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Publications

FORT scientists have produced more than 1,500 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: 2219

Flea control on prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) with fipronil bait pellets: Potential plague mitigation tool for rapid field application and wildlife conservation

Sylvatic plague is a widespread, primarily flea-vectored disease in western North America. Because plague is highly lethal to endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes, BFFs) and the prairie dogs (Cynomys spp., PDs) on which BFFs depend for habitat and prey, minimizing the impacts of plague is a priority at BFF reintroduction sites. We developed a new, flour-based bait pellet containing 0.
Authors
Marc R. Matchett, David A. Eads, Jennifer Cordova, Travis Livieri, Holly Hicks, Dean E. Biggins

Range-wide population trend analysis for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)—Updated 1960–2021

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are at the center of state and national land use policies largely because of their unique life-history traits as an ecological indicator for health of sagebrush ecosystems. This updated population trend analysis provides state and federal land and wildlife managers with best-available science to help guide current management and conservation plans ai
Authors
Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael S. O'Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Adrian P. Monroe, Steve E. Hanser, Lief A. Wiechman, Michael P. Chenaille

Bureau of Reclamation: Visitor satisfaction survey instructions

The purpose of the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) Visitor Satisfaction Survey is to measure visitors’ opinions about BOR facilities, services, and recreational opportunities. This effort helps BOR meet requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) and other BOR and Department of the Interior (DOI) strategic planning efforts. This survey manual provides the detailed methods
Authors
Emily J. Wilkins, Nicholas Cole, Rudy Schuster

Spatial scale selection for informing species conservation in a changing landscape

Identifying the relevant spatial scale at which species respond to features in a landscape (scale of effect) is a pressing research need as managers work to reduce biodiversity loss amid a variety of environmental challenges. Until recently, researchers often evaluated a subset of potential scales of effect inferred from previous studies in other locations, often based on different biological resp
Authors
Adrian P. Monroe, Julie A. Heinrichs, Ashley Lorraine Whipple, Michael O'Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Cameron L. Aldridge

Wild bee exposure to pesticides in conservation grasslands increases along an agricultural gradient: A tale of two sample types

Conservation efforts have been implemented in agroecosystems to enhance pollinator diversity by creating grassland habitat, but little is known about the exposure of bees to pesticides while foraging in these grassland fields. Pesticide exposure was assessed in 24 conservation grassland fields along an agricultural gradient at two time points (July and August) using silicone band passive samplers
Authors
Michelle Hladik, Johanna M. Kraus, Cassandra Smith, Mark W. Vandever, Dana W. Kolpin, Carrie E Givens, Kelly L. Smalling

Models combining multiple scales of inference capture hydrologic and climatic drivers of riparian tree distributions

Predicting species geographic distributions is key to managing invasive species, conserving biodiversity, and understanding species' environmental requirements. Species distribution models (SDMs) commonly focus on climatic predictors, but other environmental factors can also be essential, particularly for species with specialized habitats defined by hydrologic, topographic, or edaphic conditions (
Authors
Laura G Perry, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Patrick B. Shafroth

A genetic warning system for a hierarchically structured wildlife monitoring framework

Genetic variation is a well-known indicator of population fitness yet is not typically included in monitoring programs for sensitive species. Additionally, most programs monitor populations at one scale, which can lead to potential mismatches with ecological processes critical to species' conservation. Recently developed methods generating hierarchically nested population units (i.e., clusters of
Authors
Shawna J Zimmerman, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael O'Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Jennifer A. Fike, Todd B. Cross, Bradley C. Fedy, Sara J. Oyler-McCance

North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) mobile acoustic transect surveys standard operating procedure 3—Conducting mobile transect surveys

This standard operating procedure (SOP) provides instructions and considerations for conducting mobile acoustic surveys along road transects to collect bat acoustic data following the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocol and sample design. This report discusses measures for ensuring the safety of surveyors and efficiency of mobile transect surveys. This guidance is intended to ai
Authors
Jaclyn Martin, MacKenzie Hall, Emily Ferrall, Han Li, Jason Rae, Bethany Straw, Brian Reichert

North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) mobile acoustic transect surveys standard operating procedure 1—Locating and establishing mobile transect routes

This document is the first of three standard operating procedures (SOPs) providing instructions and considerations for conducting mobile acoustic surveys along road transects to collect bat acoustic data following the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocol and sample design. This SOP focuses specifically on selecting NABat grid cells and establishing mobile transect survey routes u
Authors
Jaclyn Martin, Dane Smith, Han Li, MacKenzie Hall, Emily Ferrall, Jason Rae, Bethany Straw, Brian Reichert

North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) Mobile Acoustic Transect Surveys Standard Operating Procedure 2—Field Season and Survey Preparation

This document is the second of three standard operating procedures providing instructions and considerations for conducting mobile acoustic surveys along road transects to collect bat acoustic data following the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocol and sample design. This standard operating procedure focuses specifically on considerations for establishing the field survey season
Authors
Jaclyn Martin, Jason Rae, MacKenzie Hall, Emily Ferrall, Han Li, Bethany Straw, Brian Reichert

Indigenous fire management and cross-scale fire-climate relationships in the Southwest United States from 1500 to 1900 CE

Prior research suggests that Indigenous fire management buffers climate influences on wildfires, but it is unclear whether these benefits accrue across geographic scales. We use a network of 4824 fire-scarred trees in Southwest United States dry forests to analyze up to 400 years of fire-climate relationships at local, landscape, and regional scales for traditional territories of three different I
Authors
Chris I. Roos, Christopher H. Guiterman, Ellis Margolis, Thomas W. Swetnam, Nicholas C. Laluk, Kerry F. Thompson, Chris Toya, Calvin A. Farris, Peter Z. Fulé, Jose M. Iniguez, J. Mark Kaib, Christopher D. O’Connor, Lionel Whitehair

Climate change and ‘alien species in National Parks’: Revisited

The US National Park Service mission includes conserving native species and historical landscapes ‘unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations’. However, humans have increased the introduction of non-native species that can become invasive and which have harmful impacts on native species and landscapes. We revisit two previous papers, ‘Alien Species in National Parks: Drawing Lines in Space
Authors
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Terri Hogan, Jennifer Sieracki, Christine Lipsky, John Wullschleger