Early morning panorama of cliffs that signal the start of Desolation Canyon. This was our last, and probably most spectacular, campsite of this section of Uinta Basin. It was approximately 9 miles from our take-out at Sand Wash.
Mitchell J Eaton, Ph.D.
Mitchell Eaton is a Research Ecologist with the USGS Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and an adjunct faculty member in Applied Ecology at NC State University. His research focuses on wildlife ecology and management, emphasizing quantitative modeling to understand resource dynamics and use of decision-theoretic methods to guide management decisions under uncertainty.
Mitch earned a M.S. in Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota (2002; use of harvest data to assess sustainability of tropical vertebrates) and his Ph.D in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado (2009; population demographics, genetics and harvest management of African crocodiles). An interest in how policy makers actually use science to make decisions led him to a postdoc at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (USGS), where he worked with some of the top researchers in the field of decision theory to develop and apply quantitative decision-analytic tools for addressing resource management issues in the U.S. and globally. Mitch currently integrates his background and interests in population ecology with decision science to help managers and decision makers frame management problems, formulate approaches to predict outcomes and evaluate trade-offs, test hypotheses and improve decision making via adaptive management, and optimally allocate resources under uncertainty. Mitch is interested in bridging the science-management gap by working with decision makers early in their formulation of management issues and considering how science can most effectively support decision-making. He also has an ongoing interest in tropical ecology, crocodilian conservation and wildlife harvest dynamics.
Additional Projects:
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Conservation and management of the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis): designing a monitoring program and occupancy models to test hypotheses of habitat and competition on patch occupancy and dynamics
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Development of an adaptive management plan to restore the Herring River estuary, Cape Cod
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 14
The Long View: Developing a 500-year Climate Adaptation Plan with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Cherokee Peoples have had a sustained presence in the southern Appalachians over the past 12,000 years, with a peak population of about 250,000 people inhabiting approximately 32 million hectares across Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and the Carolinas. Early contact with European settlers caused drastic population declines and land loss, due to disease...
Examining Diverse Management Objectives and Broadening Stakeholder Engagement for Climate Adaptation Planning of Historic Structures within the National Park System
This project seeks to enhance the stewardship of historic buildings vulnerable to climate change impacts. As sea level rise and storm-related flooding and erosion threaten our nation’s cultural heritage, there is a critical need to ensure that climate change adaptation decisions, including what cultural resources will be “let go”, are transparent and informed by the opinion of people...
Water, Water Everywhere: Adapting Water Control Operations and Floodplain Conservation Planning to Global Change
Global change processes are producing shifts in temperature, precipitation, and seasonal streamflow regimes across North America. Much of the floodplain hydrology in the U.S. is managed through water control operations, often implemented on short time scales (e.g., weekly decisions), in response to short-term changes in precipitation. This operational model does not account for potential...
Creating a Decision Support Tool for Setting Sustainable Raptor Take Limits in a Changing Climate
Raptor populations are already seeing the effects of climate change through impacts on migration biology and vital rates (i.e. changes in the size and composition of a population). However, the decision framework used by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) to estimate population trends and set allowable take limits from commercial and recreational activities does not take into account...
Advancing Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for High Elevation and Endangered Lowland Coquí Frogs in the U.S. Caribbean
Amphibians in the US Caribbean, like the well-known coquí frog, are particularly vulnerable to human-caused climate change. Coquí frogs are represented by 17 species across Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands and include several mountainous and coastal species that are threatened by extreme heat and drying, loss of coastal freshwater marshes through saltwater intrusion, or both. Over the...
Climate Change Adaptation for Coastal National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuges provide habitat for important fish and wildlife species and services that benefit coastal communities, like storm-surge protection. USGS scientists are helping coastal refuges plan for and adapt to sea-level rise.
Strategic Habitat Conservation and Adaptive Strategies for the Conservation of Coqui Frogs in Puerto Rico
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources need to develop a plan of action to help the recovery of two endangered species in the genus Eleutherodactylus (commonly known as “coqui”), while also reducing the risk that 14 other coqui species would be added to the Endangered Species list. Prior work by these researchers has...
Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review
Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some...
Enhancing Coastal Adaptation Planning at Gulf Islands National Seashore
Barrier islands are exposed to a range of natural and human-caused changes, including hurricanes, sea-level rise, and dredging. These changes have the potential to influence the ability of barrier islands to serve as a first-line of defense for the mainland during storm events. Gulf Islands National Seashore, a National Park Service unit in the northern Gulf of Mexico between Florida and...
Protecting Cultural Resources in the Face of Climate Change
Climate change doesn’t just threaten our natural resources—it threatens our cultural resources, too. Cultural resources represent evidence of past human activity, such as archeological sites, or are of significance to a group of people traditionally associated with the resource, such as Native American ceremonial sites. Climate change is challenging the long-term persistence of many...
Climate Change Adaptation for Coastal National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) along the East Coast of the United States protect habitat for a host of wildlife species, while also offering storm surge protection, improving water quality, supporting nurseries for commercially important fish and shellfish, and providing recreation opportunities for coastal communities. Yet in the last century, coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S...
Development of an Adaptive Management Framework for the Conservation of the New England Cottontail
The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is the only native rabbit species in New England. Over the past 50 years, the cottontail’s range has been reduced by more than 80% as a result of habitat loss from maturing forests and land-use change, resulting in major population declines and concerns for the long-term prospects of this iconic species and other wildlife dependent...
Sunrise in canyon country from our last campsite
Early morning panorama of cliffs that signal the start of Desolation Canyon. This was our last, and probably most spectacular, campsite of this section of Uinta Basin. It was approximately 9 miles from our take-out at Sand Wash.
Panoramic vista of rafts on brown water below red and white cliffs
Although this section of the Green River in the Uinta basin lies between sections of dramatic red-stone cliffs of Ladore and Desolation Canyons, we did experience some profound geology. These cliffs are near the start of Desolation Canyon to the south.
Although this section of the Green River in the Uinta basin lies between sections of dramatic red-stone cliffs of Ladore and Desolation Canyons, we did experience some profound geology. These cliffs are near the start of Desolation Canyon to the south.
Sunset highlights distant cliffs beyond the river
Our last evening on this section of river, exploring the cliffs and buttresses of the Uinta Basin. One of our team member pauses on heavily banded member of the Green River Formation with distant cliffs glowing in the setting sun
Our last evening on this section of river, exploring the cliffs and buttresses of the Uinta Basin. One of our team member pauses on heavily banded member of the Green River Formation with distant cliffs glowing in the setting sun
Ben Kraushaar (UWYO expedition film maker) oars his raft through Ouray
This calm section of river flows through a National Wildlife Refuge where we observed a great deal of wildlife, including beaver, peregrin falcons, waterfowl, a coyote, bighorn sheep and American white pelicans
This calm section of river flows through a National Wildlife Refuge where we observed a great deal of wildlife, including beaver, peregrin falcons, waterfowl, a coyote, bighorn sheep and American white pelicans
Man in cowboy hat walking through sagebrush with guitar at sunset
We spent the evening listening to the rhythmic sounds of an oil pumpjack straining at the efforts to connect with its Cretaceous past, accompanied by Pat matcing this rhythm on his guitar . Even in the presence of industrial oil extraction, the desert is spectacular at sunset.
We spent the evening listening to the rhythmic sounds of an oil pumpjack straining at the efforts to connect with its Cretaceous past, accompanied by Pat matcing this rhythm on his guitar . Even in the presence of industrial oil extraction, the desert is spectacular at sunset.
A flotilla of rafts on the Green River from a bird's eye perspective
On a calm river with no rapids or impediments, boaters often tie up rafts together in a flotilla or 'party barge' to socialize, share snacks or just enjoy the scenery with a group
On a calm river with no rapids or impediments, boaters often tie up rafts together in a flotilla or 'party barge' to socialize, share snacks or just enjoy the scenery with a group
Ecologist smiles as she holds a vial of aquatic invertebrates
Sampling pre-emergent aquatic insects is not always easy, especially on a river with little cobble substrate. Because of the high water from dam release, a lot of floating driftwood was making its way down river.
Sampling pre-emergent aquatic insects is not always easy, especially on a river with little cobble substrate. Because of the high water from dam release, a lot of floating driftwood was making its way down river.
High angle view of 6 rafts tied to the banks of a river
Rigging the boats on chilly desert mornings is a slow affair. All our food and gear must be sorted, distributed and carefully packed among the six rafts to be able to accommodate its passengers and so it can all be easily found again when we reach our evening camp.
Rigging the boats on chilly desert mornings is a slow affair. All our food and gear must be sorted, distributed and carefully packed among the six rafts to be able to accommodate its passengers and so it can all be easily found again when we reach our evening camp.
Scientist on boat examines a large piece of driftwood
Sampling pre-emergent aquatic insects is not always easy, especially on a river with little cobble substrate. Because of the high water from dam release, a lot of floating driftwood was making its way down river. We are testing a new method to sample this substrate for benthic invertebrates to examine questions of species diversity, dispersal and habitat use.
Sampling pre-emergent aquatic insects is not always easy, especially on a river with little cobble substrate. Because of the high water from dam release, a lot of floating driftwood was making its way down river. We are testing a new method to sample this substrate for benthic invertebrates to examine questions of species diversity, dispersal and habitat use.
Man stands on green raft with white sandstone cliff as background
For Team D, this was our first morning on the river, putting-in at Split Mountain campground in Dinosaur Nat'l Monument. The whole group was very excited as none of the expedition members had ever rafted this section of the Green River.
For Team D, this was our first morning on the river, putting-in at Split Mountain campground in Dinosaur Nat'l Monument. The whole group was very excited as none of the expedition members had ever rafted this section of the Green River.
Green field borders white and red rock cliffs
The Uinta Basin represents an area of high productivity for agriculture, ranching and fossil fuel exploration. Recreational activities such as rafting share this landscape with wildlife and industry.
The Uinta Basin represents an area of high productivity for agriculture, ranching and fossil fuel exploration. Recreational activities such as rafting share this landscape with wildlife and industry.
Scientists talking to the public in front of cliffs and a river
Tildon Jones (Fish Biologist, USFWS) and Jim Prairie (hydro modeler, BOR) lecture to a public audience at Dinosaur the intricacies of the modern Adaptive Management Program for hydropower operation that considers the ecological needs of 3 endangered, endemic fish species in the Basin.
Tildon Jones (Fish Biologist, USFWS) and Jim Prairie (hydro modeler, BOR) lecture to a public audience at Dinosaur the intricacies of the modern Adaptive Management Program for hydropower operation that considers the ecological needs of 3 endangered, endemic fish species in the Basin.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 14
The Long View: Developing a 500-year Climate Adaptation Plan with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Cherokee Peoples have had a sustained presence in the southern Appalachians over the past 12,000 years, with a peak population of about 250,000 people inhabiting approximately 32 million hectares across Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and the Carolinas. Early contact with European settlers caused drastic population declines and land loss, due to disease...
Examining Diverse Management Objectives and Broadening Stakeholder Engagement for Climate Adaptation Planning of Historic Structures within the National Park System
This project seeks to enhance the stewardship of historic buildings vulnerable to climate change impacts. As sea level rise and storm-related flooding and erosion threaten our nation’s cultural heritage, there is a critical need to ensure that climate change adaptation decisions, including what cultural resources will be “let go”, are transparent and informed by the opinion of people...
Water, Water Everywhere: Adapting Water Control Operations and Floodplain Conservation Planning to Global Change
Global change processes are producing shifts in temperature, precipitation, and seasonal streamflow regimes across North America. Much of the floodplain hydrology in the U.S. is managed through water control operations, often implemented on short time scales (e.g., weekly decisions), in response to short-term changes in precipitation. This operational model does not account for potential...
Creating a Decision Support Tool for Setting Sustainable Raptor Take Limits in a Changing Climate
Raptor populations are already seeing the effects of climate change through impacts on migration biology and vital rates (i.e. changes in the size and composition of a population). However, the decision framework used by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) to estimate population trends and set allowable take limits from commercial and recreational activities does not take into account...
Advancing Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for High Elevation and Endangered Lowland Coquí Frogs in the U.S. Caribbean
Amphibians in the US Caribbean, like the well-known coquí frog, are particularly vulnerable to human-caused climate change. Coquí frogs are represented by 17 species across Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands and include several mountainous and coastal species that are threatened by extreme heat and drying, loss of coastal freshwater marshes through saltwater intrusion, or both. Over the...
Climate Change Adaptation for Coastal National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuges provide habitat for important fish and wildlife species and services that benefit coastal communities, like storm-surge protection. USGS scientists are helping coastal refuges plan for and adapt to sea-level rise.
Strategic Habitat Conservation and Adaptive Strategies for the Conservation of Coqui Frogs in Puerto Rico
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources need to develop a plan of action to help the recovery of two endangered species in the genus Eleutherodactylus (commonly known as “coqui”), while also reducing the risk that 14 other coqui species would be added to the Endangered Species list. Prior work by these researchers has...
Understanding Species' Range Shifts in Response to Climate Change: Results from a Systematic National Review
Climate change represents one of the foremost drivers of ecological change, yet its documented impacts on biodiversity remain uncertain and complex. Although there have been many published studies on species shifting their geographic ranges in response to climate change, it is still challenging to identify the specific mechanisms and conditions that facilitate range shifts in some...
Enhancing Coastal Adaptation Planning at Gulf Islands National Seashore
Barrier islands are exposed to a range of natural and human-caused changes, including hurricanes, sea-level rise, and dredging. These changes have the potential to influence the ability of barrier islands to serve as a first-line of defense for the mainland during storm events. Gulf Islands National Seashore, a National Park Service unit in the northern Gulf of Mexico between Florida and...
Protecting Cultural Resources in the Face of Climate Change
Climate change doesn’t just threaten our natural resources—it threatens our cultural resources, too. Cultural resources represent evidence of past human activity, such as archeological sites, or are of significance to a group of people traditionally associated with the resource, such as Native American ceremonial sites. Climate change is challenging the long-term persistence of many...
Climate Change Adaptation for Coastal National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) along the East Coast of the United States protect habitat for a host of wildlife species, while also offering storm surge protection, improving water quality, supporting nurseries for commercially important fish and shellfish, and providing recreation opportunities for coastal communities. Yet in the last century, coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S...
Development of an Adaptive Management Framework for the Conservation of the New England Cottontail
The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is the only native rabbit species in New England. Over the past 50 years, the cottontail’s range has been reduced by more than 80% as a result of habitat loss from maturing forests and land-use change, resulting in major population declines and concerns for the long-term prospects of this iconic species and other wildlife dependent...
Sunrise in canyon country from our last campsite
Early morning panorama of cliffs that signal the start of Desolation Canyon. This was our last, and probably most spectacular, campsite of this section of Uinta Basin. It was approximately 9 miles from our take-out at Sand Wash.
Early morning panorama of cliffs that signal the start of Desolation Canyon. This was our last, and probably most spectacular, campsite of this section of Uinta Basin. It was approximately 9 miles from our take-out at Sand Wash.
Panoramic vista of rafts on brown water below red and white cliffs
Although this section of the Green River in the Uinta basin lies between sections of dramatic red-stone cliffs of Ladore and Desolation Canyons, we did experience some profound geology. These cliffs are near the start of Desolation Canyon to the south.
Although this section of the Green River in the Uinta basin lies between sections of dramatic red-stone cliffs of Ladore and Desolation Canyons, we did experience some profound geology. These cliffs are near the start of Desolation Canyon to the south.
Sunset highlights distant cliffs beyond the river
Our last evening on this section of river, exploring the cliffs and buttresses of the Uinta Basin. One of our team member pauses on heavily banded member of the Green River Formation with distant cliffs glowing in the setting sun
Our last evening on this section of river, exploring the cliffs and buttresses of the Uinta Basin. One of our team member pauses on heavily banded member of the Green River Formation with distant cliffs glowing in the setting sun
Ben Kraushaar (UWYO expedition film maker) oars his raft through Ouray
This calm section of river flows through a National Wildlife Refuge where we observed a great deal of wildlife, including beaver, peregrin falcons, waterfowl, a coyote, bighorn sheep and American white pelicans
This calm section of river flows through a National Wildlife Refuge where we observed a great deal of wildlife, including beaver, peregrin falcons, waterfowl, a coyote, bighorn sheep and American white pelicans
Man in cowboy hat walking through sagebrush with guitar at sunset
We spent the evening listening to the rhythmic sounds of an oil pumpjack straining at the efforts to connect with its Cretaceous past, accompanied by Pat matcing this rhythm on his guitar . Even in the presence of industrial oil extraction, the desert is spectacular at sunset.
We spent the evening listening to the rhythmic sounds of an oil pumpjack straining at the efforts to connect with its Cretaceous past, accompanied by Pat matcing this rhythm on his guitar . Even in the presence of industrial oil extraction, the desert is spectacular at sunset.
A flotilla of rafts on the Green River from a bird's eye perspective
On a calm river with no rapids or impediments, boaters often tie up rafts together in a flotilla or 'party barge' to socialize, share snacks or just enjoy the scenery with a group
On a calm river with no rapids or impediments, boaters often tie up rafts together in a flotilla or 'party barge' to socialize, share snacks or just enjoy the scenery with a group
Ecologist smiles as she holds a vial of aquatic invertebrates
Sampling pre-emergent aquatic insects is not always easy, especially on a river with little cobble substrate. Because of the high water from dam release, a lot of floating driftwood was making its way down river.
Sampling pre-emergent aquatic insects is not always easy, especially on a river with little cobble substrate. Because of the high water from dam release, a lot of floating driftwood was making its way down river.
High angle view of 6 rafts tied to the banks of a river
Rigging the boats on chilly desert mornings is a slow affair. All our food and gear must be sorted, distributed and carefully packed among the six rafts to be able to accommodate its passengers and so it can all be easily found again when we reach our evening camp.
Rigging the boats on chilly desert mornings is a slow affair. All our food and gear must be sorted, distributed and carefully packed among the six rafts to be able to accommodate its passengers and so it can all be easily found again when we reach our evening camp.
Scientist on boat examines a large piece of driftwood
Sampling pre-emergent aquatic insects is not always easy, especially on a river with little cobble substrate. Because of the high water from dam release, a lot of floating driftwood was making its way down river. We are testing a new method to sample this substrate for benthic invertebrates to examine questions of species diversity, dispersal and habitat use.
Sampling pre-emergent aquatic insects is not always easy, especially on a river with little cobble substrate. Because of the high water from dam release, a lot of floating driftwood was making its way down river. We are testing a new method to sample this substrate for benthic invertebrates to examine questions of species diversity, dispersal and habitat use.
Man stands on green raft with white sandstone cliff as background
For Team D, this was our first morning on the river, putting-in at Split Mountain campground in Dinosaur Nat'l Monument. The whole group was very excited as none of the expedition members had ever rafted this section of the Green River.
For Team D, this was our first morning on the river, putting-in at Split Mountain campground in Dinosaur Nat'l Monument. The whole group was very excited as none of the expedition members had ever rafted this section of the Green River.
Green field borders white and red rock cliffs
The Uinta Basin represents an area of high productivity for agriculture, ranching and fossil fuel exploration. Recreational activities such as rafting share this landscape with wildlife and industry.
The Uinta Basin represents an area of high productivity for agriculture, ranching and fossil fuel exploration. Recreational activities such as rafting share this landscape with wildlife and industry.
Scientists talking to the public in front of cliffs and a river
Tildon Jones (Fish Biologist, USFWS) and Jim Prairie (hydro modeler, BOR) lecture to a public audience at Dinosaur the intricacies of the modern Adaptive Management Program for hydropower operation that considers the ecological needs of 3 endangered, endemic fish species in the Basin.
Tildon Jones (Fish Biologist, USFWS) and Jim Prairie (hydro modeler, BOR) lecture to a public audience at Dinosaur the intricacies of the modern Adaptive Management Program for hydropower operation that considers the ecological needs of 3 endangered, endemic fish species in the Basin.