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Understanding conservation decisions of agriculture producers
Most land in the United States (US) is privately owned and used for agriculture. To address the effect of agriculture on wildlife, conservation professionals and organizations need to understand the land use decisions made by farmers and ranchers. We developed a tool for categorizing farmers and ranchers by their conservation land use values (LUVs...
Gigliotti, Larry M.; Lily A. Sweikert Flow-ecology relationships are spatially structured and differ among flow regimes
In streams, hydrology is a predominant driver of ecological structure and function. Providing adequate flows to support aquatic life, or environmental flows, is therefore a top management priority in stream systems. Flow regime classification is a widely accepted approach for establishing environmental flow guidelines. However, it is surprisingly...
Magoulick, Daniel D. Pitfall traps: A review of methods for estimating arthropod abundance
Pitfall traps are commonly used in diet studies for insectivorous and omnivorous wildlife. Pitfall trap methodologies and designs vary tremendously among studies and investigators, and this variation and lack of standardization limits scientists’ abilities to compare their results to others. We conducted a literature review to identify the most...
Conway, Courtney J.; Hohbein, Rhianna Public acceptability of development in the Northern Forest of Vermont, USA – the influence of wildlife information, recreation involvement, and demographic characteristics
Increasing development such as roads and houses will alter future landscapes and result in biological, social, and economic trade-offs. Managing development requires information on the public’s acceptability of development and understanding which factors shape acceptability. In this study, we examined three questions: 1) What is the public’s...
Jessica Espenshade; James Murdoch; Donovan, Therese M.; Robert Manning; Charles Bettigale; John Austin River reach restored by dam removal offers suitable spawning habitat for endangered Shortnose Sturgeon
The lowermost dam on the Penobscot River, Maine, was removed in 2013, making new habitat available for migratory fish. There is no evidence that endangered Shortnose Sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum have spawned in the Penobscot River in recent years, but dam removal has facilitated access to potential freshwater habitat essential for spawning....
Zydlewski, Joseph D.; Catherine Johnston; Gayle Barbin Zydlewski; Sean Smith; Michael T. Kinnison Incorporating productivity as a measure of fitness into models of breeding area quality of Arctic peregrine falcons
Using empirical location data from individuals to model habitat quality and species distributions is valuable towards understanding habitat use of wildlife, especially for conservation and management planning. Incorporating measures of reproductive success or survival into these models helps address the role of vital rates (a surrogate of fitness...
Andersen, David; Jason E. Bruggeman; Ted Swem; Patricia L. Kennedy; Debora Nigro Modeling White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) populations to assess commercial harvest influence on age structure
Commercial harvest of White Suckers Catostomus commersonii for bait in the American Lobster Homarus americanus industry is minimally regulated in Maine and there are concerns as to the influence of increasing harvest. We built a population model using parameters (i.e. age-specific mortality, age at maturity, and size-specific fecundity) from...
Zydlewski, Joseph D.; Begley, Meg; Stephen Coghlan Jr. Climate change implications for irrigation and groundwater in the Republican River Basin, U.S.A.
This study investigates the influence of climate change on groundwater availability, and thereby, irrigation across political boundaries within the United States’ High Plains aquifer. A regression model is developed to predict changes in irrigation according to predicted changes in precipitation and temperature from a downscaled dataset of 32...
Ou, Gengxin; Munoz-Arriola, F.; Uden, D.R.; Martin, D. R.; Allen, Craig R.; Shank, N. Survival and cause-specific mortality of desert bighorn sheep lambs
Juvenile recruitment in desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) is highly variable, yet the mechanisms driving neonate survival are not well understood for the species. Few studies have equipped desert bighorn sheep lambs with radiocollars. As a result, definitive data on cause-specific mortality and lamb survival estimates are lacking...
Cain, James W.; REBEKAH C. KARSCH; Goldstein, Elise J.; Rominger, Eric M.; William R. Gould Estimating forest canopy cover dynamics in Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico, using LiDAR and Landsat data
Increasing tree canopy cover has led to increasing wildfire activity in conifer dominated areas of the southwestern United States. Estimating historical changes in the spatial distribution of tree canopy cover can provide further insights into the dynamics of forest and fuel conditions in these landscapes and help prioritize...
Cain, James W.; Kamal Humagain1; Carlos Portillo-Quintero1; Robert D. Cox1 A values-based private landowner typology to improve grassland conservation initiatives
Many conservation initiatives are based on natural science alone, despite an extensive body of literature demonstrating that the incorporation of social science generates more successful and lasting outcomes. The Land Use Value (LUV) scale is an example of a social science tool that grassland conservation practitioners can use to improve their...
Sweikert, Lily A.; Gigliotti, Larry M. How Minnesota wolf hunter and trapper attitudes and risk- and benefit-based beliefs predict wolf management preferences
In 2012, Minnesota’s first-ever regulated wolf hunting and trapping season occurred. Research has suggested that beliefs about risks and benefits associated with carnivores affect their acceptance. Using results from a 2013 mail survey of hunters and trappers who participated in the season, we employed mediation analysis to examine how risk- and...
Schroeder, Susan A.; Fulton, David C.; Cornicelli, Louis; Bruskotter, Jeremy T.Under the guidelines of the Cooperative Research Agreement, CRU is required to communicate with funders, cooperators, stakeholders, and the public. CRU maintains outreach pathways and participation among state, federal, university, and private researchers.
Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Student with Black Bear Cub
The USGS Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit teams are capturing and marking black bears in the Ozark and Ouachita regions of Oklahoma.
In the Driver’s Seat
Student dusts the Model A Ford coupe used by USGS scientists from the 1930s to 1965.
USGS Volunteer Student at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum
The Smithsonian Natural History Museum offers hands-on learning experiences.
Student volunteer works in the USGS libraries map collection
Student volunteer explores the historic USGS map collection.
Pallid Sturgeon
The pallid sturgeon is an endangered riverine sturgeon with historical distribution restricted to parts of the Yellowstone, Missouri, Mississippi, and Atchafalaya Rivers. Although rare, pallid sturgeon in the lower Mississippi River appear to be naturally recruiting, and information about habitat use is important to conserve this species. This study seeks to provide
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