Cameron L Aldridge, Ph.D.
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.
Biography
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
Energy Development and Changing Land Uses
Applied research and integrated regional assessments emphasize spatially explicit analyses of ecosystem components affected by energy development and land-use change in the western United States. Topics include sagebrush-steppe ecology; sagebrush habitat assessments; the effets of human activities (including energy development, transportation, and recreation) on habitats and wildlife behavior...
Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: Inventory and Long-Term Monitoring
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) addresses effects of land-use and climate changes on Southwest Wyoming’s natural resources. In partnership with twelve Federal, State, and local natural resource agencies, and non-governmental organizations– FORT and ten other USGS centers are conducting dozens of integrated science projects to assess the status of Southwest Wyoming’s...
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI)
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) addresses effects of land-use and climate changes on Southwest Wyoming’s natural resources. In partnership with twelve Federal, State, and local natural resource agencies, and non-governmental organizations– FORT and ten other USGS centers are conducting dozens of integrated science projects to assess the status of Southwest Wyoming’s...
Incorporating Genetic Data into Spatially-explicit Population Viability Models for Gunnison Sage-grouse
This goal of this study is to develop a spatially explicit habitat-population modeling framework to assess the viability of Gunnison Sage-grouse and each of the seven populations (Gunnison Basin and six satellite populations).
Tools for Managing and Monitoring Sage Grouse
To better understand how land-use changes are affecting greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), FORT is collaborating with USGS centers FRESC, GECSC, WERC, and EROS; the BLM; Colorado State University; and the WLCI to develop information and tools for managing and monitoring grouse.
Landscape Genetics of Sage Grouse
Greater and Gunnison sage-grouse populations are species considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Loss and fragmentation of sagebrush habitats are among the primary causes of decline in these species. A fundamental need for species conservation is to identify and subsequently maintain a set of connected populations. Landscape genetics combines the fields of population...
Conservation of Sagebrush Ecosystems and Wildlife
Sagebrush ecosystems are diverse habitats found throughout western North America that support a variety of flora and fauna. Home to unique wildlife such as Sage-grouse, Sage Thrashers, Brewer's Sparrows, Ferruginous Hawks, and pygmy rabbits, these ecosystems have undergone intense changes since the time when millions of bison roamed the plains. European settlement and intense agricultural...
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2018 annual report
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) was established in 2007 as a collaborative interagency partnership to develop and implement science-based conservation actions. During the past 11 years, partners from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State and Federal land management agencies, universities, and the public have collaborated to...
Anderson, Patrick J.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Alexander, Jason S.; Assal, Timothy J.; Aulenbach, Steven; Bowen, Zachary H.; Chalfoun, Anna D.; Chong, Geneva W.; Copeland, Holly; Edmunds, David R.; Germaine, Steve; Graves, Tabitha; Heinrichs, Julie A.; Homer, Collin G.; Huber, Christopher; Johnston, Aaron; Kauffman, Matthew J.; Manier, Daniel J.; McShane, Ryan R.; Eddy-Miller, Cheryl A.; Miller, Kirk A.; Monroe, Adrian P.; O'Donnell, Michael S.; Ortega, Anna; Walters, Annika W.; Wieferich, Daniel J.; Wyckoff, Teal B.; Zeigenfuss, Linda
Prioritizing restoration areas to conserve multiple sagebrush-associated wildlife species
Strategic restoration of altered habitat is one method for addressing worldwide biodiversity declines. Within the sagebrush steppe of western North America, habitat degradation has been linked to declines in many species, making restoration a priority for managers; however, limited funding, spatiotemporal variation in restoration success...
Duchardt, Courtney Jean; Monroe, Adrian P.; Heinrichs, Julie A.; O'Donnell, Michael; Edmunds, David R.; Aldridge, Cameron L. Integrating wildlife habitat models with state-and-transitions models to enhance the management of rangelands for multiple objectives
State-and-transition models (STMs) are tools used in rangeland management to describe linear and nonlinear vegetation dynamics as conceptual models. STMs can be improved by including additional ecosystem services, such as wildlife habitat, so that managers can predict how local populations might respond to state changes...
Timmer, Jennifer M.; Tipton, Crystal Y.; Bruegger, Retta A.; Augustine, David J.; Dickey, Christopher P.K.; Fernandez-Gimenez, Maria E.; Aldridge, Cameron L. Synthesizing and analyzing long-term monitoring data: A greater sage-grouse case study
Long-term monitoring of natural resources is imperative for increasing the understanding of ecosystem processes, services, and how to manage those ecosystems to maintain or improve function. Challenges with using these data may occur because methods of monitoring changed over time, multiple organizations collect and manage data differently, and...
O'Donnell, Michael; Edmunds, David R.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Heinrichs, Julie A.; Monroe, Adrian P.; Coates, Peter S.; Prochazka, Brian G.; Christiansen, Thomas J; Hanser, Steve E.; Wiechman, Lief A.; Cook, Avery A; Espinosa, Shawn P.; Foster, Lee J.; Griffin, Kathleen A.; Kolar, Jesse L; Miller, Katherine S; Moser, Ann M.; Remington, Thomas E.; Runia, Travis J; Schreiber, Leslie A; Schroeder, Michael A; Stiver, San J; Whitford, Nyssa I; Wightman, Catherine S
Range-wide greater sage-grouse hierarchical monitoring framework—Implications for defining population boundaries, trend estimation, and a targeted annual warning system
Incorporating spatial and temporal scales into greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population monitoring strategies is challenging and rarely implemented. Sage-grouse populations experience fluctuations in abundance that lead to temporal oscillations, making trend estimation difficult. Accounting for stochasticity is critical to...
Coates, Peter S.; Prochazka, Brian G.; O'Donnell, Michael S.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Edmunds, David R.; Monroe, Adrian P.; Ricca, Mark A.; Wann, Gregory T.; Hanser, Steve E.; Wiechman, Lief A.; Chenaille, Michael Prioritizing landscapes for grassland bird conservation with hierarchical community models
ContextGiven widespread population declines of birds breeding in North American grasslands, management that sustains wildlife while supporting rancher livelihoods is needed. However, management effects vary across landscapes, and identifying areas with the greatest potential bird response to conservation is a pressing research need.ObjectivesWe...
Monroe, Adrian Pierre-Frederic; Edmunds, David R.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Holloran, Matthew J; Assal, Timothy J; Holloran, Alison G Environmental gradients of selection for an alpine-obligate bird, the white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura)
The warming climate will expose alpine species adapted to a highly seasonal, harsh environment to novel environmental conditions. A species can shift their distribution, acclimate, or adapt in response to a new climate. Alpine species have little suitable habitat to shift their distribution, and the limits of acclimation will likely be tested by...
Zimmerman, Shawna J; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Langin, Kathryn M.; Wann, Gregory T; Cornman, Robert S.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J. Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat
Wildfires change plant community structure and impact wildlife habitat and population dynamics. Recent wildfire‐induced losses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for sagebrush‐obligate species such as Greater Sage‐grouse. Managers are...
Pyke, David A.; Shriver, Robert K.; Arkle, Robert; Pilliod, David; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Coates, Peter S.; Germino, Matthew; Heinrichs, Julie Arlene; Ricca, Mark A.; Shaff, Scott An empirical comparison of population genetic analyses using microsatellite and SNP data for a species of conservation concern
BackgroundUse of genomic tools to characterize wildlife populations has increased in recent years. In the past, genetic characterization has been accomplished with more traditional genetic tools (e.g., microsatellites). The explosion of genomic methods and the subsequent creation of large SNP datasets has led to the promise of increased precision...
Zimmerman, Shawna J; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J. Bridging the research-management gap: Landscape ecology in practice on public lands in the western United States
The field of landscape ecology has grown and matured in recent decades, but incorporating landscape science into land management decisions remains challenging. Many lands in the western United States are federally owned and managed for multiple uses, including recreation, conservation, and energy development. We argue for stronger integration of...
Carter, Sarah K.; Pilliod, David; Haby, Travis S.; Prentice, Karen L.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Anderson, Patrick J.; Bowen, Zachary H.; Bradford, John; Cushman, Samuel A.; DeVivo, Joseph C.; Duniway, Michael C.; Hathaway, Ryan S.; Nelson, Lisa; Schultz, Courtney A.; Schuster, Rudy; Trammell, E. Jamie; Weltzin, Jake The transformative impact of genomics on sage-grouse conservation and management
For over two decades, genetic studies have been used to assist in the conservation and management of both Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and Gunnison Sage-grouse (C. minimus), addressing a wide variety of topics including taxonomy, parentage, population connectivity, and demography. The field of conservation genetics has been...
Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Oh, Kevin P; Zimmerman, Shawna J; Aldridge, Cameron L. Characterizing range-wide population divergence in an alpine-endemic bird: A comparison of genetic and genomic approaches
The delineation of intraspecific units that are evolutionarily and demographically distinct is an important step in the development of species-specific management plans. Neutral genetic variation has served as the primary data source for delineating “evolutionarily significant units,” but with recent advances in genomic technology, we now have an...
Langin, Kathryn; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Cornman, Robert S.; Martin, Kathy M; Wann, Greg T; Seglund, Amy E; Schroeder, Michael A; Benson, David P; Fedy, Brad C.; Young, Jessica R.; Wilson, Scott D.; Wolfe, Don H; Braun, Clait E.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.
Friday's Findings - July 9 2021
Conservation of the Sagebrush Ecosystem Under the Sage-Grouse Umbrella
Date: July 9, 2021 from 2-2:30 p.m. eastern time
Speaker: Cameron Aldridge, Research Ecologist, USGS Fort Collins Science Center
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Post-Fire Growth of Seeded and Planted Big Sagebrush – Strategic Designs for Restoring Greater Sage-grouse Nesting Habitat
Recent wildfire-induced losses of big sagebrush are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for species such as greater sage-grouse.
Altering Sagebrush Landscapes with Fuel Breaks to Save Them from Wildfire
Linear fuel breaks have long been used to help suppress fire in the Great Basin, and thousands of miles of new fuel breaks may be constructed in coming years to protect sagebrush ecosystems, including greater sage-grouse habitat.
Increase in Domestic Energy Production Contributing to Sage-grouse Population Declines
Greater sage-grouse populations in Wyoming declined 2.5 percent annually between 1984 and 2008, with oil and gas development being associated with the decline.