Mark Vandever
Mark Vandever is a Rangeland Management Specialist at the Fort Collins Science Center.
Since 2005, his research has focused on the impacts of Farm Bill programs on wildlife habitat across the Great Plains. Other research includes plant-pollinator relationships, environmental stressors to amphibians, and vegetation responses to land management practices.
Professional Experience
2005 to present: Rangeland Management Specialist, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado
Education and Certifications
M.Ag. Colorado State University, 2007
B.S. Range and Forest Management, Colorado State University, 1997
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 28
Exposure of native bees foraging in an agricultural landscape to current-use pesticides
The awareness of insects as pollinators and indicators of environmental quality has grown in recent years, partially in response to declines in honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations. While most pesticide research has focused on honey bees, there has been less work on native bee populations. To determine the exposure of native bees to pesticides, bees were collected from an existing research area
Authors
Michelle Hladik, Mark W. Vandever, Kelly L. Smalling
Restored agricultural wetlands in Central Iowa: habitat quality and amphibian response
Amphibians are declining throughout the United States and worldwide due, partly, to habitat loss. Conservation practices on the landscape restore wetlands to denitrify tile drainage effluent and restore ecosystem services. Understanding how water quality, hydroperiod, predation, and disease affect amphibians in restored wetlands is central to maintaining healthy amphibian populations in the region
Authors
Rebecca A. Reeves, Clay Pierce, Kelly L. Smalling, Robert W. Klaver, Mark W. Vandever, William A. Battaglin, Erin L. Muths
Management of conservation reserve program grasslands to meet wildlife habitat objectives
Numerous studies document environmental and social benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This report offers a synopsis of findings regarding effects of establishing CRP conservation practices on the quality and distribution of wildlife habitat in agricultural landscapes. On individual farms, year-round provision of wildlife habitat by the CRP may appear relatively insignificant. Howe
Authors
Mark W. Vandever, Arthur W. Allen
Pesticide concentrations in frog tissue and wetland habitats in alandscape dominated by agriculture
Habitat loss and exposure to pesticides are likely primary factors contributing to amphibian decline in agricultural landscapes. Conservation efforts have attempted to restore wetlands lost through landscape modifications to reduce contaminant loads in surface waters and providing quality habitat to wildlife. The benefits of this increased wetland area, perhaps especially for amphibians, may be ne
Authors
Kelly L. Smalling, Rebecca Reeves, Erin L. Muths, Mark W. Vandever, William A. Battaglin, Michelle Hladik, Clay L. Pierce
Grazing effects on plant community succession of early- and mid-seral seeded grassland compared to shortgrass steppe
Questions: Grazing may speed or slow secondary succession, and the direction may depend on seral stage and relative tolerance of native perennial grasses compared with annual invasive species. How does grazing affect succession where undisturbed communities have a long evolutionary history of grazing by native herbivores and are tolerant to livestock grazing?
Location: Shortgrass steppe, North Ame
Authors
Daniel G. Milchunas, Mark W. Vandever
Grazing effects on aboveground primary production and root biomass of early-seral, mid-seral, and undisturbed semiarid grassland
Annual/perennial and tall/short plant species differentially dominate early to late successional shortgrass steppe communities. Plant species can have different ratios of above-/below-ground biomass distributions and this can be modified by precipitation and grazing. We compared grazing effects on aboveground production and root biomass in early- and mid-seral fields and undisturbed shortgrass ste
Authors
D.G. Milchunas, M.W. Vandever
Allelopathic cover crop prior to seeding is more important than subsequent grazing/mowing in grassland establishment
The effects of grazing, mowing, and type of cover crop were evaluated in a previous winter wheat–fallow cropland seeded to grassland under the Conservation Reserve Program in eastern Colorado. Prior to seeding, the fallow strips were planted to forage sorghum or wheat in alternating strips (cover crops), with no grazing, moderate to heavy grazing, and mowing (grazing treatments) superimposed 4 yr
Authors
Daniel G. Milchunas, Mark W. Vandever, Leonard O. Ball, Skip Hyberg
Allelopathic cover crop prior to seeding is more important than subsequent grazing/mowing in Grassland establishment
The effects of grazing, mowing, and type of cover crop were evaluated in a previous winter wheat–fallow cropland seeded to grassland under the Conservation Reserve Program in eastern Colorado. Prior to seeding, the fallow strips were planted to forage sorghum or wheat in alternating strips (cover crops), with no grazing, moderate to heavy grazing, and mowing (grazing treatments) superimposed 4 yr
Authors
D.G. Milchunas, Mark W. Vandever, L.O. Ball, S. Hyberg
Fort Collins Science Center- Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch : Integrating social, behavioral, economic and biological sciences
The Fort Collins Science Center's Policy Analysis and Science Assistance (PASA) Branch is a team of approximately 22 scientists, technicians, and graduate student researchers. PASA provides unique capabilities in the U.S. Geological Survey by leading projects that integrate social, behavioral, economic, and biological analyses in the context of human-natural resource interactions. Resource planner
Integrating Agriculture and Conservation
The USGS produces the needed science-based information to guide management actions and policy decisions that support wildlife habitat and other environmental services compatible with USDA conservation goals and farm operations. The Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch of the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) has conducted research involving a national landowner survey and numerous short-
Authors
Mark W. Vandever
Stakeholder opinions regarding management of Conservation Reserve Program lands to address environmental and wildlife issues
No abstract available.
Authors
M.W. Vandever, D.L. Hoag
Vegetation changes over 12 years in ungrazed and grazed Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands in the central and southern plains
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) established under the 1985 Food Security Act has the fundamental objectives of jointly providing economic support to segments of the agricultural community and conservation of natural resources (Osborn, 1997; Heard and others, 2000). Although soil loss on highly erodable lands was the principal natural resource conservation issue addressed in the 1985 CRP, im
Authors
Brian S. Cade, Mark W. Vandever, Arthur W. Allen, James W. Terrell
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 28
Exposure of native bees foraging in an agricultural landscape to current-use pesticides
The awareness of insects as pollinators and indicators of environmental quality has grown in recent years, partially in response to declines in honey bee (Apis mellifera) populations. While most pesticide research has focused on honey bees, there has been less work on native bee populations. To determine the exposure of native bees to pesticides, bees were collected from an existing research area
Authors
Michelle Hladik, Mark W. Vandever, Kelly L. Smalling
Restored agricultural wetlands in Central Iowa: habitat quality and amphibian response
Amphibians are declining throughout the United States and worldwide due, partly, to habitat loss. Conservation practices on the landscape restore wetlands to denitrify tile drainage effluent and restore ecosystem services. Understanding how water quality, hydroperiod, predation, and disease affect amphibians in restored wetlands is central to maintaining healthy amphibian populations in the region
Authors
Rebecca A. Reeves, Clay Pierce, Kelly L. Smalling, Robert W. Klaver, Mark W. Vandever, William A. Battaglin, Erin L. Muths
Management of conservation reserve program grasslands to meet wildlife habitat objectives
Numerous studies document environmental and social benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This report offers a synopsis of findings regarding effects of establishing CRP conservation practices on the quality and distribution of wildlife habitat in agricultural landscapes. On individual farms, year-round provision of wildlife habitat by the CRP may appear relatively insignificant. Howe
Authors
Mark W. Vandever, Arthur W. Allen
Pesticide concentrations in frog tissue and wetland habitats in alandscape dominated by agriculture
Habitat loss and exposure to pesticides are likely primary factors contributing to amphibian decline in agricultural landscapes. Conservation efforts have attempted to restore wetlands lost through landscape modifications to reduce contaminant loads in surface waters and providing quality habitat to wildlife. The benefits of this increased wetland area, perhaps especially for amphibians, may be ne
Authors
Kelly L. Smalling, Rebecca Reeves, Erin L. Muths, Mark W. Vandever, William A. Battaglin, Michelle Hladik, Clay L. Pierce
Grazing effects on plant community succession of early- and mid-seral seeded grassland compared to shortgrass steppe
Questions: Grazing may speed or slow secondary succession, and the direction may depend on seral stage and relative tolerance of native perennial grasses compared with annual invasive species. How does grazing affect succession where undisturbed communities have a long evolutionary history of grazing by native herbivores and are tolerant to livestock grazing?
Location: Shortgrass steppe, North Ame
Authors
Daniel G. Milchunas, Mark W. Vandever
Grazing effects on aboveground primary production and root biomass of early-seral, mid-seral, and undisturbed semiarid grassland
Annual/perennial and tall/short plant species differentially dominate early to late successional shortgrass steppe communities. Plant species can have different ratios of above-/below-ground biomass distributions and this can be modified by precipitation and grazing. We compared grazing effects on aboveground production and root biomass in early- and mid-seral fields and undisturbed shortgrass ste
Authors
D.G. Milchunas, M.W. Vandever
Allelopathic cover crop prior to seeding is more important than subsequent grazing/mowing in grassland establishment
The effects of grazing, mowing, and type of cover crop were evaluated in a previous winter wheat–fallow cropland seeded to grassland under the Conservation Reserve Program in eastern Colorado. Prior to seeding, the fallow strips were planted to forage sorghum or wheat in alternating strips (cover crops), with no grazing, moderate to heavy grazing, and mowing (grazing treatments) superimposed 4 yr
Authors
Daniel G. Milchunas, Mark W. Vandever, Leonard O. Ball, Skip Hyberg
Allelopathic cover crop prior to seeding is more important than subsequent grazing/mowing in Grassland establishment
The effects of grazing, mowing, and type of cover crop were evaluated in a previous winter wheat–fallow cropland seeded to grassland under the Conservation Reserve Program in eastern Colorado. Prior to seeding, the fallow strips were planted to forage sorghum or wheat in alternating strips (cover crops), with no grazing, moderate to heavy grazing, and mowing (grazing treatments) superimposed 4 yr
Authors
D.G. Milchunas, Mark W. Vandever, L.O. Ball, S. Hyberg
Fort Collins Science Center- Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch : Integrating social, behavioral, economic and biological sciences
The Fort Collins Science Center's Policy Analysis and Science Assistance (PASA) Branch is a team of approximately 22 scientists, technicians, and graduate student researchers. PASA provides unique capabilities in the U.S. Geological Survey by leading projects that integrate social, behavioral, economic, and biological analyses in the context of human-natural resource interactions. Resource planner
Integrating Agriculture and Conservation
The USGS produces the needed science-based information to guide management actions and policy decisions that support wildlife habitat and other environmental services compatible with USDA conservation goals and farm operations. The Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch of the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) has conducted research involving a national landowner survey and numerous short-
Authors
Mark W. Vandever
Stakeholder opinions regarding management of Conservation Reserve Program lands to address environmental and wildlife issues
No abstract available.
Authors
M.W. Vandever, D.L. Hoag
Vegetation changes over 12 years in ungrazed and grazed Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands in the central and southern plains
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) established under the 1985 Food Security Act has the fundamental objectives of jointly providing economic support to segments of the agricultural community and conservation of natural resources (Osborn, 1997; Heard and others, 2000). Although soil loss on highly erodable lands was the principal natural resource conservation issue addressed in the 1985 CRP, im
Authors
Brian S. Cade, Mark W. Vandever, Arthur W. Allen, James W. Terrell