Woody riparian vegetation near selected streamgages in the western United States
Gregor T. Auble, Jonathan M. Friedman, Patrick B. Shafroth, Michael F. Merigliano, Michael L. Scott
2012, Data Series 708
Areal cover and occupancy of woody riparian species near 456 streamgages in the western United States were obtained from site visits during the growing seasons of 1996-2002. We made concomitant estimates of grazing intensity, channel stabilization and incision, gradient, sediment particle size, and nearby planting of Russian olive. The purpose...
Quantification of water-level variability effect on plant species populations using paleoecological and hydrological time series data
Edwin A. Roehl Jr., Paul Conrads, Christopher Bernhardt
2012, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 2012 South Carolina Water Resources Conference
Soil cores provide valuable data on historical changes in vegetation and hydrologic conditions. Empirical models were developed to quantify the effect of meteorological and hydrologic forcing on plant species distributions over a 110-year period in Water Conservation Area 1 (WCA1) in the Florida Everglades, also known as the Arthur R....
Resource selection models are useful in predicting fine-scale distributions of black-footed ferrets in prairie dog colonies
David A. Eads, David S. Jachowski, Dean E. Biggins, Travis M. Livieri, Marc R. Matchett, Joshua J. Millspaugh
2012, Western North American Naturalist (72) 206-215
Wildlife-habitat relationships are often conceptualized as resource selection functions (RSFs)—models increasingly used to estimate species distributions and prioritize habitat conservation. We evaluated the predictive capabilities of 2 black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) RSFs developed on a 452-ha colony of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in the Conata Basin, South Dakota. We...
Patterns of surface burrow plugging in a colony of black-tailed prairie dogs occupied by black-footed ferrets
David E. Eads, Dean E. Biggins
2012, Western North American Naturalist (72) 172-178
Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) can surface-plug openings to a burrow occupied by a black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). At a coarse scale, surface plugs are more common in colonies of prairie dogs occupied by ferrets than in colonies without ferrets. However, little is known about spatial and temporal patterns of...
Geologic map of the north polar region of Mars
Kenneth L. Tanaka, Corey M. Fortezzo
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3177
The north polar region of Mars occurs within the central and lowest part of the vast northern plains of Mars and is dominated by the roughly circular north polar plateau, Planum Boreum. The northern plains formed very early in Martian time and have collected volcanic flows and sedimentary materials shed...
Seafloor geology and benthic habitats, San Pedro Shelf, southern California
Florence L. Wong, Peter Dartnell, Brian D. Edwards, Eleyne L. Phillips
2012, Data Series 552
Seafloor samples, videography, still photography, and real-time descriptions of geologic and biologic constituents at or near the seafloor of the San Pedro Shelf, southern California, advance the study of natural and man-made processes on this coastal area off the metropolitan Los Angeles area. Multibeam echo-sounder data collected by the U.S....
Importance of lunar and temporal conditions for spotlight surveys of adult black-footed ferrets
David A. Eads, David S. Jachowski, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Dean E. Biggins
2012, Western North American Naturalist (72) 179-190
Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) spend most daylight hours underground in prairie dog (Cynomys) burrows and exhibit aboveground movements primarily at night. Moonlight can influence the activity patterns of ferrets and, consequently, might influence the efficiency of spotlight surveys used by biologists to monitor ferret populations. We related detection of adult...
Information on black-footed ferret biology collected within the framework of ferret conservation
Dean E. Biggins
2012, Western North American Naturalist (72) 129-133
Once feared to be extinct, black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) were rediscovered near Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1981, resulting in renewed conservation and research efforts for this highly endangered species. A need for information directly useful to recovery has motivated much monitoring of ferrets since that time, but field activities have enabled...
Saturated thickness and water in storage in the High Plains aquifer, 2009, and water-level changes and changes in water in storage in the High Plains aquifer, 1980 to 1995, 1995 to 2000, 2000 to 2005, and 2005 to 2009
Virginia L. McGuire, Kris D. Lund, Brenda K. Densmore
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5177
The High Plains aquifer underlies about 112 million acres (about 175,000 square miles) in parts of eight States—Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. Water levels declined in parts of the High Plains aquifer soon after the onset of substantial irrigation with groundwater (about 1950). This...
Hydrological information products for the Off-Project Water Program of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement
Daniel T. Snyder, John C. Risley, Jonathan V. Haynes
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1199
The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) was developed by a diverse group of stakeholders, Federal and State resource management agencies, Tribal representatives, and interest groups to provide a comprehensive solution to ecological and water-supply issues in the Klamath Basin. The Off-Project Water Program (OPWP), one component of the KBRA, has...
Data resources for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) Integrated Assessment (IA)
Timothy J. Assal, Steven L. Garman, Zachary H. Bowen, Patrick J. Anderson, Daniel J. Manier, Robert R. McDougal
2012, Data Series 700
The data contained in this report were compiled, modified, and analyzed for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) Integrated Assessment (IA). The WLCI is a long-term science based effort to assess and enhance aquatic and terrestrial habitats at a landscape scale in southwest Wyoming while facilitating responsible energy development through...
A simple method for estimating basin-scale groundwater discharge by vegetation in the basin and range province of Arizona using remote sensing information and geographic information systems
F.D. Tillman, J.B. Callegary, P.L. Nagler, E. P. Glenn
2012, Journal of Arid Environments (82) 44-52
Groundwater is a vital water resource in the arid to semi-arid southwestern United States. Accurate accounting of inflows to and outflows from the groundwater system is necessary to effectively manage this shared resource, including the important outflow component of groundwater discharge by vegetation. A simple method for estimating basin-scale groundwater...
Nitrogen limitation, 15N tracer retention, and growth response in intact and Bromus tectorum-invaded Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis communities
Dana L. Witwicki, Paul S. Doescher, David A. Pyke, Nicole M. DeCrappeo, Steven S. Perakis
2012, Oecologia (171) 1013-1023
Annual grass invasion into shrub-dominated ecosystems is associated with changes in nutrient cycling that may alter nitrogen (N) limitation and retention. Carbon (C) applications that reduce plant-available N have been suggested to give native perennial vegetation a competitive advantage over exotic annual grasses, but plant community and N retention responses...
Long-term demographic consequences of habitat fragmentation to a tropical understory bird community
N.M. Korfanta, W.D. Newmark, M. J. Kauffman
2012, Ecology (93) 2548-2559
Tropical deforestation continues to cause population declines and local extinctions in centers of avian diversity and endemism. Although local species extinctions stem from reductions in demographic rates, little is known about how habitat fragmentation influences survival of tropical bird populations or the relative importance of survival and fecundity in ultimately...
Black-footed ferrets and recreational shooting influence the attributes of black-tailed prairie dog burrows
Dean E. Biggins, Shantini Ramakrishnan, Amanda R. Goldberg, David A. Eads
2012, Western North American Naturalist (72) 158-171
Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) plug burrows occupied by black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes), and they also plug burrows to entomb dead prairie dogs. We further evaluated these phenomena by sampling connectivity and plugging of burrow openings on prairie dog colonies occupied by ferrets, colonies where recreational shooting was allowed, and...
Tracking climate impacts on the migratory monarch butterfly
Elise F. Zipkin, Leslie Ries, Rick Reeves, James Regetz, Karen S. Oberhauser
2012, Global Change Biology (18) 3039-3049
Understanding the impacts of climate on migratory species is complicated by the fact that these species travel through several climates that may be changing in diverse ways throughout their complete migratory cycle. Most studies are not designed to tease out the direct and indirect effects of climate at various stages...
Digital database architecture and delineation methodology for deriving drainage basins, and a comparison of digitally and non-digitally derived numeric drainage areas
Jean A. Dupree, Richard M. Crowfoot
2012, Techniques and Methods 11-C6
The drainage basin is a fundamental hydrologic entity used for studies of surface-water resources and during planning of water-related projects. Numeric drainage areas published by the U.S. Geological Survey water science centers in Annual Water Data Reports and on the National Water Information Systems (NWIS) Web site are still primarily...
Simulation of groundwater and surface-water resources and evaluation of water-management alternatives for the Chamokane Creek basin, Stevens County, Washington
D. Matthew Ely, Sue C. Kahle
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5224
A three-dimensional, transient numerical model of groundwater and surface-water flow was constructed for Chamokane Creek basin to better understand the groundwater-flow system and its relation to surface-water resources. The model described in this report can be used as a tool by water-management agencies and other stakeholders to quantitatively evaluate the...
Geodatabase of sites, basin boundaries, and topology rules used to store drainage basin boundaries for the U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center
Jean A. Dupree, Richard M. Crowfoot
2012, Data Series 650
This geodatabase and its component datasets are part of U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series 650 and were generated to store basin boundaries for U.S. Geological Survey streamgages and other sites in Colorado. The geodatabase and its components were created by the U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center, and...
Biotic, water-quality, and hydrologic metrics calculated for the analysis of temporal trends in National Water Quality Assessment Program Data in the Western United States
Stephen M. Wiele, Anne M.D. Brasher, Matthew P. Miller, Jason T. May, Kurt D. Carpenter
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1203
The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program was established by Congress in 1991 to collect long-term, nationally consistent information on the quality of the Nation's streams and groundwater. The NAWQA Program utilizes interdisciplinary and dynamic studies that link the chemical and physical conditions of streams (such as flow...
Development and application of downscaled hydroclimatic predictor variables for use in climate vulnerability and assessment studies
James Thorne, Ryan Boynton, Lorraine Flint, Alan Flint, Thuy N’goc Le
2012, Report
This paper outlines the production of 270-meter grid-scale maps for 14 climate and derivative hydrologic variables for a region that encompasses the State of California and all the streams that flow into it. The paper describes the Basin Characterization Model (BCM), a map-based, mechanistic model used to process the hydrological...
Aquifer test at well SMW-1 near Moenkopi, Arizona
Rob Carruth, Donald J. Bills
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5201
The Hopi villages of Lower Moencopi and Upper Moenkopi are on the Hopi Indian Reservation south of Tuba City in northern Arizona. These adjacent Hopi villages, located west and north of the confluence of Pasture Canyon Wash and Moenkopi Wash, are dependent on groundwater withdrawals from three wells that penetrate...
Eruption probabilities for the Lassen Volcanic Center and regional volcanism, northern California, and probabilities for large explosive eruptions in the Cascade Range
Manuel Nathenson, Michael A. Clynne, L.J. Patrick Muffler
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5176-B
Chronologies for eruptive activity of the Lassen Volcanic Center and for eruptions from the regional mafic vents in the surrounding area of the Lassen segment of the Cascade Range are here used to estimate probabilities of future eruptions. For the regional mafic volcanism, the ages of many vents are known...
Assessment of the Coal-Bed Gas Total Petroleum System in the Cook Inlet-Susitna region, south-central Alaska
William A. Rouse, David W. Houseknecht
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5145
The Cook Inlet-Susitna region of south-central Alaska contains large quantities of gas-bearing coal of Tertiary age. The U.S. Geological Survey in 2011 completed an assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable coal-bed gas resources underlying the Cook Inlet-Susitna region based on the total petroleum system (TPS) concept. The Cook Inlet Coal-Bed Gas...
Effects of a non-native biocontrol weevil, Larinus planus, and other emerging threats on populations of the federally threatened Pitcher's thistle, Cirsium pitcheri
Kayri Havens, Claudia L. Jolls, Julie E. Marik, Pati Vitt, A. Kathryn McEachern, Darcy Kind
2012, Biological Conservation 202-211
Larinus planus Frabicius (Curculionidae), is a seed-eating weevil that was inadvertently introduced into the US and was subsequently distributed in the US and Canada for the control of noxious thistle species of rangelands. It has been detected recently in the federally threatened Pitcher's thistle (Cirsium pitcheri). We assayed weevil damage...
