Quantify the multiple services performed by wetland ecosystems in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States Active

This research effort is focused on incorporating land-use and land-cover change into forecasting models that accounted for variations in agricultural and conservation practices and programs. The primary tool being used is the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) modeling suite. We have parameterized this modeling tool for the prairie-pothole region, and developed new components as needed to quantify conservation program and practice effects on wetland carbon stores; water quality; amphibian, waterfowl, and grassland-bird habitat; native-plant communities; and floral resources available to pollinators. We are also using other modeling systems (e.g., APEX, PHyLiSS) to explore land-use change effects on depressional wetlands, and have expanded our reach beyond the prairie-pothole region to include work in the upper Mississippi River watershed. Model results are being used to inform implementation of conservation activities, such as practices conducted within the USDA Conservation Reserve and Wetland Reserve Programs, and policy making that affect wetlands and wetland ecosystem srevices throughout the agricultural landscape of the Northern Great Plains