Jill S Baron, PhD
Dr. Jill Baron is a senior scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and a Senior Research Ecologist with the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University.
Jill Baron is founder and Co-Director of the John Wesley Powell Center for Earth System Science Analysis and Synthesis. She was the North American Director of the International Nitrogen Initiative 2014-2019 and is Co-Lead for Component 1 (Tools and methods for understanding the nitrogen cycle) of the International Nitrogen Management System. Baron was President of the Ecological Society of America in 2014, is a Certified Professional Ecologist, and a Fellow of the ESA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
She was named a Woman of Vision in 2015 by Colorado Women of Influence for her work advancing women’s role in science. Baron has been active in US National Climate Assessment efforts, has given testimony to Congress on western acid rain and climate change issues, and serves on a National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine Committee on Assessing Causality from a Multidisciplinary Evidence Base for National Ambient Air Quality Standards. She is founder and Principal Investigator of the Loch Vale Watershed long-term ecological monitoring and research program in Rocky Mountain National Park, an instrumented catchment that in 2022 will celebrate 40 years of continuous records.
Professional Experience
2009-present Co-Director, John Wesley Powell Center for Earth System Science Analysis and Synthesis
2016-present Senior Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins CO
1996-2015 Research Ecologist; U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, CO
1986-present Senior Research Scientist; Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
2000-present Advising faculty, CSU Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
1993-1996 Research Ecologist; National Biological Service, Mountain Ecosystems Section, Fort Collins, CO
1976-1993 Research Biologist-National Park Service; Great Smoky Mountains National Park TN; Gulf Islands National Seashore MS; Water Resources Division, Washington D.C. and CO
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Ecosystem Ecology, Colorado State University, 1991
M.S. Land Resources, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1979
B.S. Plant Sciences, Cornell University, 1976
Affiliations and Memberships*
Present: Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Senior Scientist
Present: Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Advising Faculty
Present: Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Faculty Affiliate
Science and Products
Rocky road in the Rockies: Challenges to biodiversity
The cascading effects of fire exclusion in Rocky Mountain ecosystems
Long-term ecosystem studies in Isle Royale, Olympic, and Rocky Mountain National Parks; Noatak National Preserve, and Fraser Experimental Forest; Noatak National Preserve, and Fraser Experimental Forest. Research Report no. 95
Meeting ecological and societal needs for freshwater
Rocky Mountain futures: An ecological perspective
The heart of the Rockies: Montane and subalpine ecosystems
Differences in Englemann spruce forest biogeochemistry east and west of the Continental Divide in Colorado, USA
Rumblings in Rio Arriba: Landscape changes in the southern Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico
The effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and southern Wyoming— A synthesis and critical assessment of published results
Paleoenvironmental history of the Rocky Mountain Region during the past 20,000 years
Ecosystem structure and function modeling
Long-term ecosystem studies in Isle Royale, Olympic and Rocky Mountain National Parks; Noatak National Preserve, and Fraser Experimental Forest
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 213
Rocky road in the Rockies: Challenges to biodiversity
To people worldwide, the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada represent a last bastion of nature in its purest and rawest form-unspoiled forests teeming with elk and deer stalked by mountain lions and grizzly bears; bald eagles nesting near lakes and rivers; fat, feisty native trout in rushing mountain streams; and dazzling arrays of wildflowers in lush meadows. In fact, the total biodiAuthorsDiana F. Tomback, Katherine C. KendallThe cascading effects of fire exclusion in Rocky Mountain ecosystems
No abstract available.AuthorsR.E. Keane, K.C. Ryan, T. Veblen, Craig D. Allen, J. Logan, B. HawkesLong-term ecosystem studies in Isle Royale, Olympic, and Rocky Mountain National Parks; Noatak National Preserve, and Fraser Experimental Forest; Noatak National Preserve, and Fraser Experimental Forest. Research Report no. 95
No abstract available.AuthorsR. Stottlemyer, Jill Baron, R. Edmonds, L. Scherbarth, Heidi SteltzerMeeting ecological and societal needs for freshwater
Human society has used freshwater from rivers, lakes, groundwater, and wetlands for many different urban, agricultural, and industrial activities, but in doing so has overlooked its value in supporting ecosystems. Freshwater is vital to human life and societal well-being, and thus its utilization for consumption, irrigation, and transport has long taken precedence over other commodities and servicAuthorsJill Baron, N.L. Poff, P. L. Angermeier, Clifford N. Dahm, P.H. Gleick, N.G. Hairston, R.B. Jackson, C.A. Johnston, B. D. Richter, A.D. SteinmanRocky Mountain futures: An ecological perspective
The Rocky Mountain West is largely arid and steep, with ecological scars from past human use visible for hundreds of years. Just how damaging were the past 150 years of activity? How do current rates of disturbance compare with past mining, grazing, and water diversion activities? In the face of constant change, what constitutes a "natural" ecosystem? And can a high quality of life be achieved forThe heart of the Rockies: Montane and subalpine ecosystems
No abstract available.AuthorsT.J. Stohlgren, T.T. Veblen, K.C. Kendall, W.L. Baker, Craig D. Allen, J.A. Logan, K.C. RyanDifferences in Englemann spruce forest biogeochemistry east and west of the Continental Divide in Colorado, USA
We compared Englemann spruce biogeochemical processes in forest stands east and west of the Continental Divide in the Colorado Front Range. The divide forms a natural barrier for air pollutants such that nitrogen (N) emissions from the agricultural and urban areas of the South Platte River Basin are transported via upslope winds to high elevations on the east side but rarely cross over to the westAuthorsH.M. Rueth, Jill BaronRumblings in Rio Arriba: Landscape changes in the southern Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico
No abstract available.AuthorsCraig D. AllenThe effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and southern Wyoming— A synthesis and critical assessment of published results
The Rocky Mountain region of Colorado and southern Wyoming receives as much as 7 kilograms per hectare per year ((kg/ha)/yr) of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, an amount that may have caused changes in aquatic and terrestrial life in otherwise pristine ecosystems. The Rocky Mountain National Park, in its role of protecting air-quality related values under provisions of the Clean Air Act AmendAuthorsDouglas A. BurnsPaleoenvironmental history of the Rocky Mountain Region during the past 20,000 years
No abstract available.AuthorsC. Whitlock, M.A. Reasoner, C.H. KeyEcosystem structure and function modeling
An important component of ecological assessments is the ability to predict and display changes in ecosystem structure and function over a variety of spatial and temporal scales. These changes can occur over short (less than 1 year) or long time frames (over 100 years). Models may emphasize structural responses (changes in species composition, growth forms, canopy height, amount of old growth, etc.AuthorsH.C. Humphries, Jill BaronLong-term ecosystem studies in Isle Royale, Olympic and Rocky Mountain National Parks; Noatak National Preserve, and Fraser Experimental Forest
No abstract available.AuthorsR. Stottlemyer, Jill Baron, R. Edmonds, L. Scherbarth, H. Stelzer - News
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*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government