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Bumblebee queen collecting pollen and nectar from a thistle at Thomas Hill Reservoir Conservation Area in August 2017.
Bumblebee queen collecting pollen and nectar from a thistle at Thomas Hill Reservoir Conservation Area, Missouri, in August 2017.
Bumblebee queen collecting pollen and nectar from a thistle at Thomas Hill Reservoir Conservation Area, Missouri, in August 2017.
landscape of red alder with evergreen trees
Red alder landscape
Red alder landscape
Red alder landscape

Looking out over a red alder forest with evergreen trees at Cascade Head Preserve in Oregon.

Looking out over a red alder forest with evergreen trees at Cascade Head Preserve in Oregon.

Four USGS scientists on a canoe sampling pore water water
Sampling pore water from canoe downgradient of Bemidji oil spill
Sampling pore water from canoe downgradient of Bemidji oil spill
Sampling pore water from canoe downgradient of Bemidji oil spill

Four USGS scientists sampling pore water from a canoe in un-named lake approximately 340 meters downgradient of the Bemidji, Minnesota crude oil spill site.

Blowing dust in a fallowed agricultural field in central Arizona.
Bare Ground = Blowing Dust
Bare Ground = Blowing Dust
Bare Ground = Blowing Dust

Across the desert Southwest, ground void of plant material is prone to soil erosoin and dust storms. In this fallowed agricultural field, we see that a spring breeze can carry away fertile top soil and create air quality concerns.

Across the desert Southwest, ground void of plant material is prone to soil erosoin and dust storms. In this fallowed agricultural field, we see that a spring breeze can carry away fertile top soil and create air quality concerns.

Woman leaning over collecting sturgeon free embryos outside
Collecting Sturgeon Free Embryos
Collecting Sturgeon Free Embryos
Collecting Sturgeon Free Embryos

A biological science technician collects pallid sturgeon free embryos from the sampling nets in the experimental streams at the Columbia Environmental Research Center.

A biological science technician collects pallid sturgeon free embryos from the sampling nets in the experimental streams at the Columbia Environmental Research Center.

A female scientists overlooks swimming chambers for pallid sturgeon
Preparing Swim Chambers
Preparing Swim Chambers
Preparing Swim Chambers

A biological science technician prepares the swim chambers to assess the swimming abilities of young pallid sturgeon.

A biological science technician prepares the swim chambers to assess the swimming abilities of young pallid sturgeon.

 Assessing the spawning movement and habitat needs of riverine Neosho smallmouth bass
Assessing the spawning movement and habitat needs in Utah
Assessing the spawning movement and habitat needs in Utah
Assessing the spawning movement and habitat needs in Utah

Limited information is available about the movements of riverine smallmouth bass in landscapes with prevalent river-reservoir interfaces. This lack of information is especially problematic for the Neosho subspecies of smallmouth bass given the distribution covers an interwoven landscape of rivers and reservoirs.

Limited information is available about the movements of riverine smallmouth bass in landscapes with prevalent river-reservoir interfaces. This lack of information is especially problematic for the Neosho subspecies of smallmouth bass given the distribution covers an interwoven landscape of rivers and reservoirs.

Varied Chesapeake Bay landscapes
To Foresee Chesapeake Bay’s Future, Scientists Look to the Land
To Foresee Chesapeake Bay’s Future, Scientists Look to the Land
To Foresee Chesapeake Bay’s Future, Scientists Look to the Land

A montage of four Chesapeake Bay aerial photos. L-R: A waterfront residential community; row crops bordered by forest; Baltimore Harbor; piers and crab pots in a waterfront fishing community.

A montage of four Chesapeake Bay aerial photos. L-R: A waterfront residential community; row crops bordered by forest; Baltimore Harbor; piers and crab pots in a waterfront fishing community.

A small brow bat with its wings outstretched.
Vampire Bat
Vampire Bat
Vampire Bat

Vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) are the primary spreader of rabies, a lethal disease that harms livestock and people across Latin America, where this bat lives. 

Vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) are the primary spreader of rabies, a lethal disease that harms livestock and people across Latin America, where this bat lives. 

Measurement stakes are carried across Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana, during spring mass balance field work.
Measurement stakes are carried across Sperry Glacier in Glacier NP.
Measurement stakes are carried across Sperry Glacier in Glacier NP.
Measurement stakes are carried across Sperry Glacier in Glacier NP.

Measurement stakes are carried across Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana, during spring mass balance field work in 2019.

Researchers at Sperry Glacier
Researchers at Sperry Glacier
Researchers at Sperry Glacier
Researchers at Sperry Glacier

Researchers get organized to begin mass balance field work after skiing to Sperry Glacier.

Researchers get organized to begin mass balance field work after skiing to Sperry Glacier.

Researchers on Sperry Glacier
Researchers on Sperry Glacier
Researchers on Sperry Glacier
Researchers on Sperry Glacier

Researchers get organized to begin mass balance field work after skiing to Sperry Glacier.

Sperry Glacier snow core
Sperry Glacier snow core
Sperry Glacier snow core
Sperry Glacier snow core

Snow core measurements help scientists determine snow density, which is used to determine the mass balance of Sperry Glacier.

Snow core measurements help scientists determine snow density, which is used to determine the mass balance of Sperry Glacier.

An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle was recently observed in the Mojave Desert.
An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle
An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle
An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle

An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle was recently observed by USGS scientists and staff from The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in the Mojave Desert. Turtles of this population have rarely been seen since the late 1990s.

An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle was recently observed by USGS scientists and staff from The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in the Mojave Desert. Turtles of this population have rarely been seen since the late 1990s.

Phragmites under stress in Pass A Loutre, Louisiana
High stakes, big questions in marsh grass die-back
High stakes, big questions in marsh grass die-back
High stakes, big questions in marsh grass die-back

Brown patches and brown stems show stress in this phagmites (roseau cane) stand in Pass A Loutre Wildlife Management Area, a tract of state-owned land in Louisiana's bird foot delta, where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico. An ongoing phragmites was first discovered in spring 2017 and blamed on an invasive scale insect from Asia.

Brown patches and brown stems show stress in this phagmites (roseau cane) stand in Pass A Loutre Wildlife Management Area, a tract of state-owned land in Louisiana's bird foot delta, where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico. An ongoing phragmites was first discovered in spring 2017 and blamed on an invasive scale insect from Asia.

a field at the base of hills with short green grass, in the middle is a perfect square that is brown and missing grass
Experimental herbicide treatment plot in Idaho
Experimental herbicide treatment plot in Idaho
Experimental herbicide treatment plot in Idaho

The Wildcat experimental treatment site in southwest Idaho at the base of the Owyhee Mountains. The brown square was treated with pre-emergent herbicide and is free of cheatgrass, a few native perennial bunchgrasses were able to establish. This image was taken the first Spring after treatment.

The Wildcat experimental treatment site in southwest Idaho at the base of the Owyhee Mountains. The brown square was treated with pre-emergent herbicide and is free of cheatgrass, a few native perennial bunchgrasses were able to establish. This image was taken the first Spring after treatment.

Water quality sampling near Horn Creek
USGS scientist collects water quality parameters from Horn Creek, a small side drainage in Grand Canyon in April, 2017
USGS scientist collects water quality parameters from Horn Creek, a small side drainage in Grand Canyon in April, 2017
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