FORT Updates: From Plains to Peaks - Vol. 3 | Issue 1
FORT 2024: A year in review
Learn about FORT's many new products and accomplishments from 2024
Hot off the Press
Recent publications, events, and other news from the Fort Collins Science Center.
Don’t eat that cookie! We need it for science.
How scientists use “tree cookies” and “root cookies” to study ecosystems
Stopping invaders at the doorstep: FORT researchers launch version 4.0 of the Invasive Species Habitat Tool
In a new version of the Invasive Species Habitat Tool (INHABIT 4.0), USGS scientists worked with resource managers to update the tool with occurrence, abundance, and high abundance predictions for 259 problematic invasive plant species in the contiguous United States.
Explore forty-two years of field notes from the Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park
USGS recently released 42 years (1981-2023) of scanned field notebooks from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Researchers map rates of change in invasive annual grass cover and corresponding management implications across the sagebrush biome
The continued proliferation of invasive annual grasses could re-shape ecosystems by diminishing native vegetation and increasing the spread and consequences of wildland fires. This manuscript describes rates of change in invasive annual grass cover from 1987–2021, and the ways in which rates of change in cover can be used to inform invasive annual grass management in sagebrush ecosystems.
Ecological benefits and risks of fuel breaks vary across the sagebrush biome
Fuel breaks – strips of land managed for reduced flammability – are designed to aid wildfire suppression and management. However, construction of fuel breaks may reduce wildlife habitat and introduce invasive species to ecosystems. In a new study published in Fire Ecology, USGS and Colorado State University researchers investigated these potential trade-offs of fuel breaks in sagebrush ecosystems.
Considering current ecosystem condition in restoration planning
Restoration planning requires managers to weigh the potential benefits and costs of restoration action at a site. Sometimes, managers use structured, mathematical algorithms to decide where to focus restoration efforts. However, these algorithms do not always consider the current condition of ecosystems, instead focusing on the potential value of the resulting (desired) ecosystem.
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Fort Collins Science Center hosts the Third Annual Big Rivers Data Integration Workshop
The Fort Collins Science Center hosted the Third Annual Big Rivers Data Integration Workshop December 4-5 combining efforts by scientists at FORT, Colorado State University, and the NPS Northern Colorado Plateau Network to integrate ecological and hydrologic data on the Green River, Utah.
USGS researchers and collaborators organize two-day webinar series on bat acoustic data analyses for North American Native nations
In collaboration with the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS) and Mr. Roger Rodriguez of Oregon State University (OSU), Dr. Ernest Valdez of the USGS Fort Collins Science Center co-organized and provided a free, two-day (30-31 October 2024) webinar series on bat acoustic data analyses for Native nations of eastern and western North America.
FORT scientists facilitate staff engagement in BLM National Monument Science Strategies, Cotoni-Coast Dairies
Scientists from the Fort Collins Science Center organized a site visit with staff from the BLM Central Coast Field Office in California to encourage collaboration on a new Science Strategy for Cotoni-Coast Dairies, an onshore unit of the California Coastal National Monument.
Learn More
Find our science and connect with our researchers.
Publications
FORT scientists have produced more than 1,500 peer reviewed publications that are registered in the USGS Publications Warehouse, along with many others prior to their work at the USGS or in conjunction with other government agencies.
Data
Our interdisciplinary, integrated science teams develop various data sets in support of the USGS mission areas. This information then aids natural resource managers in decision making and support of the complex issues they face in today's world. The data and tools listed here are official USGS data releases.
Connect
The majority of our staff call Fort Collins, Colorado their home, but work all over the United States. FORT research and support staff work from one of four duty stations: in Colorado, at the Fort Collins Science Center or Denver Federal Center; in New Mexico, at the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station; or in Florida, at the USGS Everglades Research Offices.