Unified Interior Regions
Montana
Welcome to the Midwest Region! Our region includes 18 Science Centers in 11 States from the Great Lakes to the Dakotas, south to Missouri and Kentucky. Our streamgage network is used to monitor and assess water resources across the region. Other research focuses on fisheries and aquatic ecosystems, midcontinental plant/animal species, invasive species, wildlife disease, and energy and mining.
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
Scientists from the Center work in the northern Rocky Mountains and across the U.S. Many work throughout the world on issues as diverse as global climate change, aquatic ecology, wildlife diseases, bison ecology, and large carnivores.
Go to NOROCKWyoming-Montana Water Science Center
The Water Science Center's hydrologists, engineers, geospatial analysts, hydrologic technicians, geologists, and support staff work to provide hydrologic data and interpretive studies.
Go to CenterStates L2 Landing Page Tabs
North-Central Montana Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the North-Central Montana and Williston Basin Provinces 5028 of central Montana and western North Dakota.
Montana Thrust Belt Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Montana Thrust Belt Province 5027 of northwestern Montana.
Yellowstone River Compact Commission
The Yellowstone River Compact was ratified in 1950 and became effective in 1951. The Yellowstone River Compact Commission (YRCC) is a three member commission charged with apportioning the waters of the Yellowstone River and its tributaries.
Williston Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of conventional and continuous oil and gas resources of the Devonian Three Forks Formation and Devonian and Mississippian Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin Province 5031 of North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
Evaluating best practices for genetic sampling of bear populations- Tabitha Graves
Work with quantitative spatial wildlife ecologists to identify best practices for sampling rare and threatened carnivores using cutting edge statistical techniques. The results will be useful for sampling carnivore populations across the world. You will be stationed in beautiful northwest Montana in Glacier National Park.
Water Use in Montana
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled estimates of water use in Montana and the rest of the United States at 5-year intervals since 1950.
Early Detection Monitoring May Not Be Sufficient for Invasive Mussels in the Columbia River Basin
The ecological and economic costs of an invasive quagga or zebra mussel infestation in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. would be significant. The development of invasive mussel monitoring programs in the Pacific Northwest provides a unique opportunity to evaluate a regional invasive species detection effort early in its development. Although efforts are underway to monitor for the presence of...
EcoFlows: Understanding Streamflow Dynamics in Small Mountain Streams
The WY-MT WSC is collaborating with the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center to understand the dynamics of streamflows in small, mountain streams during the course of the year, and to describe the amount of variability associated with those measurments. These findings will assist fisheries biologists who are researching temperature and streamflow effects on cutthroat trout and will help...
Upper Arkansas River Basin Toxics and Synoptic Studies
From 1986 to 2001, the Upper Arkansas Toxics Project focused on metal transport in streams affected by mining. Studies were conducted to quantify the physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting trace metal fate and transport.
Grinnell Glacier from Mount Gould, 1938 - 1981 - 1998 - 2015
Oblique view of Grinnell Glacier taken from the summit of Mount Gould, Glacier National Park. The relative sensitivity of glaciers to climate change is illustrated by the dramatic recession of Grinnell Glacier while surrounding vegetation patterns remain stable.
Image Use
Most of the repeat photography images available on this website are in the...
Critical Commodity Studies, Stillwater Complex, Montana
Scientific research can make our resource assessments of critical minerals more effective. This project focuses on the Stillwater Complex, Montana, which has rocks enriched in platinum-group elements (PGE), chromium, cobalt, and nickel. Project objectives are to update databases, evaluate new mapping techniques, document new styles of mineralization, and document and support research on the...
Glaciers and Climate Project
Scientists with the Glaciers and Climate Project study many of the pertinent impacts that glaciers present to society, such as altering hydrologic cycles, contributing to sea-level rise, and creating environmental hazards.
Water-quality data for Montana
Chemical, physical, and biological properties of water, sediment, and tissue samples from Montana. Water-quality data are collected as either discrete field measurements or as continuous time-series data from automated recorders that continuously record physical and chemical characteristics including pH, specific conductance, temperature, and dissolved oxygen.
Bozeman wetland sites in Montana
Bozeman wetland sites in Montana
Johnson wetland sites in Montana
Johnson wetland sites in Montana
Kindsfater wetland sites in Montana
Kindsfater wetland sites in Montana
Kleinschmidt wetland sites in Montana
Kleinschmidt wetland sites in Montana
McGinnis Meadows wetland sites in Montana
McGinnis Meadows wetland sites in Montana
Richardson wetland sites in Montana
Richardson wetland sites in Montana
Rostad wetland sites in Montana
Rostad wetland sites in Montana
Schrieber wetland sites in Montana
Schrieber wetland sites in Montana
Silicon Mountain wetland sites in Montana
Silicon Mountain wetland sites in Montana
Sportsman wetland sites in Montana
Sportsman wetland sites in Montana
Tunnicliff wetland sites in Montana
Tunnicliff wetland sites in Montana
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: November 1, 2019
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of October 2019
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: October 1, 2019
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of September 2019.
Lake Sherburn
Lake Sherburn
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: September 3, 2019
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of August 2019.
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: August 1, 2019
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of July 2019.
Collecting Field Parameters During the 2019 Well Inventory
USGS hydrologic technician collecting field parameters during the 2019 well inventory at a farm and ranch in the north central portion of the Fort Peck reservation.
Abandoned Farm on the Northwest Corner of the Fort Peck Reservation
Abandoned Farm on the Northwest Corner of the Fort Peck Reservation
Fallow Field (Left) and Dryland Wheat (Right) near Larslan, MT
Fallow field on the left and dryland wheat on the right, northwestern corner of the Fort Peck Reservation (near Larslan, MT)
June 2018 flooding along Elk Creek in Augusta, Montana
June 2018 flooding along Elk Creek in Augusta, Montana
Broken Ice Jam in Milk River
Ice jam was holding on upstream side of bridge an suddenly broke lose while in the process of making a streamflow measurement. Equipment pulled to safety, and this video taken about 5 minutes later.
Melting snow created measurable flow in Reservation Creek
Melting snow near Miles City created measurable flow in Reservation Creek. This site is only visited when there are high flows,
New study investigates groundwater from the air
A new study by the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center and the NPS Greater Yellowstone Network has shown that contamination of wetlands by brine had negative effects on plant productivity and macroinvertebrate communities.
At the request of the Bureau of Land Management, USGS has released an assessment of mineral resources in six Western states.
Grizzly bears in the southern portion of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem experienced a rapid increase in genetic diversity, according to a new study led by the USGS.
Bull trout populations are lower, more variable, and declining where stream habitat is limited, invasive species and land-use (i.e., roads) are prevalent, and stream temperatures are highest, according to a new study led by the USGS.
New Center Director to sustain NOROCK’s tradition of productivity and partnership in generating ground-breaking science relevant to resource managers in the Northern Rocky Mountains and beyond.
Bozeman - A new U.S. Geological Survey study illustrates the usefulness of genetic approaches to track invasive bullfrog introductions. Results will inform management actions for identifying and controlling importation and secondary spread of invasive bullfrogs in Montana.
MISSOULA – Gravel-bed river floodplains are some of the most ecologically important habitats in North America, according to a new study by scientists from the U.S. and Canada. Their research shows how broad valleys coming out of glaciated mountains provide highly productive and important habitat for a large diversity of aquatic, avian and terrestrial species.
First-of-its-kind survey shows that algal toxins are found nationwide
The U.S. Geological Survey and its partners have shown how brucellosis has impacted cattle, bison and elk in the greater Yellowstone area.
During winter, wolves infected with mange can suffer a substantial amount of heat loss compared to those without the disease, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners.
Do you want to be part of an innovative team of biological science professionals committed to providing reliable scientific information and understanding of ecosystems? Scientists, field technicians, and science support staff at NOROCK work in some of the most beautiful places in the U.S. answering some of the most critical research questions in natural resource and environmental science.
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Locations
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) Headquarters
Phone: 406-994-7544
Fax: 406-994-6556
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center - Helena Office
Phone: (406) 457-5900
Fax: (406) 457-5990
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center - Billings Office
Phone: 406-656-1444
Contacts
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
Scientists from the Center work in the northern Rocky Mountains and across the U.S. Many work throughout the world on issues as diverse as global climate change, aquatic ecology, wildlife diseases, bison ecology, and large carnivores.
Go to NOROCKWyoming-Montana Water Science Center
The Water Science Center's hydrologists, engineers, geospatial analysts, hydrologic technicians, geologists, and support staff work to provide hydrologic data and interpretive studies.
Go to Center