Steve Faulkner is a supervisory research ecologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Kearneysville, WV.
Growing up exploring the forests of central Maryland led him to pursue his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Forestry from Louisiana State University. He received his Ph.D. in wetland biogeochemical ecology at Duke University. After graduate school, he held faculty positions at LSU before joining USGS in 2002. Steve has studied various aspects of forest and wetland ecosystem sustainability and restoration including soil redox chemistry, carbon and nitrogen biogeochemistry, and the effects of climate and land-use change on ecosystem services. He currently serves as Chief of the Aquatic Ecology Branch at Leetown where he leads a team of seven scientists with research programs in genetics, aquatic ecology, and landscape ecology.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. 1994. Duke University (Biogeochemical Ecology)
M.S. 1982. Louisiana State University (Forestry)
B.S. 1979. Louisiana State University (Forestry)
CURRENT POSITION
Chief /Supervisory Research Ecologist, Aquatic Ecology Branch, Leetown Science Center, Kearneysville, WV. I serve as Chief of the Aquatic Ecology Branch at the Leetown Science Center, where I lead a diverse team of scientists with expertise in landscape ecology (spatial analysis and modeling of land use, land use change, and impacts on aquatic ecosystems), stream fish ecology (responses to environmental quality, stream physical habitat, stream food web modeling), decision analysis and statistics (methods and protocols to sample and monitor populations of aquatic organisms, landscape-level studies of aquatic organisms and their habitats, improve management strategies for conservation efforts using adaptive management and structured decision making), and conservation genetics and genomics (identification, development, testing, and application of DNA microsatellite markers, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, gene expression profiles, real-time PCR gene product quantification, pathogen identification).
PREVIOUS PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS
Research Ecologist, National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette, LA (2002-2009) – Primary research areas were wetland carbon and nitrogen biogeochemistry, climate change, integrated landscape science and monitoring.
Adjunct Professor, Departments of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA (2002-2009)
Adjunct Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA (2002-2009)
Assistant Professor, Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute/Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA (1996-2002) - Developed and taught three new courses in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences: Environmental Chemistry of Wetlands, Wetland Delineation and Functional Assessment,
Science and Products
The Potential Effects of Unconventional Oil and Gas Development on Eastern Brook Trout
Forecasting the Effects of Land-Use and Climate Change on Wildlife Communities and Habitats in the Lower Mississippi Valley
Brook trout distributional response to unconventional oil and gas development: Landscape context matters
A detailed risk assessment of shale gas development on headwater streams in the Pennsylvania portion of the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, U.S.A.
U.S. Geological Survey Chesapeake science strategy, 2015-2025—Informing ecosystem management of America’s largest estuary
Understory vegetation as an indicator for floodplain forest restoration in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, U.S.A.
Wetland Reserve Program enhances site occupancy and species richness in assemblages of anuran amphibians in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, USA
A quantitative assessment of the conservation benefits of the Wetlands Reserve Program to amphibians
Shale Gas Development and Brook Trout: Scaling Best Management Practices to Anticipate Cumulative Effects
The General Ensemble Biogeochemical Modeling System (GEMS) and its applications to agricultural systems in the United States: Chapter 18
Effects of conservation practices on wetland ecosystem services in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Integrating estimates of ecosystem services from conservation programs and practices into models for decision makers
Forecasting the effects of land-use and climate change on wildlife communities and habitats in the lower Mississippi Valley
A method for assessing carbon stocks, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the United States under present conditions and future scenarios
Science and Products
- Science
The Potential Effects of Unconventional Oil and Gas Development on Eastern Brook Trout
Issue The Upper Susquehanna River watershed (PA) has experienced a rapid increase in unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development since it is part of the Marcellus shale formation. It is also part of the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay, which is the focus of considerable conservation and restoration activities by federal and state agencies under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. Brook trout...Forecasting the Effects of Land-Use and Climate Change on Wildlife Communities and Habitats in the Lower Mississippi Valley
This project built on an existing regional conservation partnership to use the most recent downscaled climate model projections to forecast the likely impacts of climate change to species and ecosystems in the Lower Mississippi Valley (LMV). The objective of this work was to develop and test ecological and biological models to facilitate regional adaptive management of wildlife resources and the f - Publications
Filter Total Items: 25
Brook trout distributional response to unconventional oil and gas development: Landscape context matters
We conducted a large-scale assessment of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development effects on brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) distribution. We compiled 2231 brook trout collection records from the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed, USA. We used boosted regression tree (BRT) analysis to predict occurrence probability at the 1:24,000 stream-segment scale as a function of natural and anthropogAuthorsEric R. Merriam, J. Todd Petty, Kelly O. Maloney, John A. Young, Stephen Faulkner, E. Terrence Slonecker, Lesley E. Milheim, Atesmachew Hailegiorgis, Jonathan M. NilesA detailed risk assessment of shale gas development on headwater streams in the Pennsylvania portion of the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, U.S.A.
The development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) involves infrastructure development (well pads, roads and pipelines), well drilling and stimulation (hydraulic fracturing), and production; all of which have the potential to affect stream ecosystems. Here, we developed a fine-scaled (1:24,000) catchment-level disturbance intensity index (DII) that included 17 measures of UOG capturing all stepsAuthorsKelly O. Maloney, John A. Young, Stephen Faulkner, Atesmachew Hailegiorgis, E. Terrence Slonecker, Lesley MilheimU.S. Geological Survey Chesapeake science strategy, 2015-2025—Informing ecosystem management of America’s largest estuary
Executive Summary The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has the critical role of providing scientific information to improve the understanding and management of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The USGS works with Federal, State, and academic science partners to provide research and monitoring, and communicate results of these activities to enhance ecosystem management for both the Chesapeake and other NAuthorsScott Phillips, Joel D. Blomquist, Mark Bennett, Alicia Berlin, Vicki Blazer, Peter R. Claggett, Stephen Faulkner, Kenneth Hyer, Cassandra Ladino, Douglas Moyer, Rachel Muir, Gregory B. Noe, Patrick J. PhillipsUnderstory vegetation as an indicator for floodplain forest restoration in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, U.S.A.
In the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley (MAV), complete alteration of river-floodplain hydrology allowed for widespreadconversion of forested bottomlands to intensive agriculture, resulting in nearly 80% forest loss. Governmental programs haveattempted to restore forest habitat and functions within this altered landscape by the methods of tree planting (afforestation)and local hydrologic enhancemAuthorsDiane De Steven, Stephen Faulkner, Bobby D. Keeland, M.J. Baldwin, John W. McCoy, Steven C. HughesWetland Reserve Program enhances site occupancy and species richness in assemblages of anuran amphibians in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, USA
We measured amphibian habitat use to quantify the effectiveness of conservation practices implemented under the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), an initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. From February to June 2007, we quantified calling male anurans in cultivated cropland, former cultivated cropland restored through the WRP, and mature bottomland hAuthorsSusan C. Walls, J. Hardin Waddle, Stephen P. FaulknerA quantitative assessment of the conservation benefits of the Wetlands Reserve Program to amphibians
The Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) originally consisted of nearly contiguous bottomland hardwood (BLH) forest encompassing approximately 10 million hectares. Currently, only 20–25% of the historical BLH forests remain in small patches fragmented by agricultural lands. The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) was established to restore and protect the functions and values of wetlands in agricultural lAuthorsJ. Hardin Waddle, Brad M. Glorioso, Stephen P. FaulknerShale Gas Development and Brook Trout: Scaling Best Management Practices to Anticipate Cumulative Effects
Shale gas development may involve trade-offs between energy development and benefits provided by natural ecosystems. However, current best management practices (BMPs) focus on mitigating localized ecological degradation. We review evidence for cumulative effects of natural gas development on brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and conclude that BMPs should account for potential watershed-scale effAuthorsDavid Smith, Craig D. Snyder, Nathaniel P. Hitt, John A. Young, Stephen P. FaulknerThe General Ensemble Biogeochemical Modeling System (GEMS) and its applications to agricultural systems in the United States: Chapter 18
The General Ensemble Biogeochemical Modeling System (GEMS) was es in individual models, it uses multiple site-scale biogeochemical models to perform model simulations. Second, it adopts Monte Carlo ensemble simulations of each simulation unit (one site/pixel or group of sites/pixels with similar biophysical conditions) to incorporate uncertainties and variability (as measured by variances and covaAuthorsShuguang Liu, Zhengxi Tan, Mingshi Chen, Jinxun Liu, Anne Wein, Zhengpeng Li, Shengli Huang, Jennifer Oeding, Claudia Young, Shashi B. Verma, Andrew E. Suyker, Stephen P. FaulknerEffects of conservation practices on wetland ecosystem services in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Restoration of wetland ecosystems is an important priority for many state and federal agencies, as well as nongovernmental conservation organizations. The historic conversion of wetlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) has resulted in large‐scale implementation of a variety of conservation practices designed to restore and enhance wetland ecosystem services. As a consequence, the effectivAuthorsStephen Faulkner, Wylie C. Barrow, Bob Keeland, Susan Walls, David TelescoIntegrating estimates of ecosystem services from conservation programs and practices into models for decision makers
Most government agencies involved in land management are seeking consistent approaches to evaluate the effects of specific management actions on ecological processes and concurrent changes on ecosystem services. This is especially true within the context of anthropogenic influences, such as land use and climate change. The Conservation Effects Assessment Project—Wetlands National Component (CEAP–WAuthorsNed Euliss, Loren M. Smith, Shuguang Liu, Walter G. Duffy, Stephen Faulkner, Robert A. Gleason, S. Diane EcklesForecasting the effects of land-use and climate change on wildlife communities and habitats in the lower Mississippi Valley
Landscape patterns and processes reflect both natural ecosystem attributes and the policy and management decisions of individual Federal, State, county, and private organizations. Land-use regulation, water management, and habitat conservation and restoration efforts increasingly rely on landscape-level approaches that incorporate scientific information into the decision-making process. Since manaAuthorsStephen P. FaulknerA method for assessing carbon stocks, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of the United States under present conditions and future scenarios
he Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), Section 712, mandates the U.S. Department of the Interior to develop a methodology and conduct an assessment of the Nation’s ecosystems, focusing on carbon stocks, carbon sequestration, and emissions of three greenhouse gases (GHGs): carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The major requirements include (1) an assessment of all ecosystemsAuthorsBrian A. Bergamaschi, Richard Bernknopf, David Clow, Dennis Dye, Stephen Faulkner, William Forney, Robert Gleason, Todd Hawbaker, Jinxun Liu, Shu-Guang Liu, Stephen Prisley, Bradley Reed, Matthew Reeves, Matthew Rollins, Benjamin Sleeter, Terry Sohl, Sarah Stackpoole, Stephen Stehman, Robert G. Striegl, Anne Wein, Zhi-Liang Zhu - News