Peter Coates
Dr. Peter Coates is a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Ecological Research Center.
He is interested in sound science and management practices aimed at restoring wildlife communities and their habitats. He is committed to progressive, scientifically defensible conservation actions in the face of increasing human population size and individual consumption. Abundance and distribution of wild populations often can be linked to changes in their environments caused by human land use practices, but identifying the ecological mechanisms of declining populations are often challenging. Specifically, Dr. Coates is interested in investigating the links between nesting habitat, predator composition, and incubation behavior and success of birds. Additionally, he is interested in the effects of anthropogenic-resource subsidies on the survival and reproduction of predators and how these changes influence demographics and distribution of prey populations. Dr. Coates seeks to develop a broader understanding of how human-caused landscape changes affect communities and aim to identify restoration practices that preserve natural ecological processes. He is also interested in behavioral traits of grouse that affect population establishment and persistence in the face of environmental challenges.
Professional Experience
Wildlife Biologist, U. S. Geological Survey, 2008–present
Postdoctoral Appointment, Idaho State University, 2008
Seasonal Wildlife Biologist, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2007
Graduate Research Assistantship, Idaho State University, 2002–2007
Teaching Assistantship, Idaho State University, 2004–2007
National Science Foundation GK–12 Teaching F, Idaho State University, 2005–2006
Seasonal Biological Specialist, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 2003–2005
Field Research Technician, University of Nevada Reno, 1999
Conservation Biological Technician I, II, and III, Nevada Department of Wildlife, 1996–1998
Education and Certifications
Ph. D., Biology, Idaho State University 2007
M. S., Biology, University of Nevada Reno 2001
B. S., Conservation Biology, University of Nevada Reno 1998
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Ornithologists Union
Cooper Ornithological Society
Jack H. Berryman Institute
Society for Conservation Biology
The Wildlife Society
Science and Products
Linking post-fire sagebrush restoration and sage-grouse habitat recovery
Data Harmonization for Greater Sage-Grouse Populations
Hierarchical Units of Greater Sage-Grouse Populations Informing Wildlife Management
Assessing the Effectiveness of Fuel Breaks for Preserving Greater Sage-Grouse in the Great Basin
WERC Fire Science
Greater Sage-Grouse Science (2015–17): Synthesis and Potential Management Implications
Greater Sage-Grouse Population Ecology
Stressors to Greater Sage-Grouse
Reproductive Success of Black-Crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets on Alcatraz Island
Dixon Field Station
Hierarchical Sage-Grouse Population Assessment Tool: Building a Foundation for True Adaptive Management
Field of Sagebrush Dreams: Planting and Restoring Functional Sagebrush in Burned Landscapes
Hierarchically nested and biologically relevant range-wide monitoring frameworks for greater sage-grouse, western United States
Median Estimates of Impact Potential from Geothermal Energy Production Activities on Greater Sage-Grouse Populations in Nevada and California (2022)
Selection and Survival of Greater Sage-Grouse Broods in Mesic Areas of Long Valley, California (2003 - 2018)
Sagebrush Restoration Following Fire Disturbance in the Virginia Mountains, Nevada (2018)
Spatially-Explicit Predictive Maps of Greater Sage-Grouse Brood Selection Integrated with Brood Survival in Nevada and Northeastern California, USA
Greater Sage-Grouse Nest Observations Before and After Wildfire Disturbance in Northeastern California (2007-2018)
Fire Response Effects, Biocrust, and Vascular Plant Abundance Following Wildfire near Boise, Idaho (October 2021)
Greater sage-grouse population structure and connectivity data to inform the development of hierarchical population units (western United States)
Data to Inform an Integrated Population Model of Translocated Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse, Nevada 2013 - 2017
Trend Estimates of Common Raven Populations in the United States and Canada, 1966 - 2018
Raven Occurrence and Density in the Great Basin Region of the Western United States (2007-2019)
Geospatial Information and Predictive Maps of Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Selection in Southwestern North Dakota, USA
A genetic warning system for a hierarchically structured wildlife monitoring framework
A regionally varying habitat model to inform management for greater sage-grouse persistence across their range
Maladaptive nest-site selection and reduced nest survival in female sage-grouse following wildfire
Defining biologically relevant and hierarchically nested population units to inform wildlife management
A sagebrush conservation design to proactively restore America’s sagebrush biome
Defining fine-scaled population structure among continuously distributed populations
Targeting sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) restoration following wildfire with Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) nest selection and survival models
Invasion of annual grasses following wildfire corresponds to maladaptive habitat selection by a sagebrush ecosystem indicator species
Behavioral state-dependent habitat selection and implications for animal translocations
Health surveillance of a potential bridge host: Pathogen exposure risks posed to avian populations augmented with captive-bred pheasants
A desert tortoise-common raven viable conflict threshold
Efficacy of manipulating reproduction of common ravens to conserve sensitive prey species: Three case studies
popcluster: Developing Hierarchical Population Monitoring Frameworks for mobile species with high site fidelity
Science and Products
- Science
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Linking post-fire sagebrush restoration and sage-grouse habitat recovery
Many revegetation projects are intended to benefit focal wildlife species. Yet, few scope the ability of revegetation efforts to yield habitat. To investigate the ability of alternative sagebrush ( Artemisia species) planting strategies to recover habitat conditions for the greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ), USGS and Colorado State University scientists developed a spatial...Data Harmonization for Greater Sage-Grouse Populations
Long-term wildlife monitoring is imperative for understanding population changes that can inform managers. However, working with population data collected by different organizations, across multiple jurisdictions, and over long time periods can be challenging due to different data management approaches and organizational priorities. Through this project, we aimed to collaborate with eleven state...Hierarchical Units of Greater Sage-Grouse Populations Informing Wildlife Management
Wildlife management boundaries frequently lack biological context, such as information on habitat resource availability and wildlife movements. To address this, we developed multiple levels of biologically relevant and hierarchically nested greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) population units that could facilitate management and conservation of populations and habitats.Assessing the Effectiveness of Fuel Breaks for Preserving Greater Sage-Grouse in the Great Basin
Fuel breaks have the potential to minimize catastrophic losses of sagebrush habitat and sage-grouse populations by altering fire behavior and facilitating fire suppression. However, they may carry risks to sage-grouse populations—of habitat loss, fragmentation, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion, and alteration of sage-grouse movements—that have not been quantified.WERC Fire Science
WERC scientists are defining the past, present, and future of wildfires for wildlife and human communities. Explore this webpage to learn about specific, ongoing projects across California and parts of Nevada.Greater Sage-Grouse Science (2015–17): Synthesis and Potential Management Implications
USGS led an interagency team of Federal and State agency biologists to develop a report that synthesizes greater sage-grouse scientific literature.Greater Sage-Grouse Population Ecology
Greater Sage-grouse are iconic birds found only in the Great Basin of the western U.S. Known for their showy courting displays, sage-grouse rely on native sagebrush habitat to shelter their young. Dr. Pete Coates is providing resource managers with the tools and information they need to conserve sage-grouse as invasive plants, evolving wildfire patterns, and energy development change the Great...Stressors to Greater Sage-Grouse
The Greater Sage-grouse is a small bird found only in the sagebrush steppe of the Great Basin. Invasions of non-native grasses, evolving wildfire patterns, grazing from livestock, and human land uses are changing this unique ecosystem. WERC’s Dr. Pete Coates studies sage-grouse populations to determine how these influences could affect the bird and other wildlife in the future.Reproductive Success of Black-Crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets on Alcatraz Island
Years after the last inmate departed Alcatraz Island, waterbirds like Black-crowned Night Herons and Snowy Egrets still make the forbidding island their home. The National Park Service has requested the aid of WERC’s Dr. Pete Coates to inform efforts to expand visitor access to the Island, and simultaneously maintain healthy waterbird populations.Dixon Field Station
WERC scientists at the Dixon Field Station conduct studies from the San Francisco Bay-Delta in California to the Great Basin spanning California and Nevada.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...Field of Sagebrush Dreams: Planting and Restoring Functional Sagebrush in Burned Landscapes
Increased wildfire-induced loss of sagebrush in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial habitat loss for sagebrush-obligate species like sage-grouse. The products and information developed for this project will help restoration practitioners, biologists, and land managers evaluate the efficacy of sagebrush restoration approaches as well as their ability... - Data
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Hierarchically nested and biologically relevant range-wide monitoring frameworks for greater sage-grouse, western United States
We produced 13 hierarchically nested cluster levels that reflect the results from developing a hierarchical monitoring framework for greater sage-grouse across the western United States. Polygons (clusters) within each cluster level group a population of sage-grouse leks (sage-grouse breeding grounds) and each level increasingly groups lek clusters from previous levels. We developed the hierarchicMedian Estimates of Impact Potential from Geothermal Energy Production Activities on Greater Sage-Grouse Populations in Nevada and California (2022)
These data are the result of an intersection between a surface representing the delta-finite rate of population change and another surface representing Greater Sage-grouse abundance and space-use. It was used to rank candidate sites according to greatest potential impact to Greater Sage-grouse populations resulting from the presence of geothermal energy activity. In 2022, candidate geothermal siteSelection and Survival of Greater Sage-Grouse Broods in Mesic Areas of Long Valley, California (2003 - 2018)
We evaluated brood-rearing habitat selection and brood survival of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) in Long Valley, California, an area where the water rights are primarily owned by the city of Los Angeles and water is used locally to irrigate for livestock. This area thus represents a unique balance between the needs of wildlife and people that could increasSagebrush Restoration Following Fire Disturbance in the Virginia Mountains, Nevada (2018)
We developed a framework that strategically targets burned areas for restoration actions (e.g., seeding or planting sagebrush) that have the greatest potential to positively benefit Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) populations through time. Specifically, we estimated sagebrush (Artemisia Spp.) recovery following wildfire and risk of non-native annual grass invSpatially-Explicit Predictive Maps of Greater Sage-Grouse Brood Selection Integrated with Brood Survival in Nevada and Northeastern California, USA
We used a hierarchical Bayesian modeling framework to estimate resource selection functions and survival for early and late brood-rearing stages of sage-grouse in relation to a broad suite of habitat characteristics evaluated at multiple spatial scales within the Great Basin from 2009 to 2019. Sage-grouse selected for greater perennial grass cover, higher relative elevations, and areas closer to sGreater Sage-Grouse Nest Observations Before and After Wildfire Disturbance in Northeastern California (2007-2018)
We monitored Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, Sage-Grouse) nests and various habitat characteristics at the nest locations near Susanville in northeastern California, crossing over into northwestern Nevada. We employed a before-after-control-impact (BACI) experimental design to account for spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the system and to derive estimates of relative chanFire Response Effects, Biocrust, and Vascular Plant Abundance Following Wildfire near Boise, Idaho (October 2021)
Twenty quadrats within the burn perimeter of a September 2021 wildfire outside of Boise, Idaho were surveyed for the abundance of fire effects, biocrusts and vascular plants immediately post-fire. The fire was too small to be named. Char was measured as a proxy for fire intensity. Biocrusts were surveyed by morphogroup (crustose lichens, cup lichens, fruticose lichens, gelatinous lichens, short moGreater sage-grouse population structure and connectivity data to inform the development of hierarchical population units (western United States)
We present five hierarchical demarcations of greater sage-grouse population structure, representing the spatial structure of populations which can exist due to differences in dispersal abilities, landscape configurations, and mating behavior. These demarcations represent Thiessen polygons of graph constructs (least-cost path [LCP] minimum spanning trees [MST; LCP-MST]) representing greater sage-grData to Inform an Integrated Population Model of Translocated Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse, Nevada 2013 - 2017
These data include encounter histories, nest attempts, hatched egg counts, brood counts, time-varying matrices, survival statistics, and lek counts, all used in an integrated population model (IPM) to determine the status of a population of translocated Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus; CSTG) in Nevada. Sharp-tailed grouse were translocated to a remote site in NeTrend Estimates of Common Raven Populations in the United States and Canada, 1966 - 2018
These data identify the mean population growth rate and ratio change in abundance of common raven (Corvus corax; ravens) populations from 1966 through 2018, delineated by ecoregions defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This enables researchers and land managers to identify regions which may be more heavily affected by growing raven populations. These data support the following pRaven Occurrence and Density in the Great Basin Region of the Western United States (2007-2019)
We generated a spatially explicit map of categories of expected occurrence and density associated with predicted concentrations of resident and transient common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) using the residuals from a generalized linear regression between the occurrence and density parameters. These data support the following publication: Webster, S.C., O'Neil, S.T., Brussee, B.E., Coates, P.S.,Geospatial Information and Predictive Maps of Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Selection in Southwestern North Dakota, USA
We use locations from previously released radio-marked greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) in a resource selection function framework to evaluate habitat selection following translocation and identify areas of seasonal habitat to inform habitat management and potential restoration needs. We also evaluate possible changes in seasonal habitat since the late 1980s u - Publications
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A genetic warning system for a hierarchically structured wildlife monitoring framework
Genetic variation is a well-known indicator of population fitness yet is not typically included in monitoring programs for sensitive species. Additionally, most programs monitor populations at one scale, which can lead to potential mismatches with ecological processes critical to species' conservation. Recently developed methods generating hierarchically nested population units (i.e., clusters ofAuthorsShawna J Zimmerman, Cameron L. Aldridge, Michael O'Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Jennifer A. Fike, Todd B. Cross, Bradley C. Fedy, Sara J. Oyler-McCanceA regionally varying habitat model to inform management for greater sage-grouse persistence across their range
Identifying habitat needs for species with large distributions is challenging because species-habitat associations may vary across scales and regions (spatial nonstationarity). Furthermore, management efforts often cross jurisdictional boundaries, complicating the development of cohesive conservation strategies among management entities. The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a rapAuthorsGregory T. Wann, Nathan D. Van Schmidt, Jessica E. Shyvers, Bryan C. Tarbox, Megan M. McLachlan, Michael O'Donnell, Anthony J Titolo, Peter S. Coates, David R. Edmunds, Julie A. Heinrichs, Adrian P. Monroe, Cameron L. AldridgeMaladaptive nest-site selection and reduced nest survival in female sage-grouse following wildfire
Increased wildfire frequency and associated replacement of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) with invasive annual grasses contribute to declines of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) populations across the Great Basin. However, little is known about wildfire effects on sage-grouse nest-site selection and nest survival, which can influence population persistence. The pAuthorsIan F. Dudley, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Dawn M. Davis, Scott C. Gardner, David J. DelehantyDefining biologically relevant and hierarchically nested population units to inform wildlife management
Wildlife populations are increasingly affected by natural and anthropogenic changes that negatively alter biotic and abiotic processes at multiple spatiotemporal scales and therefore require increased wildlife management and conservation efforts. However, wildlife management boundaries frequently lack biological context and mechanisms to assess demographic data across the multiple spatiotemporal sAuthorsMichael O'Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Cameron L. Aldridge, Julie A. Heinrichs, Adrian P. Monroe, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Steve E. Hanser, Lief A. WiechmanA sagebrush conservation design to proactively restore America’s sagebrush biome
A working group of experts with diverse professional backgrounds and disciplinary expertise was assembled to conceptualize a spatially explicit conservation design to support and inform the Sagebrush Conservation Strategy Part 2. The goal was to leverage recent advancements in remotely sensed landcover products to develop spatially and temporally explicit maps of sagebrush rangeland condition andAuthorsKevin Doherty, David M. Theobald, John B. Bradford, Lief A. Wiechman, Geoffrey Bedrosian, Chad S. Boyd, Matthew Cahill, Peter S. Coates, Megan K. Creutzburg, Michele R. Crist, Sean P. Finn, Alexander V. Kumar, Caitlin E. Littlefield, Jeremy D. Maestas, Karen L. Prentice, Brian G. Prochazka, Thomas E. Remington, William D. Sparklin, John C. Tull, Zachary Wurtzebach, Katherine A. ZellerDefining fine-scaled population structure among continuously distributed populations
Understanding wildlife population structure and connectivity can help managers identify conservation strategies, as structure can facilitate the study of population changes and habitat connectivity can provide information on dispersal and biodiversity. To facilitate the use of wildlife monitoring data for improved adaptive management, we developed a novel approach to define hierarchical tiers (mulAuthorsMichael O'Donnell, David R. Edmunds, Cameron L. Aldridge, Julie A. Heinrichs, Adrian P. Monroe, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Steve E. Hanser, Lief A. WiechmanTargeting sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) restoration following wildfire with Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) nest selection and survival models
Unprecedented conservation efforts for sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems across the western United States have been catalyzed by risks from escalated wildfire activity that reduces habitat for sagebrush-obligate species such as Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). However, post-fire restoration is challenged by spatial variation in ecosystem processes influencing resilience to distAuthorsCali L. Roth, Shawn T. O'Neil, Peter S. Coates, Mark A. Ricca, David A. Pyke, Cameron L. Aldridge, Julie A. Heinrichs, Shawn P. Espinosa, David J. DelehantyInvasion of annual grasses following wildfire corresponds to maladaptive habitat selection by a sagebrush ecosystem indicator species
Numerous wildlife species within semi-arid shrubland ecosystems across western North America are experiencing substantial habitat loss and fragmentation. These changes in habitat are often attributed to a diverse suite of factors including prolonged and increasingly severe droughts, conifer expansion, anthropogenic development, domestic and feral livestock grazing, and invasion of exotic annual grAuthorsBrianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O'Neil, Michael L. Casazza, Shawn P. Espinosa, John D. Boone, Elisabeth M. Ammon, Scott C. Gardner, David J. DelehantyBehavioral state-dependent habitat selection and implications for animal translocations
Post-release monitoring of translocated animals is often used to inform future translocation protocols. Quantifying habitat selection of translocated individuals may help identify features that characterize good settlement habitat and thus inform the choice of future release sites. However, translocated animals often undergo post-release behavioural modification, and their habitat selection may vaAuthorsSimona Picardi, Peter S. Coates, Jesse L. Kolar, Shawn T. O'Neil, Steven R. Mathews, David K. DahlgrenHealth surveillance of a potential bridge host: Pathogen exposure risks posed to avian populations augmented with captive-bred pheasants
Augmentation of wild populations with captive-bred individuals presents an inherent risk of co-introducing novel pathogens to naïve species, but it can be an important tool for supplementing small or declining populations. Game species used for human enterprise and recreation such as the ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) are commonly raised in captivity and released onto public and privatAuthorsIan Dwight, Peter S. Coates, Simone T. Stoute, Maurice E. PiteskyA desert tortoise-common raven viable conflict threshold
Since 1966, common raven (Corvus corax; raven) abundance has increased throughout much of this species’ Holarctic distribution, fueled by an ever-expanding supply of anthropogenic resource subsidies (e.g., water, food, shelter, and nesting substrate) to ecoregion specific raven population carrying capacities. Consequently, ravens are implicated in declines of both avian and reptilian species of coAuthorsKerry L. Holcomb, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Timothy Shields, William I. BoarmanEfficacy of manipulating reproduction of common ravens to conserve sensitive prey species: Three case studies
Expansion of human enterprise across western North America has resulted in an increase in availability of anthropogenic resource subsidies for generalist species. This has led to increases in generalists’ population numbers across landscapes that were previously less suitable for their current demographic rates. Of particular concern are growing populations of common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens),AuthorsCorina A. Sanchez, Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Kerry L. Holcomb, Seth M. Harju, Timothy A. Shields, Mercy Vaughn, Brian G. Prochazka, Steven R. Mathews, Steffen Cornell, Chad V. Olson, David J. Delehanty - Web Tools
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popcluster: Developing Hierarchical Population Monitoring Frameworks for mobile species with high site fidelity
The software "popcluster" constructs hierarchically nested groupings of similar habitats associated with field surveys while considering biological structure/connectedness (movements between habitats). This approach can support mobile species with high site fidelity where monitoring during surveys occurs on birthing grounds, breeding grounds, or stopovers/seasonal habitat for migratory species. Ea - News
*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