Images

Mountains of Western Canada overlooking an extensive coniferous forest and young trees.

Coniferous forest and high glacial peaks along a mountain lake.

Coniferous forest and high glacial peaks along a mountain lake.

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center is working to develop an oral vaccine to protect the endangered black-footed ferret from plague.

USGS scientist Robert Al-Chokhachy places a pit tag in a trout to track movement.

Tecate cypress regeneration, showing charred, open cones on the branches of a dead cypress (top right of photo). Tecate cypress cones are serotinous, meaning they open in response to fire. 

USGS scientists (L to R) Ross Abbett and Rich Chiavelli watch as hundreds of salmon swim into troughs at the NY State Salmon River Fish Hatchery.

Thousands of young Atlantic salmon are being released into Salmon River in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population, extending the sport fishing season by at least two months in Oswego County, N.Y.

Thousands of young Atlantic salmon are being released into Salmon River in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population, extending the sport fishing season by at least two months in Oswego County, N.Y.

Thousands of young Atlantic salmon are being released into Salmon River in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population, extending the sport fishing season by at least two months in Oswego County, N.Y.

USGS employee Marisa Lubeck releases the day's last young Atlantic salmon into Beaverdam Brook in Altmar, N.Y.

Thousands of young Atlantic salmon are being released into Salmon River in an effort to restore this diminished Lake Ontario fish population, extending the sport fishing season by at least two months in Oswego County, N.Y.

A rainbow trout rests among cobble substrate in Panther Creek downstream of Big Deer Creek, central Idaho. Panther Creek was severely damaged by heavy metals released from mining and milling activities at the former Blackbird Mine, and water quality in this section of the stream was acutely lethal to fish as late as 1985.

A rainbow trout rests among substrate in Panther Creek upstream of Big Deer Creek, central Idaho. Panther Creek was severely damaged by heavy metals released from mining and milling activities at the former Blackbird Mine. USGS and other scientists compiled a 30-year record of recovery of the stream’s fish and macroinvertebrate populations.

Panther Creek was severely damaged by heavy metals released from mining and milling activities at the former Blackbird Mine. USGS and other scientists compiled a 30-year record of recovery of the stream’s fish and macroinvertebrate populations.

A green frog blends in well in a grassy wetland. ARMI photo by Mark Roth. Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, Wisconsin

View of the Auwahi reforestation area fence line with native species on the left and invasive grassland on the right.

View of trees in the Auwahi reforestation area with glimpses of the invasive grassland in the distance.

River lamprey (L. Ayresii) ammoceote tail pattern.

An Agassiz's desert tortoise hides in a burrow; a radio transmitter is attached to its shell as part of a USGS study.

Eyed juvenile river lamprey (Lampetra ayresii) caught in Skagit River smolt trap, 2011.

Photograph of sandbar about 45 miles downstream from Lees Ferry, Arizona showing river party camping on large sandbar deposited by the 2008 high-flow experiment (left) and again in August 2011 (right) when the size of the sandbar and campsite was much smaller. USGS photos, public domain.