Sara LeAnn (Caldwell) Eldridge
I am a Microbiologist in the Studies Section.
I started with the USGS New Mexico Water Science Center in 2003 as a student studying Earth Science with an emphasis on subsurface (groundwater) microbiology. After receiving an MS in Biology in 2009, I worked as a Hydrologic Technician and later, Microbiologist, with the Oregon Water Science Center, Klamath Falls Field Station. In Oregon, I worked primarily on monitoring the frequent cyanobacteria blooms and associated toxins (“HABs”) and environmental parameters in Upper Klamath Lake. In 2018, I transferred to the Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, and I am now building a microbiology/microbial ecology program and supporting water-quality studies throughout Montana and Wyoming.
Science and Products
Water-Quality and Fish Tissue Data from Boneau and Williamson Reservoirs, Chippewa Cree Tribe Rocky Boy's Reservation, Box Elder, Montana, May - September 2022
Water and fish tissue were sampled in Boneau and Williamson reservoirs, Rocky Boy's Reservation, near Box Elder, Montana. The sampling was part of a program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sampling was completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Chippewa Cree Tribe, to characterize background water quality and mercury in fish tissue within the tribal lands.
Restoration Effectiveness Monitoring in the Vermilion River
The Vermilion River is a major tributary to the Lower Clark Fork River in the northwest corner of Montana and is designated as critical habitat for migratory bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. Historic placer, hydraulic, and dredge mining and large-scale clearcutting (via commercial forestry) in the upper portion of the Vermilion River drainage have degraded the river habitat, increased the...
High-Resolution, Interagency Biosurveillance of Threatened Surface Waters in the United States
Advances in information technology now provide large volume, high-frequency data collection which may improve real-time biosurveillance and forecasting. But, big data streams present challenges for data management and timely analysis. As a first step in creating a data science pipeline for translating large datasets into meaningful interpretations, we created a cloud-hosted PostgreSQL...
Science and Products
Water-Quality and Fish Tissue Data from Boneau and Williamson Reservoirs, Chippewa Cree Tribe Rocky Boy's Reservation, Box Elder, Montana, May - September 2022
Water and fish tissue were sampled in Boneau and Williamson reservoirs, Rocky Boy's Reservation, near Box Elder, Montana. The sampling was part of a program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sampling was completed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Chippewa Cree Tribe, to characterize background water quality and mercury in fish tissue within the tribal lands.
Restoration Effectiveness Monitoring in the Vermilion River
The Vermilion River is a major tributary to the Lower Clark Fork River in the northwest corner of Montana and is designated as critical habitat for migratory bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. Historic placer, hydraulic, and dredge mining and large-scale clearcutting (via commercial forestry) in the upper portion of the Vermilion River drainage have degraded the river habitat, increased the...
High-Resolution, Interagency Biosurveillance of Threatened Surface Waters in the United States
Advances in information technology now provide large volume, high-frequency data collection which may improve real-time biosurveillance and forecasting. But, big data streams present challenges for data management and timely analysis. As a first step in creating a data science pipeline for translating large datasets into meaningful interpretations, we created a cloud-hosted PostgreSQL...