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Rocky Mountain Region

USGS Region 7 Staff support and advise USGS Science Centers that provide numerous stakeholders with vital information about spatial distribution and temporal trends in critical minerals, energy resources, geology, water resources, native plants and wildlife, and hazards posed by earthquakes and landslides in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and beyond.

News

USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in Southeast Wyoming, Northwest Colorado

USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in Southeast Wyoming, Northwest Colorado

New research highlights opportunities for enhacing amphibian occupancy in Rocky Mountain National Park

New research highlights opportunities for enhacing amphibian occupancy in Rocky Mountain National Park

Media Alert: Low-level helicopter flights to image geology over Wyoming and Colorado

Media Alert: Low-level helicopter flights to image geology over Wyoming and Colorado

Publications

Effects of nonmotorized recreation on ungulates in the western United States—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses

The U.S. Geological Survey is working with Federal land management agencies to develop a series of science syntheses to support National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyses. This report synthesizes science information about the potential effects of nonmotorized recreation on ungulates in the western United States. We conducted a structured literature search to find published science...
Authors
Samuel E. Jordan, Taylor R. Ganz, Tait K. Rutherford, Matthew J. Blocker, Christopher T. Domschke, Frederick L. Klasner, Elroy H. Masters, Tye A. Morgan, Daryl R. Ratajczak, Elisabeth C. Teige, Sarah K. Carter

Assessment of conventional and continuous oil and gas resources in the Mowry Composite Total Petroleum System in the Southwestern Wyoming Province, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah, 2024

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional and continuous resources of 473 million barrels of oil and 27 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Mowry Composite Total Petroleum System in the Southwestern Wyoming Province, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.
Authors
Jane S. Hearon, Christopher J. Schenk, Sarah E. Gelman, Benjamin G. Johnson, Jenny H. Lagesse, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Kira K. Timm, Ronald M. Drake, Andrea D. Cicero, Phuong A. Le

Are wildfire risk mitigators more prepared to evacuate? Insights from communities in the western United States

As the realized experiences of wildfires threatening communities increase, the importance of proactive evacuation preparation and wildfire risk mitigation on private property to reduce the loss of lives and property is shaping wildfire policy and programs. To date, research has focused on pre-wildfire evacuation preparation and risk mitigation independently. This paper examines the...
Authors
Grant Webster, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Patricia A. Champ, James Meldrum, Kelly Wallace, Colleen Donovan, Carolyn Wagner, Christopher M. Barth, Josh Kuehn, Suzanne Wittenbrink, Christine Taniguchi

Science

Fostering greater use of habitat models for managing rare and invasive plants on public lands

Habitat models can provide critical information on the current and potential distribution of plant species, as well as help target and support conservation efforts. Despite their potential utility in public land management, model use may be constrained by a variety of factors including staff access to and trust in models. In this project, we seek to bring together model users and model developers...
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Fostering greater use of habitat models for managing rare and invasive plants on public lands

Habitat models can provide critical information on the current and potential distribution of plant species, as well as help target and support conservation efforts. Despite their potential utility in public land management, model use may be constrained by a variety of factors including staff access to and trust in models. In this project, we seek to bring together model users and model developers...
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USGS Technical Transfer for Department of Defense Installations in the Sagebrush Biome

The USGS has initiated a new collaboration effort with Department of Defense (DoD) in the sagebrush biome. The goal of this effort is to establish a network with DoD resource managers to define pervasive natural resource issues facing DoD installations and to identify existing innovative USGS science and tools that support DoD resource managers. Through this effort, the USGS will provide subject...
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USGS Technical Transfer for Department of Defense Installations in the Sagebrush Biome

The USGS has initiated a new collaboration effort with Department of Defense (DoD) in the sagebrush biome. The goal of this effort is to establish a network with DoD resource managers to define pervasive natural resource issues facing DoD installations and to identify existing innovative USGS science and tools that support DoD resource managers. Through this effort, the USGS will provide subject...
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Monitoring Changes in Groundwater Quality at Jackson Hole Airport

USGS studies revealed that aircraft deicing fluids from Jackson Hole Airport negatively affected the water quality of the Snake River aquifer in northwestern Wyoming (Wright, 2013). In response, the airport implemented improved deicing management and infrastructure. A recent USGS study determined that the airport’s changes likely contributed to improvements in aquifer groundwater quality (Wright...
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Monitoring Changes in Groundwater Quality at Jackson Hole Airport

USGS studies revealed that aircraft deicing fluids from Jackson Hole Airport negatively affected the water quality of the Snake River aquifer in northwestern Wyoming (Wright, 2013). In response, the airport implemented improved deicing management and infrastructure. A recent USGS study determined that the airport’s changes likely contributed to improvements in aquifer groundwater quality (Wright...
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