James Hatten
Biography
Education:
M.S. 1996. Geography, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ. Concentration: Analytical Techniques (GIS, Remote Sensing, Biogeography).
B.S. 1984. Environmental Studies, Western Washington University, Huxley College of Environmental Studies, Bellingham, WA. Concentration: Terrestrial Ecosystems Analysis
Research Interests:
I am a research biogeographer that examines the current and future distributions of common, threatened, and endangered species. I have developed habitat models across the western U.S. for fish, birds, mammals, and reptiles. Climate-change, ecological flows, and riparian obligates are my focal areas.
Experience:
2002 to Present - Research Biogeographer, U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia River Research Lab, Cook, WA
1997-2001 - Senior GIS Analyst, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, AZ
1995-1996 - GIS Coordinator, Peabody Coal Company, Flagstaff, AZ
1988-1994 - Timber/Fish/Wildlife (TFW) Biologist, Hoh Indian Tribe, Forks, WA
Science and Products
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer
For planning and management purposes, agencies require a web application that can locate, map, and monitor Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (flycatcher) breeding habitat across its range. The Habitat Viewer can identify potential flycatcher habitat and monitor changes caused by stressors, such as beetles, fire or drought.
Columbia River Basin Sturgeon Habitat Modeling
A study was conducted to identify habitat characteristics associated with age 0 White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus Richardson, 1863) recruitment in three reaches of the Columbia River Basin: Skamania reach (consistent recruitment), John Day reach (intermittent/inconsistent recruitment), and Kootenai reach (no recruitment).
Identifying the Vulnerability of Birds and Reptiles to Changes in Climate in the Southwest
Biodiversity is declining worldwide, and this trend could potentially become more severe as climate conditions change. An integral component of proactive adaptive management planning requires forecasts of how changes in climate will affect individual species. This need has been identified my multiple federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau...
Climate Change Threats to Fish Habitat Connectivity
Many fish species, including mountain whitefish and bull trout, need a variety of habitat types throughout their different life stages that include appropriate water temperatures, flows, refugia from predators, and adequate food. Key to a fish finding and using these different habitats is the connectivity between them. Changing conditions in the future, including increased air and water...
Map showing yearly distribution (2007-2019) of Tamarisk Beetle (Diorhabda spp.).
Figure 4. Yearly Distribution (2007-2019) of Tamarisk Beetle (Diorhabda spp.). Annual tamarisk beetle distribution map. Provided by RiversEdge West. 2020. Used with permission from Ben Bloodgood, Program Coordinator.
Map showing changes in predicted flycatcher habitat along the upper Gila River after conducting a tamarisk leaf beetle-impact simulation
Figure 6. Map showing changes in predicted flycatcher habitat along the upper Gila River after conducting a tamarisk leaf beetle-impact simulation. The upper Gila River was divided into nine zones in order to quantify changes. A satellite model was used to predict flycatcher habitat at a 40-percent probability threshold.
Map showing changes in predicted flycatcher habitat along the lower Virgin River, Nevada and Arizona, 2010–2015, as determined from a satellite model at a 40-percent probability threshold
Figure 5. Map showing changes in predicted flycatcher habitat along the lower Virgin River, Nevada and Arizona, 2010–2015, as determined from a satellite model at a 40-percent probability threshold.
Map showing relative changes in predicted flycatcher habitat, as determined from a satellite model at a 40-percent probability threshold
Map showing relative changes in predicted flycatcher habitat, as determined from a satellite model at a 40-percent probability threshold, Southwestern United States, 2013–15.
Map showing area of predicted flycatcher breeding habitat (averaged across 2013–15) at all elevations in 6,521 U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangles, Southwestern United States
Map showing area of predicted flycatcher breeding habitat (averaged across 2013–15) at all elevations in 6,521 U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangles, Southwestern United States. Only areas within a prescribed distance of streams and greater than stream-order 3, or within 1 kilometer of a lake or reservoir, were included in this analysis.
Maps showing location of the project area and the 35 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwestern Willow Flycatcher management unit boundaries
Figure 1. Maps showing location of the project area and the 35 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwestern Willow Flycatcher management unit boundaries, designated critical-habitat reaches, and waterbodies considered by the satellite model for regionwide modeling, Southwestern United States.
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer
The Flycatcher Habitat Viewer was developed to meet the needs of organizations by providing maps of predicted flycatcher breeding habitat throughout its range. Maps are provided from 2013 to present and cover 57 satellite scenes. Maps identify predicted flycatcher habitat based upon the amount of green vegetation within a 120-m radius of each cell, and the size of floodplain within a 360-m...
Final report: Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) and Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus occidentalis) surveys and habitat availability modeling on the Santa Clara River, California, 26 March 2020
Our project aimed to conduct population surveys for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax trailii extimus; SWFL) and Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus; YBCU) in 2018 and 2019, apply existing habitat models to illustrate and predict past, current, and future habitat suitabilities for these two species, and update and standardize...
Hall, Linnea S.; Orr, Bruce K.; Hatten, James; Lambert, Adam; Dudley, Tom L. A spatial model of streaked horned lark breeding habitat in the Columbia River, USA
The streaked horned lark (hereafter “lark”; Eremophila alpestris strigata) is a federally listed bird subspecies of the Pacific Northwest that occupies open landscapes with short vegetation and abundant bare ground. Across its breeding range, which has contracted dramatically, the lark relies primarily on human-modified habitats maintained in...
Hatten, James; Slater, Gary L.; Treadwell, Jerrmaine L.; Stevenson, Matthew R. Substrate and flow characteristics associated with White Sturgeon recruitment in the Columbia River Basin
A study was conducted to identify habitat characteristics associated with age 0+ White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus Richardson, 1863) recruitment in three reaches of the Columbia River Basin: Skamania reach (consistent recruitment), John Day reach (intermittent/inconsistent recruitment), and Kootenai reach (no recruitment). Our modeling...
Hatten, James R.; Parsley, Michael; Barton, Gary; Batt, Thomas; Fosness, Ryan L.
Risk assessment for the reintroduction of anadromous salmonids upstream of Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams, Northeastern Washington
The Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT; Spokane, Colville, Kootenai, Coeur d’Alene, and Kalispel Tribes) and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife want to reintroduce anadromous salmonids to their historical range to restore ecosystem function and lost cultural and spiritual relationships in the upper Columbia River, northeastern Washington....
Hardiman, Jill M.; Breyta, Rachel B.; Haskell, Craig A.; Ostberg, Carl O.; Hatten, James R.; Connolly, Patrick J.
Case studies of riparian and watershed restoration in the southwestern United States—Principles, challenges, and successes
Globally, rivers and streams are highly altered by impoundments, diversions, and stream channelization associated with agricultural and water delivery needs. Climate change imposes additional challenges by further reducing discharge, introducing variability in seasonal precipitation patterns, and increasing temperatures. Collectively, these...
Ralston, Barbara E.; Sarr, Daniel A.; Ralston, Barbara E.; Sarr, Daniel A. Identifying western yellow-billed cuckoo breeding habitat with a dual modelling approach
The western population of the yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) was recently listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Yellow-billed cuckoo conservation efforts require the identification of features and area requirements associated with high quality, riparian forest habitat at spatial scales that range from nest...
Johnson, Matthew J.; Hatten, James R.; Holmes, Jennifer A.; Shafroth, Patrick B.
A satellite model of Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) breeding habitat and a simulation of potential effects of tamarisk leaf beetles (Diorhabda spp.), southwestern United States
Executive Summary The study described in this report represents the first time that a satellite model has been used to identify potential Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) (hereinafter referred to as “flycatcher”) breeding habitat rangewide for 2013–15. Fifty-seven Landsat scenes were required to map the...
Hatten, James R.
Identifying bird and reptile vulnerabilities to climate change in the southwestern United States
Current and future breeding ranges of 15 bird and 16 reptile species were modeled in the Southwestern United States. Rather than taking a broad-scale, vulnerability-assessment approach, we created a species distribution model (SDM) for each focal species incorporating climatic, landscape, and plant variables. Baseline climate (1940–2009) was...
Hatten, James R.; Giermakowski, J. Tomasz; Holmes, Jennifer A.; Nowak, Erika M.; Johnson, Matthew J.; Ironside, Kirsten E.; van Riper, Charles; Peters, Michael; Truettner, Charles; Cole, Kenneth L. Effects of dam removal on Tule Fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat in the White Salmon River, Washington
Condit Dam is one of the largest hydroelectric dams ever removed in the USA. Breached in a single explosive event in October 2011, hundreds-of-thousands of cubic metres of sediment washed down the White Salmon River onto spawning grounds of a threatened species, Columbia River tule fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. We investigated over...
Hatten, James R.; Batt, Thomas R.; Skalicky, Joseph J.; Engle, Rod; Barton, Gary J.; Fosness, Ryan L.; Warren, Joe Assessing juvenile salmon rearing habitat and associated predation risk in a lower Snake River reservoir
Subyearling fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Columbia River basin exhibit a transient rearing strategy and depend on connected shoreline habitats during freshwater rearing. Impoundment has greatly reduced the amount of shallow-water rearing habitat that is exacerbated by the steep topography of reservoirs. Periodic...
Tiffan, Kenneth F.; Hatten, James R.; Trachtenbarg, David A Mapping and monitoring Mount Graham red squirrel habitat with Lidar and Landsat imagery
The Mount Graham red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis) is an endemic subspecies located in the Pinaleño Mountains of southeast Arizona. Living in a conifer forest on a sky-island surrounded by desert, the Mount Graham red squirrel is one of the rarest mammals in North America. Over the last two decades, drought, insect...
Hatten, James R. Riparian restoration framework for the Upper Gila River, Arizona
This technical report summarizes the methods and results of a comprehensive riparian restoration planning effort for the Gila Valley Restoration Planning Area, an approximately 53-mile portion of the upper Gila River in Arizona (Figure 1-1). This planning effort has developed a Restoration Framework intended to deliver science-based guidance on...
Orr, Bruce K.; Leverich, Glen L.; Diggory, Zooey E.; Dudley, Tom L.; Hatten, James R.; Hultine, Kevin R.; Johnson, Matthew P.; Orr, Devyn A.
Figure 1 for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer webpage
Figure 1. Maps showing location of the project area and the 35 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwestern Willow Flycatcher management unit boundaries, designated critical-habitat reaches, and waterbodies considered by the satellite model
...
Figure 5 for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer webpage
Figure 5. Map showing changes in predicted flycatcher habitat along the lower Virgin River, Nevada and Arizona, 2010–2015, as determined from a satellite model at a 40-percent probability threshold.
Figure 4 for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer webpage
Figure 4. Yearly Distribution (2007-2019) of Tamarisk Beetle (Diorhabda spp.). Annual tamarisk beetle distribution map. Provided by RiversEdge West. 2020. Used with permission from Ben Bloodgood, Program Coordinator.
Figure 3 for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer webpage
Figure 3. Map showing relative changes in predicted flycatcher habitat, as determined from a satellite model at a 40-percent probability threshold, Southwestern United States, 2013–15.
Figure 2 for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer webpage
Figure 2. Map showing area of predicted flycatcher breeding habitat (averaged across 2013–15) at all elevations in 6,521 U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangles, Southwestern United States. Only areas within a prescribed distance of
...
Figure 6 for Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer webpage
Figure 6. Map showing changes in predicted flycatcher habitat along the upper Gila River after conducting a tamarisk leaf beetle-impact simulation. The upper Gila River was divided into nine zones in order to quantify changes. A satellite
...
Western Fisheries Science News, February 2019 | Issue 7.2
Identifying Habitat Characteristics for Successful White Sturgeon Recruitment in the Columbia River Basin
New Study Details Endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat and New Threats
A new report by the U.S. Geological Survey shows, for the first time ever, detailed habitat information on the entire range of a federally listed endangered bird allowing officials to take a scientific approach to helping protect the species.
Some Birds and Reptiles Vulnerable to Climate Change in the Southwestern US
New study offers insights to minimize projected climate impacts through proactive land-management activities
Western Fisheries Science News, November 2015 | Issue 3.11
Dam Removal and Salmon Response in the White Salmon River, WA
Western Fisheries Science News, May 2014 | Issue 2.5
Assessing Climate-change Risks to Cultural and Natural Resources in the Yakima River Basin, WA