Unified Interior Regions
Region 5: Missouri Basin

USGS Science Centers in the Missouri Basin Region
For more information on what each center is doing in the Missouri Basin, please follow the links below!
Wyoming - Montana Water Science Center
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Evaluation of alternative dam operations on the movement and habitat use of bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout
The goal of this project is to quantify the operational impacts of Hungry Horse Dam on native bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout in the upper Flathead River system, Montana.
Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative: Rocky Mountain Region
Decline of amphibian populations worldwide has prompted an international effort to determine causes of decline in various locations and ecosytems. Some causes which have been suggested include habitat alteration, introduced species, disease, and environmental stressors such as ultraviolet radiation, agricultural chemicals in groundwater, and contaminants in atmospheric deposition. The ...
NAWQA High Plains Regional Groundwater Study
As part of the National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA), the USGS has evaluated ground-water quality in the High Plains aquifer system. Beginning in 1999 and continuing for a period of 6 years, the High Plains Regional Groundwater Study intensively investigated the...
USGS Abandoned Mine Lands Initiative
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted an Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Initiative during the fiscal years 1997 through 2001 to provide technical assistance in support of Federal Land Management Agency (FLMA) actions to remediate contamination associated with abandoned hard rock mining activities. This initiative was part of a larger strategy by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U....
Headwaters Province - Idaho and Montana: Earth Science Studies in Support of Public Policy Development and Land Stewardship
The Headwaters Province project provided geoscience data and interpretations to the Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMA) that were basic to sound policy and land-stewardship practices.
SAGEMAP
A GIS Database for Sage-grouse and Shrubsteppe Management in the Intermountain West
Water-Quality Sampling at Five Hydrologic Benchmark Stations in the Western United States
The Hydrologic Benchmark Network (HBN) was established in 1963 to provide Swiftwater Creek, MT long-term measurements of streamflow and water quality in areas of the United States that are minimally affected by human activities. Historically, the HBN has used a fixed-interval sampling strategy, however other more robust sampling strategies are now available. Trend networks, for example, can...
NAWQA South Platte River Basin Study
The South Platte River Basin study, conducted as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program, combines information on water chemistry, physical characteristics, stream habitat, and aquatic life to provide science-based insights for current and...
Shepard Glacier, Glacier National Park, Montana - 2005
The thick, crevassed, ice flows of historic Shepard Glacier have been diminished to less than 0.1 square kilometer in area by 2005. According to the criteria set by the USGS Repeat Photography Project, Shepard Glacier is now considered to be too small to be defined as a glacier. (Blase Reardon)
Aquaculture in Armenia
The growth of aquaculture to raise trout, sturgeon and other cold-water fish has increased withdrawals of critical groundwater in the Ararat Basin of Armenia. The USGS is working with partners, including USAID, to develop scientific tools for water-resource managers to understand and predict consequences of management decisions in Armenia.
Water Sampling from Well in Armenia
Mark Anderson, Director of the USGS South Dakota Water Science Center, demonstrates how to collect a stable isotope sample from a flowing well near Sis, Armenia.
The growth of aquaculture to raise trout, sturgeon and other cold-water fish has increased withdrawals of critical groundwater in the Ararat Basin of Armenia. The USGS is working with partners, including
...Pressure gage water data collection
Field training on how to measure water level using a pressure gage for a flowing well in Sis, Armenia.
The growth of aquaculture to raise trout, sturgeon and other cold-water fish has increased withdrawals of critical groundwater in the Ararat Basin of Armenia. The USGS is working with partners, including USAID, to develop scientific tools for water-resource
...Armenia water work
Field training on well inventory and collection of water-level data at a non-flowing well near Yeghegnavan, Armenia, near the Armenia/Turkey/Iran border. Mt. Ararat is in background.
The growth of aquaculture to raise trout, sturgeon and other cold-water fish has increased withdrawals of critical groundwater in the Ararat Basin of Armenia. The USGS is working with
...Canyon Lake February 2017
Waterfowl population on Canyon Lake in Rapid City, SD, during February 2017.
Fitting a radio collar
Biologists with IGBST and the National Park Service fit a grizzly bear with a radio collar. Once a bear is radio collared, biologists can track its movements with telemetry.
Telemetry by air
Once a grizzly bear is radio collared, biologists can track its movements with telemetry via airplane. The IGBST also used the latest telemetry technologies, which allows downloading of GPS data from the radio collar via satellites.
Telemetry by foot
Once a grizzly bear is radio collared, biologists can track its movements with telemetry on foot.
Culvert trap
Biologists place a culvert trap in locations that they need data from. Field crews will set up the culvert trap and check it daily, usually in the morning, to determine if a bear has been captured. Additionally, trap doors are checked via radio telemetry.
Culvert trap and bait
Biologists use road-killed ungulates such as deer, elk, or bison as bait in the traps.