Wesley Newton is a Statistician (Emeritus) at the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, North Dakota.
Wes Newton has been a statistical consultant and analyst working on a diversity of ecological studies in the northern prairies and elsewhere for most of his career. He most enjoys the challenges of working with researchers on ways to answer theirs and natural resource managers questions, often from “messy” data, using a broad range of statistical methods. Wes states that it’s a great job as he gets to apply his chosen profession, statistics, to a fascinating subject, wildlife biology and ecology.
Professional Experience
Statistician and Supervisory Statistician, U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, North Dakota
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Natural Resources Management, North Dakota State University
M.S. Applied Statistics, Utah State University
B.S. General Biology, Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University)
Science and Products
Long-term multidecadal data from a prairie-pothole wetland complex reveal controls on aquatic-macroinvertebrate communities
Capturing spatiotemporal patterns in presence-absence data to inform monitoring and sampling designs for the threatened Dakota skipper (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) in the Great Plains of the United States
Aquatic vegetation and invertebrate communities of Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge
Response of vegetation in open and partially wooded fens to prescribed burning at Seney National Wildlife Refuge
Adaptive management in native grasslands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—Implications for grassland birds
Intermittent surface water connectivity: Fill and spill vs. fill and merge dynamics
Differential wolf-pack-size persistence and the role of risk when hunting dangerous prey
USGS lidar science strategy—Mapping the technology to the science
Potential nitrogen critical loads for northern Great Plains grassland vegetation
Guild-specific responses of avian species richness to LiDAR-derived habitat heterogeneity
Strategies for preventing invasive plant outbreaks after prescribed fire in ponderosa pine forest
Placing prairie pothole wetlands along spatial and temporal continua to improve integration of wetland function in ecological investigations
Impacts of wind-turbine energy complexes on northern prairie grouse
Improving wildlife-habitat modeling and assessments with lidar
Adaptive management in native grasslands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Implications for grassland birds, 2011-2013 data release
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 22
Long-term multidecadal data from a prairie-pothole wetland complex reveal controls on aquatic-macroinvertebrate communities
Interactions between climate and hydrogeologic settings contribute to the hydrologic and chemical variability among depressional wetlands, which influences their aquatic communities. These interactions and resulting variability have led to inconsistent results in terms of identifying reliable predictors of aquatic-macroinvertebrate community composition for depressional wetlands. This is especiallAuthorsKyle I. McLean, David M. Mushet, Wesley E. Newton, Jon N. SweetmanCapturing spatiotemporal patterns in presence-absence data to inform monitoring and sampling designs for the threatened Dakota skipper (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) in the Great Plains of the United States
Declines among species of insect pollinators, especially butterflies, has garnered attention from scientists and managers. Often these declines have spurred governments to declare some species as threatened or endangered. We used existing presence–absence data from surveys for the threatened Dakota skipper Hesperia dacotae (Skinner) to build statistical maps of species presence that could be usedAuthorsMax Post van der Burg, Jane E. Austin, Mark T. Wiltermuth, Wesley E. Newton, Garrett John MacdonaldAquatic vegetation and invertebrate communities of Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge
Observed degradation of aquatic systems at Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge, located in west-central Minnesota, have been associated with sediment-laden inflows from riverine systems. To support management, a study was conducted during 2013–2014 with overall goals of characterizing the aquatic invertebrate and vegetation communities of the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge and exploring relatioAuthorsBrian Tangen, Raymond Finocchiaro, Wesley E. Newton, Charles F. DahlResponse of vegetation in open and partially wooded fens to prescribed burning at Seney National Wildlife Refuge
The health and function of northern peatlands, particularly for fens, are strongly affected by fire and hydrology. Fens are important to several avian species of conservation interest, notably the yellow rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis). Fire suppression and altered hydrology often result in woody encroachment, altering the plant community and structure. Woody encroachment and its effects on biodAuthorsJane E. Austin, Wesley E. NewtonAdaptive management in native grasslands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—Implications for grassland birds
Burning and grazing are natural processes in native prairies that also serve as important tools in grassland management to conserve plant diversity, to limit encroachment of woody and invasive plants, and to maintain or improve prairies. Native prairies managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in the Prairie Pothole Region of the northern Great Plains have been extensively invaded by noAuthorsLawrence D. Igl, Wesley E. Newton, Todd A. Grant, Cami S. DixonIntermittent surface water connectivity: Fill and spill vs. fill and merge dynamics
Intermittent surface connectivity can influence aquatic systems, since chemical and biotic movements are often associated with water flow. Although often referred to as fill and spill, wetlands also fill and merge. We examined the effects of these connection types on water levels, ion concentrations, and biotic communities of eight prairie pothole wetlands between 1979 and 2015. Fill and spill cauAuthorsScott G. Leibowitz, David M. Mushet, Wesley E. NewtonDifferential wolf-pack-size persistence and the role of risk when hunting dangerous prey
Risk to predators hunting dangerous prey is an emerging area of research and could account for possible persistent differences in gray wolf (Canis lupus) pack sizes. We documented significant differences in long-term wolf-pack-size averages and variation in the Superior National Forest (SNF), Denali National Park and Preserve, Yellowstone National Park, and Yukon, Canada (p<0.01). The SNF differeAuthorsShannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech, Wesley E. Newton, Bridget BorgUSGS lidar science strategy—Mapping the technology to the science
Summary The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) utilizes light detection and ranging (lidar) and enabling technologies to support many science research activities. Lidar-derived metrics and products have become a fundamental input to complex hydrologic and hydraulic models, flood inundation models, fault detection and geologic mapping, topographic and land-surface mapping, landslide and volcano hazardsAuthorsJason M. Stoker, John Brock, Christopher E. Soulard, Kernell G. Ries, Larry J. Sugarbaker, Wesley E. Newton, Patricia K. Haggerty, Kathy Lee, John A. YoungPotential nitrogen critical loads for northern Great Plains grassland vegetation
The National Park Service is concerned that increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition caused by fossil fuel combustion and agricultural activities could adversely affect the northern Great Plains (NGP) ecosystems in its trust. The critical load concept facilitates communication between scientists and policy makers or land managers by translating the complex effects of air pollution on ecosystemsAuthorsAmy J. Symstad, Anine T. Smith, Wesley E. Newton, Alan K. KnappGuild-specific responses of avian species richness to LiDAR-derived habitat heterogeneity
Ecological niche theory implies that more heterogeneous habitats have the potential to support greater biodiversity. Positive heterogeneity-diversity relationships have been found for most studies investigating animal taxa, although negative relationships also occur and the scale dependence of heterogeneity-diversity relationships is little known. We investigated multi-scale, heterogeneity-diversiAuthorsPeter J. Weisberg, Thomas E. Dilts, Miles E. Becker, Jock S. Young, Diane C. Wong-Kone, Wesley E. Newton, Elisabeth M. AmmonStrategies for preventing invasive plant outbreaks after prescribed fire in ponderosa pine forest
Land managers use prescribed fire to return a vital process to fire-adapted ecosystems, restore forest structure from a state altered by long-term fire suppression, and reduce wildfire intensity. However, fire often produces favorable conditions for invasive plant species, particularly if it is intense enough to reveal bare mineral soil and open previously closed canopies. Understanding the enviroAuthorsAmy J. Symstad, Wesley E. Newton, Daniel J. SwansonPlacing prairie pothole wetlands along spatial and temporal continua to improve integration of wetland function in ecological investigations
We evaluated the efficacy of using chemical characteristics to rank wetland relation to surface and groundwater along a hydrologic continuum ranging from groundwater recharge to groundwater discharge. We used 27 years (1974–2002) of water chemistry data from 15 prairie pothole wetlands and known hydrologic connections of these wetlands to groundwater to evaluate spatial and temporal patterns in chAuthorsNed H. Euliss, David M. Mushet, Wesley E. Newton, Clint R.V. Otto, Richard D. Nelson, James W. LaBaugh, Eric J. Scherff, Donald O. Rosenberry - Science
Impacts of wind-turbine energy complexes on northern prairie grouse
Wind-energy development in the northern Great Plains primarily occurs along the Missouri Coteau and Missouri River Plateau in North Dakota and South Dakota. While these areas rank high in wind-energy potential they also contain important breeding habitat for sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie-chickens. The impact of these wind-energy developments on prairie grouse populations and trends in...Improving wildlife-habitat modeling and assessments with lidar
Lidar has proven itself as a valuable tool for providing high-resolution digital elevation models and for quantifying forest stand metrics utilized by the forest industry. Studies are only beginning to emerge relating lidar data directly to wildlife species occurrences and abundances. NPWRC has been assessing capabilities of lidar data in various ecosystems to include the mixed forests in Maine... - Data
Adaptive management in native grasslands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Implications for grassland birds, 2011-2013 data release
This database contains records of grassland bird abundance and vegetation structure on tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Specifically, under the adaptive-management decision framework (Native Prairie Adaptive Management [NPAM] intiative), we surveyed breeding birds and sampled vegetation on 89 native prairie NPAM units managed by the U.S. Fis