Brigitta Urban-Mathieux
Biography
Gita is the Federal Liaison for the USGS National Geospatial Program. Previously, she worked for FGDC Secretariat coordinating efforts to implement portfolio management of the A-16 National Geospatial Data Assets and leading the NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program. From 1997-2006, she was the content coordinator for the National Atlas of the US. She joined the USGS in 1988 to lead research in geographic/cartographic processes.
Education
Master of Science, Remote Sensing and Cartography - University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Bachelor of Arts, Geography - University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA
Science and Products
The National Map
We provide America with high-quality topographic data and maps for advancing science, supporting government, and enlightening citizens. By providing seamless, publicly accessible, and comprehensive coverage of the nation's landscape, it is your source for topographic information.
Methodology and technical input for the 2021 review and revision of the U.S. Critical Minerals List
Pursuant to Section 7002 (“Mineral Security”) of Title VII (“Critical Minerals”) of the Energy Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–260, December 27, 2020, 116th Cong.), the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, is tasked with reviewing and revising the methodology used to evaluate mineral criticality and the...
Nassar, Nedal T.; Fortier, Steven M.
Survival and growth of suckers in mesocosms at three locations within Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2018
Executive SummaryDue to high mortality in the first year or two of life, Lost River (Deltistes luxatus sp.) and Shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris sp.) in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon rarely reach maturity. In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began the Sucker Assisted Rearing Program (SARP) to improve early life survival before...
Burdick, Summer M.; Conway, Carla M.; Ostberg, Carl O.; Bart, Ryan J.; Elliott, Diane G.
Hydraulic characterization of carbonate-rock and basin-fill aquifers near Long Canyon, Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada
Understanding groundwater flow and pumping effects near pending mining operations requires accurate subsurface hydraulic characterization. To improve conceptual models of groundwater flow and development in the complex hydrogeologic system near Long Canyon Mine, in northwestern Goshute Valley, northeastern Nevada, the U.S. Geological Survey...
Garcia, C. Amanda; Halford, Keith J.; Gardner, Philip M.; Smith, David W.
The demographic and ecological factors shaping diversification among rare Astragalus species
AimEvolutionary radiations are central to the origin and maintenance of biodiversity, yet we rarely understand how they are jointly shaped by demography and ecological opportunity. Astragalus is the largest plant genus in the world and is disproportionately comprised of rare species restricted to narrow geographic and ecological regions...
Jones, Matthew Richard; Winkler, Daniel E.; Massatti, Robert Implications of zoonoses from hunting and use of wildlife in North American arctic and boreal biomes: Pandemic potential, monitoring, and mitigation
The COVID-19 pandemic has re-focused attention on mechanisms that lead to zoonotic disease spillover and spread. Commercial wildlife trade, and associated markets, are recognized mechanisms for zoonotic disease emergence, resulting in a growing global conversation around reducing human disease risks from spillover associated with hunting, trade,...
Keatts, Lucy; Robards, Martin D.; Olson, Sarah H.; Hueffer, Karsten; Insley, Stephen; Joly, Damien O.; Kutz, Susan; Lee, David S.; Chetkiewicz, Cheryl-Lesley B.; Lair, Stephane; Preston, Nicholas D.; Pruvot, Martin; Ray, Justina C.; Reid, Donald; Sleeman, Jonathan M.; Stimmelmayr, Raphaela; Stephen, Craig; Walzer, Chris Enigmatic near‐extirpation in a boreal toad metapopulation in northwestern Montana
North America's protected lands harbor biodiversity and provide habitats where species threatened by a variety of stressors in other environments can thrive. Yet disease, climate change, and other threats are not limited by land management boundaries and can interact with conditions within protected landscapes to affect sensitive populations. We...
McCaffery, Rebecca; Russell, Robin E.; Hossack, Blake R.
U.S. Geological Survey—Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center 2019–20 research activity report
The mission of Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is to provide scientific information needed to conserve and manage the Nation’s natural capital for current and future generations, with an emphasis on migratory birds, Department of the Interior trust resources, and ecosystems of the Nation’s interior. This report provides an overview of...
Sherfy, Mark H. Postwildfire soil‐hydraulic recovery and the persistence of debris flow hazards
Deadly and destructive debris flows often follow wildfire, but understanding of changes in the hazard potential with time since fire is poor. We develop a simulation‐based framework to quantify changes in the hydrologic triggering conditions for debris flows as postwildfire infiltration properties evolve through time. Our approach produces time‐...
Thomas, Matthew A.; Rengers, Francis K.; Kean, Jason W.; McGuire, Luke A.; Staley, Dennis M.; Barnhart, Katherine (Katy) Ruth; Ebel, Brian A. Anthropogenic edge effects in habitat selection by sun bears in a protected area
Wildlife populations in southeast Asia are increasingly experiencing a broad array of anthropogenic threats, and mammalian carnivores are particularly vulnerable. Populations of the Malayan sun bear Helarctos malayanus are estimated to have declined by 30% over the last 30 years from forest conversion to industrial plantations and...
Tee, T. L; van Manen, Frank T.; Kretzschmar, P.; Sharp, S. P.; Wong, S. T.; Gadas, S.; Ratnayeke, S. Understanding sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes prior to broad implementation of sea lamprey control
Control of invasive sea lamprey in the Great Lakes with a selective pesticide (lampricide) that targeted larval sea lamprey began in the late 1950's and continues to be one of the main methods for control. Although the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, which was formed with the mandate of controlling sea lamprey, often expresses the success of the...
Robinson, Kelly F.; Miehls, Scott M.; Siefkes, Michael J. The precarious position of wildlife conservation funding in the United States
The Pittman-Robertson Act was established in 1937 to fund state-based wildlife conservation through an existing excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition. Because these items were purchased mostly by hunters at the time, they were the user group primarily funding wildlife conservation. Subsequent amendments to Pittman-Robertson expanded the...
Duda, Mark D.; Beppler, Tom; Austen, Douglas S.; Organ, John F.
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2020 annual report
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) monitors volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with the Yellowstone magmatic system, conducts research into magmatic processes occurring beneath Yellowstone Caldera, and issues timely warnings and guidance related to potential future geologic hazards. This report summarizes the activities and...