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Dana M Varner, PhD

Dr. Dana Varner is a Biologist at the Fort Collins Science Center, working in the Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics Research Branch.

Dana Varner works with federal land management partners to produce clear, actionable science products that support environmental planning and decision‑making. Currently, Dana is working on projects that involve organizing, evaluating, and synthesizing literature on topics such as sagebrush systems, human disturbance, and invasive annual grasses to inform effective management actions. Her work emphasizes co-production, streamlined science delivery, and practical guidance that improves usability of science for natural resource managers. Dana pursued her M.S in Zoology at Southern Illinois University with a study of Trumpeter Swans in Illinois and surrounding states. Dana continued on with graduate school moving to Auburn University to work on a project tracking Florida mottled ducks between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. She served as the Science Coordinator for the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture in Nebraska for 8 years. She then worked as a Project Manager for WEST, Inc in Fort Collins for 2 years.

Professional Experience

  • Biologist, USGS, Fort Collins Science Center

Education and Certifications

  • PhD Wildlife Science, Auburn University, 2013

  • MS Zoology, Southern Illinois University, 2008

  • BS Biology, Ohio University, 2002

Science and Products

Ear Mountain in the background, with herds of elk in the foreground. The sun is setting, casting an orange and blue glow over the whole scene.

Developing structured science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decision making in the Bureau of Land Management

Science information is fundamental to understanding how proposed actions on public lands may impact the environment. However, agencies often have limited time to compile and synthesize existing science. We are working with land management agencies to develop and explore the usability of a new type of science product— structured science syntheses—for facilitating the use of science information in...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
Developing structured science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decision making in the Bureau of Land Management

Developing structured science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decision making in the Bureau of Land Management

Science information is fundamental to understanding how proposed actions on public lands may impact the environment. However, agencies often have limited time to compile and synthesize existing science. We are working with land management agencies to develop and explore the usability of a new type of science product— structured science syntheses—for facilitating the use of science information in...
Learn More
a rancher leads a horse and dozens of sheep through grassland, mountains in background

Developing science syntheses to facilitate climate-informed land management decisions and NEPA analyses on rangelands in the sagebrush biome

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal public land managers to assess potential environmental impacts of proposed actions. The USGS, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado State University, and North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center are working together to develop science syntheses that can facilitate considerations of climate change in...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
Developing science syntheses to facilitate climate-informed land management decisions and NEPA analyses on rangelands in the sagebrush biome

Developing science syntheses to facilitate climate-informed land management decisions and NEPA analyses on rangelands in the sagebrush biome

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal public land managers to assess potential environmental impacts of proposed actions. The USGS, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado State University, and North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center are working together to develop science syntheses that can facilitate considerations of climate change in...
Learn More

Effects of vegetation and soils surface disturbance and reclamation on invasive annual grasses: an annotated bibliography to inform environmental effects analyses related to oil and gas development Effects of vegetation and soils surface disturbance and reclamation on invasive annual grasses: an annotated bibliography to inform environmental effects analyses related to oil and gas development

This data release includes citation details, abstracts, and results of a semi-automated content analysis for 171 publications we identified on the topic of the potential effects of vegetation and soils surface disturbance and reclamation associated with oil and gas development on invasive annual grass establishment and spread. Our goal was to develop a structured literature search and...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Effects of traffic on the establishment and spread of invasive annual grasses: an annotated bibliography produced through a structured literature search and semi-automated content analysis Effects of traffic on the establishment and spread of invasive annual grasses: an annotated bibliography produced through a structured literature search and semi-automated content analysis

This data release includes citation details, abstracts, and results of a semi-automated content analysis for 88 publications we identified on the topic of the potential effects of traffic from oil and gas development on invasive annual grasses. Our goal was to develop a structured literature search and semi-automated content analysis process to compile and provide an initial...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

KWICer: Producing an annotated bibliography from a set of PDFs by quantifying keywords KWICer: Producing an annotated bibliography from a set of PDFs by quantifying keywords

This code can be used to rapidly create an annotated bibliography that will help users navigate and synthesize a large body of literature. Users can input a set of PDF or DOCX files that they have identified as relevant to their question as well as lists of relevant search terms. This code will convert the input documents into TXT files, trim the files to exclude extraneous text such as...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Science and Products

Ear Mountain in the background, with herds of elk in the foreground. The sun is setting, casting an orange and blue glow over the whole scene.

Developing structured science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decision making in the Bureau of Land Management

Science information is fundamental to understanding how proposed actions on public lands may impact the environment. However, agencies often have limited time to compile and synthesize existing science. We are working with land management agencies to develop and explore the usability of a new type of science product— structured science syntheses—for facilitating the use of science information in...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
Developing structured science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decision making in the Bureau of Land Management

Developing structured science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decision making in the Bureau of Land Management

Science information is fundamental to understanding how proposed actions on public lands may impact the environment. However, agencies often have limited time to compile and synthesize existing science. We are working with land management agencies to develop and explore the usability of a new type of science product— structured science syntheses—for facilitating the use of science information in...
Learn More
a rancher leads a horse and dozens of sheep through grassland, mountains in background

Developing science syntheses to facilitate climate-informed land management decisions and NEPA analyses on rangelands in the sagebrush biome

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal public land managers to assess potential environmental impacts of proposed actions. The USGS, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado State University, and North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center are working together to develop science syntheses that can facilitate considerations of climate change in...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center
Developing science syntheses to facilitate climate-informed land management decisions and NEPA analyses on rangelands in the sagebrush biome

Developing science syntheses to facilitate climate-informed land management decisions and NEPA analyses on rangelands in the sagebrush biome

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal public land managers to assess potential environmental impacts of proposed actions. The USGS, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado State University, and North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center are working together to develop science syntheses that can facilitate considerations of climate change in...
Learn More

Effects of vegetation and soils surface disturbance and reclamation on invasive annual grasses: an annotated bibliography to inform environmental effects analyses related to oil and gas development Effects of vegetation and soils surface disturbance and reclamation on invasive annual grasses: an annotated bibliography to inform environmental effects analyses related to oil and gas development

This data release includes citation details, abstracts, and results of a semi-automated content analysis for 171 publications we identified on the topic of the potential effects of vegetation and soils surface disturbance and reclamation associated with oil and gas development on invasive annual grass establishment and spread. Our goal was to develop a structured literature search and...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Effects of traffic on the establishment and spread of invasive annual grasses: an annotated bibliography produced through a structured literature search and semi-automated content analysis Effects of traffic on the establishment and spread of invasive annual grasses: an annotated bibliography produced through a structured literature search and semi-automated content analysis

This data release includes citation details, abstracts, and results of a semi-automated content analysis for 88 publications we identified on the topic of the potential effects of traffic from oil and gas development on invasive annual grasses. Our goal was to develop a structured literature search and semi-automated content analysis process to compile and provide an initial...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

KWICer: Producing an annotated bibliography from a set of PDFs by quantifying keywords KWICer: Producing an annotated bibliography from a set of PDFs by quantifying keywords

This code can be used to rapidly create an annotated bibliography that will help users navigate and synthesize a large body of literature. Users can input a set of PDF or DOCX files that they have identified as relevant to their question as well as lists of relevant search terms. This code will convert the input documents into TXT files, trim the files to exclude extraneous text such as...
By
Fort Collins Science Center
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