Images

Vehicles drive on an elevated road segment that allows amphibians and reptiles to pass safely beneath and cross the road.

A weather station located in a sagebrush ecosystem in southwest Montana—a major ecosystem type managed by the Bureau of Land Management

USGS scientist Todd Preston using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).  USGS is actively exploring the use of small unmanned aerial system (aka drones) for scientific data collection and testing whether or not they are useful in monitoring wildlife.

A Yosemite toad on a road. Amphibians and reptiles are particularly susceptible to negative effects of roads within their habitat. Many are slow moving, do not avoid roads, and are simply too small for drivers to see and avoid. During rains many amphibians travel long distances regardless of the presence of intersecting roadways.

A Yosemite toad looks through mesh fencing alongside a road used to mitigate negative road impacts and guide amphibians towards safe passages.

Lionfish invasion (1985-2018). Lionfish invaded US Atlantic coastal waters, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico with unprecedented, alarming speed. Though reports of sightings date back to the 1980s, it is only recently that the species has exploded in numbers and range.

Threatened giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas). This semi-aquatic snake lives in rice fields and the remaining wetlands of California's Central Valley.

Examples of glide avalanches on Heaven's Peak, Glacier National Park.

A cyprus tree in Lake Drummond, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia

Heavens Peak in Glacier National Park, Montana containing numerous glide avalanches, which are highlighted by red arrows. 

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).

Isolated populations may benefit from different conservation and management activities. The least darter is a species of conservation concern that has two isolated populations occupying parts of the Arbuckle Mountain and Ozark Highlands ecoregions.

Photograph of a Brewer's Blackbird nest with three eggs.  Nest was found in Valley County, Montana near S. Bench Road.

A Berlese-Tullgren funnel system that is used for studying soil invertebrates. This laboratory technique causes soil invertebrates to move away from the soil surface as it is being warmed and dried by the lights above. The invertebrates are caught in jars of ethanol below the funnels, counted, and identified under a microscope.

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.

Sampling Striped Bass for diet items in the San Francisco Estuary.

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.

Greater White-fronted Goose marked with GSM/GPS collar is ready for release in the Sacramento Valley.

Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) float in Morro Bay, CA.

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.

Goose wearing a GPS collar around its neck flies over water