Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion of sagebrush habitats after a fire in northwestern Nevada, U.S.A.
Cameron L Aldridge, PhD
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.
Professional Experience
August 2023-Present Branch Chief, and Research Supervisory Ecologist, Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamic Research Branch, US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado.
March 2022-Present Acting Branch Chief, Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamic Research Branch, US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
Feb. 2020-Present Research Ecologist, US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
Feb. 2020-Present Affiliate Research Scientist, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University
Feb. 2020-Present Affiliate Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University
Jan. 2017-20 Finance Committee Member for the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University
July 2015-20 Associate Professor with Tenure, Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University
July 2015-Present Research Scientist III, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University & U.S. Geological Survey, FORT Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
Aug. 2014-16 Executive Committee Member, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University
Jan. 2012-18 Graduate Program Advisor for the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University.
Aug. 2010 Assistant Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University.
July 2009 Research Scientist II, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University & U.S. Geological Survey, FORT Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Feb. 2007-Present Faculty Member, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology (GDPE), Colorado State University
Feb. 2007-11 Joint Faculty Member, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University
Oct. 2006 Research Scientist, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University & U.S. Geological Survey, FORT Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Education and Certifications
2005 - 2006 Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University & U.S. Geological Survey, FORT Science Center, Fort Collins, CO.
2000 - 2005 Doctorate of Philosophy in Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
1998 - 2000 Master of Science in Biology, Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan.
1991 - 1996 Bachelor of Science double major in Ecology and Zoology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta.
Science and Products
Estimating spatial variation in greater sage-grouse lek buffers using seasonal space use models
A user-friendly decision support tool for monitoring and managing greater sage-grouse populations
Hierarchical Population Monitoring Framework for Greater Sage-Grouse
Influence of future climate scenarios on habitat and population dynamics of greater sage-grouse
A targeted annual warning system (TAWS) for identifying aberrant declines in greater sage-grouse populations
Estimating trends for greater sage-grouse populations within highly stochastic environments
Spatiotemporal conditions of vegetation and invasive plant species on mine lands.
Modeling chronic wasting disease prevalence through time to investigate mechanisms of spread in deer and elk in Wyoming
Gunnison Sage-grouse Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET)
Estimating road age and traffic volume for disturbance assessments in Wyoming
Understanding How Vehicular Traffic Impacts Sage-Grouse Populations In Wyoming
Road Ecology
Maps of multiple future threats and stable areas for Gunnison sage-grouse habitats across three scenarios (2016-2070)
Data and analytical code assessing eleven songbird species' responses to environmental change during summertime (2008 - 2020) in the InterMountain West, USA
Bibliography of hydrological and ecological research in the Great Basin terminal lakes, USA
Sagebrush structural connectivity yearly and temporal trends based on RCMAP sagebrush products, biome-wide from 1985 to 2020
Predicted 2020 densities for 11 songbird species across the western United States
Prioritized sites for conifer removal within the Utah portion of Bird Conservation Region 16, 2020
State-and-Transition Simulation Models to explore post-fire habitat restoration in three greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) Priority Areas for Conservation, USA (2018-2068)
Sagebrush projections for greater sage-grouse core areas in Wyoming, USA, 2018-2100
A neutral landscape approach to evaluating the umbrella species concept for greater sage-grouse in northeast Wyoming, USA
Predictive Maps of Fuel Break Effectiveness by Treatment Type and Underlying Resilience to Disturbance and Resistance to Invasion Across the Western U.S.
Gunnison sage-grouse predicted gene flow (conductance) surfaces, Colorado, United States
Genotypes and cluster definitions for a range-wide greater sage-grouse dataset collected 2005-2017 (ver 1.1, January 2023)
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion of sagebrush habitats after a fire in northwestern Nevada, U.S.A.
A white-tailed ptarmigan on Mt. Evans, a fourteener in Northern Colorado.
A white-tailed ptarmigan on Mt. Evans, a fourteener in Northern Colorado.
A white-tailed ptarmigan sits on the side of Mt. Evans in northern Colorado.
A white-tailed ptarmigan sits on the side of Mt. Evans in northern Colorado.
Evaluating spatial coverage of the greater sage-grouse umbrella to conserve sagebrush-dependent species biodiversity within the Wyoming basins
Integrated science strategy for assessing and monitoring water availability and migratory birds for terminal lakes across the Great Basin, United States
Living on the edge: Predicting songbird response to management and environmental changes across an ecotone
A multi-ecosystem prioritization framework to balance competing habitat conservation needs of multiple species in decline
Using state-and-transition simulation models to scope post-fire success in restoring greater sage-grouse habitat
Dynamic spatiotemporal modeling of a habitat-defining plant species to support wildlife management at regional scales
Temporal patterns of structural sagebrush connectivity from 1985 to 2020
A retrospective assessment of fuel break effectiveness for containing rangeland wildfires in the sagebrush biome
Range-wide population trend analysis for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)—Updated 1960–2022
Using neutral landscape models to evaluate the umbrella species concept in an ecotone
A targeted annual warning system developed for the conservation of a sagebrush indicator species
A hidden cost of single species management: Habitat-relationships reveal potential negative effects of conifer removal on a non-target species
grsg_lekdb: Compiling and standardizing greater sage-grouse lek databases, version 1.2.0
popcluster: hierarchical population monitoring frameworks, Version 2.0.0
Spatial scale selection for greater sage-grouse population trends, Version 1.0.0
grsg_lekdb: Compiling and standardizing greater sage-grouse lek databases, version 1.1.0
lcp_centrality: Defining least-cost paths and graph theory centrality measures
grsg_lekdb: Compiling and standardizing greater sage-grouse lek databases
popcluster: Developing Hierarchical Population Monitoring Frameworks for mobile species with high site fidelity
Science and Products
Estimating spatial variation in greater sage-grouse lek buffers using seasonal space use models
A user-friendly decision support tool for monitoring and managing greater sage-grouse populations
Hierarchical Population Monitoring Framework for Greater Sage-Grouse
Influence of future climate scenarios on habitat and population dynamics of greater sage-grouse
A targeted annual warning system (TAWS) for identifying aberrant declines in greater sage-grouse populations
Estimating trends for greater sage-grouse populations within highly stochastic environments
Spatiotemporal conditions of vegetation and invasive plant species on mine lands.
Modeling chronic wasting disease prevalence through time to investigate mechanisms of spread in deer and elk in Wyoming
Gunnison Sage-grouse Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET)
Estimating road age and traffic volume for disturbance assessments in Wyoming
Understanding How Vehicular Traffic Impacts Sage-Grouse Populations In Wyoming
Road Ecology
Maps of multiple future threats and stable areas for Gunnison sage-grouse habitats across three scenarios (2016-2070)
Data and analytical code assessing eleven songbird species' responses to environmental change during summertime (2008 - 2020) in the InterMountain West, USA
Bibliography of hydrological and ecological research in the Great Basin terminal lakes, USA
Sagebrush structural connectivity yearly and temporal trends based on RCMAP sagebrush products, biome-wide from 1985 to 2020
Predicted 2020 densities for 11 songbird species across the western United States
Prioritized sites for conifer removal within the Utah portion of Bird Conservation Region 16, 2020
State-and-Transition Simulation Models to explore post-fire habitat restoration in three greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) Priority Areas for Conservation, USA (2018-2068)
Sagebrush projections for greater sage-grouse core areas in Wyoming, USA, 2018-2100
A neutral landscape approach to evaluating the umbrella species concept for greater sage-grouse in northeast Wyoming, USA
Predictive Maps of Fuel Break Effectiveness by Treatment Type and Underlying Resilience to Disturbance and Resistance to Invasion Across the Western U.S.
Gunnison sage-grouse predicted gene flow (conductance) surfaces, Colorado, United States
Genotypes and cluster definitions for a range-wide greater sage-grouse dataset collected 2005-2017 (ver 1.1, January 2023)
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion of sagebrush habitats after a fire in northwestern Nevada, U.S.A.
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion of sagebrush habitats after a fire in northwestern Nevada, U.S.A.
A white-tailed ptarmigan on Mt. Evans, a fourteener in Northern Colorado.
A white-tailed ptarmigan on Mt. Evans, a fourteener in Northern Colorado.
A white-tailed ptarmigan sits on the side of Mt. Evans in northern Colorado.
A white-tailed ptarmigan sits on the side of Mt. Evans in northern Colorado.