Images

Photograph of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. Photo taken on September 8, 2023.

USGS and others at the Gemini Solar Project in Nevada. Gemini developed measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts to the environment during construction and operation. USGS collaborates with the Bureau of Land Management on research at this array. Photo by Jeff Lovich, USGS.

Vehicle tracks between solar panels at the Gemini Solar Project show an example of the "Drive and Crush" method to preserve soil and plant roots at the site. This method preserves more habitat than the "Blade and Grade" method which removes all vegetation and topsoil, compacting the soil.

USGS researchers conducting Phragmites (common reed) research from a research boat on the Colorado River. Phragmites can be seen on the bank to the right of the boat. Photo by Emily Palmquist, USGS.

A bull elk (Cervus canadensis) bugles while female elk (cows) rest in the grass. Photo by Ryan Hagerty, USFWS.

Non-native Phragmites australis ssp. australis (common reed) at the Paria Beach, Glen Canyon. Native Phragmites australis ssp. americanus is most dominant in the Colorado River ecosystem.

A screenshot of a frame in the USGS b-roll video "Mapping biocrust with UAS technology in Moab, Utah". USGS researchers teamed up for a biological soil crust (biocrust) remote sensing and field data campaign near Moab, Utah in February of 2022.

RAMPS and NPS host South African National Park scientist, Dr. Mmoto Masubelele, for field visits to exchange information on restoration and climate adaptation strategies. From left to right: Seth Munson, Dr. Mmoto Masubelele, park biologist Mark Szydlo. Photo by Seth Munson (USGS).

The Mt. Baldy landscape. Mt. Baldy is located on the Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona. Photo by Kevin Coronado, USGS Pathways intern.

Two biologists conduct fieldwork research at the Gemini solar array energy and storage project in the Mojave Desert, Nevada. They are collecting data on plant identification and soil sampling. Photo by Claire Karban, USGS, SBSC.

Dry Lake Solar Project in Nevada, with mountains in the distance. Photo by Claire Karban, USGS. 

Dry Lake Solar Facility in Nevada. The ground in this facility has been graded and completely cleared of topsoil and vegetation. Photo by Claire Karban, USGS.

Anya Metcalfe displays aquatic insect samples at the Flagstaff library during an outreach event about the Colorado River ecosystem, June 2023. Photo by SBSC, GCMRC.

A two-track dirt road through sagebrush near Hwy 80 and Elko, Nevada. Photo by Mike Duniway, USGS.

A picture of Glacier National Park with native plants, including Indian paintbrushes in the foreground, confiders in the midground, and snowy mountains in the background. Photo by Linsday Dose, USGS contractor.

USGS Emeritus Dr. Charles van Riper conducts outreach during a "firewise" event on Mt. Lemmon, near Tucson, AZ. Dr. van Riper shared Cordilleran Flycatcher research, and displayed bird banding materials. He also gave away Flycatcher nesting platforms. His research demonstrated that providing nesting platforms on Mt.

A USGS researcher takes measurements at a long-term vegetation and soil drought experiment in Canyonlands National Park, Utah.

A black cow on the range at Bar T Bar Ranch, AZ. Photo by Laura Shriver, USGS, SBSC.

A SM4 bat detector is placed on top of a pole in Grand Canyon near the Colorado River, below Emerald Rapid. This weatherproof detector records ultrasonic bat calls. The recording is part of an ongoing study that is examining bat abundance and foraging in Grand Canyon along the Colorado River.

A native plant, Eriogonum sp., beside the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Photo taken during a riparian vegetation monitoring trip by USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, by Emily Palmquist, USGS.

Northern Arizona University graduate students monitor seedling emergence in a northern Arizona RestoreNet site. Photo by Laura Shriver.