Publications
FORT scientists have produced more than 2000 peer reviewed publications that are registered in the USGS Publications Warehouse, along with many others prior to their work at the USGS or in conjunction with other government agencies.
Filter Total Items: 2380
Amphibian diversity of the western Colorado canyonlands including potential threats from nonnative bullfrogs and disease Amphibian diversity of the western Colorado canyonlands including potential threats from nonnative bullfrogs and disease
Throughout the canyons of the Colorado and Uncompahgre Plateaus, water is a limited resource for wildlife, with patchy distribution and seasonal availability. Tributary creeks within these canyons drain into mainstem rivers, providing habitat and breeding sites for native amphibians. Yet, little is known about the diversity and distribution of amphibians that live in these harsh, dynamic
Authors
Denita M Weeks, David Pilliod, Madeline (Nikki) Grant-Hoffman, Anjelica F Quintana Spencer, Daniel Neubaum, Paul Hampton, Michaela Ray Grossklaus, Matthew B Laramie, Erin L. Muths
Weather drivers of reproductive variability in perennial plants and their implications for climate change risks Weather drivers of reproductive variability in perennial plants and their implications for climate change risks
Seed production in perennial plants often shows strong year-to-year variation, a phenomenon known as masting. Masting is typically adaptive and driven by weather cues that synchronize reproduction by promoting or suppressing flowering and seed set. These cues, involving temperature, precipitation, and drought, differ across species and regions, yet a global synthesis is needed...
Authors
Valentin Journé, Dave Kelly, Andrew Hacket-Pain, Ian S. Pearse, Jakob Szymkiowak, Jessie Foest, Katarzyna Kondrat, Iris Oberklammer, Mario B. Pesendorfer, Akiko Satake, Michal Bogdziewicz
Summer roost site suitability analyses for 4 special status bat species in the Eastern United States Summer roost site suitability analyses for 4 special status bat species in the Eastern United States
Data describing habitat suitability are crucial for implementing effective conservation planning but are often lacking at regional and continental scales. We address this gap for 4 bat species that are listed, proposed for listing, or under Endangered Species Act listing review by highlighting a framework for estimating summer roost suitability with a presence-background approach to aid
Authors
Richard D. Inman, Andrea Nichole Schuhmann, Sarah Sawyer, Sarah Mccrimmon Gaulke, Frank Charles Tousley, Helen Trice Davis, Bradley James Udell, Bethany Straw, Jonathan D. Reichard, Brian Reichert
Longevity, age-specific survival, and mean generation time of Rana muscosa: Implications for conservation of possibly the longest lived Ranid frog Longevity, age-specific survival, and mean generation time of Rana muscosa: Implications for conservation of possibly the longest lived Ranid frog
Life history strategies vary widely among species and play a vital role in extinction risk, especially in a rapidly changing environment. For many taxa, information on life history such as longevity, lifespan, and generation time is incomplete. This is especially true for amphibians, which have experienced large-scale declines in recent decades. The mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana...
Authors
Cynthia Joan Hitchcock, Adam R. Backlin, Amanda Renee Goldberg, Sarah Kay Thomsen, Erin L. Muths, Elizabeth Gallegos, Robert D. Fisher
INMS guidance document on nitrogen impact assessment methods INMS guidance document on nitrogen impact assessment methods
This document provides guidance for assessing nitrogen (N) impacts on the environment and humans at all scales from local to regional to global and was compiled with input from scientists worldwide.
Authors
Hideaki Shibata, Jill Baron, Allison Leach, Daniel Liptzin, Azusa Oita, Timothy Weinmann, Tapan Adhya, Icarus Allen, RocĂo Alonso, Yuri Artioli, W. Troy Baisden, Bill Bealey, Victoria Bermejo, Jorn Bruggeman, Tom Bruulsema, Juergen Burkhardt, Christopher Clark, Jana E. Compton, Tommy Dalgaard, Wim de Vries, Elizabeth Dukes, Sadeo Eguchi, Jan Willem Erisman, James Galloway, Mekonnen Hailemariam Giweta, I. Gonzalez-Fernandez, Hans van Grinsven, Peter M. Groffman, Baojing Gu, Steven Hall, Kentaro Hayashi , Erik Hobbie, Jason Holt, Laurence Jones, Kiwami Katagiri, Luis Lassaletta, Xia Liang, Erik Lilleskov, Cargele Masso, Kazuyo Matsubae, Miguel Quemada, Mohammad Riaz, Bret Schichtel, Junko Shindo, Ming-Chien Su, Pamela Templer, Johan Tidblad, Alicia Zheng
Different data for different goals: Exploring trade-offs and synergies in the use of spatial data inputs to optimize conservation action in sagebrush ecosystems Different data for different goals: Exploring trade-offs and synergies in the use of spatial data inputs to optimize conservation action in sagebrush ecosystems
Ecosystems worldwide continue to experience rapid rates of habitat and species loss. Management actions to conserve and restore functional habitats are needed to reduce these declines, but funding and resources for such actions are limited. Spatial conservation prioritization (SCP) can facilitate strategic decision-making for targeted conservation planning and delivery, but complexities...
Authors
Jessica E. Shyvers, Bryan C. Tarbox, Adrian P. Monroe, Nicholas J. Van Lanen, Benjamin Seward Robb, Erin K. Buchholtz, Courtney J. Duchardt, David R. Edmunds, Michael S. O’Donnell, Nathan D. Van Schmidt, Julie A. Heinrichs, Cameron L. Aldridge
Potential risks of vegetation treatments to introduce and increase invasive annual grasses in rangelands of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses Potential risks of vegetation treatments to introduce and increase invasive annual grasses in rangelands of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
The U.S. Geological Survey is working with Federal land management agencies to develop a series of planned structured science syntheses to support environmental effects analyses that agencies conduct under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This report synthesizes science information relevant to environmental effects analyses concerned with potential increases in the...
Authors
Aaron N. Johnston, David J. A. Wood, Kyle Ebenhoch, Tait K. Rutherford, Logan M. Maxwell, Sarah K. Carter
Cumulative effects analysis to inform public land management in the United States: Key characteristics and legal challenges Cumulative effects analysis to inform public land management in the United States: Key characteristics and legal challenges
Considering potential cumulative effects of proposed actions is fundamental to environmental impact analysis. However, cumulative effects analyses historically are not robust, especially for site-specific decisions. We sought to identify opportunities to strengthen cumulative effects analysis in a large United States public land management agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We...
Authors
Tait K. Rutherford, Tim O. Hammond, Alison C. Foster, Megan A. Gilbert, Travis S. Haby, Richard J. Lehrter, Jennifer K. Meineke, Ella M. Samuel, Sarah K. Carter
Scientific opportunities in the National Landscape Conservation System Scientific opportunities in the National Landscape Conservation System
The National Landscape Conservation System consists of unique and beautiful places across America’s landscapes where identified resources and values are protected and science is highlighted. The mission of the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS), which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is often referred to as the agency’s National Conservation Lands, is to...
Authors
Sarah K. Carter, Sarah E. Whipple, Samuel E. Jordan, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Robin C. Lewis, Karen L. Prentice, Zachary H. Bowen, Frederick L. Klasner
Post-hatching maternal attendance in wild Burmese Pythons in southern Florida Post-hatching maternal attendance in wild Burmese Pythons in southern Florida
No abstract available.
Authors
Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Mark Robert Sandfoss, John-Kaarli M. Rentof, Judith E. Baird-Lujano, Genesis Aponte Santiago, Jose A. Torres, Lisa Marie McBride, Matthew Fox Metcalf, Amanda Marie Kissel, Christina Romagosa, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Brandon L. Welty, Melissa A. Miller, Matthew F. McCollister, Frank J. Mazzotti, Kristen Hart
Living with wildfire in Estes Valley Fire Protection District, Larimer County, Colorado: 2023 Data report Living with wildfire in Estes Valley Fire Protection District, Larimer County, Colorado: 2023 Data report
Homeowner wildfire risk mitigation and preparedness are critical components of community wildfire readiness. This report describes the data collected through two efforts conducted in the Estes Valley Fire Protection District of Larimer County, Colorado, study area: (1) parcel-level rapid wildfire risk assessments performed by trained assessors and (2) homeowner surveys in which...
Authors
Colleen Donovan, Patricia A. Champ, Suzanne Wittenbrink, Wilynn Formeller, Christine Taniguchi, Jon Landkamer, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, James Meldrum, Christopher M. Barth, Carolyn Wagner
National Park Service staff perspectives on how climate change affects visitor use National Park Service staff perspectives on how climate change affects visitor use
1. Many public lands, including those managed by the U.S. National Park Service(NPS), have the purpose of conserving natural and cultural resources and providing opportunities for visitors to recreate in and enjoy these areas. Achieving this mission becomes more challenging as drought, flooding, increasing temperatures and other climatic change effects are impacting NPS lands and...
Authors
Sarah Lynn Rappaport Keener, Emily J. Wilkins, Wylie Carr, Samantha G. Winder, Julianne Reas, Daniela B. Daniele, Spencer A. Wood