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Rocky Mountain Region

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin includes the States of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. USGS Science Centers in the Region conduct interdisciplinary research and monitoring related to natural resources, ecology, climate, and natural hazards. Data, analyses, and tools developed by USGS staff help stakeholders to make sustainable management decisions.

News

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A new management framework to balance competing species’ conservation needs

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Collaborative Research Between FORT Scientist Jill Baron and the Rocky Mountain National Park Featured in the Continental Divide Research Learning Center's September Newsletter

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Tribal Engagement Series: Drought in the Colorado River Basin

Publications

Regression equations for estimating the 4-day, 3-year low-flow frequency and adjusted harmonic mean streamflow at ungaged sites for unregulated, perennial streams in New Mexico

The Federal Clean Water Act stipulates that States adopt water-quality standards to protect and enhance the quality of water in those States and to protect water quality through the creation of planning documents and discharge permits. Critical low-flow values, including the 4-day, 3-year low-flow frequency (4Q3) and harmonic mean streamflows, are necessary for developing those planning documents
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Meghan T. Bell, Anne C. Tillery

PopEquus: a predictive modeling tool to support management decisions for free-roaming horse populations

Feral horse (Equus caballus) population management is a challenging problem around the world because populations often exhibit density-independent growth, can exert negative ecological effects on ecosystems, and require great cost to be managed. However, strong value-based connections between people and horses cause contention around management decisions. To help make informed decisions, natural r
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Brian Patrick Folt, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, L. Stefan Ekernas, David R. Edmunds, Mark T. Hannon

Can the mining industry meet global demand for critical minerals?

No abstract available.
Authors
Jeffrey L. Mauk, Jonathan Andrew Funk, Nick Karl

Science

Prioritizing restoration and conservation of sagebrush ecosystems in northwestern Colorado

We are working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to pilot an expansion of the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET; Duchardt et al. 2021) across northwestern Colorado. We are in the initial phase of a two-phase project where we are leveraging existing data resources to provide customized scenarios that directly guide landscape-scale conservation delivery by CPW. This...
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Prioritizing restoration and conservation of sagebrush ecosystems in northwestern Colorado

We are working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to pilot an expansion of the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET; Duchardt et al. 2021) across northwestern Colorado. We are in the initial phase of a two-phase project where we are leveraging existing data resources to provide customized scenarios that directly guide landscape-scale conservation delivery by CPW. This...
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Identifying Chains of Consequences and Interventions for Post-fire Hazards and Impacts to Resources and Ecosystems

As part of a broader USGS project on Post-fire Hazards and Impacts to Resources and Ecosystems (PHIRE): Support for Response, Recovery, and Mitigation, the PHIRE social science team convenes stakeholders involved in post-fire hazard science and decision-making to identify potential consequences resulting from post-fire hazard scenarios along with strategies to reduce the likelihood or severity of...
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Identifying Chains of Consequences and Interventions for Post-fire Hazards and Impacts to Resources and Ecosystems

As part of a broader USGS project on Post-fire Hazards and Impacts to Resources and Ecosystems (PHIRE): Support for Response, Recovery, and Mitigation, the PHIRE social science team convenes stakeholders involved in post-fire hazard science and decision-making to identify potential consequences resulting from post-fire hazard scenarios along with strategies to reduce the likelihood or severity of...
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Synthesis and Forecasts of Piñon-Juniper Woodland Die-off

Drought, hotter temperatures, and insect outbreaks are affecting dryland ecosystems across the globe. Pinon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are a widespread vegetation type common to drylands of North America, which have been hit particularly hard by a warming climate. Specifically, mass tree die-off events are transforming PJ woodland structure, composition, and distributions. This project aims to...
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Synthesis and Forecasts of Piñon-Juniper Woodland Die-off

Drought, hotter temperatures, and insect outbreaks are affecting dryland ecosystems across the globe. Pinon-juniper (PJ) woodlands are a widespread vegetation type common to drylands of North America, which have been hit particularly hard by a warming climate. Specifically, mass tree die-off events are transforming PJ woodland structure, composition, and distributions. This project aims to...
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