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At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
USGS2024

Structured science syntheses to inform decision making on Federal public lands

The U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered to develop a new type of science product: the structured science synthesis. Structured science syntheses are peer-reviewed reports that synthesize science information about a priority resource management issue on public lands. Structured science syntheses are developed explicitly to facilitate the application of science to decision making. Key characteristics of structured science syntheses include that they are coproduced with resource managers, developed using clear, repeatable methods and designed for ease of use. The syntheses include different types of science information needed for analyses completed under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2018

Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) habitat selection as a function of land use and terrain, San Diego County, California

Beginning in 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with Bloom Biological, Inc., began telemetry research on golden eagles ( Aquila chrysaetos ) captured in the San Diego, Orange, and western Riverside Counties of southern California. This work was supported by the San Diego Association of Governments, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Since 2014, we have tracked more than 40 eagles, although this report focuses only on San Diego County eagles. An important objective of this research is to develop habitat selection models for golden eagles. Here we provide predictions of population-level habitat selection for golden eagles in San Diego County based on environmental covariates related to land use and terrain.

California↗
USGS2008

Elevation Derivatives for Mojave Desert Tortoise Habitat

This report describes the methods used to derive various elevation-derivative grids that were inputted to the Mojave Desert Tortoise Habitat model (L. Gass and others, unpub. data). These grids, which capture information on surface roughness and topographic characteristics, are a subset of the environmental datasets evaluated for the tortoise habitat model. This habitat model is of major importance to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is charged with management of this threatened population, including relocating displaced tortoises to areas identified as suitable habitat.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2000

Contaminant Hazard Reviews (compilation)

This compact disc (CD) contains the 35 reports in the Contaminant Hazard Reviews (CHR) that were published originally between 1985 and 1999 in the U.S. Department of the Interior Biological Report series. The CD was produced because printed supplies of these reviews--a total of 105,000--became exhausted and demand remained high. Each review was prepared at the request of environmental specialists of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and each contained specific information on the following: mirex, cadmium, carbofuran, toxaphene, selenium, chromium, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, diazinon, mercury, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, arsenic, chlorpyrifos, lead, tin, index issue, pentachlorophenol, atrazine, molybdenum, boron, chlordane, paraquat, cyanide, fenvalerate, diflubenzuron, zinc, famphur, acrolein, radiation, sodium monofluoroacetate, planar PCBs, silver, copper, nickel, and a cumulative index to chemicals and species. Each report reviewed and synthesized the technical literature on a single contaminant and its effects on terrestrial plants and invertebrates, aquatic plants and animals, avian and mammalian wildlife, and other natural resources. The subtopics include contaminant sources and uses; physical, chemical, and metabolic properties; concentrations in field collections of abiotic materials and living organisms; deficiency effects, where appropriate; lethal and sublethal effects, including effects on survival, growth, reproduction, metabolism, mutagenicity, teratogenicity, and carcinogenicity; proposed criteria for the protection of human health and sensitive natural resources; and recommendations for additional research.

Contaminant Hazard Reviews↗
USGS2025

U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A hawk’s view of 2024

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (USGS CRU) program was established in 1935 and codified by Congress in 1960 to enhance graduate education in wildlife and fisheries sciences and to facilitate research and technical assistance among natural resource agencies and universities on fisheries and wildlife management topics of mutual concern. The success of the CRU program lies in its cooperative approach. State and Federal fish and wildlife agencies determine where focused, science-based studies for wildlife and natural resource management for societal benefit are needed. The CRU scientists conduct applied research to contribute results to inform and aid partners in determining best practices for managing resources. Each Unit is a unique partnership among the U.S. Geological Survey, a host university, one or more State agencies, the Wildlife Management Institute, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2018

Development of a species status assessment process for decisions under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

Decisions under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) require scientific input on the risk that the species will become extinct. A series of critiques on the role of science in ESA decisions have called for improved consistency and transparency in species risk assessments and clear distinctions between science input and policy application. To address the critiques and document the emerging practice of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), we outline an assessment process based on principles and practices of risk and decision analyses that results in a scientific report on species status. The species status assessment (SSA) process has three successive stages: 1) document the life history and ecological relationships of the species in question to provide the foundation for the assessment, 2) describe and hypothesize causes for the current condition of the species, and 3) forecast the species' future condition. The future condition refers to the ability of a species to sustain populations in the wild under plausible future scenarios. The scenarios help explore the species' response to future environmental stressors and to assess the potential for conservation to intervene to improve its status. The SSA process incorporates modeling and scenario planning for prediction of extinction risk and applies the conservation biology principles of representation, resiliency, and redundancy to evaluate the current and future condition. The SSA results in a scientific report distinct from policy application, which contributes to streamlined, transparent, and consistent decision-making and allows for greater technical participation by experts outside of the USFWS, for example, by state natural resource agencies. We present two case studies based on assessments of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake Sistrurus catenatus and the Sonoran Desert tortoise Gopherus morafkai to illustrate the process. The SSA builds upon the past threat-focused assessment by including systematic and explicit analyses of a species' future response to stressors and conservation, and as a result, we believe it provides an improved scientific analysis for ESA decisions.

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management↗
USGS2023

Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Gunnison sage-grouse published from January 2005 to September 2022

Integrating recent scientific knowledge into management decisions supports effective natural resource management and can lead to better resource outcomes. However, finding and accessing scientific knowledge can be time consuming and costly. To assist in this process, the U.S. Geological Survey is creating a series of annotated bibliographies on topics of management concern for western lands. Previously published reports introduced a methodology for preparing annotated bibliographies to facilitate the integration of recent, peer-reviewed science into resource management decisions. Therefore, relevant text from those efforts is reproduced here to frame the presentation. Centrocercus minimus (Gunnison sage-grouse; hereafter GUSG) has been a focus of scientific investigation since the early 2000s. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed GUSG as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2014 because of declining populations and increasing habitat loss. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have sought to increase the conservation of this species by adapting management and recovery plans to reduce threats and increase population resiliency. GUSG are studied less than the closely related Centrocercus urophasianus (greater sage-grouse); however, research efforts have recently increased to understand the life history, genetics, and habitat suitability of this sagebrush-obligate species. We compiled and summarized peer-reviewed journal articles, data products, and formal technical reports (such as U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service General Technical Reports and U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports) on GUSG, published between January 2005 and September 2022. We first systematically searched three reference databases and three government databases using the following search phrases: “Gunnison sage-grouse” or “lesser sage-grouse” or “Gunnison grouse” or “Gunnison sage grouse” or “lesser sage grouse” or “ Centrocercus minimus .” We refined the initial list of products by removing (1) duplicates, (2) publications that were not published as research, data products, or scientific review articles in peer-reviewed journals or as formal technical reports, and (3) products that did not have GUSG as a research focus or products that did not present new data or findings about GUSG. We summarized each product using a consistent structure (background, objectives, methods, location, findings, and implications) and identified the management topics (for example, population estimates or targets, habitat, and management efforts) addressed by each product. We also noted which publications included new geospatial data. The review process for this annotated bibliography included two initial internal colleague reviews of each summary, requesting input on each summary from an author of the original publication, and a formal peer review. Our initial searches resulted in 80 total products, of which 63 met our criteria for inclusion of which 53 were products that had not been summarized before. Across products summarized in the annotated bibliography, broad-scale habitat characteristics; population estimates or targets; behavior or demographics; and genetics were the most commonly addressed management topics. The bibliographies are available on the Science for Resource Managers tool ( https://apps.usgs.gov/science-for-resource-managers ) and are searchable by topic, location, and year, and the search tool includes links to each original publication. The studies compiled and summarized in this annotated bibliography may inform planning and management actions that seek to maintain and restore sagebrush landscapes and GUSG populations across the GUSG range.

Colorado↗
USGS2009

Investigating white-nose syndrome in bats

A devastating, emergent disease afflicting hibernating bats has pread from the northeast to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2006-2007, hundreds of thousands of insect-eating bats from at least nine states have died from this new disease, named White-Nose Syndrome (WNS). The disease is named for the white fungus often seen on the muzzles, ears, and wings of bats. This disease poses a threat to cave hibernating bats of the United States and potentially all temperate regions of the world. USGS scientists from the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) and the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT), in collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others have linked a newly described, cold-loving fungus to WNS.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2010

Regional climate change-Science in the Southeast

Resource managers are at the forefront of a new era of management. They must consider the potential impacts of climate change on the Nation's resources and proactively develop strategies for dealing with those impacts on plants, animals, and ecosystems. This requires rigorous, scientific understanding of environmental change. The role of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in this effort is to analyze climate-change data and develop tools for assessing how changing conditions are likely to impact resources. This information will assist Federal, State, local, and tribal partners manage resources strategically. The 2008 Omnibus Budget Act and Secretarial Order 3289 established a new network of eight Department of Interior Regional Climate Science Centers to provide technical support for resource managers. The Southeast Regional Assessment Project (SERAP) is the first regional assessment to be funded by the USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (http://nccw.usgs.gov/). The USGS is working closely with the developing Department of Interior Landscape Conservation Cooperatives to ensure that the project will meet the needs of resource managers in the Southeast. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is providing resources to the SERAP to expand the scope of the project.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS1995

Effects of fire on threatened and endangered plants: an annotated bibliography

This bibliography presents basic information about the effects of fm on plants that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists as endangered or threatened or as category-one (Cl) candidates for federal listing. We searched 23 databases for publications, unpublished reports, and records with pertinent information; summarized and compiled information on the effects of fire from all final rulings on endangered and threatened plants and from endangered species recovery plans for plants; and solicited information from key researchers and agencies involved in fire ecology. The bibliography includes 126 references to the effect of fire on 172 federally listed plant species, or on 26% of the total number of federally listed plant species in these categories. Our study revealed that the total number of relevant articles has been increasing since the 1970s and more rapidly since the 1980s. Although research on fire and rare plants is increasing, an absence of information on many species persists. We hope that this document will facilitate and encourage research in this increasingly important field of botanical conservation.

Information and Technology Report↗
USGS2018

Pilot testing and protocol development of giant applesnail suppression at Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana—July–October 2017

This report provides an overview of the pilot study and description of the techniques developed for a future mitigation study of Pomacea maculata (giant applesnail) at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana (MNWR). Egg mass suppression is a potential strategy for the mitigation of the invasive giant applesnail. In previous studies at Langan Municipal Park in Mobile, Alabama (LMP), and National Park Service Jean Lafitte National Park-Barataria Unit, Louisiana (JLNP), we determined that spraying food-grade oil (coconut oil or Pam™ spray) on egg masses significantly reduced egg hatching. At JLNP we also developed methods to estimate snail population size. The purpose of this pilot study was to adapt techniques developed for previous studies to the circumstances of MNWR in preparation for a larger experiment whereby we will test the effectiveness of egg mass suppression as an applesnail mitigation tool. We selected four canals that will be used as treatment and control sites for the experiment (two each). We established that an efficient way to destroy egg masses is to knock them down with a high-velocity stream of water pumped directly from the canal. The traps used at JLNP had to be modified to accommodate the greater range of water-level fluctuation at MNWR. One of the three marking methods used at JLNP was selected for use at MNWR.

Louisiana↗
USGS1987

Opportunities to protect instream flows in Colorado and Wyoming

This document combines the efforts of several individuals, agencies, and organizations toward a common objective: the identification, description, and preliminary evaluation of promising opportunities for protecting instream uses of water under existing laws in Colorado and Wyoming. This report is intended for the use of State and Federal planning and management personnel who need an overview of potential opportunities for preserving instream flows. It is not intended to replace or challenge the advice of agency counsel, nor it is written to provide legal advice. Instead, it is designed as a guide for the person trying to find his or her way among sometimes bewildering State statues and administrative practices. This report is not, and should not be taken as, official policy or prediction of future actions by any agency. It is simply a summary of some potential opportunities for protecting instream uses. Toward these objectives, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, through its Water Resources Analysis Project, contracted in 1977 with Richard Dewsnup and Dallin Jensen to identify available strategies under State and Federal laws, interstate compacts, and water quality laws. A second firm, Enviro Control, Inc., was contracted to evaluate the most promising strategies. Two of the resulting documents were Instream Flow Strategies for Colorado and Instream Flow Strategies for Wyoming , which have been revised, updated, and combined in this report. Discussion of instream flow programs ad opportunities for each State--Colorado and Wyoming-- are written so that each report can be read independently, with minimal cross referencing from one State report to another.

Colorado;Wyoming↗
USGS1987

Use of the bottomland hardwoods subset of the wetland values data base

This report documents a bibliographic data base concerning functions and values of bottomland hardwoods and similarly vegetated areas. This data base is being provided for a limited time (until September 30, 1988) as a supplement to the publication entitled "Synopsis of Wetland Functions and Values: Bottomland Hardwoods with Special Emphasis on Eastern Texas and Oklahoma" (Wilkinson et al. 1987). The bottomland hardwoods data base is a subset of a larger bibliographic data base, Wetland Values, developed by the National Wetlands Inventory of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Stuber 1986). The focus of these bibliographic data bases is on functions and values of wetlands; few articles on structure (e.g., phytosociology) are included.

Report↗
USGS2017

Five hydrologic and landscape databases for selected National Wildlife Refuges in the Southeastern United States

This report serves as metadata and a user guide for five out of six hydrologic and landscape databases developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to describe data-collection, data-reduction, and data-analysis methods used to construct the databases and provides statistical and graphical descriptions of the databases. Six hydrologic and landscape databases were developed: (1) the Cache River and White River National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) and contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, (2) the Cahaba River NWR and contributing watersheds in Alabama, (3) the Caloosahatchee and J.N. “Ding” Darling NWRs and contributing watersheds in Florida, (4) the Clarks River NWR and contributing watersheds in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, (5) the Lower Suwannee NWR and contributing watersheds in Georgia and Florida, and (6) the Okefenokee NWR and contributing watersheds in Georgia and Florida. Each database is composed of a set of ASCII files, Microsoft Access files, and Microsoft Excel files. The databases were developed as an assessment and evaluation tool for use in examining NWR-specific hydrologic patterns and trends as related to water availability and water quality for NWR ecosystems, habitats, and target species. The databases include hydrologic time-series data, summary statistics on landscape and hydrologic time-series data, and hydroecological metrics that can be used to assess NWR hydrologic conditions and the availability of aquatic and riparian habitat. Landscape data that describe the NWR physiographic setting and the locations of hydrologic data-collection stations were compiled and mapped. Categories of landscape data include land cover, soil hydrologic characteristics, physiographic features, geographic and hydrographic boundaries, hydrographic features, and regional runoff estimates. The geographic extent of each database covers an area within which human activities, climatic variation, and hydrologic processes can potentially affect the hydrologic regime of the NWRs and adjacent areas. The hydrologic and landscape database for the Cache and White River NWRs and contributing watersheds in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma has been described and documented in detail (Buell and others, 2012). This report serves as a companion to the Buell and others (2012) report to describe and document the five subsequent hydrologic and landscape databases that were developed: Chapter A—the Cahaba River NWR and contributing watersheds in Alabama, Chapter B—the Caloosahatchee and J.N. “Ding” Darling NWRs and contributing watersheds in Florida, Chapter C—the Clarks River NWR and contributing watersheds in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, Chapter D—the Lower Suwannee NWR and contributing watersheds in Georgia and Florida, and Chapter E—the Okefenokee NWR and contributing watersheds in Georgia and Florida.

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mis↗
USGS2010

Neosho madtom and other ictalurid populations in relation to hydrologic characteristics of an impounded Midwestern warmwater stream: Update

The Neosho madtom, Noturus placidus , is a small (less than 75 millimeters in total length) ictalurid that is native to the main stems of the Neosho and Cottonwood Rivers in Kansas and Oklahoma and the Spring River in Kansas and Missouri. The Neosho madtom was federally listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in May 1990. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been monitoring Neosho madtoms since 1991, and questioned whether or not Neosho madtom densities were affected by other catfish species, reservoirs, and hydrologic characteristics. Using the first 8 years of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitoring data, Wildhaber and others (2000) analyzed whether or not Neosho madtom densities were related to these environmental characteristics. The goal of this report is to update these results with data from 1999 to 2008. The trends of Neosho madtom densities in respect to John Redmond Reservoir and other catfish species remains consistent with the previous report. In both the Neosho and Spring Rivers, Neosho madtoms had a significant positive association with all catfish species. Of those species tested, only in the population of Neosho madtoms were significantly different in density above verses below the John Redmond Reservoir after accounting for the yearly variation. The average density of Neosho madtoms at the streamgage immediately below the reservoir had the second lowest density compared to the other streamgages. The positive associations with Neosho madtoms that remained consistent from the previous report included the 1-, 3-, and 7-day minima discharges and the annual minimum discharge from the previous water year (water year prior to when the fish were sampled) and the 1-, 3-, 7-, and 30-day minima discharges from the current water year (same water year fish were sampled).

Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma↗
USGS2016

Desert tortoise annotated bibliography, 1991-2015

Introduction Agassiz’s desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii , was considered a single species for 150 years after its discovery by James Cooper (1861), with a geographic range extending from southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah southward into northern Sinaloa, Mexico (Murphy and others, 2011). What was once G. agassizii is now recognized as a complex composed of three sister species, G. agassizii , G. morafkai , and G. evgoodei (Murphy and others, 2011; Edwards and others, 2016) (fig. 1). The geographic range of Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise ( G. agassizii ) is now limited to north and west of the Colorado River (Murphy and others, 2011), with the exception of a small population in northwestern Arizona (Edwards and others, 2015). This annotated bibliography is based on peer-reviewed journal articles published between January 1991 and December 2015 on Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise, with the geographic range as defined by Murphy and others (2011). Studies pertaining to other species of Gopherus (e.g., G. morafkai ), were included only when associated with G. agassizii . In addition to articles pertaining directly to desert tortoises, we compiled articles concerning threats to desert tortoises and the habitats they occupy. Similarly, we only included studies that encompass other habitat types when they were directly compared with habitats of G. agassizii . Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise (hereinafter called desert tortoise) is a state- and federally-listed threatened species (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1990; California Department of Fish and Game, 2015). The first population federally listed as threatened occurred on the Beaver Dam Slope, Utah (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1980). In 1990, the entire geographic range north and west of the Colorado River was federally listed as threatened (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1990), with the exception being a small population in northwestern Arizona. The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to support recovery efforts for the species, because populations have continued to decline in spite of designation of critical habitat and publication of a recovery plan (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1994). For example, between 2005 and 2014, populations in critical habitats declined about 50% (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2015).

Open-File Report↗
USGS1986

Habitat Suitability Index Models: Northern pintail (gulf coast wintering)

A review and synthesis of existing information were used to develop a model for evaluating wintering habitat quality for northern pintail (Anas acuta) along the Gulf of Mexico coast. The model is scaled to produce an index between unsuitable habitat) and 1.0 (optimal habitat). Habitat suitability index models are designed for use with the Habitat Evaluation Procedures previously developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Guidelines for model application and techniques for measuring model variables are provided.

FWS/OBS↗
USGS1988

Habitat Suitability Index Models: Black-bellied whistling-duck (breeding)

A review and synthesis of existing information were used to develop a model for evaluating the quality of habitat for breeding black-bellied whistling-ducks. The model is scaled to produce an index between 0.0 (unsuitable habitat) to 1.0 (optimal habitat). Habitat suitability index models are designed to be used with Habitat Evaluation Procedures previously developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Guidelines for model application and techniques for measuring model variable are provided.

FWS/OBS↗