientists, who reviewed agency (BLM, FWS, USFS, NPS, and others) approaches to 

resource assessment and monitoring and then developed an iterative, three-phase process that 

serves as the framework for monitoring wildlife in a plan for BLM. In the WLCI Science 

Strategy, Phase I of the framework entails synthesizing existing information to assess current 

conditions, determining what is already known about WLCI ecosystems, and providing a 

foundation for future work. Phase II involves conducting targeted research and monitoring to 

address gaps in data and knowledge gathered during Phase I. Phase III includes integrating new 

knowledge into WLCI activities and coordinating WLCI partners and collaborators. Throughout 

all three phases, information is made accessible to interested parties and used to guide and 

improve management actions, future habitat treatments, best management practices, and other 

conservation activities. 

Coordinating and Integrating Science for the Wyoming Landscape 

Conservation Initiative. The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative 

(WLCI) was developed to help ensure that those responsible for managing southwestern 

Wyoming’s wildlife and habitats have the necessary information and resources for sustaining or 

improving habitat conditions, species distributions, and population viability as energy and other 

development occur in that region. WLCI partners include the USGS, BLM, Wyoming Game and 

Fish Department, FWS, U.S. Forest Service (USFS), NPS, Bureau of Reclamation, and 

Wyoming Department of Agriculture. Other collaborators include additional local, State, and 

Federal agencies; non-profit organizations; and industries and private landowners. Because of the 

many cooperators, one of the many challenges is to coordinate all these entities and their 

activities and to integrate all the information and data resulting from WLCI efforts. In FY08, 

FORT dedicated a full-time scientist to serve on the WLCI Coordination Team and to be the 

primary liaison between the USGS and other WLCI partners and collaborators. FY08 

accomplishments include: 

 fostering project collaboration through public meetings; 

 developing a conceptual framework for conservation planning and for project development 

and evaluation; 

16
 co-authoring the WLCI Strategic and Operation 

plans; 

 developing the strategies and objectives for, and 

meeting with, the WLCI Science and Technical 

Advisory Council, Data and Information 

Management Team, and Support Team; 

 conceptualizing the Science and Management 

Integration Plan; 

 providing presentations and products (especially 

maps) to apprise partners and the public of 

progress and accomplishments; 

 meeting with habitat project leaders to discuss 

post-treatment monitoring plans, needs, and ideas; 

initiating development of the planning process for 

WLCI conservation efforts and developing areas 

of interest for conservation planning; 

 evaluating, ranking, and selecting habitat 

treatments for implementation; and 

 conducting tours for USGS management teams to 

familiarize them with WLCI issues and science 

needs and to discuss USGS work.

Oil pads like these dot the landscape southwest of 

Pinedale, Wyo. FORT scientists are developing 

monitoring plans and research to help WLCI partners 

conserve species and habitat in connection with 

escalating energy development and other changes. 

Photograph Cameron Aldridge, Colorado State 

University and USGS. Used with permission. 

Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Marine Ecosystems 

 Ecosystem investigations aim to quantify and understand factors that influence variation 

in key ecosystem components over time and space. Emphasis is on developing indices of 

ecosystem sensitivity to environmental change and vulnerability to potential stressors, and 

producing tools to predict ecosystem responses to change.

Regional and Global Ecological Effects of Climate Variability and Change. Mountain 

ecosystems of the western U.S. provide irreplaceable goods and services such as water, 

wood, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, but the potential responses of these systems to 

anticipated climatic changes are poorly understood. The overall objective of this work is to 

understand and predict how western mountain ecosystems will respond to climatic variability 

and change, and to provide the resulting information to decisionmakers and land managers. This 

work focuses on the extent to which disturbance regimes (such as fire and drought) will be 

altered and how they may affect the composition, structure, and productivity of vegetation 

(particularly forests). In FY08, FORT scientists continued or initiated: 

 dendroclimatic, streamflow, paleoclimate, vegetation, and/or fire reconstructions for the 

Jemez Mountains, upper Rio Grande, and southern Rocky Mountains; 

 a global change observatory research project and post-fire restoration experimental 

treatments at Sierra Nevada National Park and Biosphere Reserve (Spain); 

17
 ecohydrological (runoff and erosion), 

fire ecology, and biogeochemical 

research and modeling for Bandelier 

National Monument; 

 studies of isotopic signatures associated 

with climate-induced tree mortality; and 

 further synthesis of climate-induced 

forest mortality occurring around the 

globe. 

The project also sponsored the publication 

of Fire Climatology, a special issue of the 

International Journal of Wildland Fire, to 

explore linkages between fire and climate 

histories in western North America. Also, 

FORT scientists submitted a successful 

new Western Mountain Initiative 

proposal for FY09–FY13. The project’s 

many collaborators around the world include, among others, the USGS Water and Biological 

Resources Disciplines (California and Northern Rocky Mountains Science Centers); CSU, Texas 

A&M, and the universities of Arizona, Northern Arizona, New Mexico, California-Santa 

Barbara, Granada (Spain), and Alicante (Spain); and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Drought and climate change are causing extensive forest dieback in 

the U.S. West as well as worldwide. Photograph shows dead 

ponderosa pines in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico killed by a 

combination of drought stress and attacks by bark beetles on 

weakened trees. Photograph by Craig D. Allen, USGS. 

Grazing Ecology of Elk and Bison in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, 

Colo. The Department of the Interior formally announced the establishment of a Bison 

Working Group to promote the recovery of North American bison, with an eye on Great Sand 

Dunes National Park and Preserve as a potential site for bison restoration. The newly established 

park already was poised to develop an ungulate management plan to avoid elk management 

problems; however, little was known about the Park’s elk herd. Now that this picture also may 

include bison, the need for reliable scientific information has intensified so that park resource 

managers can make science-based management decisions. In FY08, FORT scientists continued 

collecting data on ungulate population size, movements, body condition, and herbivory effects 

on vegetation communities. These data will be used in ecological models to evaluate ecosystem 

processes and simulate management scenarios for both elk and bison. FORT scientists analyzed 

American bison grazing at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. FORT studies of elk and bison movements and 

population dynamics help park staff develop appropriate plans for managing the herds on the landscape. Photograph by 

Richard Madole, USGS. 

18
radiotelemetry forage consumption data from elk and bison, and collaborated with U.S. Forest 

Service staff to continue surveys and monitoring of alpine willows. The principal investigator 

was invited to serve on the DOI Bison Working Group and to present her work at the 2008 Bison 

Conservation Conference. Project partners include the NPS, FWS, USFS, BLM, and The Nature 

Conservancy. The Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) is a cooperator on the study. 

 Diatom Ecology and Taxonomy. Diatoms are robust indicators for monitoring 

and assessing the health of freshwater ecosystems in western North America. 

FORT continues development of a Web-based identification guide and ecological resource for 

diatoms in this region to assist States, tribal governments, and other public organizations in using 

diatom data. This Web resource will help serve the needs of government agencies to achieve 

accurate biological assessments and will provide a tool for internally consistent and publicly 

accessible taxonomic data. In FY08, scientists completed an evaluation of reference conditions 

for selected diatom species in Utah streams, identified potential climate factors related to the 

nuisance blooms of stalked diatoms in both Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain National Parks, 

and produced a final report based on an Interagency Agreement with the Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA), An Ecological Assessment of EPA Region 8 Streams and Rivers. 

Evaluation of the macroinvertebrate community composition downstream of Pactola Reservoir, 

S. Dak., and the areal coverage of stalked diatoms suggest that diatoms are forming nuisance 

blooms as a result of introduction to new areas and subsequent responses to human disturbance. 

Tracking and Interpreting 

Chemical Changes in 

Mountain Streams and Lakes. Mountain 

terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are 

responsive to climate change and atmospheric 

deposition associated with human activities. 

To a certain extent, many soils and aquatic 

systems have the capacity to buffer the effects 

of elevated nitrogen deposition, but 

eventually the system can become saturated 

and no longer able to serve as a buffer. There 

is also mounting evidence that even where 

wet deposition of nitrogen has not increased, 

nitrogen export may be increasing due to 

increased glacial melting and resulting 

exposure of glacial sediments. To understand 

and forecast the ecological and 

biogeochemical responses of alpine 

ecosystems to these changes, FORT 

scientists have been monitoring the waters, 

soils, leaf litter, and foliar chemistry of the 

Loch Vale watershed in Rocky Mountain 

National Park, Colo. In addition, researchers 

measured CO2 emissions in fertilized and 

unfertilized (control) forest plots. In FY08, 

all long-term water quality, discharge, and 

FORT ecologist Jill Baron and field technician Austin 

Krcmarik prepare a stream gage for measuring discharge in 

the Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park, 

Colo. Loch Vale studies include the impacts of nitrogen 

deposition and climate change on alpine ecosystems. 

Photograph by Manolo Toro, University of 

Madrid. Photograph courtesy of Jill Baron, USGS. 

19
weather records were analyzed from the Loch Vale watershed and the results published as a 

“Talking Point” editorial, “Fixing Nitrogen Levels,” for environmental researchweb 

(http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/opinion/33501). Results also were presented 

to professional and public audiences, and a paper is in revision for publication in Global Change 

Biology. FORT and collaborators also published a paper in Limnology and Oceanography 

(http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Products/Publications/pub_abstract.asp?PubID=22020) describing 

analyses of stable isotopes found in the sediments of one of the park’s alpine lakes that indicate a 

marked shift in nitrogen cycling since the late 1960s. Project collaborators include CSU, NPS, 

the USGS Water Resources Discipline, USFS, EPA, NOAA, The Nature Conservancy, Yale 

University, and the universities of Idaho, Maryland, North Carolina, and Alberta (Canada).

Models and Tools to Assist Environmental Flow Assessment and Implementation below 

Reservoirs. Riparian and aquatic ecosystems of the Bill Williams River in Arizona are 

extremely dynamic and responsive to patterns of streamflow releases from Alamo Dam. The 

releases have been developed and implemented to promote biological diversity downstream 

while avoiding interference with other uses of the river corridor. Still, improved tools and 

models, as well as experiments and monitoring, are needed to clarify and describe the linkages 

between flows, geomorphic processes, and biotic responses. FORT scientists are evaluating 

changes in various aspects of the river ecosystem (channel morphology, woody and herbaceous 

riparian vegetation, beaver dam construction and longevity) and relating these changes to 

managed streamflows from Alamo Dam and other key factors. In FY08, a manuscript entitled 

“Models and Tools to Assist Environmental Flow Assessment and Implementation Below 

Reservoirs: Lessons from an Arid-Region River” was prepared and accepted for publication in 

the journal Freshwater Biology for a special issue on environmental flows, expected in late 2009. 

Native riparian vegetation along the Bill Williams River, Arizona. Photograph by Pat Shafroth, USGS. 

20
The paper aims to improve the overall understanding of linkages between physical processes and 

biotic responses, including the ability to predict whether a specified flow would remove beaver 

dams and vegetation. Future research will focus on clarifying key threshold responses and 

linkages between flow, geomorphic processes, and biotic responses. As new information 

becomes available, it is applied through an adaptive management framework to fine-tune dam 

operations. Collaborators include the FWS, Oregon State University, University of Montana, 

Towson State University, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, BLM, and The 

Nature Conservancy’s Sustainable Waters Program. 

Decision-Support System for Evaluating Effects of Gunnison River Flow Regimes in 

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colo. The increasing use of sophisticated 

reservoir operations models has cast many water management decisions as choices among 

different operating rules or policies, each of which has associated likely sequences of 

streamflow. The resulting complexity of hydrologic data is combined with an increasing 

emphasis, in riverine ecology, on natural flow variability and the importance of multiple aspects 

of the flow regime. This drives evaluation of environmental effects beyond specification of a 

single minimum flow or optimum flow for a target organism. FORT investigators are developing 

decision-support systems to help fill the gap between large data sets of simulated flow data from 

alternatives and judgments about the relative desirability of those alternatives with respect to 

natural resources. The challenge of developing such decision-support systems is to accurately 

represent general and site-specific scientific knowledge while presenting the analysis results in a 

form that enables informed decisionmaking. Work in FY08 focused on a system to evaluate 

streamflow regimes of the Gunnison River on resources of Black Canyon of the Gunnison 

National Park to inform both quantification of Federal Reserved Water Rights and operation of 

upstream water management facilities. The final product, expected in FY09, is a USGS OpenFile Report and an accompanying public-access computer program. 

Aspen Ecology in the Core Elk Range of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo. A 

decline in aspen on elk winter range in Rocky Mountain National Park has been observed for 

several decades. Previous studies have linked this decline to heavy elk browsing, but other 

factors, such as fire suppression and climate, also may have played a role. FORT scientists, along 

with collaborators from Colorado State University and the University of Tennessee, examined 

the age structure and genetic diversity of aspen to determine the timing and conditions of stand 

establishment and regeneration on the low-elevation, east side of the park. Researchers studied 

the characteristics of stands in order to link successful aspen regeneration to elk density and 

browsing, climate, and topographic variables such as elevation. The age distribution and genetic 

characteristics of these low-elevation winter-range stands were examined to determine the 

current status and possible future of aspen on this winter range. In FY08, the research team 

completed USGS Open-File Report 2008-1337, Aspen Ecology in Rocky Mountain National 

Park: Age Distribution, Genetics, and the Effects of Elk Herbivory (http://www.fort.usgs.gov 

/products/publications/pub_abstract.asp?PubID=22358) detailing the results of their 3-year 

study and identifying possible effects of new elk management strategies on aspen stand 

sustainability in Rocky Mountain National Park’s elk winter range. 

21
Wildlife and Terrestrial Resources 

 Science conducted in this area provides a foundation for the conservation of terrestrial 

plants, wildlife, and habitats by developing the basic biological information that partners need to 

formulate adaptive management strategies. This work seeks to identify factors that contribute to 

or limit conservation and recovery efforts for species-at-risk and to provide tools and 

techniques—such as predictive models, decision-support systems, and expert systems—for 

science-based management of wildlife populations and their habitats. Further, this research 

aims to address emerging and future issues of importance to our partners by building additional 

capabilities, expertise, and capacity. 

White Nose Syndrome in Bats.

During the winter of 2007–2008, an 

affliction called White Nose Syndrome (WNS

began decimating colonies of hibernating bats i

northeastern United States. Bat colonies declined by 

about 70–95 percent at most of the affected caves 

and mines. Since then, WNS has spread to 

surrounding states. This type of sudden, widespread, 

and expanding mortality is completely unprecedented in hibernating bats. WNS is named for the 

presence of a previously unknown, highly invasive 

white fungus on affected bats. FORT response to 

this issue involved helping to coordinate the 

scientific investigation into the causes and spread of 

WNS. In particular, we regularly consulted 

biologists at the New York Department of 

Environmental Conservation, FWS, and USGS 

National Wildlife Health Center on various 

aspects of bat ecology as they relate to WNS. 

During FY08, we helped coordinate an 

emergency meeting that brought international 

experts together to assess and plan for the WNS 

outbreak as well as subsequent research efforts 

into the dynamics of WNS (http://www.batcon. 

) 

n the 

org/pdfs/WNSMtgRptFinal2.pdf). WNS poses a major threat to 5 species and subspecies of 

hibernating cave bats listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act. 

Image Credit: New York

Dept. of Environmental

Conservation

http://www.dec.ny.gov/

Image Credit: New York

Dept. of Environmental

Conservation

http://www.dec.ny.gov/

A little brown bat found in a New York cave exhibits white 

fungal growth typical of white-nose syndrome on its 

muzzle, ears and wings. Photograph by Al Hicks, New 

York Department of Environmental Conservation. Used 

with permission. 

Wind Energy Turbines and Bat Mortality. Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing 

energy industries in the world, and wind turbines are killing increasing numbers of bats in both 

North America and Europe. Causes of bat collisions with turbines remain undetermined, 

although migratory species that roost in trees (“tree bats”) are disproportionately affected and 

their populations may be in jeopardy. This project is aimed at determining the causes of bat 

collisions with turbines, as well as assessing the potential consequences of turbines on 

susceptible bat populations. In particular, FORT biologists are studying the geographic origins of 

bats killed by turbines and whether bats are attracted to turbines for mating and/or feeding 

purposes. During FY08, samples were collected and analyzed from bats killed at 7 different wind 

22
energy facilities in 5 states. Results of this work will be applicable to assessing the health of tree 

bat populations and developing management strategies to minimize the impacts of turbines on 

bats. The research will directly support current efforts by the FWS to establish guidelines for 

wildlife-friendly wind-energy development. 

Emerging Viruses in Bats. Several diseases of human-health concern are thought 

to have originated in bats. One of these diseases is severe acute respiratory 

syndrome (SARS), which resulted in a near pandemic during 2002–2003. SARS is caused by a 

coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that is now believed to have originated through mutation of a clo

related coronavirus associated with Asian bats. Scientists have been unable to isolate and culture 

live bat coronaviruses, and little is known about the prevalence and taxonomy of coronaviruses 

in bats. Virus isolation is essential for researching virus biology and transmission, particularly a

they relate to SARS. FORT biologists are collaborating with microbiologists at the Universit

Colorado Health Sciences Center, CSU, and University of Northern Colorado to survey North 

American bats for coronaviruses and to try to acquire appropriate samples for basic biomedical 

research. This led to the first documentation of bat coronaviruses in the Western Hemisphere and 

the discovery of coronaviruses in two very common species of bats from which they had never 

been reported. Additional sample analysis is ongoing. Results of this work will offer important 

information on the prevalence of coronaviruses in North American bats and potentially result in 

acquisition of samples of biomedical significance. 

sely 

s 

y of 

Bat Use of Coniferous Forests at Mesa Verde National Park, Colo. Because Mesa 

Verde National Park is dominated by piñon-juniper woodlands, bat species diversity and roosts 

were feared to have been affected by recent losses of these woodlands to fire. In FY08, FORT 

completed a study of bat diversity, reproduction, and roosting habits initiated during 2006–2007. 

During that period, we captured more than 2,000 bats and documented 16 species, a diverse 

fauna that includes all species of bats known to occur in western Colorado. We recorded sex 

ratios and reproductive rates for all species, and radio-tagged 74 individuals of 7 species to locate 

maternity colonies. The study revealed that most bats roosted in crevices in boulders and cliff 

faces, including the first known colony of spotted bats in Colorado. Numerous canyons and cliff 

faces that bisect the park’s high mesas provide very favorable roosting habitat for bats. The 

availability of rock crevices in these cliffs and canyons likely overrides bats’ extensive reliance 

on piñon or juniper trees and snags as roosts. 

Assessing Degradation Rates of DNA Extracted from Mountain Lion Fecal 

Samples for Use in Capture-Recapture Studies. Capture-recapture studies are used 

to estimate a species’ population size as well as movements of individuals between capture 

events. Using DNA extracted from fecal matter to uniquely and non-invasively identify 

individuals for capture-recapture studies is becoming increasingly feasible with the advancement 

of molecular techniques. In collaboration with the CDOW, FORT is attempting to determine the 

relationship between quantity/quality of DNA extracted from mountain lion fecal matter and 

abiotic factors such as temperature, humidity, and time since deposition. To do this, fecal matter 

from captive mountain lions is being collected and placed in various environmental settings to 

simulate conditions in the wild. This study is using highly variable microsatellite loci to 

determine the quality of the DNA extracted from feces kept at different conditions and to 

quantify actual amounts of mountain lion DNA using real-time polymerase chain reaction 

(PCR) protocol. 

23
 Investigating the Effects of Climate Change on White-tailed Ptarmigan. 

Investigations of the interactions between ecological and evolutionary responses to 

global climate change is an important aspect of climate change studies. It is thought that alpine 

ecosystems will be one of the first habitats affected by climate change, and the impact on 

ptarmigan and other alpine-dependent species 

could be significant. Understanding the 

genetic basis of phenotypes under selection 

allows for the prediction and mitigation of 

climate change effects on the viability of 

populations like ptarmigan. To investigate 

this issue, FORT scientists are documenting 

changes in genetic diversity and allele 

frequencies in white-tailed ptarmigan from 

Mt. Evans, Colo., over a 40-year time span. 

Using these data, we are comparing current 

levels of diversity and patterns of allele 

frequencies with a northern population of this 

bird on Vancouver Island, B.C. In the 

process, we are attempting to identify 

genetic markers under selection and to 

determine whether these markers can be 

correlated with environmental changes 

associated with climate change. 

Evaluation of Black Bear Population Structure in Colorado. Understanding the 

population structure of a species is key to developing effective wildlife management 

strategies. For example, if wildlife managers apply different management strategies on each of 

two adjacent game management units, but a single population of black bears is represented 

across both management units, then it is not possible to evaluate either management strategy 

because the effects are on the population as a whole and are not distinguishable between unit 

boundaries. However, little genetic information is available to assist managers in defining 

workable “management units” for black bears in Colorado. In collaboration with the CDOW, 

FORT is seeking to ascertain population boundaries (if any exist) for black bear populations 

across the state. This study, begun in FY08, will determine the efficacy of using mitochondrial 

DNA and microsatellite markers to delineate black bear subpopulations by genotyping 

approximately 150 individual black bears across 7–10 nuclear microsatellite loci and sequencing 

a rapidly evolving portion of the control region for each bear. These data will be analyzed using 

standard population genetic methods. 

A female White-tailed Ptarmigan is banded for a USGS study to 

assess the possible consequences of environmental changes brought 

about by climate change on wildlife populations. Photograph by Greg 

Wann, Colorado State University. Used with permission. 

 Adverse Effects on Northern Shovelers from Exposure to Treated Wastewater.

From January to February 2007, more than 900 waterfowl died in or near 

wastewater treatment plants located along the central Colorado Front Range. In collaboration 

with the FWS, CDOW, USGS (FORT, National Wildlife Health Center, and Water Resources 

Discipline), Metro Wastewater Reclamation District, and Chemir Analytical Services, a study 

was developed to test whether prolonged exposure of waterfowl to treated wastewater plays a 

role in the loss of feather waterproofing. Chemical analyses were conducted for specific 

components of wastewater in feather rinsates, but results relating the presence of tested 

24
surfactants to hypothermic response of experimental and control ducks were inconclusive. 

This work was completed in FY08. 

Population Genetic Analysis of the 

Midget Faded Rattlesnake in Wyoming. Little 

is known about the biology of Midget Faded 

Rattlesnakes, a rare subspecies of the Western 

Rattlesnake. In collaboration with the University 

of Wyoming, the FORT conservation geneticist 

conducted a molecular genetic study of Midget 

Faded Rattlesnakes in southwestern Wyoming. 

The objective was to investigate population 

genetic structure in this area, particularly with 

reference to Flaming Gorge Reservoir and its 

associated human activities, and to document 

levels of genetic diversity. In this study 

completed in FY08, 229 snakes from 11 

populations were genotyped using 9 microsatellite loci. We found that significant levels 

of genetic structure among populations were better explained by geography and isolation by 

distance than by position relative to waterway. Populations on either side of the reservoir’s 

widest point were not significantly different. Finally, this study showed that the populations that 

were the most genetically distinct were those farthest north and the most susceptible to potential 

impact from human activity. 

Midget-faded rattlesnake. Photograph by Josh Parker, 

College of Southern Nevada. Photograph courtesy of 

Sara Oyler-McCance, USGS. 

Sharing the Wealth: Access to Products 

Products and Publications 

During FY08, FORT scientists delivered 130 products, 111 of which were publications 

(with several more in press). For a list of all our products, many of which are available online, 

visit http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Products/. Appendix 1 lists publications from FY08 by USGS 

program element and goal; Appendix II does the same for other types of products. 

Sharing the Wealth: Access to Expertise 

Workshops 

Invasive Species Modeling and Assessment Workshop. In partnership with the NASA 

Applied Sciences Program, FORT has made significant progress in developing various 

capacities for modeling and assessing invasive species. FORT hosted a workshop in March 2008 

to demonstrate these tools and capacities, including those currently available and those in 

development, and to solicit feedback on their use from a select group of users in the Department 

of the Interior. Results from the workshop are being used to guide future research and 

development efforts. 

25
Using River 2-D in Habitat Simulation. This 3-day workshop, given in March 2008 in 

South Porcupine, Manitoba, Canada, provided the Manitoba Department of Natural Resources 

with improved capabilities for assessing resource management alternatives. FORT developed 

and presented instructional material and computer modeling exercises covering the theory and 

practice of coupling 2-D hydrodynamic flow modeling with spatially explicit habitat modeling. 

USGS River Ecosystem Modeling Work Group. The USGS River Ecosystem

Modeling Work Group, organized by FORT scientists, hosted a meeting in Februar

2008 in Orange Beach, Ala., as part of the second USGS Modeling Conference. More t

participants from across USGS disciplines and regions recognized the USGS’ leadership role in 

river ecosystem modeling and urged continuation of natural systems research, monitoring, and 

modeling. USGS can better utilize current human and technology resources, while remaining a 

leader in riverine modeling, by increasing the opportunity for communication and providing a 

national infrastructure for its modeling resources. Summary sheets of 60 models currently being 

used for river ecosystem modeling within the USGS, along with modeler contact information, 

were compiled to address the need for a centralized, online menu of available models and 

modelers. This new source of information can be expanded, continually updated, and made 

accessible online to foster scientific collaboration. New models incorporating current knowledge 

of global climate change and increasing natural and induced hazards will provide valuable risk 

assessment and decision-support tools. Release of the Work Group report, produced by FORT as 

a USGS Science Investigations Report, is expected in early 2009. 

y 

han 50 

Training 

Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team Training 

Workshops. Brown treesnakes continue to cause major 

problems for the ecology, economy, and quality of life on Guam. 

In 2002, a multi-agency Rapid Response Team (RRT) led by the 

USGS was established to assist in detection and capture of brown 

treesnakes on recipient islands if the snakes were accidentally 

transported from Guam. Since its creation, the RRT has conducted 

2 to 5 training courses annually on Guam and 19 off-Guam field 

operations. As of 2008, the RRT consisted of 70 members located 

throughout the Pacific region and the U.S. mainland. The RRT has 

incorporated USGS research results, including effective means for 

improving snake detectability at low densities, the effectiveness of 

control tools in rodent-rich environments, and predicting 

movements of snakes translocated accidentally. Two full-length 

(18-day) training courses were conducted for new team members 

in October 2007 and February 2008, and two 5-day refresher 

courses were conducted in November 2007 and March 2008. 

Cooperators include the FWS Hawaii Invasive Species 

Committees (Oahu and Maui), Hawaii Coordinating Group on 

Alien Pest Species (CGAPS), Department of Defense, Guam 

Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources, USDA Wildlife 

Services, Hawaii Department of Agriculture, and Hawaii Department of Forestry and Wildlife. 

Additional quarantine, agriculture, and natural resources cooperators include officials from the 

Brown Treesnake Rapid Response 

Team member examines a captured 

brown treesnake, a destructive 

invasive species on Guam that can 

live for months in cargo being 

delivered to other islands and the 

mainland U.S. USGS photograph. 

26
Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of Palau. 

Negotiation Training for Natural Resources Professionals. Natural resource managers 

entrusted with responsibilities for Federal and State resources often face decisions that are 

complex and involve many parties. Decisionmakers are well trained in their professional fields 

but often lack training in negotiation processes. With increasing emphasis on collaboration and 

stakeholder involvement, it is essential that resource managers acquire and refine negotiation 

skills. The negotiation training provided by FORT researchers addresses an acknowledged need. 

Social scientists at FORT have conducted research about natural resource conflict resolution and 

negotiation since the 1980s and have provided training courses that draw in part from these 

findings. The courses are well grounded in classic negotiation theory but are enriched by the 

instructors’ research. During FY 2008, two classes were held in Basic Negotiation for Natural 

Resource Professionals (in March and May). The March class was requested by the Montana 

Department of Transportation and was held in Helena. At the May class, students were from a 

variety of Federal agencies (USGS, FWS, NPS, BLM), State agencies (Colorado Department of 

Public Health and Environment, Wyoming Game and Fish Department), Colorado State 

University’s Center for Collaborative Conservation, and Clark County, Nev. Class evaluations 

were very positive, and feedback from previous or returning students indicates that the skills 

gained in these classes are extremely valuable and help managers make informed decisions. 

Participants in a negotiations course at the Fort Collins Science Center, Colo. USGS photograph by Katie Walters, ASRC 

Management Services. 

27
Making a Difference (Customer Satisfaction) 

Letters, Emails, Non-USGS Awards 

 From Charisse Sydoriak, BLM, to 

FORT social scientists Berton Lee 

Lamb and Nina Burkardt, on the 

Negotiations Training course they 

conducted for the BLM: 

“Woohoo!!! You did an 

outstanding job of being present 

and pertinent! I liked how the two 

of you balanced each other in the 

Q&A part and that the negotiations 

training wasn't just for natural 

resource managers. The internal 

negotiations process is very 

important, too...BTW--This is 

the first broadcast training I've 

participated in where the 

viewers asked for more.... 

Good job.” 

Negotiations course instructors Nina Burkardt and Lee Lamb 

share a light moment. USGS photograph by Katie Walters, ASRC 

Management Services. 

 From Carl Marti, Editor, Studies in Avian Biology, to Rodney Felix (University of Southern 

Mississippi) and his team (including FORT research ecologist and issue Associate Editor 

Janet Ruth) who produced issue number 37, Birds of the US-Mexico Borderlands: 

Distribution, Ecology and Conservation:

“I enjoyed working with you in producing this volume. This group was one of the most 

responsive and professional that I have worked with in SAB, and I am very happy to see 

the volume in print. I think it will be an important source of information for the 

ornithological and conservation communities.” 

 From Ruben A. Guieb, Natural Resource Specialist, U.S. Navy, Naval Station San Diego, to 

FORT research wildlife biologist Tom Stanley, for his technical review of a monitoring 

report on the status of the San Clemente Island fox: 

“After reading your attached review, I feel compelled to write this email to express that I 

was profoundly impressed (I am confident Kelly will agree with me) with the very high 

quality of your technical review of the draft report. Your review comments were clearly 

articulated, organized, easy to read and understand. Of profound importance, you 

provided a very comprehensive review of the technical quality of the draft report's 

statistical and quantitative analyses of the data, followed up with constructive 

suggestions on how to further improve the report's technical credibility and defensibility 

in estimating the population status of the island's foxes. Your review supports and further 

validates Kelly's concern on the importance of the technical defensibility of the Navy's 

28
population status estimate of the island foxes at San Clemente Island. The US Navy is 

privileged to have officially solicited your involvement on research studies in support of 

the US Navy's San Clemente Island Fox Conservation Efforts Program.” 

 From Rick Kaiser, biology teacher, Sterling (Colo.) High School, to FORT research wildlife 

biologist Bob Reed, who made a presentation about invasive snakes to students: 

“Dr. Reed: 

‘HE'S AWESOME!’ 

‘I WISH WE COULD HAVE STAYED LONGER.’ 

‘I HAD MORE QUESTIONS, WHY DIDN'T WE STAY?’ 

‘CAN WE GO BACK?’ 

“And, these were only a few of the comments and questions that 

students pummeled me with as we were moving to the second 

presentation of the day. In short, you had 21 SHS students 

mesmerized, interested, eager, and wanting more when, 

unfortunately, our session ended. 

“Had I known how amazing a day today was to be–we'd have 

shipped all 120 biology students up to Ft. Collins. It was truly a 

special day that benefited our students tremendously. In case 

you're wondering, it is not in my nature to be hyperbolic, it's just 

that the students to whom you presented, (who represent the best 

of the best) were so pumped after being with you they still had not 

settled down even after arriving home. In short, you were a HIT. 

“There is no way to thank you enough for what you did for our students, but please 

accept my thanks, nonetheless. Should you be willing, we'd like to have the opportunity to 

meet with you again, and perhaps, schedule a little more time. Best wishes, and thank 

you, again.” 

 In April 2008, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service presented Gordon 

Rodda with a Meritorious Service Award for nearly 20 years of 

perseverance in brown treesnake control efforts. 

 The Department of the Interior FY2007 Performance and Accountability 

Report featured two projects involving FORT research ecologists Doug 

Andersen, Greg Auble, Butch Roelle, and Pat Shafroth: 

“Stream/Shoreline Miles Restored: Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge, 

CO” and “Innovative Water Management: Bill Williams River National 

Wildlife Refuge, AZ.” They were selected as representative wildlife 

refuge achievement under “Mission Area One Resource Protection.” 

 From Jennifer Shanahan, City of Fort Collins (Colo.) Natural Areas 

Program, to Jonathan Friedman for his contributions to an advisory 

group examining the impacts of the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP): 

USGS scientist Bob Reed 

holds an invasive boa 

constrictor. Photograph 

courtesy of Bob Reed, USGS. 

USGS research zoologist 

Gordon Rodda, Meritorious 

Service Award recipient. 

USGS photograph.

29
“We would like to thank you all for your contributions and expertise in helping us 

develop comments to the NISP draft EIS. It was a tremendous group effort and the 

comments reflect a high level of detail and professional analysis by this whole group. 

We very much appreciated each of your contributions and time....” 

 From Katherine A. Mitchell, 

Natural Resources Program 

Coordinator and NSF TCUP 

Program Director, Southwestern 

Indian Polytechnic Institute 

(SIPI), to USGS museum 

specialist Cindy Ramotnik, 

regarding a tour she led of the 

Museum of Southwestern Biology 

at University of New Mexico for 

SIPI students: 

“The visit to MSB was superb. 

The students were really 

interested. I think you could tell 

by how attentive they were. It 

was an excellent lab and it will 

be interesting to see their lab 

reports. They are amazing 

students.... The MSB staff was 

very kind to find the time. You are also very good at the outreach/education portion of your 

job! I was really impressed at how well you teach and how everyone related to the students. 

You're great at it Cindy, and you have a standing offer to come do a course lecture or 

lunchtime brown bag at SIPI–anytime.” 

USGS museum curator Cindy Ramotnik by a skin collection at the 

Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, 

Albuquerque. USGS photograph. 

 From R. B. Pratt, California State University–Bakersfield, review in Choice about USGS 

research ecologist Tom Stohlgren’s book, Measuring Plant Diversity: Lessons from the 

Field: 

“Measurements of plant diversity are crucial for testing many basic ecological 

hypotheses.... Stohlgren (US Geological Survey and Colorado State University, Fort Collins) 

delivers a well written “how to” book on current techniques to measure plant diversity in 

space and time. This well-organized book starts with a concise history of approaches and 

challenges to vegetation sampling. The following chapters discuss sampling techniques, and 

the volume finishes with an assessment of research needs. Numerous case studies illustrate 

the issues and techniques highlighted in the book. This is an indispensable resource for all 

science libraries. Summing Up: Essential....” 

 From Bob Locke, Director of Publications and Grants Coordinator, Bat Conservation 

International (BCI), to FORT research wildlife biologist Tom O’Shea, in acknowledgment 

(along with a framed bat photo and BCI paperweight) of his service on the BCI Scholarship 

Review Committee: 

30
“...More importantly, thanks for all your help with the scholarships. I’m very proud of 

this program, and I appreciate the wisdom you shared with me and with the applicants.” 

USGS Research Biologist Paul Cryan takes a 

female hoary bat from a mist net in New Mexico. 

Photograph by Leslie Cryan. 

 From David J. Stout, Designated Federal Official, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to Paul 

Cryan for the presentation described: 

I would like to take this opportunity to express 

my sincere appreciation for your time, energy, 

and expertise in presenting “What Is Known 

About Bat/Wind Power Interaction?” at the

Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Comm

technical workshop, February 26–27, 2008, in 

Washington, DC. This workshop was vital in 

providing the committee with the fundamental 

information and understanding they will require 

in order to carry out their charge, and your 

contribution helped to make it a success. 

Congratulations on an excellent presentation 

that benefited the Committee members as well as 

the members of the public who attended, and 

thank you again for your participation.... You 

were terr

ittee 

ific! 

 From James A. Allen, Interim Executive Director, Northern Arizona University (NAU) 

School of Forestry, to FORT research ecologist Pat Shafroth, for a guest lecture and seminar 

at NAU: 

“I am writing to express my appreciation for your guest lecture yesterday in my graduate 

Wetland Ecology and Management class. It was great to have someone with your 

expertise join us and tell us about issues related to Tamarix ecology and control. Your 

presentation was [a] very definite enhancement to my brief overview of western riparian 

ecosystems and some of the issues related to their management and protection. 

“As a relative newcomer to the West and to riparian systems in the region, I learned a lot 

from your lecture and from reading some of your publications. I will certainly be reading 

more of your publications in the near future, along with those of some of your colleagues 

from Fort Collins ... The work you have done to date has been excellent, in my humble 

opinion! 

“In addition to your guest lecture, I also enjoyed the seminar you presented as part of 

our School of Forestry Seminar Series... The seminar was well attended and it was nice 

to see some of [the] students from my wetlands class among the audience, all the more so 

since it required some of them to make a second long trip down to the South Campus that 

day. 

“I hope...your fieldwork along the Bill Williams River went well. Your lecture and 

publications have definitely whetted my appetite for getting down there and seeing some 

of the Bill Williams riparian areas for myself. 

31
“Thanks again for taking the time to visit with us here at NAU. It was a real pleasure to 

meet you and I hope our paths will cross again before too long.” 

For More Information 

To learn more about FORT research staff, projects, science publications and products, 

news, and events, visit www.fort.usgs.gov. Additionally, Appendix III lists pertinent staff 

appointments and activities from FY08. 

32
Appendix I: FORT Publications Delivered in FY 2008 

Pub Type Program Goal Citation 

Biological Informatics (BIO) 

BIO #1 - Increase the availability and usefulness of biological resources data and information (Content). 

Pages in Book BIO 1 Burns, M.R., J.G. Taylor, and J.T. Hogan. 2008. Integrative healing: The importance 

of community collaboration in postfire recovery and prefire planning. Pages 81-97 in

W.E. Martin, C. Raish, and B. Kent (eds.). Wildfire risk: Human perceptions and 

management implications. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future. 

Journal Article BIO 1 Souchon, Y., C. Sabaton, R. Deibel, D. Reiser, J. Kershner, M. Gard, C. Katopodis, P. 

Leonard, W.J. Miller, and B.L. Lamb. 2008. Detecting biological responses to flow 

management: Missed opportunities; future directions. River Research and 

Applications 24(5): 506-518. 

USGS OpenFile Report BIO 1 Wilson, J.T. (ed.). 2008. Fort Collins Science Center: Fiscal year 2007 

accomplishments: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1092. 38 p. 

BIO #4 - Facilitate information science and technology research that supports the advancement of 

biological informatics capabilities (Research). 

Journal Article BIO 4 Acker, S.A., T.J. Beechie, and P.B. Shafroth. 2008. Effects of a natural dam-break 

flood on geomorphology and vegetation on the Elwha River, Washington, U.S.A. 

Northwest Science 82: 210-223. 

Journal Article BIO 4 Christensen, L., C.L. Tague, and J.S. Baron. 2008. Spatial patterns of simulated 

transpiration response to climate variability in a snow dominated mountain ecosystem. 

Hydrological Processes 22(18): 3576-3588. 

Journal Article BIO 4 Lightfoot, D.C., S.L. Brantley, and C.D. Allen. 2008. Geographic patterns of grounddwelling arthropods across an ecoregional transition in the North American 

Southwest. Western North American Naturalist 68(1): 83-102. 

Journal Article BIO 4 Margolis, E.Q., T.W. Swetnam, and C.D. Allen. 2007. A stand-replacing fire history 

in upper montane forests of the southern Rocky Mountains. Canadian Journal of 

Forest Research 37(11): 2227-2241. 

Journal Article BIO 4 Sanderson, J.S., N.B. Kotliar, D. Steingraeber, and C. Browne. 2008. Simulated 

natural hydrologic regime of an intermountain playa conservation site. Wetlands 

28(2): 363-377. 

Journal Article BIO 4 Shafroth, P.B., V.B. Beauchamp, M.K. Briggs, K. Lair, and A.A. Sher. 2008. 

Planning riparian restoration in the context of Tamarix control in western North 

America. Restoration Ecology 16(1): 97-112. 

Pages in Report BIO 4 Spaulding, S.A., K.A. Hermann, and T. Keller. 2008. Confirmed distribution of 

Didymosphenia germinata (Lyngbe) Schmidt in North America. Pages 26-27 in M.L. 

Bothwell and S.A. Spaulding (eds.). Proceedings of the 2007 International Workshop 

on Didymosphenia geminata. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic 

Sciences 2795. 

33
Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Marine Ecosystems (ECO) 

ECO #1 - Quantify and understand factors influencing patterns of temporal and spatial variability in key 

ecosystem components and processes.

Journal Article ECO 1 Aldridge, C.L., S.E. Nielsen, H.L. Beyer, M.S. Boyce, J.W. Connelly, S.T. Knick, and 

M.A. Schroeder. 2008. Range-wide patterns of greater sage-grouse persistence. 

Diversity and Distributions 14(6): 983-994. 

Journal Article ECO 1 Allen, C.D., R.S. Anderson, R.B. Jass, J.L. Toney, and C.H. Baisan. 2008. Paired 

charcoal and tree-ring records of high-frequency fire from two New Mexico bog sites. 

International Journal of Wildland Fire 17(1): 115-130. 

Journal Article ECO 1 Anderson, R.S., C.D. Allen, J.L. Toney, R.B. Jass, and A. N. Bair. 2008. Holocene 

vegetation and fire regimes in subalpine and mixed conifer forests, southern Rocky 

Mountains, USA. International Journal of Wildland Fire 17: 96–114. 

USGS OpenFile Report ECO 1 Auble, G.T. and Z.H. Bowen. 2008. Effects of a 2006 high-flow release from Tiber 

Dam on channel morphology at selected sites on the Marias River, Montana: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1234. 44 p. 

Abstract ECO 1 Baron, J.S., T.S. Schmidt, and M.D. Hartman. 2008. Climate-induced changes in 

nitrogen dynamics in Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park (abs). 

Page 7 in 2008 Research Conference, Rocky Mountain National Park. National Park 

Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. 

Journal Article ECO 1 Enders, S.K, M. Pagani, S. Pantoja, J.S. Baron, A.P Wolfe, N. Pedentchouk, and L. 

Nunez. 2008. Compound-specific stable isotopes of organic compounds from lake 

sediments track recent environmental changes in an alpine ecosystem, Rocky 

Mountain National Park, Colorado. Limnology and Oceanography 53(4): 1468-1478. 

USGS Science 

Investigations 

Report 

ECO 1 McDougal, R.R., R.G. Waltermire, C.L. Aldridge, S.S. Germaine, S.E. Nielsen, C.C. 

Nielsen, L. Hanson, and Z.H. Bowen. 2008. An aerial-photographic assessment of 

reenacted handcart treks on a section of the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, 

Fremont County, Wyoming. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2008-5115. 70 p. 

Journal Article ECO 1 McDowell, N., W.T. Pockman, C.D. Allen, D.D. Breshears, N. Cobb, T. Kolb, J. 

Sperry, A. West, D. Williams, and E.A. Yepez. 2008. Mechanisms of plant survival 

and mortality during drought: Why do some plants survive while others succumb to 

drought? New Phytologist 178(4): 719-739. 

USGS OpenFile Report ECO 1 Zeigenfuss, L.C., D. Binkley, G.A. Tuskan, W.H. Romme, T. Yin, S. DiFazio, and 

F.J. Singer. 2008. Aspen ecology in Rocky Mountain National Park: Age distribution, 

genetics, and the effects of elk herbivory: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 

2008-1337. 57 p. 

ECO #3 - Develop indices of ecosystem sensitivity to change and vulnerability to potential stressors, and 

tools to predict ecosystem responses to environmental change.

Pages in Report ECO 3 Bothwell, M.L. and S.A. Spaulding. 2008. Synopsis: The 2007 International 

Workshop on Didymosphenia geminata. Pages xiii-xxi in Proceedings of the 2007 

International Workshop on Didymosphenia geminata. Canadian Technical Report of 

Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2795. 

Report ECO 3 Bothwell, M.L. and S.A. Spaulding (eds.). 2008. Proceedings of the 2007 

International Workshop on Didymosphenia geminata. Canadian Technical Report of 

Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2795. 58 p. 

34
Abstract ECO 3 Edlund, M.B., S.A. Spaulding, and S. Kumar. 2008. The diatom Didymosphenia 

geminata, its spread, distribution, and formation of nuisance blooms (abs). In 5th 

Annual International Lake of the Woods Water Quality Forum, March 12-13, 2008. 

Ontario, Canada: Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation. 

USGS OpenFile Report ECO 3 Spaulding, S.A. and L. Elwell. 2007. Increase in nuisance blooms and geographic 

expansion of the freshwater diatom Didymosphenia geminata: U.S. Geological Survey 

Open-file report 2007-1425. 38 p. 

Pages in 

Proceedings 

ECO 3 Spaulding, S.A., K. Hermann, and T. Johnson. 2008. Confirmed distribution of 

Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngbye) Schmidt in North America. Pages 26-29 in M.L. 

Bothwell and S.A. Spaulding (eds.). Proceedings of the 2007 International 

Didymosphenia Workshop. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic 

Sciences 2795. 

Journal Article ECO 3 Whittaker, T.E., B.L. Hall, C.H. Hendy, and S.A. Spaulding. 2008. Holocene 

depositional environments and surface-level changes at Lake Fryxell, Antarctica. The 

Holocene 18(5): 775-786. 

ECO #4 - Devise restoration and adaptive management frameworks for impaired ecosystems.

Report ECO 4 Julius, S.H., and J.M. West (eds.); Baron, J.S., L.A. Joyce, P. Kareiva, B.D. Keller, 

M.A. Palmer, C.H. Peterson, and J.M. Scott (Authors). 2008. Preliminary review of 

adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources—A Report by the 

U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change 

Research. Final Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.4. Washington, DC: U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency. 873 p. 

USGS OpenFile Report ECO 4 Kotliar, N.B., Z. Bowen, D. Ouren, and A. Farmer. 2008. A regional approach to 

wildlife monitoring related to energy exploration and development in Colorado: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1024. 73 p. 

USGS OpenFile Report ECO 4 Ouren, D.S., C. Hass, C.P. Melcher, S.C. Stewart, P.D. Ponds, N.R. Sexton, L. Burris, 

T. Fancher, and Z.H. Bowen. 2007. Environmental effects of off-highway vehicles on 

Bureau of Land Management lands: A literature synthesis, annotated bibliographies, 

extensive bibliographies, and internet resources. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 2007-1353. 250 p. 

Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources (FAER) 

FAER #1 - Provide scientific information about the diversity, life history and species interactions that affect 

the condition and dynamics of aquatic communities.

Abstract FAER 1 Mueller, G. 2008. Fish introduction impacts on fisheries and water quality (abs). In: 

21st Annual National Conference Enhancing the States’ Lake Management Programs, 

Chicago, Illinois, April 29-May 2, 2008. 

FAER #2 - Provide scientific information about factors and processes that affect aquatic organism health in 

support of survival, protection, conservation and recovery.

USGS OpenFile Report FAER 2 Mueller, G.A. 2008. Native Fish Sanctuary Project: Sanctuary development phase, 

2007 Annual Report: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1126. 59 p. 

Journal Article FAER 2 O’Shea, T.J. and D.K. Odell. 2008. Large-scale marine ecosystem change and the 

conservation of marine mammals. Journal of Mammalogy 89(3): 529-533. 

35
FAER #3 - Quantify and describe functional relationships among aquatic species and habitats to provide 

information to conserve or restore aquatic community structure and function.

Journal Article FAER 3 Cade, B.S., J.W. Terrell, and M.T. Porath. 2008. Estimating fish body condition with 

quantile regression. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 28: 349-359. 

Abstract FAER 3 Nakamura, K., and G. Mueller. 2008. Review of the performance of the artificial 

floating island as a restoration tool of aquatic environments (abs). In: World 

Environmental and Water Resources Congress, May 13-16, 2008, Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Journal Article FAER 3 Nelson, S.M. and J.S. Thullen. 2008. Aquatic macroinvertebrates associated with 

Schoenoplectus litter in a constructed wetland in California (USA). Ecological 

Engineering 33(2): 91-101. 

Abstract FAER 3 Schmidt, T.S., S.E. Church, W.H. Clements, K. Mitchell, D.L Fey, R.B. Wanty, P.L. 

Verplanck, C.A. San Juan, and M. Adams. 2008. The effects of mines on aquatic 

communities in Central Colorado (abs). Page 2 in Planning for an uncertain future: 

Monitoring, integration, and adaptation. The Third Interagency Conference on 

Research in Watersheds, Estes Park, Colorado, September 8-11, 2008. 

Journal Article FAER 3 Thullen, J.S., S.M. Nelson, B.S. Cade, and J.J. Sartoris. 2008. Macrophyte 

decomposition in a surface-flow ammonia-dominated constructed wetland: Rates 

associated with environmental and biotic variables. Ecological Engineering 32: 281-

290. 

FAER #4 - Provide science support for natural resource managers by investigating the factors that 

contribute to the conservation and recovery of aquatic species at risk.

Journal Article FAER 4 Carpenter, J. and G.A. Mueller. 2008. Small nonnative fishes as predators of larval 

razorback suckers. The Southwestern Naturalist 53(2): 236-242. 

Abstract FAER 4 Mueller, G.A. 2008. A brief summary of USGS native fish research activities on the 

Colorado River (abs). In Upper Basin Researchers Meeting, Jan 15-16, 2008, Moab 

UT. 

USGS Open 

File Report 

FAER 4 Mueller, G.A., J. Carpenter, R. Krapfel, and C. Figiel. 2007. Preliminary testing of the 

role of exercise and predator recognition for bonytail and razorback sucker: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1423. 37 p. 

Abstract FAER 4 Mueller, G.A., S. Hiebert, R. Wydoski, E. Best, J. Lantow, J. Millosovich, M. Santee, 

and B. Goettlicher. 2007. Development of monitoring techniques for razorback sucker 

found between Hoover and Parker Dams, 2006-2007 (abs). Page 3 in USBR Annual 

Work Summary Report. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. 

FAER #5 - Develop research and technology tools to provide the scientific basis for developing adaptive 

management strategies and evaluating their effectiveness for restoration efforts to sustain aquatic 

resources.

USGS OpenFile Report FAER 5 Mueller, G.A., R. Wydoski, E. Best, S. Hiebert, J. Lantow, M. Santee, B. Goettlicher, 

and J. Millosovich. 2008. Techniques for monitoring Razorback Sucker in the Lower 

Colorado River, Hoover to Parker Dams, 2006-2007, Final Report. U.S. Geological 

Survey Open File Report 2008-1245. 34 p. 

36
FAER #6 - Provide research support and technical assistance to DOI bureaus, other Federal and State 

government agencies, Tribes, and non-governmental groups to support natural resource 

management problem solving and decisionmaking.

USGS OpenFile Report FAER 6 Bovee, K.D., T.J. Waddle, C. Talbert, J.R. Hatten, and T.R. Batt. 2008. Development 

and application of a decision support system for water management investigations in 

the Upper Yakima River, Washington. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 

2008-1251. 289 p. 

USGS OpenFile Report FAER 6 Waddle, T. 2007. Simulation of flow and habitat conditions under ice, Cache la 

Poudre River, January 2006. U.S. Geological Survey Open-file report 2007-1282. 

37 p. 

Invasive Species (INV) 

INV #1 - Provide and coordinate the collection, synthesis, and accessibility of invasive species information 

(Information Management Goal)

Abstract INV 1 Crall, A., J. Graham, G. Newman, C. Jarnevich, T. Holcombe, T. Stohlgren, and M. 

Kalkhan. 2008. A national scale citizen science program for invasive species (abs). In 

93rd Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, August 3–9, 2008, Milwaukee, 

Wisconsin. 

Abstract INV 1 Graham, J., G. Newman, A. Crall, C. Jarnevich, and T. Stohlgren. 2008. Creating a 

cyberinfrastructure for citizen science: Proper planning can go a long way (abs). In

93rd Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, August 3–9, 2008, Milwaukee, 

Wisconsin. 

Journal INV 1 Graham, J., A. Simpson, A. Crall, C. Jarnevich, G. Newman, and T. Stohlgren. 2008. 

Vision of a cyberinfrastructure for nonnative, invasive species management. 

BioScience 58(3): 263-268. 

Abstract INV 1 Newman, G., L. Stapel, D. Zimmerman, T. Stohlgren, A. Crall, J. Graham, C. 

Jarnevich, T. Holcombe, and M. Kalkhan. 2008. Can citizen scientists think spatially? 

Evaluating the public’s ability to understand and use an online GIS map application 

for invasive species (abs). In: 93rd Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting: 

August 3–9, 2008, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

INV #2 - Identify and report new invasions and assess risks to natural areas and waters (Early Detection & 

Rapid Assessment Goal)

Pages in 

Proceedings 

INV 2 Holcombe, T., T.J. Stohlgren, and C. Jarnevich. 2007. Invasive species management 

and research using GIS. Pages 108-114 in G.W. Witmer, W.C. Pitt, and K.A. 

Fagerstone (eds.). Managing vertebrate invasive species: Proceedings of an 

international symposium. Fort Collins, CO: National Wildlife Research Center. 

INV #3 - Assess changes in populations and distributions of established invaders (Monitoring and 

Forecasting Goal) 

Journal Article INV 3 Evangelista, P.H., S. Kumar, T.J. Stohlgren, C.S. Jarnevich, A.W. Crall, J.B. Norman 

III, and D.T. Barnett. 2008. Modelling invasion for a habitat generalist and a specialist 

plant species. Diversity and Distributions 14(5): 808-817. 

Abstract INV 3 Holcombe, T., P. Evangelista, T. Gass, S. Kumar, M. Li, and T. Stohlgren. 2008. 

Modeling white pine blister rust in the southern Rocky Mountains (abs). In: 93rd ESA 

Annual Meeting: August 3–8, 2008, The Midwest Airlines Center, Milwaukee, 

Wisconsin. Ecological Society of America. 

37
Abstract INV 3 Jarnevich, C.S. and T.J. Stohlgren. 2008. Short term climate projections for species 

distributions (abs). In: 93rd ESA Annual Meeting: August 3–8, 2008, The Midwest 

Airlines Center – Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ecological Society of America. 

Journal Article INV 3 Li, M-Y., Y-W. Ju, S. Kumar, and T.J. Stohlgren. 2008. Modeling potential habitat 

for alien species of Dreissena polymorpha in the Continental USA. Acta Ecologica 

Sinica 28(9): 1-6. 

Journal Article INV 3 Shafroth, P.B. and M.K. Briggs. 2008. Restoration ecology and invasive riparian 

plants: An introduction to the special action on Tamarix spp. in Western North 

America. Restoration Ecology 16(1): 94-96. 

Journal Article INV 3 Stohlgren, T.J., D.T. Barnett, C.S. Jarnevich, C. Flather, and J. Kertesz. 2008. The 

myth of plant species saturation. Ecology Letters 11(4): 313-326. 

INV #4 - Provide approaches to contain, reduce, and eliminate populations of invasive species and restore 

habitats and native species (Control and Management Goal)

Journal Article INV 4 Evangelista, P., S. Kumar, T.J. Stohlgren, A.W. Crall, and G.J. Newman. 2007. 

Modeling aboveground biomass of Tamarix ramosissima in the Arkansas River basin 

of southeastern Colorado, USA. Western North American Naturalist 67(4): 503-509. 

Journal Article INV 4 Rodda, G.H., K. Dean-Bradley, J.A. Savidge, M.T. Christy, and C.L. Tyrrell. 2008. 

Post-colonization reversal of selection pressure on dispersal behavior of the Brown 

Treesnake, Boiga irregularis, on Guam. South American Journal of Herpetology 3(2): 

123-134. 

INV #6 - Determine effects of invasive species and susceptibility of habitats to invasions (Effects Goal)

Journal Article INV 6 Brien, M.L., C.H. Brien, and R.N. Reed. 2008. Morelia spilota spilota (Diamond 

python). Reproduction. Herpetological Review 39(3): 355. 

Journal Article INV 6 Reed, R.N., K.A. Bakkegard, G.E. Desy, and S.M. Plentovich. 2007. Diet 

composition of the invasive cane toad (Chaunus marinus) on Rota, Northern Mariana 

Islands. Pacific Conservation Biology 13(3): 219-222. 

Journal Article INV 6 Stohlgren, T.J., C. Flather, C.S. Jarnevich, D.T. Barnett, and J. Kartesz. 2008. 

Rejoinder to Harrison (2008): “The Myth of Plant Species Saturation.” Ecology 

Letters 11(4): 324-326. 

Journal Article INV 6 Todd, B.D., B.B. Rothermel, R.N. Reed, T.M. Luhring, K. Schlatter, L. Trenkamp, 

and J. Whitfield Gibbons. 2008. Habitat alteration increases invasive fire ant 

abundance to the detriment of amphibians and reptiles. Biological Invasions 10(4): 

539-546. 

Status and Trends of Biological Resources (ST) 

ST #1 - Develop a conceptual model and the required infrastructure (a National Framework for Monitoring 

Biological Resources) that facilitate the integration of information from a variety of sources, at 

multiple spatial and temporal scales, to describe and track the abundance, distribution, productivity, 

and health of the Nation's plants, animals, and ecosystems.

Journal Article ST 1 Sammler, J.E., D.E. Andersen, and S.K. Skagen. 2008. Population trends of tundranesting birds at Cape Churchill, Manitoba, in relation to increasing goose populations. 

The Condor 110(2): 325-334. 

Journal Article ST 1 Skagen, S.K., D.A. Granfors, and C.P. Melcher. 2008. On determining the 

significance of ephemeral continental wetlands to North American migratory birds. 

The Auk 125(1): 20-29. 

38
Pages in Report ST 1 Taylor, J.G., S.C. Gillette, R.W. Hodgson, J.L. Downing, D.J. Chavez, J.T. Hogan, 

and M.R. Burns. 2008. Quick-response research of communication between agencies 

and interface communities during wildland fire. Pages 119-152 in D.J. Chavez, J.D. 

Absher, and P.L. Winter (eds.). Fire social science research from the Pacific 

Southwest Research Station: Studies supported by National Fire Plan Funds. General 

Technical Report PSW-GTR-209. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 

ST #2 - Develop and evaluate inventory and monitoring methods, protocols, experimental designs, analytic 

tools, models, and technologies to measure biological status and trends.

Journal Article ST 2 Andres, B.A., S.K. Skagen, and K. Rosenberg. 2008. Assessing conservation status of 

poorly monitored birds. All-Bird Bulletin Jan 2008: 11-12. 

Report ST 2 Burkardt, N., E. Ruell, and D. Clark. 2008. Technical Memorandum No. 86-68211-

09-01: An exploration of Bureau of Reclamation approaches for managing conflict 

over diverging science - Institutional solutions for water resource conflicts workshop, 

Salt Lake City, Utah, September 24-27, 2007. Reclamation Research and 

Development Proposal X7515. 19 p. 

Journal Article ST 2 Etterson, M.A. and T.R. Stanley. 2008. Incorporating classification uncertainty in 

competing-risks nest-failure analysis. The Auk 125(3): 687-699. 

Abstract ST 2 Lamb, B.L. 2008. Role of the environmental flow specialist in water conflicts (abs). 

Page 54 in NoWPaS Annual Meeting: Copenhagen, Denmark. NoWPaS. 

Journal Article ST 2 Lamb, B.L. and N. Burkardt. 2008. Mathematical models frame environmental 

dispute [Review of the article Useless arithmetic: Ten points to ponder when using 

mathematical models in environmental decisionmaking]. Public Administration 

Review 68(3): 55-60. 

Pages in Book ST 2 Royle, J.A., T.R. Stanley, and P.M. Lukacs. 2008. Statistical modeling and inference 

from carnivore survey data. In: Robert A. Long, Paula MacKay, William J. Zielinski, 

and Justina C. Ray (eds.). Noninvasive survey methods for carnivores. p. 293-312. 

USGS Fact 

Sheet 

ST 2 Ruth, J.M., J.J. Buler, R.H. Diehl, and R.S. Sojda. 2008. Management and research 

applications of long-range surveillance radar data for birds, bats, and flying insects. 

U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2008-3095. 4 p. 

Journal Article ST 2 Schroeder, R. 2008. Comprehensive conservation planning and ecological 

sustainability within the United States National Wildlife Refuge System. 

Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy 4(1). Available at 

http://ejournal.nbii.org/archives/vol4iss1/communityessay.schroeder.html 

USGS OpenFile Report ST 2 Scott, M.L., and E.W. Reynolds. 2007. Field-based evaluations of sampling 

techniques to support long-term monitoring of riparian ecosystems along wadeable 

streams on the Colorado Plateau. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-

1266. 68 p. 

USGS OpenFile Report ST 2 Sexton, N.R., S.C. Steward, and L. Koontz. 2008. Community survey results for 

Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge: Completion Report. U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1219. 91 p. 

Abstract ST 2 Sexton, N.R., E. Swann, and N. Burkardt. 2008. The virtues of Q methodology in 

natural resource planning and decisionmaking (abs). In 14th International Symposium 

on Society and Resource Management, June 10–14, 2008, Burlington, Vermont. 

39
ST #4 - Produce and provide analyses and reports that synthesize information on the status and trends of 

our Nations flora, fauna, and ecosystems and are responsive to the needs of the scientific 

community, land and resource managers, policy makers, and the public.

Journal Article ST 4 Benson, L.V., H.E. Taylor, K.A. Peterson, B.D. Shattuck, C.A. Ramotnik, and J.R. 

Stein. 2008. Development and evaluation of geochemical methods for the sourcing of 

archaeological maize. Journal of Archaeological Sciences 35: 912-921. 

USGS OpenFile Report ST 4 Ellison, L.E. 2008. Summary and analysis of the U.S. Government Bat Banding 

Program: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1363. 117 p. 

Journal Article ST 4 Ruth, J.M. 2008. Distribution of breeding Arizona Grasshopper Sparrow 

(Ammodramus savannarum ammolegus) in the southwestern United States: Past, 

present, and future. Studies in Avian Biology No. 37: 113-124. 

Journal Article ST 4 Ruth, J.M., T. Brush, and D.J. Krueper (Assoc. Eds.). 2008. Birds of the US-Mexico 

borderlands: distribution, ecology and conservation. Studies in Avian Biology no. 37. 

165 p. 

Journal Article ST 4 Ruth, J.M., T. Brush, and D.J. Krueper (Assoc. Eds.). 2008. Literature Cited [Birds of 

the US-Mexico borderlands: Distribution, ecology, and conservation]. Studies in 

Avian Biology no. 37: 146-165. 

Journal Article ST 4 Ruth, J.M., T. Brush, and D.J. Krueper. 2008. Preface [Birds of the US-Mexico 

borderlands: distribution, ecology and conservation]. Studies in Avian Biology No. 

37: 1-9. 

Journal Article ST 4 Skagen, S.K. 2008. Shorebird journeys across the North American prairies. Birding : 

48-54. 

Journal Article ST 4 Skagen, S.K., C.P. Melcher, and D.A. Haukos. 2008. Reducing sedimentation of 

depressional wetlands in agricultural landscapes. Wetlands 28(3): 594-604. 

Journal Article ST 4 Wiener, J.D., K.A. Dwire, S.K. Skagen, R.R. Crifasi, and D. Yates. 2008. Riparian 

ecosystem consequences of water redistribution along the Colorado Front Range. 

Water Resources Impact 10(3): 18-21. 

Wildlife: Terrestrial and Endangered Resources (WTR) 

WTR #1 - Provide the Scientific Foundation for the Conservation of Terrestrial Plants, Wildlife, and Habitats 

by developing the basic biological information that partners need to formulate adaptive management 

strategies.

Journal Article WTR 1 Augustine, D.J., S.J. Dinsmore, M.B. Wunder, V.J. Dreitz, and F.L. Knopf. 2008. 

Response of mountain plovers to plague-driven dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog 

colonies. Landscape Ecology 23(9): 689-697. 

Report WTR 1 Biggins, D. 2007. Summary of black-footed ferret, prairie dog, and plague research 

activities, 2007. 4 p. 

Journal Article WTR 1 Cryan, P.M. 2008. Mating behavior as a possible cause of bat fatalities at wind 

turbines. Journal of Wildlife Management 72(3): 845-849. 

Journal Article WTR 1 Felix, Jr., R.K., R.H. Diehl, and J.M. Ruth. 2008. Seasonal passerine migratory 

movements over the arid Southwest. Studies in Avian Biology No. 37: 126-137. 

Journal Article WTR 1 Geluso, K., J.P. Damm, and E.W. Valdez. 2008. Late-seasonal activity and diet of the 

evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) in Nebraska. Western North American Naturalist 

68(1): 21-24. 

40
Abstract WTR 1 Gillam, E., M. Brigham, and T.J. O'Shea. 2008. Nonrandom associations and social 

structure in Big Brown Bats, Eptesicus fuscus (abs). In Animal Behavior Society 45th 

Annual Meeting, Snowbird Utah. 

Popular Article WTR 1 Kissel, A. 2007. Holding onto a slippery species. Fort Collins Now. 5(43): 14-18. 

Popular Article WTR 1 Muths, E. and A. Kissel. 2007. Boreal toads and the ecosystem. Fort Collins Now. 

5(43): 18. 

Journal Article WTR 1 Neubaum, M.A., M.R. Douglas, M.E. Douglas, and T.J. O'Shea. 2007. Molecular 

ecology of the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus): Genetic and natural history variation 

in a hybrid zone. Journal of Mammalogy 88(5): 1230-1238. 

Abstract WTR 1 Oyler-McCance, S.J. and T.W. Quinn. 2008. When morphology matters most: 

Assessing the importance of morphological difference in grouse (abs). Joint meeting 

of the American Ornithologists’ Union, the Cooper Ornithological Society, and the 

Society of Canadian Ornithologists, Portland, Oregon, August 4-9, 2008. 

Journal Article WTR 1 Oyler-McCance, S.J., F.A. Ransler, L.K. Berkman, and T.W. Quinn. 2007. A 

rangewide population genetic study of trumpeter swans. Conservation Genetics 8(6): 

1339-1353. 

Journal Article WTR 1 Oyler-McCance, S.J., J. St. John, R.F. Kysela, and F.L. Knopf. 2008. Population 

structure of Mountain Plover as determined using nuclear microsatellites. Condor 

110(3): 493-499. 

Journal Article WTR 1 Pearce, R.D., T.J. O'Shea, V. Shankar, and C.E. Rupprecht. 2007. Lack of association 

between ectoparasite intensities and rabies virus neutralizing antibody seroprevalence 

in wild big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), Fort Collins, Colorado. Vector-Borne and 

Zoonotic Diseases 7(4): 489-495. 

Journal Article WTR 1 Pearce, R.D., T.J. O'Shea, and B.A. Wunder. 2008. Evaluation of morphological 

indices and total body electrical conductivity to assess body composition in big brown 

bats. Acta Chiropterologica 10(1): 153-159. 

Abstract WTR 1 Ransom, J.I. and B.S. Cade. 2008. Influences of immunocontraception on intraband 

social behavior in free-ranging feral horses, Equus caballus (abs). In: Proceedings of 

the International Equine Science Meeting; Regensberg, Germany, October 3-5, 2008. 

Regensburg, Germany: Equine Behavior Team, University of Regensburg. 

Journal Article WTR 1 Scherer, R.D. 2008. Detection of wood frog egg masses and implications for 

monitoring amphibian populations. Copeia No. 3: 669-672. 

Journal Article WTR 1 Stanley, T.R. and S.K. Skagen. 2007. Estimating the breeding population of Longbilled Curlew in the United States. Journal of Wildlife Management 71(8): 2556-

2564. 

Abstract WTR 1 White, C.S., and C.A. Ramotnik. 2008. The Scott Able Fire: Effects on select soil 

parameters within Sacramento Mountain salamander habitat [Presentation] (abs). 

Pages 96-97 in Fire in the Southwest: Integrating Fire into Management of Changing 

Ecosystems, regional conference. Jan. 28-31, 2008, Tucson, Arizona. The Association 

for Fire Ecology. 

WTR #2 - Provide tools and techniques, such as predictive models, decision support, and expert systems, 

for science-based management of wildlife and plant populations and their habitats.

Journal Article WTR 2 Cade, B.S. and Q. Dong. 2008. A quantile count model of water depth constraints on 

Cape Sable seaside sparrows. Journal of Animal Ecology 77: 47-56. 

41
WTR #3 - Identify the factors that contribute to and/or limit the conservation and recovery efforts for 

terrestrial plant and wildlife species-at-risk.

Journal Article WTR 3 Muths, E., D.S. Pilliod, and L.J. Livo. 2008. Distribution and environmental 

limitations of an amphibian pathogen in the Rocky Mountains, USA. Biological 

Conservation 141(5): 1484-1492. 

Journal Article WTR 3 Scherer, R.D., E. Muths, and B.A. Lambert. 2008. Effects of weather on survival in 

populations of Boreal Toads in Colorado. Journal of Herpetology 42(3): 508–517. 

WTR #4 - Institute an Adaptive Science Approach to Support the Adaptive Management of Terrestrial Plants 

and Wildlife and to Provide Technical Assistance to Natural Resource Managers.

USGS General 

Information 

Product 

WTR 4 Cryan, P.M. 2008. Overview of issues related to bats and wind energy: Web version 

of presentation to the Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee Technical 

Workshop & Federal Advisory Committee Meeting, Washington, D.C., 26 February, 

2008. General Information Product. U.S. Geological Survey. 71 p. 

WTR #5 - Enhance USGS Wildlife Research to Meet Emerging and Future Issues. Build additional 

capabilities, expertise, and capacity in the WTER Program to meet the emerging needs of USGS 

partners as wildlife issues take on new importance in todays society.

Pages in Report WTR 5 Cryan, P. 2007. Past, present, and future uses of radar for studying bats. Page 46 in

Ruth, J.M. (ed.). Applying radar technology to migratory bird conservation and 

management: strengthening and expanding a collaborative. U.S. Geological Survey 

Open-File Report 2007-1361. 

USGS OpenFile Report WTR 5 Ruth, J.M. 2007. Applying radar technology to migratory bird conservation and 

management: strengthening and expanding a collaborative. U.S. Geological Survey 

Open-File Report 2007-1361. 175 p. 

42
Appendix II: Other FORT Products Delivered in FY 2008 

Product Type Program Goal Citation 

Biological Informatics (BIO) 

BIO #2 - Implement technologies and tools to integrate, analyze, visualize, and apply biological 

information to natural resource issue (Tools). 

Web application BIO 2 

MyUSGS, v. 3.0. October 2007. Full integration of document 

management system; new community portal; community control of 

email, free form content, and project contexts 

Web application BIO 2 MyUSGS, v. 3.1. February 2008. Role creation and management; 

community navigation alteration; IT service desk incorporation 

Web application BIO 2 

MyUSGS, v. 3.2. April 2008. Entry query options; Web folder selfpublishing; MyAccount and Subscriptions; extension of Single SignOn 

to external applications 

Web application BIO 2 

MyUSGS, v. 3.3. June 2008. Opt in/out per Realm, Portal selfcustomization; MyUSGS-Help Community addition; autocomplete 

user search 

Web application BIO 2 

MyUSGS, v. 3.4. (August 2008) Google-like UI for navigation; added 

reference to Lotus Notes names in addition to shortname; Public spaces 

for posting Internet-accessible documents and pages, per FSP 

workflow 

Web application BIO 2 

PLOT (People, Locations, Organizations, Teams), v. 1.0. (September 

2008) Data synchronization with USGS databases, user customization 

UI, Web service/data providers 

Web application BIO 2 

SCIM (Simple Content Information Management), v. 1.0. (July 2008) 

Content entry and management, content tagging, Web service/data 

providers 

Web application BIO 2 SCIM (Simple Content Information Management), v. 1.1. (September 

2008) Tag libraries and browsing, content formatting 

Web application BIO 2 

WLCI (Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative) Project Mapper, 

v. 1.0. (September 2008) Data upload/edit, Web Mapping and Web 

Feature Services, custom mapping UI 

Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Marine Ecosystems (ECO) 

ECO #1 - Quantify and understand factors influencing patterns of temporal and spatial variability in 

key ecosystem components and processes.

Web science 

feature ECO 1 Baron, J. 2008. Fixing nitrogen levels. http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/opinion/33501. 

ECO #4 - Devise restoration and adaptive management frameworks for impaired ecosystems.

Web science 

feature ECO 4 

Wilson, J.T., C. Aldridge, and C. Melcher. 2007. Energy, land use, and 

sagebrush ecosystems: Finding the delicate balance. 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/SageEnergy/. 

43
Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources (FAER) 

FAER #6 - Provide research support and technical assistance to DOI bureaus, other Federal and 

State government agencies, Tribes, and non-governmental groups to support natural 

resource management problem solving and decisionmaking.

Software FAER 5 

Bovee, K.D. and T. Waddle. 2007. Rio Grande Habitat Time Series 

Model (computer software). Fort Collins, CO: Fort Collins Science 

Center. 

Web science 

feature FAER 6 

Wilson, J.T. and S.G. Campbell. 2007. Publication Brief for Resource 

Managers: Evaluating the potential for watershed restoration to reduce 

nutrient loading to Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon (USGS Open-File 

Report 2007-1168). 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Products/Publications/22164/22164.pdf. 

Web science 

feature FAER 6 

Hanson, L., S.C. Williamson, T.J. Waddle, C. Talbert, and J.E. 

Heasley. 2008. Smart River GIS for improved decisionmaking. 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/smartrivergis/. 

Invasive Species (INV) 

INV #2 - Identify and report new invasions and assess risks to natural areas and waters (Early 

Detection & Rapid Assessment Goal)

Web science 

feature INV 2 

Stanford, J. and J. Wilson. 2008. Stalking snakes: Days (and nights) in 

the life of a Brown Treesnake rapid responder. 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/stalkingsnakes/. 

Status and Trends of Biological Resources (ST)

ST #4 - Produce and provide analyses and reports that synthesize information on the status and 

trends of our Nations flora, fauna, and ecosystems and are responsive to the needs of the 

scientific community, land and resource managers, policy makers, and the public.

Web site ST 4 Ramotnik, C.A. 2008. USGS, Biological Surveys Collection, 

Albuquerque. http://www.msb.unm.edu/USGS/. 

Wildlife: Terrestrial and Endangered Resources (WTR) 

WTR #1 - Provide the Scientific Foundation for the Conservation of Terrestrial Plants, Wildlife, and 

Habitats by developing the basic biological information that partners need to formulate 

adaptive management strategies.

Web science 

feature WTR 1 

Ransom, J.I., M.E. Swann, J.T. Wilson, and J.E. Roelle. 2007. 

America’s wild horses and burros: Research for management. 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/WildHorsePopulations/. 

WTR #4 - Institute an Adaptive Science Approach to Support the Adaptive Management of Terrestrial 

Plants and Wildlife and to Provide Technical Assistance to Natural Resource Managers.

Web site WTR 4 Stevens, P.D. and L.E. Ellison. 2008. Symposium on the ecology of 

plague and its effects on wildlife. http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Plague/. 

WTR #5 - Enhance USGS Wildlife Research to Meet Emerging and Future Issues. Build additional 

capabilities, expertise, and capacity in the WTER Program to meet the emerging needs of 

USGS partners as wildlife issues take on new importance in today’s society.

Web science 

feature WTR 5 Ruth, J.M. 2008. Radar technology: A tool for understanding migratory "Aerofauna." http://www.fort.usgs.gov/radar/. 

44
Appendix III: FORT Staff Accomplishments and Activities 

 A. Staff Appointments and Committee Assignments 

1. Douglas Andersen, Technical Group, Bureau of Reclamation Interagency R&D 

Workgroup for Climate Impacts on Water: Member. 

2. Douglas Andersen, USGS-BRD Goals and Strategic Actions Writing Team for Goal 6, 

Understanding Water Availability for Ecological Needs: Member. 

3. Jill Baron, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC), Research and 

Adaptive Management Program: Advisor. 

4. Jill Baron, H.J. Andrews Long-term Ecological Research Program: Advisor. 

5. Jill Baron, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis: Advisor. 

6. Jill Baron, Ecological Applications: Associate Editor. 

7. Jill Baron, Ecological Society of America, issues in Ecology: Editor-in-Chief. 

8. Jill Baron, U.S. Geological Survey Global Change Program, Science Advisory 

Committee: Member. 

9. Dean Biggins, APHIS Plague and Tularemia Advisory Panel: Member. 

10. Dean Biggins, Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team: Conservation 

Subcommittee member. 

11. Lea’ R. Bonewell, Western Bat Working Group: Member. 

12. Lea’ R. Bonewell, Colorado Bat Working Group: Secretary and member. 

13. Lea’ R. Bonewell, Colorado Bat Society: Board Member, Membership Committee chair, 

Conservation Committee member. 

14. Brian S. Cade, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment: Editorial Board. 

15. Paul Cryan, Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative Science Committee: Chair. 

16. Paul Cryan, White Nose Syndrome Science Strategy Committee: Member. 

17. Paul Cryan, Northwestern Naturalist: Associate Editor. 

18. Paul Cryan and Tom O’Shea, Bat Conservation International: International Scholarship 

Applicant reviewers. 

19. Aaron Douglas, Open Hydrology Journal: Editorial Board 2008–2010. 

20. Berton Lee Lamb, Sustainability: Science, Practice, Policy: Editorial Board 2005–2009. 

21. Berton Lee Lamb, International Journal of Sustainable Society: Editorial Board 2007–

2009. 

22. Jeff Morisette, Ph.D. Committee for Miguel Roman, Boston University, Geography, 

(anticipated graduation, spring 2009), role: external member. 

45
23. Jeff Morisette, U.S. National Phenology Network (NPN), Member: Land Surface 

Phenology Working Group (represents remote sensing and large-scale phenology interests 

within the U.S. NPN): Member. 

24. Erin Muths, Animal Conservation: Associate Editor.

25. Erin Muths, Herpetologists' League: Board of Trustees. 

26. Erin Muths, Southwest Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation: Steering 

Committee and 2009 Annual Meeting Planning Committee. 

27. Erin Muths, SaveTheFrogs!: Advisory Board. 

28. Tom O'Shea, American Society of Mammalogists: Member of these standing committees: 

Marine Mammals, Conservation Awards, Legislation and Regulations. 

29. Sara Oyler-McCance, Wilson Journal of Ornithology: Editorial Board. 

30. Phadrea Ponds, Western Social Science Association: President, 2007–2008. 

31. Cindy Ramotnik, New Mexico Endemic Salamander Team: Member. 

32. Cindy Ramotnik, Collection Forum (Society for the Preservation of Natural History 

Collections): Associate Editor. 

33. Cindy Ramotnik, Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections: Editorial 

Board; member of these standing committees: Conservation, Documentation, Membership, 

and Publications. 

34. Jason Ransom, International Union of Conservation and Nature (IUCN) Species 

Survival Commission: Appointed member. 

35. Bob Reed, Herpetological Review: Associate Editor. 

36. Bob Reed, Interagency Committee on Invasive Terrestrial Animals and Pathogens

(ITAP, a multi-agency Federal group): Member, Vertebrate Subcommittee and ITAP. 

37. Bob Reed, PhD committee for University of Nevada–Las Vegas student: Member 

38. Bob Reed, Biological Reviews, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Journal of 

Zoology, Sensors, Applied Herpetology, and Journal of Herpetology: Invited referee. 

39. Bob Reed, World Congress of Herpetology, Manaus, Brazil, Invasive Amphibian And 

Reptile Symposium: Organizer/convener.

40. Gordon Rodda, Mariana Crow Recovery Team: Member. 

41. Gordon Rodda, Guam Kingfisher Recovery Team: Member. 

42. Janet Ruth, Partners in Flight: USGS Liaison. 

43. Jeff Schafer and Erik Hernandez, USGS Information Technology Security Operations 

Team (ITSOT; responsible for implementation of IT security standards and guidelines 

throughout the USGS and for deployment and day-to-day operations of USGS security 

systems): Members. 

44. Kate Schoenecker, Department of the Interior Bison Working Group: Member. 

45. Natalie Sexton, National Conservation Leadership Institute: Fellow 2007–2008. 

46
46. Pat Shafroth, Northern Arizona University, Graduate Committee for Alicyn Gitlin, Ph.D. 

candidate: member.

47. Sarah A. Spaulding, Research Council of the International Society of Diatom Research: 

Elected member 2008–2011. 

48. Sarah A. Spaulding, Proceedings of the 2007 International Workshop on Didymosphenia 

geminata, published as the Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 

2795: Co-editor. 

49. Sarah A. Spaulding, Graduate student advisory committees (1 Master’s and 3 Ph.D. 

candidates in Environmental Sciences, Geology, and Engineering), University of Colorado: 

Member/advisor. 

50. Sarah A. Spaulding, INSTAAR Weekly Science Seminar, University of Colorado: 

Organizer. 

51. Sarah A. Spaulding, Research Seminar Course at Boulder High School: Mentor for 3 

students, 2007–2008. (These students won “First Place in Environmental Sciences” and 

“Best Team Award” at the district and state levels in Colorado for 2008; they presented their 

results at the 2008 Arctic Workshop at INSTAAR and the International Diatom Symposium 

in Croatia; their manuscript, “Historical abundance and morphology of Didymosphenia 

species in Naknek Lake, Alaska,” is currently in review for International Proceedings for 

Diatom Research.) 

52. Sarah A. Spaulding, Journal of Ecology, Diatom Research, Journal of the North American 

Benthological Society, National Science Foundation proposals, International Society for 

Limnology Proceedings and Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Proceedings: 

Invited referee. 

53. James Stanford, Pacific Invasives Learning Network: Member. 

54. James Stanford, Guam Invasives Species Advisory Committee: Member. 

55. Tom Stohlgren, Ecology and Ecological Monographs: Editorial Board. 

56. Tom Stohlgren, National Ecological Observation Network (NEON): USGS Liaison. 

47
B. Invited Presentations 

1. Craig D. Allen, Invited Presentation, “Climate-Induced Forest Dieback: Global Overview 

and Piñon-Juniper Woodland Mortality in the Southwestern USA.” International Forest 

Health meeting, Sedona, Ariz., Oct. 17, 2007. 

2. Craig D. Allen, Invited Presentation, “Vegetation Dieback, Fire, and Erosion as ClimateDriven Ecological Disturbances: Thresholds and Interactions Across Spatial Scales.”

New Mexico Climate Change Ecology and Adaptation Workshop, Albuquerque, N.M., Oct. 

22, 2007. 

3. Craig D. Allen, Invited Presentation; Allen, C.D., R. Oertel, and K.L. Beeley, Invited 

presentation, “Trends in Northern New Mexico Ecosystems: Long-term Monitoring, 

Threshold Effects, and Disturbance Interactions.” Ninth Biennial Conference of Research 

on the Colorado Plateau, Flagstaff, Ariz., Oct. 30, 2007. 

4. Craig D. Allen, Invited Presentation, “Erosion as Climate-Driven Ecological 

Disturbances: Thresholds and Interactions Across Spatial Scales.” Association for Fire 

Ecology Conference, Fire in the Southwest, Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 29, 2008. 

5. Craig D. Allen, Invited Presentation, “The Cerro Grande Fire: Lessons Learned, 

Debated, Forgotten, and Undiscussed.” Association for Fire Ecology Conference, Fire in 

the Southwest, Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 31, 2008. 

6. Craig D. Allen, Invited Presentation, “A Landscape Perspective on Fire and ‘Restoration’ 

in New Mexico Mixed Conifer Forests.” Workshop on Ecology and Management of Mixed 

Conifer and Aspen Forests in New Mexico, Santa Fe, N.M., Feb. 20, 2008. 

7. Craig D. Allen, Invited Presentation, “Climate-Induced Forest Dieback: A Global 

Overview of Emerging Risks.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United 

Nations/International Union of Forest Research Organizations (FAO/IUFRO) International 

Conference on Adaptation of Forests and Forest Management to Changing Climate with 

Emphasis on Forest Health, Umea, Sweden, Aug. 27, 2008. 

8. Craig D. Allen, Invited Presentation (presented on behalf of G.M. Blate, L. Joyce, S. Julius, 

J. Littell, S. McNulty, C. Millar, S. Moser, R. Nielson, K. O’Hallaran, D. Peterson, and J. 

West), “Adapting to Climate Change in U.S. National Forests.” FAO/IUFRO 

International Conference on Adaptation of Forests and Forest Management to Changing 

Climate with Emphasis on Forest Health, Umea, Sweden, Aug. 28, 2008. 

9. Jill Baron, Invited Speaker, “Complex Patterns in Climate and Atmospheric Nitrogen 

Deposition Influence Rocky Mountain Ecosystems.” American Geophysical Union Fall 

Meeting, San Francisco, Ca., Dec. 12, 2007. 

10. Jill Baron, Invited Speaker, Symposium Organizer and Chair, “Adaptation Options for 

Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources.” American Association for the 

Advancement of Science Annual Meeting, Boston, Mass., Feb. 15, 2008. 

48
11. Jill Baron, Invited Speaker, “Climate-Induced Changes in Nitrogen Dynamics of High 

Elevation Streams,” USDA Joint Agricultural Research at the Center for Russian and East 

European Studies team meeting, National Water Resources Research Institutes meeting (also 

field trip leader), Rocky Mountain National Park Lyceum public lecture, University of 

Denver Graduate Ecology Seminar, Colorado State University undergraduate ecology class, 

Joint Global Change Research Institute seminar, various dates. 

12. Jill Baron, Invited Speaker, “Adaptation Options for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and 

Resources.” OMB Budget Examiner’s meeting (Denver), U.S. Climate Change Science 

Program, Department of the Interior, U.S. Forest Service Climate Change Resource Center 

short course on climate change (filmed), National Water Quality Management Council, U.S. 

Forest Service (Pacific Northwest) managers, European alpine research scientists’ meeting, 

various dates. 

13. Nina Burkardt, “Negotiation and Conflict Resolution,” USGS Leadership 101 classes in 

Shepherdstown, W.V., February and May 2008. 

14. Sharon Campbell, Organizer, “Colorado Lake and Reservoir Management ‘Day on the 

Rez.’” July 2008. 

15. Paul Cryan, Invited Speaker, “Bat Ecology.” White Nose Syndrome Science Strategy 

Meeting, Albany, N.Y., June 9–11, 2008. 

16. Paul Cryan, Invited Speaker, “Overview of Issues Related to Bats and Wind Energy.”

Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee Technical Workshop and Federal Advisory 

Committee Meeting, Washington, D.C, Feb. 26–28, 2008. 

17. Paul Cryan, Invited Speaker, “Uncovering the Hidden Lives of Hoary Bats and Their 

Mysterious Deaths at Wind Turbines.” University of Colorado–Denver, Department of 

Biology, Denver, Colo., Feb. 1, 2008. 

18. Jonathan Friedman, Invited Speaker, “Tamarix and Rapidly Evolving Cold Hardiness.”

19th USDA Interagency Research Forum on Invasive Species, Annapolis, Md., Jan. 9, 2008. 

19. Catherine Jarnevich, Invited speaker, “Forecasting Species Distributions under Changing 

Climates.” Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory Seminar Series, Fort Collins, CO, March 

14, 2008. 

20. Catherine Jarnevich, Invited speaker, “Models of Regional Invasive Species Using Merged 

Datasets.” Integrating Invasive Plant Species Data in the Midwest: Solutions for Data 

Collection and Management, Madison, WI, January 24–25, 2008.

21. Lynne Koontz, “Integrating Biological and Economic Analyses for Effective 

Decisionmaking.” Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, N.D., June 12, 

2008. 

22. Berton Lee Lamb, Keynote address, “Use of Science in Environmental Decision-Making.”

EnviroSymp08, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark, November 13–14, 2008 

23. Jeff Morisette, Invited Speaker, "Tracking the Rhythm of the Seasons in the Face of 

Global Change: Frontiers in Phenological Research." CSU, Natural Resource Ecology 

Lab for the fall 2008 seminar series: "Scaling Up, Across, and Over Time in Ecology," Fort 

Collins, CO, Sept. 12, 2008 

49
24. Erin Muths, Invited Speaker, “Disease, Climate Change and Amphibians in the Western 

United States.” 6th World Congress of Herpetology, Manaus, Brazil, Aug. 2008. 

25. Erin Muths, Inivited Speaker, “Distribution of the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus in the 

Rocky Mountains.” Rocky Mountain National Park Research Conference. Estes Park, 

Colo., April 2008. 

26. Tom O'Shea, Invited Speaker, "Big Brown Bats and Rabies in Fort Collins: An Overview 

of a Deadly Disease at Our Doorsteps." Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology, 

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Dec. 7, 2007. 

27. Tom O'Shea, Invited Speaker, "An Introduction to the Bats, with an Overview of the 

Ecology of Rabies Transmission in Big Brown Bats in an Attic Near You." Rocky 

Mountain Virology Club, Pinegree Park Campus, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 

Oct. 6, 2007. 

28. Sara Oyler-McCance, Invited Speaker, “Using Genetic Data to Aid in the Management of 

Gunnison Grouse.” Gunnison Sage-grouse Summit, Montrose, Colo., May 14–15, 2008. 

29. Sara Oyler-McCance and Tom Quinn, Invited Speakers, “When Morphology Matters 

Most: Assessing the Importance of Morphological Differences in Grouse.” Joint meeting 

of the AOU, SCO and COS, Portland, Ore., Aug. 4–9, 2008. 

30. Bob Reed, Invited presenter, “Motivations for Release of Exotic Reptiles.” Sixth World 

Congress of Herpetology, Manaus, Brazil, Aug. 17–22, 2008. 

31. Bob Reed, Invited presenter, “Control Tools for Snakes.” Wild Aruba 2008, Aruba, 

Netherlands Antilles, Aug. 25–29, 2008. 

32. Bob Reed, Invited presenter, “Why Do People Release Invasive Amphibians and 

Reptiles?” Colorado State University, Ecology of Invasive Species, September 2008, and 

Manaus, Brazil, Sixth World Congress of Herpetology, Aug. 17, 2008. 

33. Gordon Rodda, Invited presenter, “Seven Visions for Vertebrate Recovery on SnakeInfested Guam; Under What Conditions Is Permanent Snake Control Practical at the 

Landscape Scale?” Sixth World Congress of Herpetology, Manaus, Brazil, August 17–22, 

2008. 

34. Gordon Rodda, Invited presenter, “How Low Can You Go? Discussion: What Does 

‘Severe Snake Suppression’ Mean?” Brown Treesnake Technical Meeting, Honolulu, Hi., 

April 16–18, 2008. 

35. Kate Schoenecker, Invited Participant, IUCN Commission Member; Discussion participant, 

“Wild Equid Knowledge Café on Modeling.” International Union for Conservation of 

Nature (IUCN) World Congress, Barcelona, Spain, Oct. 5–9, 2008. 

36. Kate Schoenecker, Invited Presentation, “A Population Model for Bison in the San Luis 

Valley, Colorado.” America Bison Society Conference, Rapid City, S.D., Nov. 17, 2008. 

37. Kate Schoenecker, Invited Presentation. “Status of the Stratton Project.” Bureau of Land 

Management, Rawlins, Wyo., March 2008. 

50
38. Pat Shafroth, Invited Lecturer. “Restoration of Riparian Habitat Dominated by Alien 

Tamarix spp.” Wetland Ecology and Management course, Northern Arizona University. 

March, 5, 2008. 

39. Pat Shafroth, Invited Lecturer. “Managing Regulated Streamflows for Downstream 

Ecosystems: Bill Williams River, Arizona.” Department of Forestry Seminar Series, 

Northern Arizona University, March 5, 2008. 

40. Pat Shafroth, Invited Lecturer. “Hydrology, Fluvial Geomorphology, and Riparian 

Vegetation: General Concepts and a Case Study from Arizona.” Graduate Seminar in 

Riparian Ecology in the Arid and Mountain West, Colorado State University, Graduate 

Degree Program in Ecology, Oct. 7, 2008. 

41. Pat Shafroth, Invited Presentation. “Ecology of Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) in 

Western U.S.A.” 2007 Tamarisk symposium, Grand Junction, Colo., October 24–26, 2007; 

2008 Wyoming Weed Management Association, Commercial Pesticide Applicator 

Recertification, Casper, Wyo., Feb. 23, 2008. 

42. Pat Shafroth, Invited Presentation. “Predicting Potential Effects of Global Climate 

Change on Invasive Species Distributions.” Aquatic Nuisance Task Force Annual Meeting, 

Arlington, VA, Nov. 6–8, 2007. 

43. Susan Skagen, “Migrating Shorebirds in Dynamic Prairie Landscapes.” University of 

Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Nov. 15, 2007. 

44. Sarah A. Spaulding, “Didymosphenia geminata: A Diatomic Mess in Colorado,” Colorado 

Watershed Assembly Annual Meeting, Breckenridge Colo., Oct. 2007. 

45. Sarah A. Spaulding, Guest Lecturer and Field Leader, “Winter Limnology.” University of 

Colorado Winter Ecology course, March 2008. 

46. Sarah A. Spaulding, Trainer (management topics) and Exhibitor (diatoms and live algae), 

“Colorado Lake and Reservoir Management “Day on the Rez.” Boulder Reservoir, 

Colo., July 23, 2008. 

47. Sarah A. Spaulding, Co-Instructor, “Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms.” Course at the 

University of Iowa field station (June 2008; her 9th year). (Through scholarship funds, 

Spaulding supported several international students’ participation in the course.) 

48. James Stanford, Invited Presenter, “Invasive Species, How Secure Is Your Island?”

Secretariat of the Pacific Community, US Department of Agriculture, and University of 

Guam 2008 Quarantine training, Manilao, Guam, March 17–21, 2008. 

49. Tom Stanley, Invited Speaker, “Occupancy Estimation for Black-footed Ferrets.” Blackfooted Ferret Conservation Subcommittee Annual Meeting, Denver, Colo., Feb. 2008. 

50. Tom Stanley, Invited Speaker, “Estimating the Breeding Population of Long-billed 

Curlew in the United States.” Workshop on Bird Monitoring and Detectability: 

Understanding and Applying Appropriate Methods, Fort Collins, Colo., Nov. 2007. 

51. Tom Stohlgren, Invited Speaker, “Forecasting Species Invasions in the United States.”

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisc., January 25–26, 2008. 

51
52

52. Tom Stohlgren, Invited Speaker, “Forecasting Species Invasions in U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Refuges.” Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 31, 2008. 

53. Tom Stohlgren, Invited Speaker, “Invasion Patterns: Theory and Scale.” NEOBIOTA: 

Towards a Synthesis 5th European Conference on Biological Invasions, Prague, Czech 

Republic, Sept. 26–26, 2008. 

54. Mark Vandever, “Overview of Technical Assistance to USDA Farm Service Agency on 

Land Management and Conservation Policies in Agriculturally Dominated 

Landscapes.” USGS Workshop on Environmental Effects of Agricultural Practices, July 

2008. 

55. Terry Waddle, “Instream Flow Methods and Decisions Support Systems.” 2nd USGS 

Modeling Conference, Orange Beach, Ala., Feb. 11, 2008. 
Appendix IV: USGS Science Strategy Directions and Programs Supported by 2008 FOR

Technical Accomplishments 

In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed a science strategy outlining the major natural-sci

Nation in the next decade. The science strategy consists of six primary science directions as well as two cross-cudirections of critical importance, focusing on areas where natural science can make a substantial contribution to tNation and the world. These eight science directions are listed across the top of the table. For additional informatScience Strategy, visit http://www.usgs.gov/science_strategy/. 

Science Direction Addressed Cross-Cutting Science Directions Project by Program, 

Page # in FORT 2008 Annual Report Ecosystems Climate Energy Hazards Human Health Water Data Integra- tion Evolving Technol- ogies 

Biological Informatics FORT Web Applications and Services, p. 2      Metadata Development and Quality Control, p. 3  USGS Scientist Serves as Liaison to the National Ecological Observatory Network, p. 3 

     

Enterprise InformationIntegrated Information Environment Support, p. 3   

KEY: Projects are listed by USGS Programs. Additional USGS Programs met by each project are abbreviated uInformatics Program; CCSP = U.S. Climate Change Science Program; ECO = Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Marin

EIP = Enterprise Information Program; FAER = Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources Program; INV = I

Program; NBII = National Biological Information Infrastructure; ST = Status and Trends of Biological Resources 

Wildlife, Terrestrial, and Marine Resources Program. Partner USGS disciplines are abbreviated using: GD = GeGEOG = Geography Discipline; GIO = Geospatial Information Office; WRD = Water Resources Discipline.

53 
Cross-Cutting Science Direction Addressed Science Directions Project by Program, 

Page # in FORT 2008 Annual Report Ecosystems Climate Energy Hazards Human Health Water Data tion 

Evolving 

Technologies 

Wireless Solutions, p. 4 Network Security, p. 4  Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources Individual River Basin Management Decision Support Models, p. 5     Using River2D in Habitat Simulation (Workshop), p. 26   USGS River Ecosystem Modeling Work Group (Workshop), p. 26     Invasive Species Control of Invasive Burmese Pythons in Florida, p. 6     Considering the Impacts of Climate Change on Invasive Species, p. 6     Reptile and Small Mammal Surveys of Tinian and Aguiguan Islands, p. 7    Modeling Capture Probability of the Invasive Brown Treesnake, p. 7     The FORT Advanced Invasive Species Modeling, p. 8      Invasive Species Modeling and Assessment Workshop, p. 25    Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team Training Workshops, p. 26   Status and Trends of Biological Resources Integrating Agriculture and Conservation,  p. 9  Comparative Vegetation Mapping for Lassen Volcanic National Park, p. 9   Image Analysis for Growers to Map Weed Cover in Fallow Fields with Color Digital Images, p. 10 

  

54 

Integra-
Cross-Cutting Science Direction Addressed Science Directions Project by Program, 

Page # in FORT 2008 Annual Report Ecosystems Climate Energy Hazards Human Health Water Data tion 

Evolving 

Technologies 

Applications of Radar Technology to Studying, Conserving and Managing Migratory Birds, p. 10 

   

Migratory Bird Response to Environmental Change, p. 11     Birds of the US-Mexico Borderlands: Distribution, Ecology, and Conservation, p. 12 

 

Summary and Analysis of the U.S. Government Bat Banding Files, p. 12 Assessment for Pacific Sheath-tailed Bats on Aguiguan, CNMI, p. 13  The Use of Science in Decision Making, p. 13 Socioeconomic Considerations for Public Lands Management and Planning, p. 13 Training and Technical Assistance for Public Lands Management and Planning, p. 14  Program Assessment for DOI Agencies, p. 14  Survey of Moderate-Resolution Imagery Users, p. 15   Social and Economic Evaluation Supporting Adaptive Management for the WLCI, p. 15   Science Strategy for the WLCI, p. 16         Coordinating and Integrating Science for the WLCI, p. 16         Negotiation Training for Natural Resources Professionals, p. 27       

55 

Integra-
Cross-Cutting Science Direction Addressed Science Directions Project by Program, 

Page # in FORT 2008 Annual Report Ecosystems Climate Energy Hazards Human Health Water Data tion 

Evolving 

Technologies 

Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Marine Ecosystems Regional and Global Ecological Effects of Climate Variability and Change, p. 17      Grazing Ecology of Elk and Bison in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colo., p. 18 

  

Diatom Ecology and Taxonomy, p. 19    Tracking and Interpreting Chemical Changes in Mountain Streams and Lakes, p. 19      Models and Tools to Assist Environmental Flow Assessment and Implementation below Reservoirs [Bill Williams River], p. 20 

     

Decision Support System for Evaluating Effects of Gunnison River Flow Regimes in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colo., p. 21 

    

Aspen Ecology in the Core Elk Range of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo., p. 21 

  

Wildlife and Terrestrial Resources White Nose Syndrome in Bats, p. 22   Wind Energy Turbines and Bat Mortality, p. 22    

56 

Integra-
57 

Science Direction Addressed Cross-Cutting Science Directions Project by Program, 

Page # in FORT 2008 Annual Report Ecosystems Climate Energy Hazards Human Health Water Data tion Technol- ogies 

Emerging Viruses in Bats, p. 23  Bat Use of Coniferous Forests at Mesa Verde National Park, p. 23    Assessing Degradation Rates of DNA Extracted from Mountain Lion Fecal Samples for Use in Capture-Recapture Studies, p. 23 

 

Investigating the Effects of Climate Change on White-tailed Ptarmigan, p. 24    Evaluation of Black Bear Population Structure in Colorado, p. 24  Adverse Effects to Northern Shovelers from Exposure to Treated Wastewater, p. 24 

   

Population Genetic Analysis of the Midget Faded Rattlesnake in Wyoming, p. 25  

Integra- 

Evolving 
Publishing support provided by: 

Denver Publishing Service Center 

For more information concerning this publication, contact: 

Center Director, USGS Fort Collins Science Center 

2150 Centre Ave., Bldg. C 

Fort Collins, CO 80526-8118 

(970)226-9398 

Or visit the Fort Collins Science Center Web site at: 

http://www.fort.usgs.gov/ 

58