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Steven E Hanser

Since 2019, Steve has served as the Deputy Center Director of the Fort Collins Science Center. 

Steve Hanser has served as the Deputy Center Director of the Fort Collins Science Center since 2019. Before his current position at the Fort Collins Science Center, Steve was the Sagebrush Ecosystem Program Specialist in the Ecosystems Mission Area where he led the USGS effort to provide research and technical assistance on sage-grouse and sagebrush ecosystem management to the Department of the Interior, DOI bureaus, State wildlife agencies, and other partners. This work focused on inter-agency coordination, setting multi-agency research priorities, developing high-profile information syntheses, increasing outreach and communication opportunities, and improving multi-agency data sharing tools. Prior to his position in Reston, Steve spent 13 years working in the field at the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center in Boise, ID where he focused on using geospatial tools and field-based measures to improve the understanding of the multi-scale environmental drivers of wildlife populations.

Experience 

  • Deputy Center Director, Fort Collins Science Center, U. S. Geological Survey, Ft. Collins, CO: June 2019 - Present
  • Chief, Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics Research Branch (Acting), U. S. Geological Survey, Ft. Collins, CO: July 2019 - Present
  • Chief, Decision Support Science and Tools Branch (Acting), U. S. Geological Survey, Ft. Collins, CO: April 2019 - June 2020
  • Sagebrush Ecosystem Program Specialist (Acting), U. S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA: June 2019 - Sept 2019
  • Sagebrush Ecosystem Program Specialist, U. S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA: January 2015 – June 2019
  • Wildland Fire Science Coordinator (Acting), U. S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA: July 2014 - Oct 2014
  • Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Boise, ID: 2002-2015
  • Biological Science Technician, , U.S. Geological Survey, Boise, ID: 2002
  • GIS Intern, City of Pocatello, Pocatello, ID: 2002
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID: 1999–2002
  • Research Technician, Iowa State University, Ames, IA: 1998-1999
  • Undergraduate Research Assistant, Iowa Cooperative Research Unit, Ames, IA: 1998-1999

Education

  • M.S. Biology, Idaho State University, 2002
  • Geotechnologies Post-baccalaureate Certification, Idaho State University, 2002
  • B.S. Biology, Iowa State University, 1999

Science and Products

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Mule deer gather on their winter range before beginning their spring migration north through the Wyoming Range mountains

USGS Cool Tools for Hot Topics

The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area hosted an interactive session at the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies 2018 Annual Meeting that featured USGS science-based tools and approaches to address a variety of fish and wildlife management hot topics, including how and when to apply them to specific management issues. This page will be updated to provide the latest information on these tools and...
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Ecosystems
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USGS Cool Tools for Hot Topics

The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area hosted an interactive session at the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies 2018 Annual Meeting that featured USGS science-based tools and approaches to address a variety of fish and wildlife management hot topics, including how and when to apply them to specific management issues. This page will be updated to provide the latest information on these tools and...
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Present day sagebrush distribution

SAGEMAP

A GIS Database for Sage-grouse and Shrubsteppe Management in the Intermountain West
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center
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SAGEMAP

A GIS Database for Sage-grouse and Shrubsteppe Management in the Intermountain West
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This is the Adobe Town Wilderness Study Area in Southwest Wyoming.

Energy Development and Changing Land Uses

Applied research and integrated regional assessments emphasize spatially explicit analyses of ecosystem components affected by energy development and land-use change in the western United States. Topics include sagebrush-steppe ecology; sagebrush habitat assessments; the effets of human activities (including energy development, transportation, and recreation) on habitats and wildlife behavior...
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Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Fort Collins Science Center
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Energy Development and Changing Land Uses

Applied research and integrated regional assessments emphasize spatially explicit analyses of ecosystem components affected by energy development and land-use change in the western United States. Topics include sagebrush-steppe ecology; sagebrush habitat assessments; the effets of human activities (including energy development, transportation, and recreation) on habitats and wildlife behavior...
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Summer sunrise on the Oregon Buttes in Wyoming.

The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI)

The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) addresses effects of land-use and climate changes on Southwest Wyoming’s natural resources. In partnership with twelve Federal, State, and local natural resource agencies, and non-governmental organizations– FORT and ten other USGS centers are conducting dozens of integrated science projects to assess the status of Southwest Wyoming’s natural...
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Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Status and Trends Program, Fort Collins Science Center
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The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI)

The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) addresses effects of land-use and climate changes on Southwest Wyoming’s natural resources. In partnership with twelve Federal, State, and local natural resource agencies, and non-governmental organizations– FORT and ten other USGS centers are conducting dozens of integrated science projects to assess the status of Southwest Wyoming’s natural...
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WERC Sage-Grouse habitat

Conservation of Sagebrush Ecosystems and Wildlife

Sagebrush ecosystems are diverse habitats found throughout western North America that support a variety of flora and fauna. Home to unique wildlife such as Sage-grouse, Sage Thrashers, Brewer's Sparrows, Ferruginous Hawks, and pygmy rabbits, these ecosystems have undergone intense changes since the time when millions of bison roamed the plains. European settlement and intense agricultural...
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Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Fort Collins Science Center
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Conservation of Sagebrush Ecosystems and Wildlife

Sagebrush ecosystems are diverse habitats found throughout western North America that support a variety of flora and fauna. Home to unique wildlife such as Sage-grouse, Sage Thrashers, Brewer's Sparrows, Ferruginous Hawks, and pygmy rabbits, these ecosystems have undergone intense changes since the time when millions of bison roamed the plains. European settlement and intense agricultural...
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USGS

Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: Baseline Synthesis

The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) addresses effects of land-use and climate changes on Southwest Wyoming’s natural resources. In partnership with twelve Federal, State, and local natural resource agencies, and non-governmental organizations– FORT and ten other USGS centers are conducting dozens of integrated science projects to assess the status of Southwest Wyoming’s natural...
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Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Status and Trends Program, Fort Collins Science Center
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Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: Baseline Synthesis

The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) addresses effects of land-use and climate changes on Southwest Wyoming’s natural resources. In partnership with twelve Federal, State, and local natural resource agencies, and non-governmental organizations– FORT and ten other USGS centers are conducting dozens of integrated science projects to assess the status of Southwest Wyoming’s natural...
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Agricultural Land Cover in the Wyoming Basins Ecoregional Assessment area

Location of agricultural land cover obtained from the LANDFIRE Existing Vegetation Type dataset.
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

All Big Sagebrush Species Land Cover in the Wyoming Basins Ecoregional Assessment area

Location of all big sagebrush land cover obtained from the LANDFIRE Existing Vegetation Type dataset.
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Cheatgrass probability of occurrence in the Wyoming Basins Ecoregional Assessment area

Probability map of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) occurrence in relation to vegetation, abiotic and anthropogenic features.
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Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Hierarchically nested and biologically relevant monitoring frameworks for Greater Sage-grouse, 2019, Nevada and Wyoming, Interim

We developed a hierarchical clustering approach that identifies biologically relevant landscape units that can 1) be used as a long-term population monitoring framework, 2) be repeated across the Greater sage-grouse range, 3) be used to track the outcomes of local and regional populations by comparing population changes across scales, and 4) be used to inform where to best spatially target studies
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Fort Collins Science Center
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Range-wide network of priority areas for greater sage-grouse - a design for conserving connected distributions or isolating individual zoos?

The network of areas delineated in 11 Western States for prioritizing management of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) represents a grand experiment in conservation biology and reserve design. We used centrality metrics from social network theory to gain insights into how this priority area network might function. The network was highly centralized. Twenty of 188 priority areas accoun
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Conservation buffer distance estimates for Greater Sage-Grouse: a review

This report was prepared at the request of the U.S. Department of the Interior and is a compilation and summary of published scientific studies that evaluate the influence of anthropogenic activities and infrastructure on Greater Sage-Grouse(Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) populations. The purpose of this report is to provide a convenient reference for land managers and others w
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Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Ecological scale of bird community response to piñon-juniper removal

Piñon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) removal is a common management approach to restore sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) vegetation in areas experiencing woodland expansion. Because many management treatments are conducted to benefit sagebrush-obligate birds, we surveyed bird communities to assess treatment effectiveness in establishing sagebrush bird communities at study sites in Utah, Nevad
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Quantifying restoration effectiveness using multi-scale habitat models: implications for sage-grouse in the Great Basin

A recurrent challenge in the conservation of wide-ranging, imperiled species is understanding which habitats to protect and whether we are capable of restoring degraded landscapes. For Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a species of conservation concern in the western United States, we approached this problem by developing multi-scale empirical models of occupancy in 211 randomly loc
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Diffuse migratory connectivity in two species of shrubland birds: evidence from stable isotopes

Connecting seasonal ranges of migratory birds is important for understanding the annual template of stressors that influence their populations. Brewer’s sparrows (Spizella breweri) and sagebrush sparrows (Artemisiospiza nevadensis) share similar sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats for breeding but have different population trends that might be related to winter location. To link breeding and winte
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Greater Sage-Grouse National Research Strategy

The condition of the sagebrush ecosystem has been declining in the Western United States, and greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), a sagebrush-obligate species, has experienced concurrent decreases in distribution and population numbers. This has prompted substantial research and management over the past two decades to improve the understanding of sage-grouse and its habitats and to ad
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center

Modeling ecological minimum requirements for distribution of greater sage-grouse leks: implications for population connectivity across their western range, U.S.A.

Greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus (Bonaparte) currently occupy approximately half of their historical distribution across western North America. Sage-grouse are a candidate for endangered species listing due to habitat and population fragmentation coupled with inadequate regulation to control development in critical areas. Conservation planning would benefit from accurate maps delineat
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Influences of the human footprint on sagebrush landscape patterns: Implications for sage-grouse conservation

Spatial patterns influence the processes that maintain Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations and sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes on which they depend. We used connectivity analyses to: (1) delineate the dominant pattern of sagebrush landscapes; (2) identify regions of the current range-wide distribution of Greater Sage-Grouse important for conservation; (3) estimate dis
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Influences of environmental and anthropogenic features on greater sage-grouse populations, 1997-2007

The Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), endemic to western North Amer-ica, is of great conservation interest. Its popula-tions are tracked by spring counts of males at lek sites. We explored the relations between trends of Greater Sage-Grouse lek counts from 1997 to 2007 and a variety of natural and anthropogenic fea-tures. We found that trends were correlated with several habitat fea
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Dose-Response Calculator for ArcGIS

The Dose-Response Calculator for ArcGIS is a tool that extends the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcGIS 10 Desktop application to aid with the visualization of relationships between two raster GIS datasets. A dose-response curve is a line graph commonly used in medical research to examine the effects of different dosage rates of a drug or chemical (for example, carcinogen) on an
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Ecosystems, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Ecological influence and pathways of land use in sagebrush

Land use in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) landscapes influences all sage-grouse (Centrocer-cus spp.) populations in western North America. Croplands and the network of irrigation canals cover 230,000 km2 and indirectly influence up to 77% of the Sage-Grouse Conservation Area and 73% of sagebrush land cover by subsidizing synanthropic predators on sage-grouse. Urbanization and the demands of human pop
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Greater sage-grouse as an umbrella species for shrubland passerine birds: a multiscale assessment

Working groups and government agen-cies are planning and conducting land actions in sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats to benefit Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations. Managers have adopted an umbrella concept, creating habitat characteristics specific to sage-grouse requirements, in the belief that other wildlife species dependent on sagebrush will benefit. We tested the e
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Ecosystems, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

grsg_lekdb: Compiling and standardizing greater sage-grouse lek databases

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are landscape-scale sagebrush obligate species and an important gamebird and iconic species of the western United States. They occupy the sagebrush biome in western North America, extending east of the Sierra Nevada/Cascade Mountain ranges to the western regions of the Great Plains of the United States. Sage-grouse are one of the most closely monitor
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Fort Collins Science Center

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
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Fort Collins Science Center
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New Rangeland Fire Science Plan Essential for Sage-Grouse, Sagebrush Conservation and Restoration

Plan also addresses other rangeland threats

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Annotated Bibliography of Scientific Research on Greater Sage-Grouse Published

The U.S. Geological Survey has reviewed and summarized the substantial body of literature related to the conservation, management, monitoring, and...

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Fort Collins Science Center Scientists Share Expertise at Society for Range Management Meeting

Scientists from the US Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center will be presenting on topics ranging from sage-grouse to invasive plant species...

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