Unified Interior Regions
Sprague River Basin, Oregon
Region 9: Columbia-Pacific Northwest
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Sammamish River Basin
Understanding the extent of contaminants in urban rivers is key to assessment of human health risks and the restoration of endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest. This equally true for the Sammamish River Basin in northeast King County, Washington, where a new wastewater treatment plant is being considered by King County. Information is needed about the water quality of the Sammamish River...
Dungeness
Located in northwestern Washington State, the Dungeness River and its tributaries drain about 200 square miles, mostly in the Olympic Mountains to the south. After emerging from the mountains, the river flows for about 11 miles northward across an area with a shallow water-table aquifer before emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Water in the Dungeness River and the shallow aquifer are...
Puyallup River Basin
The Puyallup River Basin in western Washington is drained by the Puyallup River and its main tributaries, the White and Carbon Rivers. The basin supports several salmon runs and hosts a variety of recreational activities. Communities in the basin include Tacoma, Puyallup, Fife, Sumner, Orting, Auburn, and the Puyallup and Muckleshoot Tribes. The types of land use in the basin vary from forests...
Hydrologic Urban Indicators
Storm water, the rainfall that runs off urban surfaces such as rooftops, pavement, and lawns, can affect streams in a number of ways. As urban development increases, storm water can run quickly into streams, increasing the volume and peak flows and reducing summer flows. Sediment and other contaminants can also be carried into the streams.
The Washington Department of Ecology (WDOE),...
White River Videography
The quantity and quality of instream habitat is one of many factors affecting aquatic organisms such as anadromous and non-anadromous salmonids. The measurement and assessment of instream habitat has been the focus of many habitat monitoring and restoration projects throughout the State of Washington. On-the-ground habitat monitoring is extremely important for specific variables and specific...
Tule Lake
In some years, water is scarce in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and northern California, and resource managers need critical, accurate water information in order to allocate water for agricultural and natural-resource uses. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has identified one way of saving water for wildlife during dry years through reducing irrigation for crops grown on 17,000 acres...
Honduras Flood Mapping
Honduras is currently (2001) rebuilding its housing and infrastructure that was destroyed by Hurricane Mitch. To plan responsibly and minimize damage during future floods, the Honduran government needs reliable maps of the areas and depth of inundation by the 50-year flood, the design flood chosen for this project. A systematic method for defining areas and depths of inundation is needed that...
Howard A. Hanson Reservoir
The City of Tacoma relies on surface water stored in the Howard A. Hanson Reservoir, in the Green River Basin in King County, to meet municipal needs and demands. Reservoir managers must also consider how allocation and use of the resource are affected by ongoing activities in the basin associated with fisheries enhancement and by rules implemented under the Endangered Species Act for salmonid...
Quinault Indian Reservation
The rivers and forests of the Olympic Peninsula have long been important sources of natural resources. For the Quinault Indian Nation of the southwestern Olympic Peninsula, forests and fisheries have been the cultural and economic mainstay for thousands of years. To protect and restore these dwindling resources, the Quinault Indian Nation is undertaking a science-based approach for land...
Yakima Watershed and River Systems Management Program
Competition among water-resource users in many basins in the western United States has resulted in a need for near-real-time assessments of water availability and use. The Watershed and River System Management Program (WARSMP) is a collaborative program between the USGS and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) to couple watershed and river-reach models that simulate the physical hydrologic...
McChord Air Force Base
During the investigation of a jet fuel bulk storage area, trichloroethene (TCE) was detected in ground water beneath McChord Air Force Base, near Tacoma, Washington. Monitoring wells were installed on the base to determine the extent of the TCE. In March 2000, after six monitoring wells were installed in the residential area to the west of the base, TCE was detected at concentrations above the...
SAGEMAP
A GIS Database for Sage-grouse and Shrubsteppe Management in the Intermountain West
Getting set up
Biologists are very careful to keep the grizzly bear under shade and protected from the elements while they collect biological data. Vital signs are monitored throughout the handling period.
Close up
The kerchief over the grizzly bear’s eyes protects it from dust and debris and reduces visual stimulation. The small tubing in its nose, known as a nasal cannula, delivers oxygen to the animal while it is tranquilized.
Assessing body fat percentage of grizzly bear
Field personnel use bioelectrical impedance to assess body fat percentage of captured bears. The procedure is similar to how body fat is measured in humans and is based on the resistance of body tissues to the flow of a small, harmless electrical signal. The electrical current is impeded more by fat tissues compared with tissues that are composed mostly of water, thus
...
Measuring the bear's head length
A biologist measures a grizzly bear’s head length.
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.
USGS hydrologic technician collecting streamflow data
USGS hydrologic technician Deena Green collects streamflow data at streamgage station 12413875, St. Joe River at Red Ives Ranger Station, Idaho
USGS scientist and GeoGirls viewing Mount St. Helens
USGS scientists Kate Allstadt and Cynthia Gardner tell the story of the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and how the catastrophic landslide, lateral blast, and lahar changed the landscape.
A mother grizzly bear and her cub in Yellowstone National Park.
A USGS grizzly bear researcher snapped this picture of a mother grizzly bear and her cub in Yellowstone National Park. Recent research shows that fffspring of grizzly bear mothers with a history of human-bear conflicts are more likely to be involved in human-bear conflicts than offspring of mothers without a history of human-bear conflicts.
Intersex in smallmouth and largemouth basses is widespread in numerous river basins throughout the United States is the major finding of the most comprehensive and large-scale evaluation of the condition, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research published online in Aquatic Toxicology.
The winter distribution of Pacific brant, a small, dark sea goose, has shifted northward from low-temperate areas such as Mexico to sub-Arctic areas as Alaska's climate has warmed over the last four decades, according to a just-released article in Arctic.
Two U.S. Geological Survey Cascade Volcano Observatory scientists will be available inside the crater of Mount St. Helens. This will provide a unique opportunity to capture the sights and sounds inside the crater and to learn about their latest findings and research.
Residents and critical infrastructure in the nation's six highest-risk volcanic areas—including the Northwest region of the United States-- will benefit from increased monitoring and analysis as a result of Recovery Act funds being channeled into volcano monitoring, Secretary Salazar announced today.
A report on long-term glacier measurements released today by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar shows that glaciers are dramatically changing in mass, length and thickness as a result of climate change.
Entire populations of North American fish already are being affected by several emerging diseases, a problem that threatens to increase in the future with climate change and other stresses on aquatic ecosystems, according to a noted U.S. Geological Survey researcher giving an invited talk on this subject today at the Wildlife Disease Association conference in Blaine, Wash.
A helicopter will be flying at low altitudes over parts of Spokane and Whitman counties July 15 as part of U.S. Geological Survey scientists' efforts to gauge Osprey reproductive success. The flight, operated under contract to the USGS, is flying over the nests of a large fish-eating hawk, called an Osprey.
The Coast Salish Tribal Nation and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will paddle to study and help improve the Salish Sea environment during their second Tribal Journey together on July 20 – August 3.
Biologists today confirmed the first sightings of newborn fishers in Washington State since restoration of the state-endangered species began two years ago. Photographs downloaded from an automated camera placed deep in the Olympic National Park wilderness show a female fisher carrying four kits down a large snag.
Mark your calendars for the 2009 Tribal Journey Paddle to Suquamish Aug. 3-8. Access videos, photos and more from the 2008 journey.
Governor Christine Gregoire has proclaimed May as Volcano Awareness Month in Washington State. Scientists, safety officials and educators are encouraged to discuss the hazards of volcanoes in their communities.
Residents of Idaho's Treasure Valley will once again become citizen scientists to monitor water quality in the Boise River watershed.
On Saturday morning, April 18, between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm, citizen scientists will gather at sites along the Boise River to collect water and insect samples, conduct basic water-quality tests, and record their data.
Contacts
Locations
Idaho Water Science Center
Phone: Phone: (208) 387-1300
Fax: (208) 387-1372
Washington Water Science Center
Phone: (253) 552-1600
Fax: (253) 552-1581
Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC)
Phone: (206) 526-6282
Fax: (206) 526-6654
Oregon Water Science Center
info-or@usgs.gov
Phone: (503) 251-3200
Fax: (503) 251-3470
USGS Volcano Science Center
Phone: 360-993-8900
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Headquarters
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 541-750-1030
Fax: 541-750-1069
Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO)
vhpweb@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8900
Fax: 360-993-8980
Columbia River Research Laboratory
Phone: (509) 538-2299
Fax: (509) 538-2843
Oregon Cooperative Fish And Wildlife Research Unit
Idaho Water Science Center - Idaho National Laboratory Project Office
Phone: 208-526-2438
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Snake River Field Station
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 208-426-5200
Fax: 208-426-5210
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Olympic Field Station
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-565-3041
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Cascadia Field Station
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 206-616-1874
Fax: 206-685-0790
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Corvallis Research Group
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 541-750-1030
Klamath Falls Field Station
Phone: (541) 273-8689
Fax: (541) 273-8692
Marrowstone Marine Field Station
Phone: (360) 385-1007
Fax: (360) 385-7207
Idaho Water Science Center - Boise Field Office
Phone: (208) 387-1300
Fax: (208) 387-1372
Idaho Water Science Center - Post Falls Field Office
Phone: 208-773-4938
Idaho Water Science Center - Groundwater Training Facility
Phone: 208-387-1392
Northwest Washington Field Office
Phone: (360) 312-8155 x2001
Fax: (360) 312-8565
Medford Field Office
Phone: 541-776-4256
Fax: 541-776-4257
Klamath Falls Field Office
Phone: 541-273-8689
Mid-Columbia Field Office
Phone: (509) 735-3739
Fax: (509) 735-3723
Upper Columbia Field Office
Phone: (509) 353-2649
Idaho Water Science Center - Idaho Falls Field Office
Phone: 208-529-4287