Natalie is a cross-disciplinary biologist working on the Colorado Plateau. She seeks to provide relevant information to land managers, policy makers and the public. Some of her main research interests include assessing the effects of land disturbance in drylands on regional hydrology, understanding controls on riverine and reservoir algae blooms, and establishing effective ways to restore degraded drylands. Natalie seeks to increase the sharing of information among different fields and conduct research that is collaborative and useful.
Master of Science in Biogeochemistry, the University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 2015
Focus: Nitrogen cycling in headwater streams in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
Advised by Robert O. Hall, Jr.
Bachelor of Arts in Biology, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR, 2008
Focus: Aquatic biogeochemistry
Professional Experience
Biologist, USGS-Colorado Water Science Center, Grand Junction, CO, Fall 2019-present
Biologist, USGS-Canyonland Research Station, Moab, UT, 2016-2019
Biological Field Technician, USGS-Canyonland Research Station, Moab, UT, 2010-2011
Research Assistant, Utah Water Research Lab, Logan, UT, 2009-2010
Research Assistant, Biogeochemistry Lab, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 2008-2009
Student Technician, National Science Foundation, Toolik Lake, AK, advised by George Kling, 2007
Student Technician, National Science Foundation, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, advised by Gene Likens , 2007
The Upper Yampa River Basin (UYRB) drains approximately 1,800 square miles west of the Continental Divide in northwestern Colorado. In 2019, the USGS, in cooperation with local stakeholders in the UYRB water community, initiated a study to characterize streamflow, suspended sediment, and nutrients using historic and recently acquired water-quality data from a long-term monitoring program...
Mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) are contaminants of concern for fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). We explored Hg and Se in fish tissues (2,324 individuals) collected over 50 years (1962–2011) from the UCRB. Samples include native and non-native fish collected from lotic waterbodies spanning 7 major tributaries to the Colorado River....
Day, Natalie; Schmidt, Travis; Roberts, James J.; Osmundson, Barbara C.; Willacker, James; Eagles-Smith, Collin In dryland ecosystems, natural recovery of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) following disturbance may be slow or inhibited, necessitating active restoration practices. While biocrusts can be readily propagated under environmentally controlled conditions, rehabilitation in the field is complicated by environmental stresses which may be...
Fick, Stephen E.; Day, Natalie; Duniway, Michael C.; Hoy-Skubik, Sean Lawrence; Barger, Nichole N. In most drylands, biological soil crusts (biocrusts), an assemblage of lichens, bryophytes, fungi, green algae, and cyanobacteria, are critical to healthy ecosystem function. However, they are extremely sensitive to disturbance and attempts to facilitate their recovery have had variable success. In this study, we applied soil amendments designed...
Chandler, David G.; Day, Natalie; Madsen, Matthew D.; Belnap, Jayne