Geology and biostratigraphy of the Potomac River cliffs at Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Virginia
Robert E. Weems, Lucy E. Edwards, Bryan D. Landacre
2017, Book chapter, Blue Ridge to the Beach: Geological Field Excursions across Virginia
The cliffs along the Potomac River at Stratford Hall display extensive exposures of Miocene marine strata that belong successively to the Calvert, Choptank, St. Marys, and Eastover Formations. Within the lower part of this sequence, in the Calvert and Choptank Formations, there is well-developed cyclic stratigraphy. Above the Miocene units...
Climate changes and wildfire alter vegetation of Yellowstone National Park, but forest cover persists
Jason A. Clark, Rachel A. Loehman, Robert E. Keane
2017, Ecosphere (8)
We present landscape simulation results contrasting effects of changing climates on forest vegetation and fire regimes in Yellowstone National Park, USA, by mid-21st century. We simulated potential changes to fire dynamics and forest characteristics under three future climate projections representing a range of potential future conditions using the FireBGCv2 model....
Evaluation of modeled bacteria loads along an impaired stream reach receiving discharge from a municipal separate storm sewer system in Independence, Mo.
Allison Flickinger, Eric D. Christensen
2017, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation, WEFTEC 2017
The Little Blue River in Jackson County, Missouri, was listed as impaired in 2012 due to Escherichia coli (E. coli) from urban runoff and storm sewers. A study was initiated to characterize E. coli concentrations and loads to aid in the development of a total maximum daily load implementation plan. Longitudinal sampling along the...
Extreme geomagnetic storms: Probabilistic forecasts and their uncertainties
Pete Riley, Jeffrey J. Love
2017, Space Weather (15) 53-64
Extreme space weather events are low-frequency, high-risk phenomena. Estimating their rates of occurrence, as well as their associated uncertainties, is difficult. In this study, we derive statistical estimates and uncertainties for the occurrence rate of an extreme geomagnetic storm on the scale of the Carrington event (or worse) occurring within...
Impacts of mesquite distribution on seasonal space use of lesser prairie-chickens
Matthew A. Boggie, Cody R. Strong, Daniel Lusk, Scott A. Carleton, William R. Gould, Randy L. Howard, Clay T. Nichols, Michael J. Falkowski, Christian A. Hagen
2017, Rangeland Ecology and Management (70) 68-77
Loss of native grasslands by anthropogenic disturbances has reduced availability and connectivity of habitat for many grassland species. A primary threat to contiguous grasslands is the encroachment of woody vegetation, which is spurred by disturbances that take on many forms from energy development, fire suppression, and grazing. These disturbances are...
Acoustic assessment of pelagic planktivores, 2016
Jeremy P. Holden, Michael J. Connerton, Brian Weidel
2017, NYSDEC Lake Ontario Annual Report 2016-15
Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) are the most abundant pelagic planktivores in Lake Ontario (Weidel et al 2017), and the most important prey for salmon and trout, making up greater than 90% of the diet of the top predator, Chinook salmon (Lantry 2001, Brandt 1986), and supporting...
The history of late holocene surface-faulting earthquakes on the central segments of the Wasatch fault zone, Utah
Christopher DuRoss, Stephen Personius, Susan S Olig, Anthony J. Crone, Michael D. Hylland, William R. Lund, David P. Schwartz
2017, Book chapter, Geology and resources of the Wasatch: Back to front, Utah Geological Association Publication 46
The Wasatch fault (WFZ)—Utah’s longest and most active normal fault—forms a prominent eastern boundary to the Basin and Range Province in northern Utah. To provide paleoseismic data for a Wasatch Front regional earthquake forecast, we synthesized paleoseismic data to define the timing and displacements of late Holocene surface-faulting earthquakes on...
Reexamination of the magnitudes for the 1906 and 1922 Chilean earthquakes using Japanese tsunami amplitudes: Implications for source depth constraints
M. Carvajal, M. Cisternas, A. Gubler, P. A. Catalan, P. Winckler, Robert L. Wesson
2017, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (122) 4-17
Far-field tsunami records from the Japanese tide gauge network allow the reexamination of the moment magnitudes (Mw) for the 1906 and 1922 Chilean earthquakes, which to date rely on limited information mainly from seismological observations alone. Tide gauges along the Japanese coast provide extensive records of tsunamis triggered by six...
Conservation Reserve Program mitigates grassland loss in the lesser prairie-chicken range of Kansas
David A. Haukos, David Spencer, Christian A. Hagen, Melinda D. Daniels, Doug Goodin
2017, Global Ecology and Conservation (9) 21-38
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the overall occupied range of the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has declined by 84% commensurate with population trends. Much of this decline has been attributed to the loss and fragmentation of native grasslands throughout the lesser prairie-chicken...
State of Great Lakes 2017 Technical Report: Indicators to assess the status and trends of the Great Lakes ecosystem
Dale Van Stempvoort, George Zhang, Christopher J. Hoard, John Spoelstra, Norman Granneman, Scott MacRitchie, Stacey Cherwaty
2017, Report
No abstract available....
Mapping tree canopy cover in support of proactive prairie grouse conservation in western North America
Michael J. Falkowski, Jeffrey S. Evans, David E. Naugle, Christian A. Hagen, Scott A. Carleton, Jeremy D. Maestas, Azad Henareh Khalyani, Aaron J. Poznanovic, Andrew J. Lawrence
2017, Rangeland Ecology and Management (70) 15-24
Invasive woody plant expansion is a primary threat driving fragmentation and loss of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) and prairie habitats across the central and western United States. Expansion of native woody plants, including conifer (primarily Juniperus spp.) and mesquite (Prosopis spp.), over the past century is primarily attributable to wildfire suppression, historic periods of intensive...
Using population models to evaluate management alternatives for Gulf Striped Bass
Alexander P. Aspinwall, Elise R. Irwin, M. Clint Lloyd
2017, Cooperator Science Series FWS/CSS-123-2017
Interstate management of Gulf Striped Bass Morone saxatilis has involved a thirty-year cooperative effort involving Federal and State agencies in Georgia, Florida and Alabama (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Gulf Striped Bass Technical Committee). The Committee has recently focused on developing an adaptive framework for conserving and restoring Gulf Striped Bass in the Apalachicola,...
A synthesis of living shoreline perspectives
Jason D. Toft, Donna Marie Bilkovic, Molly M. Mitchell, Megan K. LaPeyre
2017, Book chapter, Living shorelines: The science and management of nature-based coastal protection
The main goal of this summary chapter is to synthesize author perspectives across the contributed chapters, make recommendations on the correct usage of the term living shorelines, and offer guidance for planning in the future. Nature-based approaches are being applied globally, as signified by the breadth of geographic coverage in...
A primer to living shorelines
Donna Marie Bilkovic, Molly M. Mitchell, Jason D. Toft, Megan K. LaPeyre
2017, Book chapter, Living shorelines: The science and management of nature-based coastal protection
No abstract available....
Comparison of oyster populations, shoreline protection service, and site characteristics at seven created fringing reefs in Louisiana: Key parameters and responses to consider
Megan K. LaPeyre, Lindsay Schwarting Miller, Shea Miller, Earl Melancon
2017, Book chapter, Living shorelines: The science and management of nature-based coastal protection
Coastal erosion threatens many low-lying areas around the globe. Rising sea levels from climate change are expected to increase coastal erosion and exacerbate flooding and storm surges. This is particularly true in low-lying coastal Louisiana, which developed as the Mississippi River changed course (delta switching) over the past 7000 years....
Spatial demographic models to inform conservation planning of golden eagles in renewable energy landscapes
J. David Wiens, Nathan H. Schumaker, Richard D. Inman, Todd C. Esque, Kathleen M. Longshore, Kenneth E. Nussear
2017, Journal of Raptor Research (51) 234-257
Spatial demographic models can help guide monitoring and management activities targeting at-risk species, even in cases where baseline data are lacking. Here, we provide an example of how site-specific changes in land use and anthropogenic stressors can be incorporated into a spatial demographic model to investigate effects on population dynamics...
Fisheries and aquatic resources of Prairie Creek, Redwood National Park
Peggy Wilzbach, Vicki Ozaki
2017, Natural Resource Report NPS/REDW/NRR—2017/1492
This report synthesizes information on the status of fisheries and aquatic resources in the Prairie Creek sub-basin of Redwood Creek in Humboldt County in northern California, founded on a bibliographic search we conducted of historic and current datasets, unpublished reports, theses, and publications. The compiled Prairie Creek Fisheries Bibliography is...
Thumbnail‐based questionnaires for the rapid and efficient collection of macroseismic data from global earthquakes
Remy Bossu, Matthieu Landes, Frederic Roussel, Robert Steed, Gilles Mazet-Roux, Stacey S. Martin, Susan E. Hough
2017, Seismological Research Letters (88) 72-81
The collection of earthquake testimonies (i.e., qualitative descriptions of felt shaking) is essential for macroseismic studies (i.e., studies gathering information on how strongly an earthquake was felt in different places), and when done rapidly and systematically, improves situational awareness and in turn can contribute to efficient emergency response. In this...
Guidance documents: Continued support to improve operations of fish hatcheries and field sites to reduce the impact or prevent establishment of New Zealand Mudsnails and other invasive mollusks
Christine M. Moffitt
2017, Cooperator Science Series FWS/CSS-124-2017
This project tested and revised a risk assessment/management tool authored by Moffitt and Stockton designed to provide hatchery biologists and others a structure to measure risk and provide tools to control, prevent or eliminate invasive New Zealand mudsnails (NZMS) and other invasive mollusks in fish hatcheries and hatchery operations. The...
Behavioral connectivity among bighorn sheep suggests potential for disease spread
Nathan Borg, Michael S. Mitchell, Paul M. Lukacs, Curt M. Mack, Lisette P. Waits, Paul R. Krausman
2017, Journal of Wildlife Management (81) 38-45
Connectivity is important for population persistence and can reduce the potential for inbreeding depression. Connectivity between populations can also facilitate disease transmission; respiratory diseases are one of the most important factors affecting populations of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). The mechanisms of connectivity in populations of bighorn sheep likely have implications...
Lake Ontario benthic prey fish assessment, 2016
Brian Weidel, Maureen Walsh, Jeremy P. Holden, Michael J. Connerton
2017, NYSDEC Lake Ontario Annual Report 2016-12b
Benthic prey fishes are a critical component of the Lake Ontario food web, serving as energy vectors from benthic invertebrates to native and introduced piscivores. Beginning in 1978, Lake Ontario benthic prey fishes were assessed using bottom trawls collected from the lake’s south shore (depth range: 8 – 150 m)....
An integrated moral obligation model for landowner conservation norms
Amit K. Pradhananga, Mae A. Davenport, David C. Fulton, Geoffrey M. Maruyama, Dean Current
2017, Society & Natural Resources: An International Journal (30) 212-227
This study applies an integrated moral obligation model to examine the role of environmental and cultural values, and beliefs in the activation of landowner conservation norms. Data for this study were collected through a self-administered survey of riparian landowners in two Minnesota watersheds: Sand Creek and Vermillion River watersheds. Study...
Quantifying the relative contribution of an ecological reserve to conservation objectives
Kevin Aagaard, James E. Lyons, Wayne E. Thogmartin
2017, Global Ecology and Conservation (9) 142-147
Evaluating the role public lands play in meeting conservation goals is an essential step in good governance. We present a tool for comparing the regional contribution of each of a suite of wildlife management units to conservation goals. We use weighted summation (simple additive weighting) to compute a Unit Contribution...
Summer habitat selection by Dall’s sheep in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Gretchen H. Roffler, Layne G. Adams, Mark Hebblewhite
2017, Journal of Mammalogy (98) 94-105
Sexual segregation occurs frequently in sexually dimorphic species, and it may be influenced by differential habitat requirements between sexes or by social or evolutionary mechanisms that maintain separation of sexes regardless of habitat selection. Understanding the degree of sex-specific habitat specialization is important for management of wildlife populations and the...
Accurate aging of juvenile salmonids using fork lengths
Suresh Sethi, Jonathon Gerken, Joshua Ashline
2017, Fisheries Research (185) 161-168
Juvenile salmon life history strategies, survival, and habitat interactions may vary by age cohort. However, aging individual juvenile fish using scale reading is time consuming and can be error prone. Fork length data are routinely measured while sampling juvenile salmonids. We explore the performance of aging juvenile fish based solely...
