Michael O'Donnell is an ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center. His work focuses primarily on sagebrush ecosystems.
Michael O’Donnell is an ecologist who has worked primarily in sagebrush ecosystems since 2008. He has focused on integrating data-intensive scientific discovery approaches that can facilitate a gained understanding of ecological processes, leading to better-informed prescriptions for decision-making actions. He has investigated a variety of biotic and abiotic studies across the sagebrush biome, including sage-grouse population frameworks/trends and habitat modeling, state-and-transition models, fire simulations, soil-climate budgets, as well as, simulated land-use and climate change scenarios. He leverages information from a hybrid of scientific disciplines, such as ecology, geospatial sciences¸ remote sensing, statistics, and computer science to increase the understanding of complex multi-scale ecological relationships at community, regional, and global geographic extents.
Science and Products
Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
USGS scientists are contributing to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy, a strategy intended to provide guidance so that efforts to conserve the iconic greater sage-grouse can be expanded to the entire sagebrush biome to benefit the people and wildlife that depend on it.
Defining Multi-Scaled Functional Landscape Connectivity for the Sagebrush Biome to Support Management and Conservation Planning of Multiple Species
USGS and Colorado State University scientists are modelling multispecies connectivity through intact and disturbed areas of the sagebrush landscape.
Understanding How Changes in Traffic Volume May Affect Sage-Grouse Population Dynamics Across Scales in Wyoming
USGS researchers and partners are working to investigate how transportation activities may drive changes in sage-grouse populations, using annually time-stamped transportation from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and sage-grouse population data from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Soil-Climate Modeling To Improve Understanding of Pattern and Processes in Sagebrush Ecosystems: A Spatially Explicit Soil Classification
Resistance and resilience concepts provide an important framework for sagebrush habitat management. Existing spatial products have been developed using NRCS soil data; models using new data and methods can improve these products.
Hierarchical Sage-Grouse Population Assessment Tool: Building a Foundation for True Adaptive Management
USGS scientists and colleagues have designed a hierarchical monitoring framework for greater sage-grouse in Nevada, Wyoming, and northeastern California that will provide land managers with a monitoring and detection system to identify sage-grouse breeding locations (known as leks), clusters of leks, and populations where intervention may be necessary to sustain populations and to evaluate...
Resources for Understanding the Effects of Wind Energy Development
As the Nation strives to lessen its dependence on foreign oil, domestic energy production has increased dramatically. This is especially true for renewable energy sources such as wind: from 2007 to 2009, for example, wind energy development increased 341 percent in Wyoming (Fig. 1, Science tab), and it continues on that trajectory today. However, the effects of renewable energy development on...
Investigating Impacts of Oil and Gas Development on Greater Sage-Grouse Using a Bayesian State-Space Model
USGS and university researchers analyzed changes in male sage-grouse lek counts in Wyoming from 1984 through 2008, measuring disturbance owing to oil and gas development.
Multi-scale Statewide Wyoming Greater Sage-grouse Trends Determined by Population Viability Analysis
USGS scientists and partners investigated sage-grouse population trends in Wyoming and at multiple spatial scales.
Modeling Seasonal Habitat Requirements and Population Viability for Greater Sage-grouse in Wyoming
USGS has developed Greater Sage-grouse habitat-selection models for the nesting, summer, late brood rearing, and winter life stages in Wyoming to assess habitat quality and responses change across large landscapes.
Science and Products
- Science
Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
USGS scientists are contributing to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy, a strategy intended to provide guidance so that efforts to conserve the iconic greater sage-grouse can be expanded to the entire sagebrush biome to benefit the people and wildlife that depend on it.Defining Multi-Scaled Functional Landscape Connectivity for the Sagebrush Biome to Support Management and Conservation Planning of Multiple Species
USGS and Colorado State University scientists are modelling multispecies connectivity through intact and disturbed areas of the sagebrush landscape.Understanding How Changes in Traffic Volume May Affect Sage-Grouse Population Dynamics Across Scales in Wyoming
USGS researchers and partners are working to investigate how transportation activities may drive changes in sage-grouse populations, using annually time-stamped transportation from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and sage-grouse population data from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.Soil-Climate Modeling To Improve Understanding of Pattern and Processes in Sagebrush Ecosystems: A Spatially Explicit Soil Classification
Resistance and resilience concepts provide an important framework for sagebrush habitat management. Existing spatial products have been developed using NRCS soil data; models using new data and methods can improve these products.Hierarchical Sage-Grouse Population Assessment Tool: Building a Foundation for True Adaptive Management
USGS scientists and colleagues have designed a hierarchical monitoring framework for greater sage-grouse in Nevada, Wyoming, and northeastern California that will provide land managers with a monitoring and detection system to identify sage-grouse breeding locations (known as leks), clusters of leks, and populations where intervention may be necessary to sustain populations and to evaluate...Resources for Understanding the Effects of Wind Energy Development
As the Nation strives to lessen its dependence on foreign oil, domestic energy production has increased dramatically. This is especially true for renewable energy sources such as wind: from 2007 to 2009, for example, wind energy development increased 341 percent in Wyoming (Fig. 1, Science tab), and it continues on that trajectory today. However, the effects of renewable energy development on...Investigating Impacts of Oil and Gas Development on Greater Sage-Grouse Using a Bayesian State-Space Model
USGS and university researchers analyzed changes in male sage-grouse lek counts in Wyoming from 1984 through 2008, measuring disturbance owing to oil and gas development.Multi-scale Statewide Wyoming Greater Sage-grouse Trends Determined by Population Viability Analysis
USGS scientists and partners investigated sage-grouse population trends in Wyoming and at multiple spatial scales.Modeling Seasonal Habitat Requirements and Population Viability for Greater Sage-grouse in Wyoming
USGS has developed Greater Sage-grouse habitat-selection models for the nesting, summer, late brood rearing, and winter life stages in Wyoming to assess habitat quality and responses change across large landscapes. - Data
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