Images

Remote Camera, 30-mile Camp (River MIe 30.7)

A completed restoration field trial site just after installation. Half of the site is seeded, and the other half had plants and weed cloth (white fabric) installed.

These workers are planting seedlings as part of the restoration field trial network. Each garden in the network is examining seedlings and seeds in conjunction with restoration treatments to better und

View of a recently installed Restoration Field Trial Network site in the rangelands of Northern Arizona.

Threatened western yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) nestlings in their nest in southern Arizona. The nestlings' feather sheaths (as seen on these young) break and are groomed off by the young bird all within a couple of hours' time, so that the bird transforms from the scaly-looking creature here to a fluffy little fledgling within a single day.

A USGS river research boat investigating a flash flow at Lower National Camp sandbar/beach at National Canyon on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. This is the third in a series of photos that show before, during and after of a flash flow (not quite a flood) event during summer monsoon. This photo was taken 8/10/2018 by Tom Gushue, USGS.

Lower National Camp at National Canyon, Colorado River, Grand Canyon during a flash flow over part of the sandbar. This is the second of a series of photos that show before, during and after of a flash flow (not quite a flood) event during summer monsoon. This photo was taken 8/10/2018 by Tom Gushue, USGS.
 

Lower National Camp at National Canyon, Colorado River, Grand Canyon before a flash flow on the sandbar. The first of a series of photos that show before, during and after of a flash flow (not quite a flood) event during summer monsoon. This photo was taken 8/09/2018 by Tom Gushue, USGS.

The RestoreNet gardens test seedlings of priority restoration species across the Southwest. This is a recently installed garden located in the juniper woodlands of the Colorado Plateau. The experiemental network will support land managers by providing insight into various restoration techniques, including testing seedlings vs seeds.

Biocrust survey, Colorado Plateau, Utah, with SBSC staff. Photo courtesy of Erika Geiger, USGS, 2018.

A perennial native warm season grass, Sporobolus cryptandrus (sand dropseed), at a long-term study site that looks at the effects of drought on vegetation and soils in the Utah drylands on the Colorado Plateau.  

Left: RestoreNet outplant trials with greenhouse-grown seedlings planted into the field, Right: RestoreNet direct seeding trials with seeds combined with soil surface modifications including ConMod artificial nurse plants, mulch, and soil pits. Photos by Katie Laushman (USGS).

The Southwest Biological Science Center loves working with students. Here, a group of undergraduates from Northern Arizona University help RAMPS define the reasons why ecosystem restoration is important for human health and the economy. Follow the link to learn more about RAMPS.

This rainout shelter blcoks about 35% of the natural rainfall, allowing researchers to understand the effects of drought on plants in the southwestern United States.

Rainout shelters block about 35% of natural rainfall, allowing researchers to study the effects of drought on plants in the arid and semiarid southwestern United States. 

This rainout structure blocks about 35% of the natural rainfall, allowing researchers to study the effects of drought on plants in the southwestern United States.

Bromus Rubens (red brome) is an invasive annual grass that grows in warmer deserts of the Southwest U.S. It can carry fires in systems that aren't fire adapted, causing lasting damage to desert flora, as shown here in the Sonoran desert north of Phoenix, AZ.

In water-limited systems of the desert Southwest, land managers sometimes restore using seedlings (small plants) instead of seeds alone. This method has shown to be successful in extreme environments like the Mojave desert and also in grasslands where weed pressure can be to high for seeds to germinate and survive.

RAMPS works with a restoration club at Northern Arizona University, teaching best practices for restoration, and building capacity for future scientisits and land managers to tackle challenging ecological issues.

Thinning rangelands by removing trees such as juniper is a common mangement action done across the intermountain west. The goals of this type of vegetation treatment typically are to increase forage and habitat for grazing animals, improve soil conditions, and/or reduce risks of catastrophic fire.

Touring public lands, guided by the people who manage the lands, is a important to RAMPS. On these tours we get to meet the passionate people, understand their challenges and aspirations, and help make steps towards innovative science-based solutions.