A. R. Siders, C.M. Brook,, A.E. Cravens, R.L. Nelson, D.R. Reineman & N. Ulibarri. "How to beat isolation? Academic feedback groups fit the bill, and promote growth as scholars and humans." Nature 582, 597-598 (2020), doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-01432-3
Amanda E Cravens, Ph.D.
Biography
Amanda Cravens is a Research Social Scientist at the USGS Fort Collins Science Center. Her interdisciplinary research interests include the translation of scientific information into decision making, policies and institutions that influence environmental management, and understanding the cognitive and social processes that make decision support tools work effectively. Amanda's disciplinary training includes geography, policy/institutional analysis, and the learning sciences. Her research spans resource areas, with recent and current projects focusing on decision support for coastal hazards, human dimensions of ecological drought, socioeconomic aspects of water availability, and land manager decision making in the face of ecological transformation. She is also very interested in the practice of interdisciplinary science and has served as a member of multiple working groups as well as published on the role of creativity in science.
Education
Ph.D. Environment and Resources, Stanford University, 2014
M.A. Geography, University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand), 2008
B.A. History, Swarthmore College, 2004
Professional Experience
Research Social Scientist, USGS Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO (2017-present)
Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow (Social Science), USGS Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO (2015-2017)
Early Career Fellow, Gould Center for Conflict Resolution, Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA (2014-2015)
Dachs Fellow, Stanford Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (2009-2014)
Information Architect and Web Editor, SustainAbility Ltd, London UK (2008-2009)
Fulbright Graduate Fellow (New Zealand) (2006-2008)
Internet Coordinator, Resources for the Future, Washington DC (2005-2007)
Affiliations
North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Fort Collins, CO (2015 to present)
Science and Products
Date published: May 5, 2021
Status: Active About the Social and Economic Analysis (SEA) Branch
The Social and Economic Analysis (SEA) branch is an interdisciplinary group of scientists whose primary functions are to conduct both theoretical and applied social science research, provide technical assistance, and offer training to support the development of skills in natural resource management activities.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: January 1, 2021
Status: Active Public land manager decision-making under ecological transformation
As pressures from climate change and other anthropogenic stressors, like invasive species, increase, new challenges arise for natural resource managers who are responsible for the health of public lands. One of the greatest challenges these managers face is that the traditional way of managing resources might not be as effective, or in some cases might be ineffective, in light of...
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: January 1, 2021
Status: Active Building Capacity for Actionable and Interdisciplinary Science across the Climate Adaptation Science Center Network
Actionable science has evolved rapidly over the last decade, and the Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) network has established itself as a leader in the field. The practice of actionable science is generally described as user-focused, action-oriented science that addresses pressing real-world climate adaptation challenges. It is also sometimes referred to as usable science,...
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: July 30, 2020
Status: Active So you want to build a decision support tool? Assessing successes, pitfalls, and lessons learned for tool design and development
The purpose of this study is to understand how the USGS is using decision support, learning from successes and pitfalls in order to help streamline the design and development process across all levels of USGS scientific tool creation and outreach. What should researchers consider before diving into tool design and development? Our goal is to provide a synthesis of lessons learned and best...
Contacts: Amanda E Cravens, Ph.D., Nicole M Herman-Mercer
Attribution: Community for Data Integration (CDI)
Date published: November 10, 2018
Status: Active Conservation Introductions: Enhancing Decision Support for the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Islands
This research effort is an interagency partnership between U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to systematically explore the issues, viewpoints, and concerns within the Service in relation to conservation introductions. Conservation introduction is the planned, intentional moving of species, populations or genotypes to a location outside a target’s native range.
Contacts: Nicholas Cole, Ph.D., Amanda E Cravens, Ph.D.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: July 6, 2018
Status: Active Designing and Evaluating Decision Support Tools (DSTs)
Effective environmental management requires integrating scientific information into complex decision making processes.
Contacts: Amanda E Cravens, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: July 6, 2018
Status: Active Human Dimensions of Ecological Drought
Ecological impacts of drought have been rarely considered compared to agricultural or municipal water supply effects.
Contacts: Amanda E Cravens, Ph.D.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: January 1, 2018
Status: Active Developing and Testing a Rapid Assessment Method for Understanding Key Social Factors of Ecological Drought Preparedness
Drought is a complex environmental hazard that impacts both ecological and social systems. Accounting for the role of human attitudes, institutions, and societal values in drought planning is important to help identify how various drought durations and severity may differentially affect social resilience to adequately respond to and manage drought impacts. While there have been successful past...
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: October 24, 2016
Status: Active Policy Analysis and Decision Support
Social and Economic Analysis Branch Social Scientists investigate the process of environmental decision making and how stakeholder engagement strategies, policies, institutions, and decision support tools influence management outcomes.
Contacts: Nina Burkardt, Amanda E Cravens, Ph.D.
Date published: August 29, 2016
Status: Active How and Why Upper Colorado River Basin Land, Water, and Fire Managers Choose to Use Drought Tools (or Not)
Preparing for and responding to drought requires integrating scientific information into complex decision making processes. In recognition of this challenge, regional drought early warning systems (DEWS) and related drought-information tools have been developed under the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS). Despite the existence of many tools and information sources, however...
Contacts: Amanda E Cravens, Ph.D.
Date published: January 1, 2016
Status: Completed How and Why Upper Colorado River Basin Land, Water, and Fire Managers Choose to Use Drought Tools
Preparing for and responding to drought requires integrating scientific information into complex decision making processes. In recognition of this challenge, regional drought early warning systems (DEWS) and related drought-information tools have been developed under the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS). Despite the existence of many tools and information sources, however...
Contacts: Amanda E Cravens, Ph.D.
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: January 1, 2016
Status: Completed Eco-drought Actionable Science Working Group
The USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC) is currently engaged in an Ecological Drought initiative, focused on understanding the impacts of drought on natural ecosystems across the country. This project was designed to support the Ecological Drought initiative by creating a USGS EcoDrought Actionable Science Working Group. The goal of this working group was to...
Contacts: Amanda E Cravens, Ph.D., Rudy Schuster, Ph.D.
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Year Published: 2021
Engaging with stakeholders to produce actionable science: A framework and guidance
Natural and cultural resource managers are increasingly working with the scientific community to create information on how best to adapt to the current and projected impacts of climate change. Engaging with these managers is a strategy that researchers can use to ensure that scientific outputs and findings are actionable (or useful and usable). In...
Bamzai, Aparna; Cravens, Amanda E.; Wade, Alisa; McPherson, Renee A.
Year Published: 2021
A typology of drought decision making: Synthesizing across cases to understand drought preparedness and response actions
Drought is an inescapable reality in many regions, including much of the western United States. With climate change, droughts are predicted to intensify and occur more frequently, making the imperative for drought management even greater. Many diverse actors – including private landowners, business owners, scientists, non-governmental...
Cravens, Amanda E.; Henderson, Jennifer; Friedman, Jack; Burkardt, Nina; Cooper, Ashley Elizabeth; Haigh, Tonya; Hayes, Michael; McEvoy, Jamie; Paladino, Stephanie; Wilke, Adam; Wilmer, HaileyAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2021
Integrating ecological impacts: Perspectives on drought in the Upper Missouri Headwaters, Montana, United States
Drought is a complex challenge experienced in specific locations through diverse impacts, including ecological impacts. Different professionals involved in drought preparedness and response approach the problem from different points of view, which means they may or may not recognize ecological impacts. This study examines the extent to which...
Cravens, Amanda E.; McEvoy, Jamie; Zoanni, Dionne; Crausbay, Shelley; Ramirez, Aaron R.; Cooper, Ashley Elizabeth
Year Published: 2020
Resist-accept-direct (RAD)-A framework for the 21st-century natural resource manager
An assumption of stationarity—i.e. “the idea that natural systems fluctuate within an unchanging envelope of variability” (Milly et al. 2008)—underlies traditional conservation and natural resource management, as evidenced by widespread reliance on ecological baselines to guide protection, restoration, and other management. Although ecological...
Schuurman, Gregor W.; Hawkins Hoffman, Cat; Cole, David N.; Lawrence, David J.; Morton, John M.; Magness, Dawn R.; Cravens, Amanda E.; Covington, Scott; O'Malley, Robin; Fisichelli, Nicholas A.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2019
Identifying characteristics of actionable science for drought planning and adaptation: Final report to the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center
Changing climate conditions can make water management planning and drought preparedness decisions more complicated than ever before. Resource managers can no longer rely solely on historical data and trends to base their actions, and are in need of science that is relevant to their specific needs and can directly inform important planning...
Wilke, Adam; Cravens, Amanda E.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2019
Intermountain west drought social science synthesis working group: Report to the National Climate Adaptation Science Center
Throughout the Intermountain West, there has been significant investment in understanding how social factors influence manager and citizen experiences of drought in particular locations. Yet there is still a gap in knowledge of how human dimensions of drought impacts, planning, and resilience are similar and different across cases and regions....
Wilke, Adam; Cravens, Amanda E.; O'Malley, RobinAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2019
Planning for ecological drought: Integrating ecosystem services and vulnerability assessment
As research recognizes the importance of ecological impacts of drought to natural and human communities, drought planning processes need to better incorporate ecological impacts. Drought planning currently recognizes the vulnerability of some ecological impacts from drought (e.g., loss of instream flow affecting fish populations). However,...
Raheem, Nejem; Cravens, Amanda E.; Cross, Molly S.; Crausbay, Shelley D.; Ramirez, Aaron R.; McEvoy, Jamie; Zoanni, Dionne; Bathke, Deborah J.; Hayes, Michael; Carter, Shawn; Rubenstein, Madeleine; Schwend, Ann; Hall, Kimberly R.; Paul Suberu
Year Published: 2018
How and why Upper Colorado River Basin land, water, and fire managers choose to use drought tools (or not)
On the Western Slope of Colorado, variable climate and precipitation conditions are typical. Periods of drought—which may be defined by lack of water, high temperatures, low soil moisture, or other indicators—cause a range of impacts across sectors, including water, land, and fire management.The Western Slope’s Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB)...
Cravens, Amanda E.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Cravens, A.E., 2018, How and why Upper Colorado River Basin land, water, and fire managers choose to use drought tools (or not): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1173, 60 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181173.
Year Published: 2018
Rivers are social–ecological systems: Time to integrate human dimensions into riverscape ecology and management
Incorporation of concepts from landscape ecology into understanding and managing riverine ecosystems has become widely known as riverscape ecology. Riverscape ecology emphasizes interactions among processes at different scales and their consequences for valued ecosystem components, such as riverine fishes. Past studies have focused strongly on...
Dunham, Jason B.; Angermeier, Paul L.; Crausbay, Shelley D.; Cravens, Amanda E.; Gosnell, Hannah; McEvoy, Jamie; Moritz, Max A.; Raheem, Nejem; Sanford, ToddAttribution: Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Dunham, J.B., Angermeier, P.L., Crausbay, S., Cravens, A., Gosnell, H., McEvoy, J., Moritz, M., Raheem, N., Sanford, T., 2018, Rivers are social–ecological systems- Time to integrate human dimensions into riverscape ecology and management: WIREs Water, p. online, https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1291.
Year Published: 2018
Ecological drought: Accounting for the non-human impacts of water shortage in the Upper Missouri Headwaters Basin, Montana, USA
Water laws and drought plans are used to prioritize and allocate scarce water resources. Both have historically been human-centric, failing to account for non-human water needs. In this paper, we examine the development of instream flow legislation and the evolution of drought planning to highlight the growing concern for the non-human impacts of...
McEvoy, Jamie; Bathke, Deborah J.; Burkardt, Nina; Cravens, Amanda E.; Haigh, Tonya; Hall, Kimberly R.; Hayes, Michael J.; Jedd, Theresa; Podebradska, Marketa; Wickham, ElliotAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
McEvoy, J.; Bathke, D.J.; Burkardt, N.; Cravens, A.E.; Haigh, T.; Hall, K.R.; Hayes, M.J.; Jedd, T.; Poděbradská, M.; Wickham, E. Ecological Drought: Accounting for the Non-Human Impacts of Water Shortage in the Upper Missouri Headwaters Basin, Montana, USA. Resources 2018, 7(1), 14.
Year Published: 2017
Defining ecological drought for the 21st century
No abstract available.
Crausbay, Shelley D.; Ramirez, Aaron R.; Carter, Shawn L.; Cross, Molly S.; Hall, Kimberly R.; Bathke, Deborah J.; Betancourt, Julio L.; Colt, Steve; Cravens, Amanda E.; Dalton, Melinda S.; Dunham, Jason B.; Hay, Lauren E.; Hayes, Michael J.; McEvoy, Jamie; McNutt, Chad A.; Moritz, Max A.; Nislow, Keith H.; Raheem, Nejem; Sanford, ToddAttribution: Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Land Resources, Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers
View Citation
Crausbay, S.D., A.R. Ramirez, S.L. Carter, M.S. Cross, K.R. Hall, D.J. Bathke, J.L. Betancourt, S. Colt, A.E. Cravens, M.S. Dalton, J.B. Dunham, L.E. Hay, M.J. Hayes, J. McEvoy, C.A. McNutt, M.A. Moritz, K.H. Nislow, N. Raheem, and T. Sanford, 0: Defining ecological drought for the 21st century. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 0, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-16-0292.1
Year Published: 2017
Crossing boundaries in a collaborative modeling workspace
There is substantial literature on the importance of bridging across disciplinary and science–management boundaries. One of the ways commonly suggested to cross boundaries is for participants from both sides of the boundary to jointly produce information (i.e., knowledge co-production). But simply providing tools or bringing people together in the...
Morisette, Jeffrey T.; Cravens, Amanda E.; Miller, Brian W.; Talbert, Marian; Talbert, Colin; Jarnevich, Catherine S.; Fink, Michelle; Decker, Karin; Odell, EricAttribution: North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Science Centers
View Citation
Morisette J.T., Cravens A.E., Miller B.W., Talbert M., Talbert C., Jarnevich C., Fink M., Decker K., Odell E.A.
Crossing Boundaries in a Collaborative Modeling Workspace
Society & Natural Resources2017-03-10T04:32:36Z
Pre-USGS Publications
Cravens, A. E., and N. M. Ardoin. 2016. Negotiating credibility and legitimacy in the shadow of an authoritative data source. Ecology and Society 21(4):30.
Moran, T., Cravens, A., Martinez, J., and Szeptycki, L. 2016. From the ground down: Understanding the groundwater data collection and sharing practices of local groundwater management agencies in California. Stanford, CA: Water in the West, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. https://woods.stanford.edu/publications/ground-down-understanding-local-groundwater-data-collection-and-sharing-practices
Gould, R., Ardoin, N.M., Biggar, M., Cravens, A.E., and Wojcik, D. 2016. Environmental behavior's dirty secret: The prevalence of waste management in discussions of environmental concern and action. Environmental Management. 58(2), 268–282. doi:10.1007/s00267-016-0710-6
Cravens, A.E. 2015. Negotiation and decision making with collaborative software: How the geospatial decision support tool MarineMap ‘changed the game’ in California’s Marine Life Protection Act Initiative. Environmental Management. 57(2), 474-497. doi: 10.1007/s00267-015-0615-9
Moran, T. and Cravens, A. 2015. California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014: Recommendations for preventing and resolving groundwater conflicts. Stanford, CA: Water in the West, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. http://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/SGMA_RecommendationsforGWConflicts_2.pdf
Cravens, A.E. 2014. Needs before tools: Using technology in environmental conflict resolution. Conflict Resolution Quarterly 32(1), 3–32. doi: 10.1002/crq.21071.
Cravens, A.E., Ulibarri, N., Cornelius, M., Royalty, A., and Nabergoj, A.S. 2014. Reflecting, iterating, and tolerating ambiguity: Highlighting the creative process of scientific and scholarly research for doctoral education. International Journal of Doctoral Studies 9, 229–247. http://ijds.org/Volume9/IJDSv9p229-247Cravens0637.pdf
Ulibarri, N., Cravens, A.E., Cornelius, M., Royalty, A., and Nabergoj, A.S. 2014. Research as design: Developing creative confidence in doctoral students through design thinking. International Journal of Doctoral Studies 9, 249–270. http://ijds.org/Volume9/IJDSv9p249-270Ulibarri0676.pdf
J.N. Kittinger, J.Z. Koehn, E. Le Cornu, N.C. Ban, M.H. Armsby, X. Basurto, C. Brooks, M.H. Carr, J.E. Cinner, A. Cravens, M. D’Iorio, A.L. Erickson, E.M. Finkbeiner, M.M. Foley, R. Fujita, S. Gelcich, M. Gopnik, L. Hazen, M. Lopuch, K. St. Martin, E.E. Prahler, D.R. Reineman, J. Shackeroff, C. White, M.R. Caldwell, L.B. Crowder. 2014. Putting people into ocean planning: a framework for incorporating social data. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 12(8), 448-456. doi:10.1890/130267.
Date published: September 2, 2021
New Framework Describes How Diverse Actors Make Drought Management Decisions
A recent study synthesizes drought case studies across the western U.S. to create a framework describing how diverse actors, from private landowners to federal resource managers, make complex decisions about preparing for and responding to drought.
Date published: April 30, 2021
Recordings Available: Ecological Drought National Webinar Series
The ecological drought webinar series was co-hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA's) National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) program and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Climate Adaptation Science Center, with expert speakers from the research community, tribal nations, and government agencies.
Date published: February 11, 2021
Next Generation of Women in Science
As part of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Fort Collins Science Center scientists volunteered to pass along personal and professional advice to the next generation of women and girls in science.
Date published: January 29, 2021
National Park Service, USGS Collaborate on Decision Framework for the 21st-century Natural Resource Manager
Fort Collins social scientists collaborated with several federal land management agency partners to publish Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD)—A Decision Framework for the 21st-century Natural Resource Manager. The report presents the RAD decision framework, a tool for land managers.