Since 2019, Steve has served as the Deputy Center Director of the Fort Collins Science Center.
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.
Professional Experience
Deputy Center Director, Fort Collins Science Center, U. S. Geological Survey, Ft. Collins, CO: June 2019 - Present
Chief, Invasive Species Science Branch (Acting), U. S. Geological Survey, Ft. Collins, CO: July 2022 - Present
Chief, Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics Research Branch (Acting), U. S. Geological Survey, Ft. Collins, CO: July 2019 - January 2022
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 and Certifications
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
Developing searchable annotated bibliographies for resource managers
Providing a Climate Science Foundation for Updating the Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy Actionable Science Plan
Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
Annotated Bibliography of Scientific Research on Greater Sage-Grouse
A Climate Vulnerability Assessment Framework for Data-Poor Species
A Climate Vulnerability Assessment Framework for Data-Poor Species
Greater Sage-Grouse Science (2015–17): Synthesis and Potential Management Implications
Smart Energy Development: Tools for Informed Development & Successful Reclamation
SageDAT: Data and Tools To Support Collaborative Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation and Management
Energy Development and Changing Land Uses
Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: Baseline Synthesis
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI)
Agricultural Land in the Western United States
Trends and a Targeted Annual Warning System for Greater Sage-Grouse in the Western United States (1960-2021)
Hierarchically nested and biologically relevant range-wide monitoring frameworks for greater sage-grouse, western United States
Greater sage-grouse population structure and connectivity data to inform the development of hierarchical population units (western United States)
Agricultural Land Cover in the Wyoming Basins Ecoregional Assessment area
All Big Sagebrush Species Land Cover in the Wyoming Basins Ecoregional Assessment area
Cheatgrass probability of occurrence in the Wyoming Basins Ecoregional Assessment area
Hierarchically nested and biologically relevant monitoring frameworks for Greater Sage-grouse, 2019, Nevada and Wyoming, Interim
Range-wide population trend analysis for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)—Updated 1960–2021
Defining biologically relevant and hierarchically nested population units to inform wildlife management
Defining fine-scaled population structure among continuously distributed populations
Synthesizing and analyzing long-term monitoring data: A greater sage-grouse case study
Range-wide greater sage-grouse hierarchical monitoring framework—Implications for defining population boundaries, trend estimation, and a targeted annual warning system
Sagebrush conservation strategy—Challenges to sagebrush conservation
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published from 2015 to 2019
U.S. Geological Survey sagebrush ecosystem research annual report for 2020
Designing multi-scale hierarchical monitoring frameworks for wildlife to support management: A sage-grouse case study
U.S. Geological Survey sagebrush ecosystem research annual report for 2019
U.S. Geological Survey sage-grouse and sagebrush ecosystem research annual report for 2018
Spatial, road geometric, and biotic factors associated with Barn Owl mortality along an interstate highway
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.
popcluster: hierarchical population monitoring frameworks, Version 2.0.0
grsg_lekdb: Compiling and standardizing greater sage-grouse lek databases, version 1.1.0
lcp_centrality: Defining least-cost paths and graph theory centrality measures
grsg_lekdb: Compiling and standardizing greater sage-grouse lek databases
popcluster: Developing Hierarchical Population Monitoring Frameworks for mobile species with high site fidelity
Science and Products
- Science
Filter Total Items: 15
Developing searchable annotated bibliographies for resource managers
Resource management decisions need to be informed by up-to-date, quality science and data. However there is sometimes an overwhelming number of scientific publications for managers to consider in their decisions. This project provides concise summaries of recent, peer-reviewed science and data products about different resources and topics of management concern, integrated into a searchable tool.Providing a Climate Science Foundation for Updating the Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy Actionable Science Plan
The long-term success of management efforts in sagebrush habitats are increasingly complicated by the impacts of a changing climate throughout the western United States. These complications are most evident in the ongoing challenges of drought and altered rangeland fire regimes resulting from the establishment of nonnative annual grasses. The Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy recognizeContributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
USGS scientists are contributing to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy, a strategy intended to provide guidance so that efforts to conserve the iconic greater sage-grouse can be expanded to the entire sagebrush biome to benefit the people and wildlife that depend on it.Annotated Bibliography of Scientific Research on Greater Sage-Grouse
The greater sage-grouse has been a focus of scientific investigation and management action for the past two decades. The sheer number of scientific publications can be a challenge for managers tasked with evaluating and determining the need for potential updates to existing planning documents.A Climate Vulnerability Assessment Framework for Data-Poor Species
Assessing vulnerability to climate change is a key step in anticipating climate impacts on species.A Climate Vulnerability Assessment Framework for Data-Poor Species
Assessing the vulnerability of species to climate change is a key step in anticipating climate impacts on species. Vulnerability assessments characterize species’ future conservation needs and can guide current planning and management actions to support species persistence in the face of climate change. A full assessment of climate vulnerability involves characterizing three essential components: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.Smart Energy Development: Tools for Informed Development & Successful Reclamation
The USGS is developing science and decision support tools to inform policy and management decisions about various aspects of the energy development life cycle.SageDAT: Data and Tools To Support Collaborative Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation and Management
The USGS, the BLM, the FWS, and the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies have developed of a new DOI-funded effort, known as SageDAT.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...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...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... - Data
Agricultural Land in the Western United States
Agricultural land cover for the western United States. This dataset was developed from Sagestitch, the Eastern Washington Shrubsteppe Mapping Project, and several state level GAP products (AZ, CA, NM, OR, and WA).Trends and a Targeted Annual Warning System for Greater Sage-Grouse in the Western United States (1960-2021)
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are at the center of state and national land use policies largely because of their unique life-history traits as an ecological indicator for health of sagebrush ecosystems. These data represent an updated population trend analysis and Targeted Annual Warning System (TAWS) for state and federal land and wildlife managers to use best-available scienceHierarchically 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 hierarchicGreater 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-grAgricultural Land Cover in the Wyoming Basins Ecoregional Assessment area
Location of agricultural land cover obtained from the LANDFIRE Existing Vegetation Type dataset.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.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.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 - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 51
Range-wide population trend analysis for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)—Updated 1960–2021
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are at the center of state and national land use policies largely because of their unique life-history traits as an ecological indicator for health of sagebrush ecosystems. This updated population trend analysis provides state and federal land and wildlife managers with best-available science to help guide current management and conservation plans aiDefining 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 sDefining 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 (mulSynthesizing and analyzing long-term monitoring data: A greater sage-grouse case study
Long-term monitoring of natural resources is imperative for increasing the understanding of ecosystem processes, services, and how to manage those ecosystems to maintain or improve function. Challenges with using these data may occur because methods of monitoring changed over time, multiple organizations collect and manage data differently, and monetary resources fluctuate, affecting many aspectsRange-wide greater sage-grouse hierarchical monitoring framework—Implications for defining population boundaries, trend estimation, and a targeted annual warning system
Incorporating spatial and temporal scales into greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population monitoring strategies is challenging and rarely implemented. Sage-grouse populations experience fluctuations in abundance that lead to temporal oscillations, making trend estimation difficult. Accounting for stochasticity is critical to reliably estimate population trends and investigate variaSagebrush conservation strategy—Challenges to sagebrush conservation
The sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) biome, its wildlife, and the services and benefits it provides people and local communities are at risk. Development in the sagebrush biome, for many purposes, has resulted in multiple and often cumulative negative impacts. These impacts, ranging from simple habitat loss to complex, interactive changes in ecosystem function, continue to accelerate even as the need grAnnotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published from 2015 to 2019
The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter GRSG) has been a focus of scientific investigation and management action for the past two decades. The 2015 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listing determination of “not warranted” was in part due to a large-scale collaborative effort to develop strategies to conserve GRSG populations and their habitat and to reduce threats to both. NewU.S. Geological Survey sagebrush ecosystem research annual report for 2020
The sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem extends across 251,473 square miles over portions of 13 western States. Affected by multiple stressors, including interactions among fire, invasive plants, and human land uses, this ecosystem has experienced significant loss, fragmentation, and degradation of landscapes once dominated by sagebrush. In turn, wildlife populations have declined following theseDesigning multi-scale hierarchical monitoring frameworks for wildlife to support management: A sage-grouse case study
Population monitoring is integral to the conservation and management of wildlife; yet, analyses of population demographic data rarely consider processes occurring across spatial scales, potentially limiting the effectiveness of adaptive management. Therefore, we developed a method to identify hierarchical levels of organization (i.e., populations) to define multiple spatial scales, specifically inU.S. Geological Survey sagebrush ecosystem research annual report for 2019
The sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem extends across a large portion of the Western United States. Affected by multiple stressors, including interactions among fire, exotic plant invasions, and human land uses, this ecosystem has experienced significant loss, fragmentation, and degradation of landscapes once dominated by sagebrush. In turn, wildlife populations have declined following these delU.S. Geological Survey sage-grouse and sagebrush ecosystem research annual report for 2018
The sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem extends across a large portion of the Western United States, and the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is one of the iconic species of this ecosystem. Greater sage-grouse populations occur in 11 States and are dependent on relatively large expanses of sagebrush-dominated habitat. Sage-grouse populations have been experiencing long-term declineSpatial, road geometric, and biotic factors associated with Barn Owl mortality along an interstate highway
Highway programs typically focus on reducing vehicle collisions with large mammals because of economic or safety reasons while overlooking the millions of birds that die annually from traffic. We studied wildlife‐vehicle collisions along an interstate highway in southern Idaho, USA, with among the highest reported rates of American Barn Owl Tyto furcata road mortality. Carcass data from systematicByNon-USGS Publications**
Hanser, S.E., 2001. The Diversity and Abundance of Small Mammals in Sage-steppe Habitat Fragments Within Agricultural and Lava-flow Matrices (Master Thesis, Idaho State University).
Hanser, S.E. and Huntly, N.J., 2006. The biogeography of small mammals of fragmented sagebrush-steppe landscapes. Journal of Mammalogy, 87(6), pp.1165-1174.**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.
- Software
popcluster: hierarchical population monitoring frameworks, Version 2.0.0
We developed a method to construct hierarchically nested and biologically relevant groupings of similar habitats associated with field surveys while considering structure/connectedness (movements between habitats). This approach can support mobile species using high fidelity sites where monitoring during surveys occurs, such as birthing grounds, breeding grounds, or stopovers/seasonal habitats forgrsg_lekdb: Compiling and standardizing greater sage-grouse lek databases, version 1.1.0
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 monitorlcp_centrality: Defining least-cost paths and graph theory centrality measures
We present software that creates least-cost path spanning trees, a least-cost path minimum spanning tree, and graph theory centrality measures. The software was developed to support identification of population structures--specifically, greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), but also support other species or graph theory applications where least-cost paths are desired. We used habitat pagrsg_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 monitorpopcluster: 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 s - News