Sarah Carter, PhD
Sarah Carter is an ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center, whose interests lie in landscape, widlife, and community ecology, as well as conservation planning and evaluation.
Sarah Carter is an ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center. Her interests lie in landscape, wildlife, and community ecology, and in conservation planning and evaluation. Sarah is interested in how we can manage landscapes to accommodate diverse resource values and uses, informed by monitoring the integrity of landscapes, the effectiveness of planning and management actions, and the potential effects of development on species, ecosystems, and landscapes. Sarah is also interested in finding ways to bridge the research-management gap by involving managers in all stages of producing applied science that is both useful for and used by managers.
Sarah joined the USGS in 2015 and is currently working on a number of projects to help inform management of multiple-use lands in the western US, including developing multiscale assessments and analyses to support implementation of a landscape approach to resource management in the Bureau of Land Management, identifying core, broad-scale indicators, methods, and datasets for quantifying the structure, composition, and function of ecosystems, and developing a framework and process for using broad- and fine-scale monitoring data together to quantify the ecological integrity of rangelands across the west.
Professional Experience
Ecologist (2015 – present), USGS, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Landscape Ecology (2014 –2015), University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
Research Assistant, Conservation planning and evaluation (2010 –2014), Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Conservation Biologist (2007-2010), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin
Regional Ecologist (2004-2006), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Fitchburg, Wisconsin
Assistant Director (2000-2004), Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Wisconsin
Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Conservation Plan Data Manager (2001-2002), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin
Wildlife Damage Biologist (1999-2001), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin
Research Assistant, Community Ecology (1995-1999), School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Research Assistant, Marine Mammals (1995), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Fulbright Scholar, Wildlife Biology (1993-1994), National Institute of Amazon Research (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Forestry, Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2014
M.S. in Fisheries, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, 1999
B.S. in Mathematics, Lewis and Clark College, 1992
Science and Products
Developing habitat models for rare plants to inform decision making on multiple-use public lands
Developing structured science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decision making in the Bureau of Land Management
Developing Science Plans for the Bureau of Land Management’s National Landscape Conservation System
Understanding the use of habitat models for managing and conserving rare plants on western public lands
Synthesis of sage-grouse genetic information to support conservation and land management actions
Developing searchable annotated bibliographies for resource managers
Fostering greater use of habitat models for managing rare and invasive plants on public lands
Developing science syntheses to facilitate climate-informed land management decisions and NEPA analyses on rangelands in the sagebrush biome
Developing a toolkit for coproducing actionable science to support public land management
Short Science Syntheses and NEPA Analyses for Climate-Informed Land Management Decisions in Sagebrush Rangelands
Using public litigation records to identify priority science and data needs for the Bureau of Land Management
Identifying priority science needs for strengthening the science foundation for decision making in the Bureau of Land Management
Modeled habitat suitability for five rare plants (Aliciella formosa, Sclerocactus cloverae, Townsendia gypsophila, Astragalus ripleyi, and Cymopterus spellenbergii) in New Mexico
Characteristics, presence of erosional features, and cover of vegetation and bare ground on fields formerly enrolled in grassland, wetland, and wildlife practices of the Conservation Reserve Program in the central and western United States from 2017 to 20
Presence of erosional features and cover of grasses, forbs, and bare ground on fields enrolled in grassland, wetland, and wildlife practices of the Conservation Reserve Program in the central and western United States from 2016 to 2018
Probable and potential suitable habitat for 43 rare plant species in the California desert
Structured science syntheses to inform decision making on Federal public lands
Modeling rare plant habitat together with public land managers using an iterative, coproduced process to inform decision-making on multiple-use public lands
Accuracy, accessibility, and institutional capacity shape the utility of habitat models for managing and conserving rare plants on western public lands
Effects of culverts on habitat connectivity in streams—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published from October 2019 to July 2022
Effects of noise from oil and gas development on ungulates and small mammals—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Gunnison sage-grouse published from January 2005 to September 2022
Prioritizing science efforts to inform decision making on public lands
Tool 3: Suggested coproduction steps and practices
Tool 4: Suggested communication deliverables for coproduced projects
Tool 5: A Problem-solving checklist for coproduction
Tool 2: What level of coproduction makes sense for my project
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Developing habitat models for rare plants to inform decision making on multiple-use public lands
Developing structured science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decision making in the Bureau of Land Management
Developing Science Plans for the Bureau of Land Management’s National Landscape Conservation System
Understanding the use of habitat models for managing and conserving rare plants on western public lands
Synthesis of sage-grouse genetic information to support conservation and land management actions
Developing searchable annotated bibliographies for resource managers
Fostering greater use of habitat models for managing rare and invasive plants on public lands
Developing science syntheses to facilitate climate-informed land management decisions and NEPA analyses on rangelands in the sagebrush biome
Developing a toolkit for coproducing actionable science to support public land management
Short Science Syntheses and NEPA Analyses for Climate-Informed Land Management Decisions in Sagebrush Rangelands
Using public litigation records to identify priority science and data needs for the Bureau of Land Management
Identifying priority science needs for strengthening the science foundation for decision making in the Bureau of Land Management
Modeled habitat suitability for five rare plants (Aliciella formosa, Sclerocactus cloverae, Townsendia gypsophila, Astragalus ripleyi, and Cymopterus spellenbergii) in New Mexico
Characteristics, presence of erosional features, and cover of vegetation and bare ground on fields formerly enrolled in grassland, wetland, and wildlife practices of the Conservation Reserve Program in the central and western United States from 2017 to 20
Presence of erosional features and cover of grasses, forbs, and bare ground on fields enrolled in grassland, wetland, and wildlife practices of the Conservation Reserve Program in the central and western United States from 2016 to 2018
Probable and potential suitable habitat for 43 rare plant species in the California desert
Structured science syntheses to inform decision making on Federal public lands
Modeling rare plant habitat together with public land managers using an iterative, coproduced process to inform decision-making on multiple-use public lands
Accuracy, accessibility, and institutional capacity shape the utility of habitat models for managing and conserving rare plants on western public lands
Effects of culverts on habitat connectivity in streams—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published from October 2019 to July 2022
Effects of noise from oil and gas development on ungulates and small mammals—A science synthesis to inform National Environmental Policy Act analyses
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Gunnison sage-grouse published from January 2005 to September 2022
Prioritizing science efforts to inform decision making on public lands
Tool 3: Suggested coproduction steps and practices
Tool 4: Suggested communication deliverables for coproduced projects
Tool 5: A Problem-solving checklist for coproduction
Tool 2: What level of coproduction makes sense for my project
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.