Images

The orange, coiled seashell of Olivella semistriata with the aperture (shell opening) facing up. Photograph taken 2002 or earlier.

A pair of Caracolus sagemon.

A USGS biological science technician releases an adult golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) near Barrett Reservoir in southern California.

Location: Near Barrett Reservoir, San Diego County, California. Photo provided courtesy of photographer. Contact photographer for use.

A USGS biological science technician holds an adult golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) ready for release. The USGS uses solar-powered GPS tags and special 3-D mapping techniques to track the eagles' movements across the landscape.

A USGS biological science technician holds an adult golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) ready for release. The USGS uses solar-powered GPS tags and special 3-D mapping techniques to track the eagles' movements across the landscape.

Taking a break in the fog on the San Joaquin River while trawling aboard the USGS Research Vessel Munson II.

Ecosystems are changing at a rapid pace. It can be difficult to determine if a landscape is in need of restoration. In this photo of the spring wildflower bloom in the Sonoran desert, an invasive annual grass, Bromus rubens (red brome), is pervasive. Land managers have to make decisions about when, where, and how to intervene in a system.

A monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) resting and sunning at an overwintering site in the Piedra Herrada Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Mexico. This individual is a male, identifiable by the black spot on each hindwing.

A group of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) covers an oyamel fir tree (Abies religiosa) at an overwintering site in the Piedra Herrada Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Mexico.

Image of whitebark pine cone and seeds.

Biologists with IGBST and the National Park Service fit a grizzly bear with a radio collar.  Once a bear is radio collared, biologists can track its movements with telemetry.

Once a grizzly bear is radio collared, biologists can track its movements with telemetry via airplane.  The IGBST also used the latest telemetry technologies, which allows downloading of GPS data from the radio collar via satellites.

Biologists place a culvert trap in locations that they need data from.  Field crews will set up the culvert trap and check it daily, usually in the morning, to determine if a bear has been captured.  Additionally, trap doors are checked via radio telemetry. 

Biologists use road-killed ungulates such as deer, elk, or bison as bait in the traps. 

At capture sites with road access, biologists drive to a trap with a bear inside to set up for collecting biological data. 

Biologists have immobilized the bear and prepare to lift it out of the trap and onto the tarp for data collection.  Once on the tarp the bear is easier to move. 

Biologists are very careful to keep the grizzly bear under shade and protected from the elements while they collect biological data.  Vital signs are monitored throughout the handling period. 

The kerchief over the grizzly bear’s eyes protects it from dust and debris and reduces visual stimulation. The small tubing in its nose, known as a nasal cannula, delivers oxygen to the animal while it is tranquilized.  

Field personnel use bioelectrical impedance to assess body fat percentage of captured bears.  The procedure is similar to how body fat is measured in humans and is based on the resistance of body tissues to the flow of a small, harmless electrical signal.

Biologists measure a grizzly bear’s body length.

Biologists measure a grizzly bear’s paw width.