Dr. Cameron Aldridge is a research ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center. Dr. Aldridge's work focuses on the conservation and management of sage-grouse and their habitats.
Dr. Cameron Aldridge is a Research Ecologist with the US Geological Survey, based at the Fort Collins Science Center, who works in collaboration with the Natural Resource Ecology Lab at Colorado State University. He is also an Affiliate Research Scientist at NREL and an Affiliate Professor with ESS and GDPE.
His research is diverse, but he is best recognized as one of the foremost sage-grouse ecologists in the world. He has a large research program focused on understanding the conservation and management of Greater and Gunnison Sage-grouse and their habitats. His research team includes both undergraduate and graduate students, research associates, post-doctoral fellows, and research scientists, all of which collaborate to understand why sage-grouse populations have declined, what major factors affect resource conditions and quality for sage-grouse, what drives population dynamics. The Aldridge Lab works closely on these issues with state and federal partners, as well as NGOs, conservation groups and industry.
More broadly, research in the Aldridge Lab involves understanding animal-habitat relationships, with an emphasis on conservation ecology and population demography. Researchers in the lab are addressing the effects of energy development, land-use change, and climate change on conserving wildlife populations, their habitats, and the ecosystems they inhabit. Species that we are currently studying include songbirds and small mammals, snakes and lizards, and grouse, such as white-tailed ptarmigan and sage-grouse. We also work with plant communities and exotic invasive plants, understanding how external drivers such as climate, grazing and energy development affect plant communities. We work across spatial scales, and use statistical and empirical modeling to answer these research and conservation questions, most of which have direct applications for conservation and management of the species and their habitats. Most of the research has direct applications for conservation and management of the species, most notably sage-grouse, and their habitats.
Science and Products
Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET): A USGS-facilitated Decision-support Tool for Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration Actions
Invasive Annual Grass (IAG) Spatial Dataset Compilation and Synthesis
Optimization of Management Actions for Restoration Success and Wildlife Populations
Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
Genomic Scans for Local Adaptation in Greater Sage-Grouse
Incorporating Genetic Information Into Population Monitoring and Assessment Tools
Informing the Habitat Assessment Framework Process—An Assessment to Understand Habitat Patch Composition and Configuration Requirements for Range-Wide Sage-Grouse Persistence
Economic Implications of Sagebrush Treatment and Restoration Practices Across the Great Basin and Wyoming
Modeling Habitat-Relationships of Pinyon-Juniper and Sagebrush Associated Bird Species to Inform Conifer Removal
Forecasting the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Sagebrush in Wyoming Under a Changing Climate
Defining Multi-Scaled Functional Landscape Connectivity for the Sagebrush Biome to Support Management and Conservation Planning of Multiple Species
Greater Sage-Grouse and Mule Deer Population Viability Analysis Across Scales
Science and Products
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Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET): A USGS-facilitated Decision-support Tool for Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration Actions
Sagebrush ecosystems, one of the most imperiled in North America, face continued and widespread degradation due to multiple factors, including climate change, invasive species, and increased human development. Effective sagebrush management must consider how to best conserve and restore habitats to stem the decline of species that rely on them, especially given limited conservation resources. To...Invasive Annual Grass (IAG) Spatial Dataset Compilation and Synthesis
USGS is working closely with partners in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Intermountain West Joint Venture (IMJV) to collect and summarize spatial datasets that describe measurable aspects of invasive annual grasses (e.g., biomass or presence) across the western United Stated and beyond. The products developed through this project provide...Optimization of Management Actions for Restoration Success and Wildlife Populations
USGS researchers, in collaboration with the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative and other partners, are developing a statistically based prioritization tool that will aid agencies in their management decisions.Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
USGS scientists are contributing to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy, a strategy intended to provide guidance so that efforts to conserve the iconic greater sage-grouse can be expanded to the entire sagebrush biome to benefit the people and wildlife that depend on it.Genomic Scans for Local Adaptation in Greater Sage-Grouse
USGS scientists are identifying local adaptation in sage-grouse by modeling allelic variation at large numbers of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in relation to environmental and climate variables.Incorporating Genetic Information Into Population Monitoring and Assessment Tools
To better inform and prioritize management decisions for greater sage-grouse, USGS scientists are leading a range-wide population trend assessment for sage-grouse.Informing the Habitat Assessment Framework Process—An Assessment to Understand Habitat Patch Composition and Configuration Requirements for Range-Wide Sage-Grouse Persistence
USGS scientists are developing multiple products to directly inform the Bureau of Land Management's Sage-grouse Habitat Assessment Framework process.Economic Implications of Sagebrush Treatment and Restoration Practices Across the Great Basin and Wyoming
USGS and Colorado State University researchers are conducting analyses and predictions of sagebrush recovery in the Great Basin and Wyoming and assess the role of weather, soils, and reseeding treatments.Modeling Habitat-Relationships of Pinyon-Juniper and Sagebrush Associated Bird Species to Inform Conifer Removal
Management agencies are increasingly restoring sagebrush systems by removing conifers. These treatments likely result in mixed effects for wildlife species, and wildlife response may vary across the landscape. Declining sagebrush and pinyon-juniper associated bird populations highlight a clear need for tools that can help guide conifer management across the sagebrush ecosystem.Forecasting the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Sagebrush in Wyoming Under a Changing Climate
Prioritizing landscapes for sage-grouse habitat conservation is complicated by long-term changes in climate.Defining Multi-Scaled Functional Landscape Connectivity for the Sagebrush Biome to Support Management and Conservation Planning of Multiple Species
USGS and Colorado State University scientists are modelling multispecies connectivity through intact and disturbed areas of the sagebrush landscape.Greater Sage-Grouse and Mule Deer Population Viability Analysis Across Scales
USGS and Colorado State University scientists will use data about sage-grouse and mule deer population data across Wyoming to evaluate the effectiveness of disturbance thresholds and investigate the efficacy of other disturbance metrics. - Data
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