Southwest Biological Science Center

The United States is developing renewable energy resources, especially solar, at a rapid rate. Although renewable energy development is widely perceived by the public as “green technology,” construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of facilities all have known and potential negative impacts to natural resources, including plant communities and

Greenhouse study comparing plant performance during drought will help land managers choose plant species for restoring degraded lands. To find out more, follow the Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program of the Southwest, housed at the Southwest Biolobigical Science Center. www.ugs.gov/sbsc/ramps

Greenhouse study comparing plant performance during drought will help land managers choose plant species for restoring degraded lands. To find out more, follow the Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program of the Southwest, housed at the Southwest Biolobigical Science Center. www.ugs.gov/sbsc/ramps

Connecting powerline rights-of-way vegetation management to improve pollinator habitat. A USGS RAMPS technician samples pollinating insects along the Salt River Project powerline that crosses through Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto National Forests. This fall, baseline plots were established in areas that will be treated with mechanical and chemical vegetation management 

The United States is developing renewable energy resources, especially solar, at a rapid rate. Although renewable energy development is widely perceived by the public as “green technology,” construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of facilities all have known and potential negative impacts to natural resources, including plant communities and

A collection of video for use in products related to the USGS's streamgage at Lees Ferry. The USGS installed the Lees Ferry gauge 100 years ago, and the data collected since have become critical to monitoring water availability in the West.

Shot List:

• 0:00 Title slide
• 0:25 Lees Ferry streamgage wide shot and pan
• 0:33 Lees Ferry

Restoring areas infested with invasive species that carry catastrophic fire is a top priority for the Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southest (RAMPS) and our partners. In 2019 & 2020, fires carried by the invasive red brome (Bromus rubens) grass destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of Sonoran Desert Scrub, resulting in some of the

In this episode of Outstanding in the Field, we are talking about beaches in a place that most people probably would not think of—the Grand Canyon. USGS scientists at the Southwest Biological Science Center’s Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center in Flagstaff, Arizona are looking at how a dam and vegetation are making things difficult for the beaches in Grand Canyon

How do restoration plantings alter ecosystem function? NAU PhD student Kathleen Balazs and technician Sarah Negovan measure soil water infiltration rates at a RestoreNet site near La Sal, Utah. These measurements will illustrate how restoration plantings effect certain ecosystem functions

Land managers representing National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, Navajo Nation, private ranches and farms attend the first RestoreNet stakeholder meeting at the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center in February 2020. 

RAMPS expands drought adaptation project with national parks in the 4-Corners area. National parks across the desert Southwest are experiencing ecological impacts due to climate change. Since late 2018, USGS RAMPS scientists have been working with Southeast Utah Group of national parks to better understand climate change impacts and build a suite of science-driven