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Great Basin Consortium Conference
Climate programs, water limitations, and
geospaces in the Great Basin
Conference Program
February 17-19, 2015
Boise State University
Student Union
Boise, Idaho, USA
Participating Organizations:
Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (GB-CESU) Great Basin Environmental Program (GB-EP)
Great Basin Fire Science Exchange Project (GB-FSE)
Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GB-LCC)
Great Basin Research and Management Partnership (GB-RMP)
Guest Partner: Great Basin Native Plant Project (GB-NPP)
http://environment.unr.edu/consortium/
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17 ................................................................................................................................................................... 3
WELCOME, KEYNOTE AND ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATES ........................................................................................................ 3
ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION: CLIMATE PROGRAMS .......................................................................................................... 3
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 ............................................................................................................................................................. 4
ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION: RESTORATION OF DRY SITES ............................................................................................... 4
ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION – GEOSPATIAL AND YOU – BROADSCALE ASSESSMENTS ..................................................... 5
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19 ................................................................................................................................................................. 6
GREAT BASIN-NPP MEETING ................................................................................................................................................... 6
ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION – WATER IN THE DESERT...................................................................................................... 9
GENERAL INFORMATION ................................................................................................................................................................ 10
REGISTRATION ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10
MEETING LOCATION ....................................................................................................................................................................... 10
FACILITY AMENITIES AND INFORMATION ....................................................................................................................................... 10
MEALS AND BREAKS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 10
GETTING TO THE CONFERENCE ...................................................................................................................................................... 10
CAMPUS PARKING ................................................................................................................................................................. 10
LOCAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ......................................................................................................................................... 11
WIRELESS ACCESS ........................................................................................................................................................................... 11
GREAT BASIN CONSORTIUM - PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS ................................................................................................... 11
GREAT BASIN COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES UNIT (GB-CESU) .................................................................................... 11
GREAT BASIN ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM (GB-EP) ............................................................................................................ 11
GREAT BASIN FIRE SCIENCE EXCHANGE (GB-FSE) ................................................................................................................. 11
GREAT BASIN LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION COOPERATIVE (GB-LCC).................................................................................... 12
GREAT BASIN RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP (GB-RMP).............................................................................. 12
PLENARY SPEAKER .......................................................................................................................................................................... 13
ADDRESSING THE CONSERVATION CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY: WHY SCIENCE-BASED, LANDSCAPE-SCALE
MANAGEMENT IS ESSENTIAL .......................................................................................................................................................... 13
PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS ............................................................................................................................................................ 13
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE .. 13
CLIMATE PROGRAMS SESSION ....................................................................................................................................................... 14
NOAA WESTERN REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER ...................................................................................................................... 14
USDA SOUTHWEST CLIMATE HUB......................................................................................................................................... 14
USDA NORTHWEST REGIONAL CLIMATE HUB ....................................................................................................................... 15
DOI SOUTHWEST CLIMATE SCIENCE CENTER ........................................................................................................................ 15
DOI NORTHWEST CLIMATE SCIENCE CENTER........................................................................................................................ 15
GREAT BASIN LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION COOPERATIVE................................................................................................... 16
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RESTORATION OF DRY SITES SESSION............................................................................................................................................. 16
SUCCESS OF SEEDING RELATIVE TO PRECIPITATION IN SAGEBRUSH STEPPE HABITATS OF THE GREAT BASIN .................... 16
SEEDING SUCCESSES ON DRY SITES IN SAGEBRUSH STEPPE, AND WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM THEM ........................... 17
DEVELOPING NATIVE PLANT MATERIALS FOR USE IN DRY SITE RESTORATION .................................................................... 17
USING FIELD EXPERIMENTS TO IDENTIFY THE MOST SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES FOR ESTABLISHING NATIVE GRASS
SEEDLINGS IN OUR DRIEST SITES........................................................................................................................................... 18
SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION OF TECHNIQUES THAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE ......................................................................... 18
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF BRONCOS IN THE SAGEBRUSH STEPPE: BSU'S INNOVATIVE SCIENCE APPROACHES FOR DYNAMIC
LANDSCAPE CHANGE ...................................................................................................................................................................... 19
WATER IN THE DESERT SESSION ..................................................................................................................................................... 19
MEASURING, MODELING, AND MAPPING WHOLE-YEAR VARIABILITY IN TEMPERATURE AND WATER AVAILABILITY IN
GREAT BASIN STREAMS ......................................................................................................................................................... 19
CAMAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, A WETLAND REFUGE IN TRANSITION ....................................................................... 20
GROUNDWATER APPROPRIATION, GROUNDWATER DEPENDENT ECOSYSTEMS, AND 3M PLANS IN THE GREAT BASIN .... 20
MODELING SURFACE EXPRESSIONS OF GROUNDWATER IN THE GREAT BASIN ................................................................... 21
RIPARIAN VEGETATION CONTROLS ON LOW FLOW DYNAMICS ........................................................................................... 21
AVIAN COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO ALTERED HYDRO-CLIMATIC HABITATS OVER 80 YEARS IN THE GREAT BASIN ............ 22
THE SALMONID POPULATION VIABILITY PROJECT: MODELING TROUT VIABILITY IN A DESERT LANDSCAPE UNDER
CURRENT AND FORECASTED CONDITIONS ........................................................................................................................... 22
POSTER SESSION | ABSTRACTS ....................................................................................................................................................... 23
BIRD ECOLOGY AND HABITATS .............................................................................................................................................. 23
SOCIOECONOMICS AND COLLABORATION ............................................................................................................................ 25
CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE HYDROLOGY ............................................................................................................................... 29
PLANT ECOLOGY, TERRESTRIAL CARBON, AND CLIMATE EFFECTS ........................................................................................ 33
RESTORATION AND PLANT MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................ 40
REMOTE SENSING AND LANDSCAPE MODELING OF VEGETATION ........................................................................................ 46
PEOPLE AND THE HYDROSCAPE ............................................................................................................................................. 50
SPECIAL FEATURE ................................................................................................................................................................... 55
NOTES ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 56
[2]
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17
Boise State University Student Union – Lookout (3rd Floor)
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Great Basin-LCC Steering Committee meeting
Convener: Todd Hopkins, Science Coordinator, Great Basin-LCC
Student Union – Hatch D
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Friends of the Morley Nelson Birds of Prey National Conservation Area
Student Union – Jordan A+E
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Registration and poster setup
WELCOME, KEYNOTE AND ORGANIZATIONAL UPDATES
Student Union – Jordan BC
Moderator: Rick Kearney, BLM; Coordinator, Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative
1:00 – 1:45 p.m.
Welcome: Matt Germino, U.S. Geological Survey and Great Basin
Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Plenary Speaker: Jim Lyons, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and
Minerals Management, Department of the Interior
1:45 – 2:15 p.m.
Organizational updates from partner organizations
Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Maureen McCarthy
Great Basin Environmental Program, Stan Johnson
Great Basin Fire Science Exchange Project, Eugènie MontBlanc
Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Todd Hopkins
Great Basin Research and Management Partnership, Nancy Glenn
Great Basin Native Plant Program, Francis Kilkenny
2:15 – 3:00 p.m.
Challenges and Opportunities for Resource Management and Conservation
Science in a Changing Climate
Stephen Jackson, U.S. Geological Survey
3:00 – 3:20 p.m.
Refreshment Break
ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION: CLIMATE PROGRAMS
The lead scientists for the main climate programs that fund or support climate-related research in the
Great Basin will each give a short presentation on practical/administrative aspects of their program and
what/how they fund projects climate challenges, opportunities, and priorities of their ecoregion what
they are currently doing/producing for application. They will then hold a panel Q & A session to allow
meeting participants to learn more about the challenges/opportunities of climate adaptation across the
Great Basin, or questions relating to funding for projects.
[3]
Student Union – Jordan BC
Moderator: Nancy Glenn, Professor, Department of Geosciences, Boise State University
3:20 – 4:45 p.m.
Western Regional Climate Center, NOAA RISA, Kelly Redmond, Desert
Research Institute, Reno NV
USDA Southwest Climate Hub, Emile Elias, USDA-Agricultural Research
Service, Las Cruces NM
USDA Northwest Climate Hub, Bea Van Horne, USDA Forest Service,
Corvallis OR
DOI Southwest Climate Science Center, Steve Jackson, U.S. Geological
Survey, Tucson AZ
DOI Northwest Climate Science Center, Gus Bisbal, U.S. Geological
Survey, Corvallis OR
Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Todd Hopkins, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Reno NV
Panel Q&A
4:45 – 5:15 p.m.
Poster “Ignite” Oral Presentations I
5:15 – 7:00 p.m.
Poster Session I and Reception
Cash bar. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres provided.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18
Boise State University Student Union – Hatch C
7:30 – 10:00 a.m.
Great Basin-FSE business meeting
Eugénie MontBlanc, Great Basin-FSE Coordinator
ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION: RESTORATION OF DRY SITES
There has been much attention on seeding success following the large wildfires that have been a
primary driver in loss of habitat in the Great Basin. Whether and how to seed warm and dry sites at low
elevations in the Great Basin is a major question. Speakers in this session will reflect on patterns of
seeding success, factors that affect seeding success, prospects for increasing success, and tests of
technological methods for improving success.
Student Union – Jordan BC
Moderator: Peggy Olwell National Plant Materials Program Lead BLM Washington Office
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Success of Seeding Relative to Precipitation in Sagebrush Steppe Habitats
of the Great Basin , David Pilliod, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and
Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise ID
Seeding Successes on Dry Sites in Sagebrush Steppe, and What Can be
Learned From Them, Cindy Fritz (presenting) and Tom Warren, Bureau of
Land Management, Boise ID
[4]
Developing Native Plant Materials for Use in Dry Site Restoration, Frances
Kilkenny, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise ID
Using Field Experiments to Identify the Most Successful Strategies for
Establishing Native Grass Seedlings in our Driest Sites, Elizabeth Leger,
University of Nevada, Reno NV
Scientific Evaluation of Seeding Techniques on Dry Sagebrush Sites
Jeff Ott, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise ID
Panel Q&A
Student Union – Hatch C
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Great Basin-CESU business meeting
Convener: Maureen McCarthy, Director, Great Basin-CESU
Student Union – on your own
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION – GEOSPATIAL AND YOU – BROADSCALE ASSESSMENTS
There are a large number of inventory and assessment projects that span whole ecoregions, the entire
Great Basin, or even the whole western US that have either been completed in the last year or are
underway for key natural resources. This session will bring the leaders of many of such efforts together
to compare/contrast their efforts and to create a synthesis product that will be a useful “table of
contents” for users of geospatial data on the internet. The format will be short presentations (5 minutes
per speaker with timed slides) in which they state what their product is, when/how it is available, how it
adds upon previously available info, and the types of research and management questions that can be
answered. The session ends with a panel and open-mic format for audience participation, in which an
inventory document is created live, showing what is available and where the gaps lie. The document is
then printed on a large poster and hung on the wall for people to write in omissions, then put on Google
for 2 weeks for open commentary, then posted on the GBC website.
Student Union – Hatch B
Moderator: Génie MontBlanc, Great Basin Fire Science Exchange, University of Nevada, Reno
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
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Landscape Conservation Management and Analysis Portal, Sean Finn, US Fish
& Wildlife Service, Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative,
Boise ID
Rapid Ecological Assessment, Northern Basin and Range and Snake River
Plain, Nika Lepak, Bureau of Land Management, Boise ID
Rapid Ecological Assessment, Central Basin and Range, John Wilson, Bureau of
Land Management, Reno NV
Fire and Invasives Tool, Mike Pellant, Bureau of Land Management, Boise ID
Land Treatment Digital Library, David Pilliod, U.S. Geological Survey, Boise ID
Conservation Effects Database, Justin Welty, U.S. Geological Survey, Boise ID
Landscape Toolbox and Journal Map, Bob Unnasch, The Nature
Conservancy, Boise ID
[5]
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Remote Sensing Characterization of Great Basin Shrub and Grasslands for
Monitoring, Collin Homer, U.S. Geological Survey, Boise ID
BLM Riparian Toolbar, Ken McGwire, Desert Research Institute, Reno NV
Geospatial Weather Sources, Stuart Hardegree, USDA Agricultural Research
Service, Boise ID
Development and Use of Seed Zones in Native Plant Restoration, Francis
Kilkenny, US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise ID
NorWEST Streams and Temperature, Dan Issak, USDA Forest Service, Rocky
Mountain Research Station, Moscow ID
USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis, Chris Witt, USDA Forest Service, Boise ID
Natural Resource Inventory and Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring
program, Nika Lepak, Bureau of Land Management, Boise ID
Sagebrush Ecosystem Response to Changing Climate and Disturbance
Regimes: An Ecohydrological Perspective, John Bradford, U.S. Geological
Survey, Flagstaff AZ
Small Mammal Thermal Mapping, Erik Beever, U.S. Geological Survey,
Bozeman MT
Geospatial synthesis exercise: open floor for audience’s input
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Refreshment Break
3:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Positive Impacts of Broncos in the Sagebrush Steppe: BSU's Innovative
Science Approaches for Dynamic Landscape Change, Shawn Benner,
Boise State University, Boise ID
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Poster “Ignite” Oral Presentations II
5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Poster Session II
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Boise State University Student Union – Hatch C
8:00 – 9:30 a.m.
Great Basin-RMP business meeting
Convener: Nancy Glenn, Great Basin-RMP, Boise State University
GREAT BASIN-NPP MEETING
Student Union – Hatch AD
Moderator: Francis Kilkenny, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
8:00 - 8:10 a.m.
Great Basin Native Plant Project - Welcome
Francis Kilkenny, Research Biologist and GBNPP Team Leader, USFS
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise, ID
[6]
8:10 – 8:20 a.m.
Great Basin Native Plant Project – Expanded Program Structure and
Partner Roles
Anne Halford, Idaho State Botanist and GBNPP Liaison, USDI BLM, Idaho
State Office, Boise, ID
8:20 – 8:50 a.m.
Seed Strategy
Peggy Olwell, National Plant Materials Program Lead, USDI BLM,
Washington, D.C.
8:50 – 9:10 a.m.
Update of Native Plant Research and Activities at the Great Basin
Research Center, Ephraim, Utah
Kevin Gunnell, Range Trend Project Leader, Utah Division of Wildlife
Resources, Ephraim, UT
9:10 – 10:00 a.m.
Refreshment Break
Great Basin Forbs & Grasses
10:20 – 10:40 a.m.
Update on Stand Establishment and Water Requirements for Wildflower
Seed Production
Clint Shock, Director and Professor, Oregon State University Malheur
Experiment Station, Ontario, OR
Co-authors: E. Feibert, A. Rivera, M. Saunders, F. Kilkenny, N. Shaw
10:40 – 11:00 a.m.
Reciprocal Transplant Study to Test Adaptation of Bluebunch
Wheatgrass
Holly Prendeville, Research Geneticist, USFS Pacific Northwest Research
Station, Corvallis, OR
Co-authors: F. Kilkenny, B. St. Clair
11:00 – 11:20 a.m.
Progress in Establishment of Legumes Native to the Western USA
Shaun Bushman, Research Geneticist (Plants), USDA Agricultural
Research Service, Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Logan, UT
Co-authors: D. Johnson, K. Connors, T. Jones, J. Stettler
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch (on your own)
Great Basin Forbs & Grasses (continued)
1:00 – 1:20 p.m.
Wet Thermal Time and Soil Water Potential in the Seedbeds and Root
Zones Across the Sagebrush Steepe Ecosystem of the Great Basin
Nathan Cline, Ph.D. Student, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Co-authors: B. Roundy, K. Young
1:20 – 1:40 p.m.
Seed and Seed Bank Ecology of Great Basin Forbs
Sarah Barga, Ph.D. Student, University of Nevada Extension, Reno, NV
Co-author: E. Leger
1:40 – 2:00 p.m.
To Freeze or Not to Freeze? An Investigation into Sulphur-Flower
Buckwheat Cold Hardiness
[7]
Matt Fisk, Biological Technician, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Boise, ID and M.S. student, University of Idaho, Moscow
Co-authors: A. Davis, K. Apostol, N. Shaw
2:00 – 2:20 p.m.
Planting Native Species to Diversify Crested Wheatgrass Monocultures in
Nevada
Kent McAdoo, Associate Professor, Natural Resources Specialist,
University of Nevada Extension, Elko, NV
Co-authors: J. Swanson, P. Murphy, N. Shaw
2:20 – 2:40 p.m.
Seed Zones for Sandberg Bluegrass and Friends
R.C. Johnson, Research Agronomist, USDA Agricultural Research Service,
Pullman, WA
2:40 – 3:00 p.m.
Field Testing Provisional Seed Zones with Basin Wildrye
Scott Jensen, Botanist, USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station, Provo,
UT
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Refreshment Break
Sagebrush Mini-Session
3:30 –3:50 p.m.
Improving the Management of Sagebrush Seed
Robert P. Karrfalt, Laboratory Director, USDA National Seed Laboratory,
Dry Branch, GA
3:50 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.
Clines in Growth, Seed Yield and Survival of Big Sagebrush Subspecies:
Their Relation to Climate and Use in Seed Transfer Zone Development
Bryce Richardson, Research Geneticist, USFS Rocky Mountain Research
Station, Provo, UT
Co-authors: L. Chaney, N. Shaw, M. Germino
4:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Response of Seedlings of each big Sagebrush Subspecies to Experimental
Warming Reveals Importance of Minimum Temperatures to
Establishment
Martha Brabec, Student Services Contractor, USGS Forest and
Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, ID
Co-authors: M. Germino, B. Richardson
4:30 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.
Climate Adaptation of Big Sagebrush Revealed From Success of 24
Historic Post-Fire Seedings: Insights for Assisted Migration
Matthew Germino, Supervisory Research Ecologist, USGS Forest and
Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, ID
Co-authors: M. Brabec, A. Raymondi, B. Richardson
4:50 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
GB-NPP Meeting Closing Remarks
Anne Halford, Idaho State Botanist and GBNPP Liaison, USDI BLM Idaho
State Office, Boise, ID
[8]
ORAL PRESENTATIONS SESSION – WATER IN THE DESERT
Student Union – Hatch B
Moderator: Todd Hopkins, Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service
9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Measuring, Modeling, and Mapping Whole-Year Variability in
Temperature and Water Availability in Great Basin Streams, Jason
Dunham, U.S. Geological Survey, Corvallis OR
Camas National Wildlife Refuge, a Wetland Refuge in Transition, Brian
Wehausen, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hamer ID
Groundwater Appropriation, Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems, and
3M Plans in the Great Basin, Justin Huntington, Desert Research
Institute, Reno NV
Modeling Surface Expressions of Groundwater in the Great Basin, Rich
Niswonger, U.S. Geological Survey, Carson City NV
Riparian vegetation controls on low flow dynamics, Jim McNamara,
Boise State University, Boise ID
Avian Community Responses to Altered Hydro-Climatic Habitats Over 80
Years in the Great Basin, Sue Haig, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and
Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis OR
The Salmonid Population Viability Project: Modeling Trout Viability in a
Desert Landscape under Current and Forecasted Conditions, Helen
Neville, Trout Unlimited, Boise ID
Student Union – Hatch C
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
5:00 p.m.
Great Basin-EP business meeting
Convener: Stan Johnson, Director, Great Basin-EP
Closing Remarks
[9]
GENERAL INFORMATION
REGISTRATION
Registration will be available on the second floor of the Boise State University Student Union throughout
the meeting, near the entrance to the Jordan Ballroom (Feb 17 and 18) or Hatch Ballroom (Feb 19).
MEETING LOCATION
The conference venue is the Student Union on the campus of Boise State University. The Boise State
Student Union serves as the center for campus life providing educational, cultural, social, recreational
and leadership programs and services that are integral to the academic experience. Your Student Union
Building is a sprawling multi-million dollar complex that provides a wide range of services and programs
for a diverse student body. The “SUB,” so nicknamed by the students, serves as the “living room” of
campus, a place where everyone can go for fun, work and opportunity.
FACILITY AMENITIES AND INFORMATION
The Student Union offers a number of retail/food options including: Boise River Café, C3 Convenience
Store, Chick-fil-a, La Tapatia, Mai Thai, Moxi Java, and the University Break Company
MEALS AND BREAKS
Refreshment breaks are provided each day. Lunch is on your own. There are several eating
establishments at the Student Union and near the University campus. The reception on Monday evening
will offer appetizers, refreshments and a cash bar.
GETTING TO THE CONFERENCE
CAMPUS PARKING
Up to 120 free parking spaces are reserved for
attendees of the conference in the Lincoln
Avenue Garage. The garage is located beside
the Student Union Building at Belmont Street
and Lincoln Avenue.
Coupon Code for Parking: 20151285
Important: You may park on any floor, but
need to make note of the parking stall number.
This number is painted on the ground at the
back end of the parking stall.
After parking your vehicle and noting your parking space number, proceed to one of the parking
payment machines located on the ground floor, or just outside each level of the northwest stairwell and
enter the coupon code listed below. A campus map is included in the back of the program.
[10]
LOCAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Valley Ride bus transportation is the regional public transportation authority
(http://www.valleyride.org/).
There are multiple routes that go to BSU. Attendees can catch the No. 40 from Broadway and Park North
(near Courtyard Marriot) to University Drive and Lincoln Avenue (across the street from Student Union
Building). From University and Capitol West (near Residence Inn), take the No. 1 to University Drive and
Lincoln Avenue. The Downtown Boise Transit Map is included in the back of the program.
WIRELESS ACCESS
Wireless Internet access is available in the Student Union. Attendees need to use the Bronco-Guest
network (no password required); do not use Bronco-Wireless, as it requires credentials for access.
GREAT BASIN CONSORTIUM - PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
GREAT BASIN COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES UNIT (GB-CESU)
Mission Statement: The GB-CESU is a partnership for research, technical assistance and education to
enhance understanding and management of natural and cultural resources of the Great Basin.
Unique Role: Part of a national program that provides a funding mechanism for transferring funds from
federal partners to universities to conduct projects
Partners/Collaborators: Universities, federal agencies and NGOs
Initiating Organization: Department of the Interior
Funding/Support: Projects funded with federal agency funds through a cooperative agreement
GREAT BASIN ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM (GB-EP)
Mission Statement: To develop funding for on-the-ground projects and related research and outreach
education to improve the Great Basin environment
Unique Role: Develop funding from public and private sources to facilitate landscape-scale, on-theground projects by engaging NGOs, state agencies and their coalitions, and the private sector in
collaboration with universities and federal agency partners
Partners/Collaborators: Universities, federal agencies, state agencies and coalitions, and NGOs
Initiating Organization: Land grant universities in the Great Basin
Funding/Support: Federal, state and private
GREAT BASIN FIRE SCIENCE EXCHANGE (GB-FSE)
Mission Statement: The Great Basin Fire Science Exchange Project serves to: 1) provide a forum where
Great Basin land managers can identify their technical needs with respect to fire, fuels, and post-fire
vegetation management; 2) develop/synthesize the necessary information and technical tools to meet
these needs; and 3) provide the necessary information and tools through venues most preferred by field
staff, field office managers and higher administrative levels, respectively.
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Unique Role: The Great Basin Fire Science Exchange Project is the Joint Fire Science Program's Regional
Knowledge Exchange Consortium for the Great Basin. Our unique role is to provide Great Basin land
managers with faster access to applicable fire and fuels science information and to develop direct
knowledge exchange between managers and scientists in the Great Basin.
Partners: Federal, State, Tribal, NGO, and Private fire and fuels land managers.
Initiating Organization: The Joint Fire Science Program implemented this project in 2010. The Joint Fire
Science Program is funded by the Departments of Interior and Agriculture and was initiated in 1998.
Funding/Support: This project is funded by the Joint Fire Science Program through a Great Basin
Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit agreement with the Nevada State Bureau of Land Management.
GREAT BASIN LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION COOPERATIVE (GB-LCC)
Mission Statement: The Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative enhances understanding of
the effects of changing climate and other natural and human impacts across the region and promotes
the coordination of science‐based actions to enable human and natural communities to respond and/or
adapt to those conditions.
Unique Role: DOI initiative working with stakeholders to develop landscape-scale tools and monitoring
to address climate change and other regional stressors
Partners/Collaborators: Inclusive. All agencies (federal, state and local), Tribes, NGO’s, public, etc. No
restrictions on participation via the LCC Forum
Initiating Organization: Initiated by Department of Interior in 2009 by Secretary Executive Order.
Funding/Support: Funding is committed to three positions (BLM, US F&WS, and USGS) with associated
support funding for each position.
GREAT BASIN RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP (GB-RMP)
Mission Statement: The GB-RMP promotes comprehensive and complementary research and
management collaborations to sustain ecosystems, resources and communities across the Great Basin.
Unique Role: Grassroots organization that provides a web-based clearinghouse of information for the
Great Basin and mobilizes teams of researchers and managers to fund and implement projects that
address priority science needs.
Partners/Collaborators: All Great Basin organizations—federal and state research labs and management
agencies, universities, local agencies, tribal governments, NGOs, and collaboration developed to address
regional and local needs
Initiating Organization: Research agencies and universities
Funding/Support: Member agencies and grants
[12]
PLENARY SPEAKER
ADDRESSING THE CONSERVATION CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY: WHY SCIENCE-BASED,
LANDSCAPE-SCALE MANAGEMENT IS ESSENTIAL
Jim Lyons, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of Interior for Land
and Minerals Management
Jim Lyons joined the Department of the Interior in 2013 as Counselor to the
Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. Earlier this year, Jim
became the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management
where he focuses on public lands, energy, forestry, and landscape-level
conservation. In addition, Lyons was directed by the Secretary to help with
development of a strategy to conserve the Greater Sage-Grouse.
Lyons was USDA Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment during the Clinton administration.
He played a key role in developing the 2001 Roadless Rule, the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan, and in new rules
to guide national forest management. Jim also initiated some of the first regional ecosystem assessments
across the West. In 2000, he worked with Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes to develop a new strategy
for addressing wildfires following the devastating fires that summer.
Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, Lyons was senior staff on the Committee on Agriculture in the
U.S. House of Representatives. He has a Master's degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental
Studies, where he has taught since 2000.
PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION
SCIENCE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE
Stephen Jackson, U.S. Geological Survey, Tucson AZ, stjackson@usgs.gov
Stephen Jackson, Director of the Department of the Interior Southwest Climate
Science Center, has studied effects of climate change on terrestrial and wetland
ecosystems in North America for more than three decades. Before joining the SW
CSC, he was Professor of Botany and Director of the Program in Ecology at the
University of Wyoming.
Climate change poses daunting challenges for resource management and
conservation science. Ecological forecasting under climate change is rendered difficult by a dearth of
knowledge about ecological responses to climate change, and by the contingent nature of ecological
processes and states. Ecologists and other environmental scientists have, with rare exceptions, been
studying climate-change effects for a relatively brief time – largely the past two decades. Forecasting relies
on three general foundations: a limited but growing baseline of direct observations and monitoring, an
expanding suite of mechanistic and empirical models, and a diverse array of geohistorical records of
ecological responses to past climatic changes. Each has weaknesses and blind spots, but taken together,
these three general approaches can be integrated to support some generalizations about the coming
[13]
decades and beyond. Beyond the raw scientific challenges lie a set of cultural challenges, which include
surmounting of the disciplinary barriers within and among the various physical and biological sciences, and
between those sciences and the social sciences. A particularly important cultural challenge is bridging
between the communities of research and the communities of practice – the decision-makers in resourcemanagement agencies and entities. Successful climate adaptation will require unprecedented quantity and
quality of communication and engagement those communities.
CLIMATE PROGRAMS SESSION
NOAA WESTERN REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER
Kelly Redmond, Desert Research Institute, Reno NV (WRCC, CNAP-RISA, SW CSC)
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/
Kelly Redmond has served as Regional Climatologist since 1989, and Deputy Director,
at the Western Regional Climate Center located at the Desert Research Institute in
Reno. His research and professional interests span every facet of climate and climate
behavior, its physical causes and variability, how climate interacts with other human
and natural processes, and how such information is acquired, used, communicated,
and perceived.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The NOAA-administered Western Regional Climate Center acts as a repository of
current and historical weather and climate information for the 11 western most contiguous states and
Alaska and the Pacific Islands, including ongoing monitoring and tracking of conditions WRCC also engages
in applied research on climate issues of interest, outreach and education with the public and via the press,
and the manner in which such information is incorporated into decisions made at individual or institutional
levels.
USDA SOUTHWEST CLIMATE HUB
Emile Elias, USDA Southwest Climate Hub, USDA/ARS Jornada Experimental Range,
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces NM
http://climatehubs.oce.usda.gov/southwest-hub
Emile Elias is a Research Hydrologist and Deputy Director of the USDA Southwest
Climate Hub located in Las Cruces, NM. Her research interests include land use and
climate change impacts on hydrology, water quality and agricultural communities.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The overarching goal of the USDA SW Climate Hub is to assist
farmers, ranchers and foresters in addressing the effects of climate change including prolonged drought,
increased insect outbreaks and severe wildfires. In the first year of operations, the SW Climate Hub (est.
February 2014) entered into formal agreements with Cooperative Extension in our 6 states (AZ, CA, HI, NM,
NV and UT) to create a network for communication and technology transfer between researchers and
stakeholders. The Hub funded a climate change module at the 6th grade level and tested it for expansion to
urban and rural schools across the region. Over the past year the Hub authored an assessment of the
vulnerability of SW working lands to climate change. The SW Hub and Sub Hub endeavor to partner with
[14]
other climate-related federal, state and tribal programs in support of resilient and adaptive SW
communities.
USDA NORTHWEST REGIONAL CLIMATE HUB
Beatrice Van Horne, USDA Northwest Regional Climate Hub, Pacific Northwest
Research Station, Corvallis OR, bvhorne@fs.fed.us
Beatrice Van Horne spent 17 years as a professor of biology at Colorado State
University. She then moved into the federal agencies—7 years with the Forest Service
as the Wildlife Program Lead, 3 years with USGS as the Ecosystems Program
Coordinator, 3 years with the Pacific Northwest Research Station as a Program
Manager, and 1 year as the Director of the Northwest Regional Climate Hub.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The Regional Climate Hubs were chartered by the Department of Agriculture in
February of 2014. The Northwest Regional Climate Hub will deliver science-based knowledge and practical
information to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners that will help them to adapt to climate change and
weather variability by coordinating with local and regional partners in Federal and state agencies,
universities, NGO’s, private companies, and Tribes.
DOI SOUTHWEST CLIMATE SCIENCE CENTER
Stephen Jackson, Department of the Interior Southwest Climate Science Center, U.S.
Geological Survey, Tucson AZ, http://www.doi.gov/csc/southwest/
Stephen Jackson, Director of the Department of the Interior Southwest Climate
Science Center, has studied effects of climate change on terrestrial and wetland
ecosystems in North America for more than three decades. Before joining the SW
CSC, he was Professor of Botany and Director of the Program in Ecology at the
University of Wyoming.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The DOI Southwest Climate Science Center's central mission is to bridge the gap
between the climate-change research community and the various communities of practice who require
sound scientific information. The Center, based in Tucson, is a partnership between the U.S. Geological
Survey and a six-university consortium, including the University of Arizona, Desert Research Institute,
University of California-Davis, University of California-Los Angeles, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and
the University of Colorado.
DOI NORTHWEST CLIMATE SCIENCE CENTER
Gustavo Bisbal, Department of the Interior Northwest Climate Science Center, U.S.
Geological Survey, Corvallis OR, http://www.doi.gov/csc/northwest/
Gustavo Bisbal is the Director of the Northwest Climate Science Center (NW CSC)
since 2011. Prior to this appointment he served for 5 years in the Bureau of Oceans,
Environment and Science, at the U.S. Department of State; 4 years at the Oregon
Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and 8 years at the Northwest Power and
Conservation Council. Dr. Bisbal’s graduate education at the University of Rhode
[15]
Island includes both a Ph.D. and a Master of Science in Biological Oceanography, and a Master in Marine
Affairs.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The Northwest Climate Science Center (NW CSC) is a regional partnership established
in 2010 to coordinate the expertise of federal and university researchers committed to understanding and
addressing changes in climate and their effects on natural systems (water, fish, wildlife, habitats) and issues
of significance to society (health, economy, safety, cultural resources). The Center’s goal is to provide
actionable scientific information and tools that natural and cultural resource managers can use to anticipate,
monitor, and adapt to a changing climate.
GREAT BASIN LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION COOPERATIVE
Todd Hopkins, Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative, U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service, Reno NV, todd_hopkins@fws.gov
Todd Hopkins has been the Science Coordinator for the Great Basin Landscape
Conservation Cooperative (GBLCC) since 2011. He previously worked on the
Everglades Restoration Program, helped to write the Department of Interior’s Science
(DOI) Plan for South Florida, and represented the Service on the DOI South Florida
Task Force. He has over 20 years of experience with science, regulatory, and
leadership positions with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection, and two National Estuarine Research Reserves.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The GBLCC is a self-directed applied science partnership supporting conservation and
climate adaptation efforts through production and dissemination of science for natural and cultural resource
management decision makers. Since 2011, the GBLCC has allocated funding to projects on climate
adaptation, sagebrush and sagebrush dependent species, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, invasive annual
grasses, and fire.
RESTORATION OF DRY SITES SESSION
SUCCESS OF SEEDING RELATIVE TO PRECIPITATION IN SAGEBRUSH STEPPE HABITATS OF THE
GREAT BASIN
David Pilliod, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center,
Boise ID, dpilliod@usgs.gov
David Pilliod is a Supervisory Research Ecologist for the U.S. Geological Survey and
Principal Investigator for the Land Treatment Digital Library.
Seeding rangelands, particularly after fire, is a common practice in sagebrush steppe
habitats of the Great Basin. We summarized historic trends of 5,450 seeding
treatments in the Great Basin from the 1940s to present and examined relative levels
of success for a subset of projects. Preliminary results suggest that successful establishment of native and
non-native grasses and forbs varied across precipitation zones, with higher success in areas with ≤10 inches
of annual precipitation. The most commonly planted species where precipitation was ≤10 inches included
crested wheatgrass, Siberian wheatgrass, alfalfa, sagebrush, and saltbush. Recent field measurements
[16]
collected across a random sample of 101 post-fire seeding treatments conducted between 1990 and 2003
revealed that establishing non-native, deep-rooted perennial grasses, such as crested wheatgrass and
Siberian wheatgrass, was possible in 8.5 - 10 inch precipitation zones, but these non-native forage grasses
tended to outcompete native grasses planted at the same time. Findings from this study also revealed that
seeding native grasses, forbs, and shrubs, including sagebrush, was relatively ineffective below 10 inches of
precipitation. Future studies are addressing novel mechanisms for restoration in dry sites and determining
what factors allow for occasional success of sagebrush establishment in dry sites in the Great Basin to
improve implementation for future restoration.
SEEDING SUCCESSES ON DRY SITES IN SAGEBRUSH STEPPE, AND WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM
THEM
Cindy Fritz (presenting) and Tom Warren, Bureau of Land Management, Boise ID,
cfritz@blm.gov
Cindy Fritz is a Natural Resource Specialist at the Bureau of Land Management Boise
District. She started with the BLM in 1987 and has been working in the Bureau's
Emergency Stabilization and Burned Area Rehab and Seed programs since 1992. She
has a BS in Biology from Boise State University and just enough field experience to be
dangerous.
This presentation will give the perspective of land managers who have worked for many years on
rehabilitation and restoration of burned sagebrush steppe rangelands. They will describe challenges to
establishing plants in dry sites that are often affected by invasive annuals, where and when they have
observed successful establishment, factors that appear to confer success, and their perspective research
needs.
DEVELOPING NATIVE PL ANT MATERIALS FOR USE IN DRY SITE RESTORATION
Francis Kilkenny, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise ID,
ffkilkenny@fs.fed.us
Francis Kilkenney is a Research Biologist for USDA FS Rocky Mountain Research
Station in the Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystem Program.
Restoration of dry sites presents a challenge, how can we have successful plant
establishment and persistence under adverse conditions? While the primary
restoration methods used throughout Great Basin have met with mixed success, a
number of source selection and establishment techniques have been developed and are becoming available
for wider use. I will give an overview of the specific challenges of dry site restoration and how novel
techniques can be employed to overcome these challenges. This talk will focus primarily on plant material
development for dry sites, particular seed source selection, and will also touch on seeding techniques and
other establishment methods.
[17]
USING FIELD EXPERIMENTS TO IDENTIFY THE MOST SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES FOR
ESTABLISHING NATIVE GRASS SEEDLINGS IN OUR DRIEST SITES
Elizabeth Leger, University of Nevada, Reno NV, eleger@cabnr.unr.edu
Beth Leger is an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she has
focused her research program on restoring native plants of the Great Basin.
Seeds used for restoration in disturbed sagebrush steppe communities face many
challenges to establishment, including highly variable precipitation and competition
with invasive plants. Because limiting resources in these sites are primarily belowground, root allocation and root morphology are likely to be very important for
successful seed establishment. Using a variety of field methods, my lab has asked whether it is possible to
identify specific root strategies that improve establishment rates of native perennial grass seedlings in dry,
disturbed areas. Experiments have demonstrated a high degree of variation in root traits among and within
populations, as well as a high degree of phenotypic plasticity to respond to below-ground resource
limitation, and strong links between root form and seedling performance in the field. While establishing
plants from seed in the driest cold desert communities will always be challenging, it is possible to identify
strategies that improve our chances of seeding success.
SCIENTIFIC EVALUATIO N OF TECHNIQUES THAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Jeff Ott (presenting) and Nancy Shaw, U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research
Station, Boise ID, jeott@fs.fed.us
Jeff Ott is a postdoctoral researcher at the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain
Research Station in Boise, Idaho. His research is focused on restoration techniques for
sagebrush ecosystems, vegetation dynamics following fire, and plant community
modeling.
Post-fire seeding to restore native plant diversity on low-elevation sagebrush sites
requires careful consideration of seeding techniques, which ideally should be feasible for large areas,
accommodate seeds differing in size and seedbed requirements, enhance native species establishment
while inhibiting invasive weeds, and cause minimal soil disturbance. We present insights gained from an
experiment comparing different drill and broadcast techniques for seeding native plants at burned dry sites
in the northern Great Basin. Minimum-till rangeland drills equipped with imprinter wheels showed particular
promise for establishing mixtures of large and small seeds while minimizing damage to existing native
perennials. Conventional drills could also be modified for seeding differently-sized seeds and provided a
measure of mechanical weed control. Aerial broadcasting of small seeds over drilled seedbeds was effective
in fall but not winter at our study sites. Drought conditions and annual weed competition resulted in low
establishment at one of the sites, but plants that managed to establish had high persistence and growth
thereafter. At another site, seeded plants exhibited resilience following a new fire that burned within two
years of the first. These results demonstrate that improvements or adaptations of existing techniques can
make a difference when re-establishing native plants on burned dry sites.
[18]
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF BRONCOS IN THE SAGEBRUSH STEPPE: BSU'S INNOVATIVE SCIENCE
APPROACHES FOR DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE CHANGE
Shawn Benner, Boise State University, Boise ID, sbenner@boisestate.edu
Shawn Benner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Boise
State University. Dr. Benner is actively involved in the National Science Foundation
Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory and is the Boise State Director of the NSFEPSCOR grant. His research interests are in biogeochemistry with a focus on the soil
carbon cycling and the fate of contaminants in the environment.
Benner’s talk will review recent and ongoing work at Boise State University on climate
change, hydrology, biogeochemistry, society-environment interactions, and stakeholder engagement
relevant to the Great Basin
WATER IN THE DESERT SESSION
MEASURING, MODELING, AND MAPPING WHOLE-YEAR VARIABILITY IN TEMPERATURE AND
WATER AVAILABILITY IN GREAT BASIN STREAMS
Jason Dunham, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science
Center, Corvallis OR, jdunham@usgs.gov
Jason Dunham is an aquatic ecologist with USGS. He has worked in the Great Basin
on streams and coldwater fishes since his days as a Ph.D. student at the University of
Nevada, focusing on Lahontan cutthroat trout in the eastern Lahontan basin. He’s
maintained this line of research in various phases for the past 20 years, turning now
to address the most fundamental question: where is the water in streams?
Understanding patterns and processes driving water availability and temperature has important implications
for many of the most high-profile species of management concern in the Great Basin. Understanding water
availability and temperature is a fundamental need, yet we lack even the raw data for understanding how
they vary across the vast extent of the Great Basin, let alone to understand landscape controls that drive
variability in time and space, including climate, wildfire, land use (e.g., livestock grazing), and topographic
and geologic influences. We are making great strides in other regions through assembling existing data to
model, predict, and map water temperatures at broad extents (e.g., the NorWeST effort), but this is not
even possible yet in the northern Great Basin due to a fundamental lack of data. Here I describe how we are
beginning to address critical data gaps in the Great Basin, with an initial focus on the challenges of
instrumenting streams to track year-round stream temperatures and patterns of desiccation. Relying on
examples from other regions I also describe how we will use these data to model and map patterns of water
quality and availability, and to link these responses to landscape controls.
[19]
CAMAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, A WETLAND REFUGE IN TRANSITION
Brian Wehausen, Camas National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR), U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Hamer ID, brian_wehausen@fws.gov
Brian Wehausen has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within the Refuge
System for nearly twenty years. Twelve of those years was spent in both South and
North Dakota managing wetland resources. He and his family moved to Idaho in
January of 2009 where he has been managing Camas NWR.
Camas National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR) was established in 1937 and is comprised of
10,578 acres of diverse wetland and upland habitats in the Eastern Snake River Plain along eight miles of
Camas Creek in Jefferson County, Idaho. Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the area was comprised of
a diverse mosaic of wetland and wet meadow habitats supplied by groundwater discharge and surface
water from Camas, Beaver, and Warm creeks. The increase in groundwater discharge in the vicinity of
CNWR observed during the early 20th century has been attributed to recharge from irrigation on the Egin
Bench made possible by the Carey Act of 1894. Subsequently, CNWR (and other refuges in the 1940s and
1950s) sought to take advantage of available water through construction of impoundments to sustain
waterfowl populations. Irrigation wells were installed during the 1950s and groundwater was used to
supplement surface water flows from Camas Creek for management of CNWR waterfowl impoundments. A
dramatic increase in agricultural groundwater pumping occurred in the 1970s and coincided with a shift
from surface flooding irrigation practices towards the more efficient use of sprinkler irrigation. Extensive
pumping of groundwater from the regional ESRP aquifer has subsequently lowered the water table at CNWR
and surrounding lands and resulted in a cumulative decrease in aquifer storage and capacity to maintain
surface water in managed wetlands. Consequently, future management issues that affect timing,
distribution, and movement of water on the refuge must seek to define the role of the refuge lands in a
larger landscape-scale conservation and restoration strategy for the Beaver-Camas watershed.
GROUNDWATER APPROPRIATION, GROUNDWATER DEPENDENT ECOSYSTEMS, AND 3M PLANS
IN THE GREAT BASIN
Justin Huntington, Desert Research Institute, Reno NV, Justin.Huntington@dri.edu
Justin Huntington is an associate research professor of hydrology for the Desert
Research Institute where he works on water resources, hydrometeorological, and
remote sensing problems. Justin focuses on applying integrated surface and
groundwater models, meteorology, and remote sensing for evaluating surface water
groundwater interactions, vegetation dynamics, and landsurface – atmospheric
feedbacks.
Nevada and Utah groundwater law allows for appropriation of groundwater for beneficial use, and is
typically limited to the Hydrographic Basin’s “perennial yield.” The perennial yield is the maximum amount
of groundwater that can be salvaged each year over the long term without depleting the groundwater
reservoir. The perennial yield cannot be more than the natural recharge of the groundwater reservoir and is
usually limited to the maximum amount of natural discharge. The majority of natural discharge in the Great
Basin occurs via groundwater evapotranspiration (ETg) from shallow groundwater ecosystems such as salt
grass and greasewood flats, meadows, and spring discharge areas. Following conservation of mass
[20]
principles, appropriation and consumption of groundwater over the long term assumes the capture of
natural groundwater discharge to streams or springs, or from groundwater dependent vegetation. In this
presentation, we discuss the basic concepts of perennial yield, how it is estimated, and highlight the use of
groundwater models, remote sensing, and cloud computing to support Monitoring, Management, and
Mitigation (3M) Plans associated with large scale groundwater development in the Great Basin.
MODELING SURFACE EXPRESSIONS OF GROUNDWATER IN THE GREAT BASIN
Rich Niswonger, U.S. Geological Survey, Carson City NV, rniswon@usgs.gov
Rich Niswonger is a research hydrologist for the USGS where he works on water
resources problems. Rich’s focus is on the development of numerical modeling
software for simulating surface water groundwater interaction.
Groundwater supports ecosystems throughout the great basin, especially where
groundwater levels are near land surface. Shallow groundwater occurs due to
topographic and geologic conditions such as where there are large contrasts in
aquifer permeability, where there are breaks in land surface slope, along streams, or at the bottom of a
basin. Surface expressions of groundwater are an important resource to the Great Basin for wildlife and
humans and they are susceptible to changes in climate and water use. Groundwater sensitivity to climate
and groundwater extraction varies drastically across the Great Basin due to variations in geology and
topography. Consequently, there are no straightforward guidelines for managing these systems.
Groundwater and surface water models provide useful tools for understanding historical changes in shallow
groundwater conditions, as well as for projecting future trends caused by climate change and groundwater
development. In this talk we describe advancements in groundwater modeling tools designed to overcome
challenges associated with complex hydrogeologic conditions that are characteristic of the Great Basin. We
will illustrate relationships between climate and groundwater discharge using long-term streamflow records.
Groundwater model results are used to illustrate conceptual interpretations of historical changes in
groundwater discharge.
RIPARIAN VEGETATION CONTROLS ON LOW FLOW DYNAMICS
James McNamara, Boise State University, Boise ID, jmcnamar@boisestate.edu
James McNamara is a Professor of Hydrology in the Department of Geosciences at
Boise State University. His research interests include the interactions between
geologic, biologic, and hydrologic processes in mountain watersheds.
Riparian vegetation extracts water from soils or directly from streams for
transpiration causing reduced streamflows on daily, event, and seasonal scales.
While this occurs at all flow levels during the transpiration season, impacts are most
notable when flow is low. Here, I present some examples from the Dry Creek and Reynolds Creek
Experimental Watersheds in southwest Idaho, illustrating several impacts of vegetation on streamflow
including the following: 1) Transpiration causes diurnal cycles with daily reductions in streamflow by up to
75%. 2) Transpiration can cause a gaining stream to appear as a losing stream. 3) The cessation or reduction
of transpiration in cool weather can cause rejuvenation of streamflow in the absence of precipitation.
Additionally, I show that low flow magnitudes have declined in recent years due to earlier snowmelt.
[21]
AVIAN COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO ALTERED HYDRO-CLIMATIC HABITATS OVER 80 YEARS IN
THE GREAT BASIN
Sue Haig, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center,
Corvallis OR, susan_haig@usgs.gov
Susan Haig is a Supervisory Wildlife Ecologist for the USGS in Corvallis, OR; Professor
of Wildlife Ecology at Oregon State University; and a Research Associate of the
Smithsonian Institution. She has worked on water and waterbird issues in the Great
Basin for over 20 years. Much of her work has culminated in formation of the
Migratory Connectivity Project (www.migratoryconnectivityproject) with Smithsonian
partner Peter Marra.
Changes in water availability and quality are occurring rapidly worldwide due to anthropogenically induced
climate changes. In particular, arid and semi-arid wetlands will be greatly impacted by even small shifts in
hydrological regimes given water is already in limited in quantity and quality. The hydrographic Great Basin
of North America (~440,000 km2) is a unique semi-arid system characterized by highly seasonal
precipitation, and isolated, hydrologically dynamic wetlands. The scarcity and isolation of water makes this
system critically important to numerous species of waterbirds throughout the annual cycle. Here, we
evaluate long-term trends (1920-2008) in magnitude and timing of climate and streamflow and their
potential association to changes in bird assemblages across the Great Basin. We found a widespread and
regionally coherent trend toward a warmer and drier climate. Overall hydroperiod (seasonal pattern of
water) was highly variable, thus no statistically significant trends were detected. We detected, however,
statistically significant shifts toward a later onset of the hydroperiod (5th, 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile of
the annual flow) over the most recent three decades. Conversely, the end of the hydroperiod (95th
percentile of the annual flow) occurred earlier over the same time period using annual data from the
Breeding Bird Survey, we examined the association between waterbird species composition and abundance
and annual descriptors of timing and magnitude of climate and hydrology. Most species had statistically
significant relationships with the amount of precipitation and minimum monthly temperature during spring.
Our findings suggest that differential associations to shifts in climate may be explained by species-level traits
such as life-history strategies and migratory connectivity. We highlight the complexities and challenges that
natural resource managers face during these emerging hydro-climatic conditions.
THE SALMONID POPULATION VIABILITY PROJECT: MODELING TROUT VIABILITY IN A DESERT
LANDSCAPE UNDER CURRENT AND FORECASTED CONDITIONS
Helen Neville, Trout Unlimited, Boise ID, HNeville@tu.org
Helen Neville is a Research Scientist with Trout Unlimited, a national non-profit
organization focused on cold-water fisheries. Her research primarily addresses
questions related to the conservation genetics of native salmonids. She also oversees
a large program working to conserve Lahontan cutthroat trout, collaborates on
research evaluating population viability and climate change, and provides scientific
guidance for TU nationally.
In an ideal world, species conservation planning would be guided by formal population viability analyses
(PVA) to determine the probability that each population will persist, with and without management actions.
[22]
Primarily due to a lack of accessible data-driven methods for PVA that can be used across broad spatial
scales, most conservation planning instead relies on indirect surrogates of viability (e.g., habitat size). We
developed a new statistical Spatio-Temporal Population Viability Model (ST-PVM) that combines fish
sampling data with remotely-sensed data to deliver simultaneous estimates of carrying capacity, interannual variability, and viability for many populations across large areas. Remotely-sensed spatial covariates
describe habitat size and quality, while temporal variability is a function of temperature and flow. The
approach can leverage information from well-sampled areas to extrapolate to poorly sampled or even unsampled populations, under current and future climates. We conducted a pilot study of Lahontan cutthroat
trout, a federally threatened trout subspecies native to the Great Basin Desert, to generate simultaneous
estimates of extinction probability and carrying capacity for 38 populations. We discuss planned model
updates including refinement of stream flow predictions, as well as exploration of different management
scenarios (e.g., barrier or non-native trout removal) and estimation under climate change.
POSTER SESSION | ABSTRACTS
BIRD ECOLOGY AND HABITATS
THE EFFECTS OF DISTURBANCE FROM RECREATION ON THE BREEDING ECOLOGY OF A SHRUBSTEPPE RAPTOR
Robert J. Spaul and Julie A. Heath, Department of Biological Sciences, Boise ID
julieheath@boisestate.edu
Outdoor recreation, including hiking and off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, has increased rapidly over the past
forty years. These activities are likely to directly and indirectly impact wildlife and their habitats. Golden
eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) face several current and emerging threats, and their use of open, shrub-steppe
habitats increases their susceptibility to recreational disturbance. An understanding of the spatial and
temporal scales of potential disturbance to nesting eagles is necessary. Additionally, understanding how
motorized and non-motorized recreation disturbance differ is important. We conducted surveys of territory
occupancy, breeding behavior, and nest survival at historical golden eagle territories, in response to
motorized and non-motorized recreation volume at nesting sites, trail density, proximity to trails, and
proximity to other regularly used recreation sites. We found that seasonal volume of OHVs and trail density
on territories negatively influenced the likelihood of territory occupancy, suggesting that occupancy may be
most impacted by the indirect effects of OHVs. The volume of pedestrians and non-motorized recreationists
negatively influenced the likelihood of occupied territories transitioning to breeding. Nest survival in both
the incubation and brood rearing stages was negatively affected by the volume of interval-specific OHV use.
This suggests that exposure to both non-motorized and motorized recreation may create stressors to
individuals. These results demonstrate that both indirect and direct impacts of recreational activities could
impact overall reproductive potential. We suggest a broad range of management actions be considered to
minimize disturbance, including permanent and seasonal trail closures, and potentially “no-stopping zones”.
Additional public education on the implications of trail system expansion and off-trail use may be beneficial.
[23]
USE OF PINYON-JUNIPER WOODLANDS BY PINYON JAYS IN THE GREAT BASIN
Chris Witt, U.S. Forest Service, Boise ID
chriswitt@fs.fed.us
In order to better understand how pinyon jays influence in-fill and expansion in pinyon-juniper woodland
communities, the USFS FIA program collaborated with the National Park Service and the Great Basin Bird
Observatory and measured forest and understory structure at sites used by pinyon jays in the Great Basin.
We compared mean tree canopy cover, shrub cover, and basal area of dead trees between sites used for
nesting/roosting, foraging and seed caching activities of pinyon jays. We also estimated the area within the
Nevada portion of the Great Basin that met pinyon jay habitat preferences. Mean canopy cover and shrub
cover were lowest at seed caching sites while basal area of standing dead trees was higher at these locations
than at other activity sites. Mean shrub cover was greater and basal area of dead trees was less at foraging
sites than at nesting/roosting locations. Our results suggest that pinyon jays prefer open, sparsely-stocked or
disturbed areas for seed caching, moderately-stocked stands with an intact shrub understory for foraging,
and mature, densely-stocked stands for nesting and roosting activities. Results also suggest that foraging
habitat in Nevada is limited relative to that selected for nesting and seed caching activities.
SATELLITE TELEMETRY AND BREEDING ECOLOGY OF LONG-BILLED CURLEWS
(NUMENIUS AMERICANUS) IN THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST
Coates, Stephanie1, J. Carlisle1, J. Pollock1, H. Ware1, L. Urban1, and F. Smith2
1
Intermountain Bird Observatory, Boise State University, Boise ID ; 2Center for Conservation Biology, College
of William & Mary and Virginia Commonwealth University, Williamsburg VA
stephaniecoates@u.boisestate.edu
Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus) were once abundant across western grassland prairies, but
populations have declined throughout their breeding range. Population density estimates from 2007-2012
and 2014 surveys on the Long-billed Curlew Area of Critical Environmental Concern in southwest Idaho
(ACEC; 130-306 individuals) place the number of individual curlews at 15% or less of their former population
estimate measured in the 1970's (Jenni et al. 1982; ~2000 individuals). Effective management strategies for
the species must consider migratory and wintering habitats in combination with threats identified
empirically on the breeding grounds in Idaho. To begin addressing this, in 2013 and 2014 we deployed 15
satellite transmitters on breeding adult curlews from five populations across the Intermountain West. We
will present preliminary results on movement patterns, as well as research plans to further explore issues
curlew populations breeding in the Intermountain West face across their range.
CHANGING HABITAT USE ASSOCIATED WITH DISTRIBUTIONAL SHIFTS OF WINTER RAPTORS
Neil Paprocki, Nancy F. Glenn, Eric C. Atkinson, Katherine M. Strickler, Christine Watson, and Julie A. Heath
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University
npaprocki@hawkwatch.org
There is widespread evidence that multiple drivers of global change, such as habitat degradation, invasive
species, and climate change, are influencing Great Basin wildlife. Understanding how these drivers interact
with and affect species may be difficult for a variety of reasons. We used a historical dataset from 1991–
[24]
1994 and current information from 2010–2012 to examine whether occupancy patterns of wintering raptors
were consistent with regional changes in distribution or habitat conditions within a local management unit,
the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA). Results support the
hypothesis that northward distributional shifts influenced wintering raptor populations in southwest Idaho
to a greater extent than local habitat conditions. Wintering raptors had higher occupancy rates in 2010–
2012 compared to 1991–1994, whereas invasive grasses have increased and native shrubs have decreased
suggesting that habitat suitability for raptors has declined over time. On the species level, changes in habitat
use were associated with greater increases in occupancy rates. Organisms flexible in their habitat use may
be better able to respond to continental forces driving distribution shifts. Conversely, habitat or prey
specialists may be poorly equipped to handle such rapid, large-scale global change.
SOCIOECONOMICS AND COLLABORATION
GREAT BASIN FIRE SCIENCE EXCHANGE
Eugénie MontBlanc, University of Nevada, Reno NV; Mike Pellant, Bureau of Land Management, Boise ID;
Jeanne Chambers, USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Reno NV; Brad Schultz, University
of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Winnemucca NV; Elizabeth Leger, University of Nevada, Reno NV; Steve
Bunting, University of Idaho, Moscow ID; Cheri Howell, USDA Forest Service, Wells NV; Mark Brunson, Utah
State University, Logan UT; Beth Newingham, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Reno NV
emb@cabnr.unr.edu
The Great Basin Fire Science Exchange (www.gbfiresci.org) connects land managers and scientists to
improve pre- and post-fire management decisions by providing relevant information and access to technical
expertise. This project is one of 15 regional Fire Exchanges funded by the Joint Fire Science Program
(www.firescience.gov/JFSP_exchanges.cfm). The project works to: 1) provide a forum for identification of
fire, fuels, and post-fire vegetation management technical needs; 2) develop and synthesize the information
and technical tools to meet these needs; and 3) provide the information and technical tools through
preferred venues. The project is currently sponsoring three syntheses and two field guides that address
piñon-juniper management, impacts of fire on runoff and erosion, wind erosion and post-fire stabilization,
pre-disturbance treatment guidelines, and post-fire recovery potential. We have partnered with four other
Great Basin agencies and organizations on a webinar series titled, “The Right Seed in the Right Place at the
Right Time: Tools for Sustainable Restoration,” (www.gbfiresci.org/storage/docs/webinars/201501_SeedingSeries.pdf), and we are currently working on a topical science brief and video series. We expect
public and private land managers to benefit from this project by having a place and a person to turn to for
answers to technical questions and leads to research contacts, and we expect research scientists to benefit
by gaining new ideas and partnerships for research and by providing new methods of outreach for research
results.
LANDSCAPE LEVEL CONSERVATION IN THE GREAT BASIN: AN EXAMPLE FROM THE NATIONAL
WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM
Gail H. Collins, John W. Kasbohm, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, Lakeview OR
Gail_Collins@fws.gov
[25]
The Great Bain extends across large portions of the Intermountain West; however very little of the
sagebrush biome remains undisturbed or unaltered and now constitutes one of North America’s most
imperiled and neglected ecosystems. The profound influences of converging ecosystem stressors including
livestock grazing, wild horse and burro management, agriculture, mineral extraction, invasive species, roads,
utility corridors, and energy development all continue to this issue. The Sheldon-Hart Mountain National
Wildlife Refuge Complex represents some of the last intact examples of sagebrush-steppe habitats and
contributes to the biodiversity, conservation, and understanding of the Great Basin. Results of ongoing
research on landscape species such as American pronghorn, Greater sage-grouse, American pika, and the
impacts of feral horses are presented and emphasize the need to develop and implement a landscape level
approach to natural resource management in the Great Basin. National wildlife refuges, working in
partnership, have the potential to provide critical areas for conservation, including opportunities for
research, monitoring, and adaptive management.
THE DEEP SPRINGS COL LEGE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TEAM - A MODEL FOR INTERAGENCY
RANGELAND MANAGEMENT
Gicklhorn, J., B. Goehring, J. Hunter, S. Fitton, University of Nevada, Reno – Dept. of Natural Resources and
Environmental Science; USDA Agricultural Research Service – Great Basin Rangelands Research Unit, Reno
NV
jeff.gicklhorn@gmail.com
Many ranchers in the arid west maintain federal grazing permits across multiple allotments with diverse
vegetative communities, resource issues, and management strategies. We present an example of the interagency and interdisciplinary Deep Springs Resource Management Team (DSRMT), established to develop
best management practices and make informed recommendations for livestock grazing on Deep Springs
College’s five federal allotments. Deep Springs College is located in the remote Deep Springs Valley in
Eastern California, which lies along the confluence of the Mojave Desert and Great Basin ecoregions.
Resource issues present include proposed critical habitat for Bi-State Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of
Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and several extant populations of the CA Threatened and
Fully Protected Black Toad (Anaxyrus exul). We see the need for more inter-agency and interdisciplinary
collaboration to better inform management decisions in order to maintain resilient native ecosystems across
the Great Basin.
GET TO KNOW THE WESTERN GOLDEN EAGLE TEAM
Jessi L. Brown, University of Nevada, Reno NV, and Brian Woodbridge, USFWS
jessilbrown@gmail.com
The Western Golden Eagle Team was established in June 2013 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regions
1, 2, 6, and 8 to proactively address energy-related conservation needs of Golden Eagles by developing
landscape-scale conservation strategies and facilitating research efforts intended to fill critical gaps in our
knowledge of eagle ecology. The WGET coordinates with other UFSWS eagle teams, agencies, independent
research groups, and universities to assist with and leverage projects, and to ensure that efforts are
complementary. Our primary objectives are to develop decision support tools, such as maps and predictive
models that may be used in project and conservation planning, and conservation measures that may be
[26]
taken to avoid, reduce, or mitigate the effects of limiting factors or threats. Although our mandate is
necessarily species-specific, we are working to reach out to the broader scientific community and make sure
that our efforts are coordinated with west-wide habitat and biodiversity conservation actions.
LAND TREATMENT DIGITAL LIBRARY
David Pilliod and Justin Welty, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center,
Snake River Field Station, Boise ID
jwelty@usgs.gov
The Land Treatment Digital Library (LTDL) was created by the U.S. Geological Survey to catalog legacy land
treatment information on Bureau of Land Management lands in the western United States. The LTDL can be
used by federal managers and scientists for compiling information for data-calls, producing maps,
generating reports, and conducting analyses at varying spatial and temporal scales. The LTDL currently
houses 27,543 treatments from BLM lands across 13 states. Users can browse a map to find information on
individual treatments, perform more complex queries to identify a set of treatments, and view graphs of
treatment summary statistics.
AN ENHANCED GAP ANALYSIS OF THE GREAT BASIN LCC
Dunn, L., Lonneker, J., Davidson, A.,1 Gergely, K.2
1
Boise State University, Boise ID, 2National GAP program, USGS
leahdunn@boisestate.edu
Information about biodiversity is important for decision makers, planners, researchers, private interests and
others. When combined with available data related to threats and change agents, a GAP Analysis can be
used to inform management and conservation decision makers about areas that often lack detailed
assessments. We used a comprehensive GAP analysis approach to identify areas of biodiversity richness in
the Great Basin LCC, and then applied available threats data to assess potential change in biodiversity status
and to identify areas at risk of greatest biodiversity loss. The results may represent candidate areas for
change in protection status or conservation actions.
WHO ARE OUR OUTDOOR RECREATIONISTS?
Denell Letourneau and Katie Demps, Department of Anthropology, Boise State University, Boise ID
kathryndemps@boisestate.edu
This poster presents the results of a survey conducted of outdoor recreationists in the Owyhees. Results
include data that shows 25% of those surveyed spent over $5,000 on outdoor recreation in 2013 and that
approximately 78% participate in more than one activity. This indicates that outdoor enthusiasts spend a
significant amount of money on recreation and utilize public lands in a variety of ways. The work presented
here shows that by identifying the habits, views, and economic contribution of outdoor recreationists, policy
makers have an additional tool when making public land decisions that impact outdoor recreation.
[27]
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AS PERCEIVED BY DIFFERENT RECREATION GROUPS
Hannah Brown1, Robert Spaul1, Monica Hubbard1, Kathryn Demps1, and Julie A. Heath2
1
Department of Anthropology, 2Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
julieheath@boisestate.edu
The use of off-highway-vehicles (OHV) and other forms of recreation on public lands has increased greatly,
especially in areas near cities and towns with rapid population growth. Outdoor recreation is the second
leading cause for the decline of federally threatened and endangered species on public lands and natural
resource managers are increasingly concerned about impacts of recreation on wildlife. The purpose of this
study was to understand how recreationists perceive the environmental impact of motorized and nonmotorized recreation, and whether perceptions depended on group membership. We hypothesized that
recreationists would not consider their own activities as harmful, but may recognize activities of other
groups as causing harm. We asked recreationists using a series of eleven trail heads along the Owyhee Front
to complete a survey on the type of recreation that they participate in and their opinion about how
recreation impacts various aspects of the area. The results of this study showed the perception of each
groups regarding their own impact on the environment as well as the impact of others along with the
preferred management practices of recreation groups.
DEVELOPING USABLE CLIMATE TOOLS FOR SAGEBRUSH LAND MANAGERS
Melanie Brown, Oregon State University, Dominique Bachelet and Tim Sheehan, Conservation Biology
Institute
The Northern Great Basin provides many ecosystem services including both forage and sagegrouse habitat.
The expansion of invasives altering the natural fire regime has made it difficult for land managers to
maintain these services. Climate change is adding uncertainty to the long-term effectiveness of current
management strategies. Information is needed to adjust these strategies for projected droughts, intense
rainfall, and reduced water provision. Our goal is to discover how climate change information generated by
modelers can be packaged effectively to provide usable information to federal land managers. By working
closely with those managers, we hope to understand how consideration of climate change figures into the
decision-making process of vegetation management activities. To meet our objectives, we have performed
over 20 one-on-one interviews and valuable information was gathered on climate dependent management
activities. Critical feedback on existing climate-related web pages and tools now provides a baseline to
design improvements. In the coming months we will follow-up with the interviewees using blueprints of new
tools based on their recommendations further allowing them to provide useful feedback. We hope to
continue interacting with managers for the longer term and address the many issues they continually have
to face to maintain healthy ecosystems.
[28]
CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE HYDROLOGY
INTEGRATING REGIONAL WEATHER AND CLIMATE MODELS WITH PROCESS ECOHYDROLOGY
MODELS FOR MODELING LAND SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE WATER FLOW AT HIGH
RESOLUTIONS IN SEMIARID LANDSCAPES
Miguel Aguayo, Katelyn Watson, Jim McNamara, Hans Peter Marshall and Alejandro Flores
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
miguelaguayo@u.boisestate.edu
Water management in semiarid regions require accurate and timely knowledge of runoff generation by
snowmelt. This information is used to plan reservoir releases for downstream users as well as to support
restoration activities such as seeding of native shrubs. Spatially lumped hydrology models are often used
because of their simplicity, however, they are based on simplified mathematical assumptions and cannot
adequately represent changes in land use or climate. In order to further contribute to water management
strategies we propose the integration of an open-source high spatial resolution surface-subsurface
hydrology model (ParFlow) with the Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) model. WRF is a sophisticated
regional weather and climate model that simulates environmental forcings required as input to the ParFlow
model. This approach, while computationally intensive, leads to internally and physically consistent
environmental forcing variables distributed over the landscape at remote and ungauged areas. These data
then feed a sophisticated model of surface-subsurface hydrology. Preliminary findings conform to the
expectations of higher moisture in convergent areas of the landscape when tested in a watershed where
data are available for verification. Ongoing work seeks to assess how well the modeling framework
simultaneously reproduces values of a number of observed parameters such as precipitation, snow water
equivalent, soil moisture, streamflow, etc. Ultimately, data products derived from such a modeling
framework could be used to provide better spatial support to managers in support of decision-making.
HYDROLOGIC RAMIFICATIONS OF AN INCREASED ROLE OF WILDLAND FIRE ACROSS THE
RANGELAND-DRY FOREST CONTINUUM
C. Jason Williams1,2, Frederick B. Pierson1, and Osama Z. Al-Hamdan1,2
1
USDA-ARS Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise ID; 2University of Idaho, Moscow ID
miguelaguayo@u.boisestate.edu
The increased role of wildland fire across the rangeland-dry forest continuum in the western United States
(US) presents landscape-scale consequences relative runoff and erosion. Much of the Intermountain West
now exists in a state in which rangeland and woodland wildfires stimulated by invasive cheatgrass and
dense, horizontal and vertical fuel layers have a greater likelihood of progressing upslope into dry forests.
Drier moisture conditions and warmer seasonal air temperatures, along with dense fuel loads, have
lengthened fire seasons and increased in the frequency, severity and area burned at mid-elevations. These
changes potentially increase the overall hydrologic vulnerability across the rangeland-dry forest continuum
by spatially and temporally increasing soil surface exposure to runoff and erosion processes. We do not yet
know the long-term ramifications of frequent soil loss associated with commonly occurring runoff events on
repeatedly burned sites. However, plot to landscape-scale post-fire erosion rate estimates suggest potential
losses of biologically important surface soils may be critically damaging for rangelands given inherent slow
[29]
soil formation rates. This study presents a summary of fire effects on runoff and erosion across the
rangeland-xeric forest continuum of the western US and provides a conceptual framework for advancing
post-fire hydrologic vulnerability assessment.
MODELING THE HYDRO-CLIMATE OF SOUTHWEST IDAHO: VERIFICATION OF SURFACE FIELDS
FROM A HIGH-RESOLUTION REGIONAL CLIMATE SIMULATION
Katelyn A. Watson, Alejandro N. Flores, James P. McNamara, Hans Peter Marshall
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
katelynwatson@u.boisestate.edu
Observational weather and climate data in the semiarid West, in general, and mountainous regions therein,
particularly, are sparse, temporally discontinuous, and often poorly representative of the domain of interest.
Model output from high-resolution coupled land-atmosphere models, such as the Weather Research and
Forecasting (WRF) model, is increasingly being used to fill this gap. In this study, we use the WRF model to
downscale historical reanalysis data to 1km horizontal resolution over a region of southern Idaho including
the Dry Creek and Reynolds Creek Experimental Watersheds, as well as the Snake River Birds of Prey
National Conservation Area for a simulation period extending from October 2008 through May 2009. We
then evaluate modeled precipitation, temperature, and wind by comparing these results to precipitation
gauge and weather station observations from monitoring networks within the experimental watersheds.
Additionally, we investigate sub-grid variability in precipitation and the relation between this variability and
vegetation and terrain properties in an attempt to derive physiographic diagnostics of the reliability and
robustness of comparisons between particular observation sites and model outputs. We are simultaneously
working on cyberinfrastructure (e.g., scripts, web-hosting, and data exploration tools) to distribute and
disseminate these data to stakeholders for use in support of land management activities.
FIRE AND DEBRIS FLOWS AT THE BOISE FRONT
Katherine T Gibble1, Jennifer Pierce2, Eric Lindquist1
1
Department of Geosciences, 2Public Policy Research Center, Boise State University, Boise ID
katiegibble@u.boisestate.edu
Like many areas in the Great Basin once dominated by sagebrush-steppe, climate change and human activity
on the foothills above Boise, Idaho have led to invasion by non-native, flammable grasses. Paired with
heighted flammability is increased human ignitions due to continued expansion of Boise’s Wildland Urban
Interface (WUI).While fire alone is destructive, landscape response to fire can be equally hazardous yet is
often poorly understood. While it is known that fire increases erosion on burned watersheds, not all slopes
respond with hazardous post-fire debris flows. Watersheds that do respond with debris flow activity pose
real hazards to life and property to those within of the flow’s destructive path. Presented here is the work
being completed to address fire-related debris flow activity in the Boise Front, which has begun with the
application of existing models designed to estimate post-fire debris flow probability and resulting volume
(Cannon et al., 2010). Further informing fire related debris flow risk is the inclusion of ignitions distribution
at the Boise WUI. Here we present our preliminary findings, ongoing work and proposal of future work
assessing post-fire debris flow risks that threaten Boise’s growing community.
[30]
USING STABLE ISOTOPE HYDROLOGY TO PARTITION EVAPOTRANSPIRATION IN THE
SAGEBRUSH STEPPE
Kellie Rey and Matthew Germino
U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Snake River Field Station, Boise ID
katiegibble@u.boisestate.edu
Stable isotope hydrology offers a method to partition evapotranspiration (ET) into its components
evaporation (E) and transpiration (T). Our objective is to test a mass balance equation, presented by
Wenninger et al. (2010), to evaluate the relative contributions of E and T to ET retrospectively based on
stable isotope profile signatures in soil. We tested the approach under controlled laboratory conditions and
in a heterogeneous, sagebrush-steppe ecosystem where microsites vary in contributions of T to vapor efflux.
This presentation describes the theoretical and experimental approach to this study, along with an
assessment of the approach under a simplified, purely evaporative condition in the lab, in which we asked
whether the equation would correctly confirm that ET was entirely attributable to E. Independent soil
microcosms were created such that only the upward movement of water was allowed. Under constant
radiation and wind, the soil water contents and corresponding isotopic composition of water were
evaluated after wetting to field capacity and after a period of E. Under these conditions, the equation can be
simplified to the evaporated fraction being equal to the initial liquid product minus the final, divided by the
composition of the vapor. Water isotopes were measured using the liquid-vapor equilibration method and
ffluxing vapor
was 5‰ depleted. Soil water decreased to 70% of field capacity. From these preliminary data the equation
verified all (99%) vapor efflux was E. Using a similar approach in the field setting, we have observed greater
variability in soil profiles. Factors affecting the performance and testing of this approach in the field will be
discussed.
ESTIMATING LONG-TERM ANNUAL CLIMATE VARIABILITY USING STABLE ISOTOPES FROM
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SAGEBRUSH WOOD IN THE BONNEVILLE BASIN
David Rhode, Desert Research Institute, Reno NV
katiegibble@u.boisestate.edu
Annual variation in precipitation amount and seasonality may have significant effects on rangeland
productivity and condition in the intermountain west, with follow-on consequences to sensitive biota such
as sage grouse. Localized estimates of annual climate variability are therefore valuable for rangeland
managers, but the network of instrumental climate stations in the Great Basin is relatively sparse. Here I
examine the use of stable oxygen isotopes derived from cellulose in sagebrush wood as a local proxy for
inter-annual variability of past precipitation and temperature. Results of a pilot program using sagebrush
wood derived from archaeological sites in the northern Bonneville Basin illustrate differences in both trend
and year-to-year variation through the Holocene. The 18O signal in sagebrush can serve as a local long-term
measure of inter-annual climate variation in many rangeland settings, providing a useful tool for rangeland
assessment and restoration.
[31]
SKILL OF GLOBAL CLIMATE MODELS IN CAPTURING DEPENDENCE OF GREAT BASIN
PRECIPITATION ON PACIFIC MODES OF VARIABILITY
Kimberly Smith and Courtenay Strong, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake
City UT; Simon Wang, Climate Program, Utah State University, Logan UT
kimi.smith@utah.edu
It has been shown that Great Basin precipitation is greatly affected by modes associated with the Pacific
Ocean, mainly El Nino—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). We
completed an assessment of 20 models that participated in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project
Phase 5 (CMIP5) using historical (1900-2005) monthly model precipitation and sea surface temperature
(SST) output. We evaluated model performance of the effects of ENSO and PDO on Great Basin precipitation
and compared the results to observations. The results of the study informed a filtering of the future (20102099) precipitation output of the top performing models over the western US under a high emissions
scenario (RCP 8.5). In general, average precipitation in the top models tended to increase in a late future
period (2070-2099) over the northern portion of the western US and decrease over the southern portion,
with the zero-line centrally located over the Great Basin. This is consistent with the variance ratio computed
for the same time period, which tended to increase where average precipitation increased and vice versa.
One challenge for the models identified across the ensemble stems from the connectivity between ENSO
and the PDO. The effect of ENSO on western US precipitation is modulated by the phase of the PDO. To
better understand how the ocean interacts with the atmosphere and results in precipitation over the Great
Basin, the storm track dynamics were analyzed by computing the stream function and correlating it with
precipitation.
MODELING THE EFFECTS ON WATER EROSION PROCESSES OF RANGELAND CONSERVATION
PRACTICES IN THE GREAT BASIN REGION
Osama Z. Al-Hamdan1,2, Frederick B. Pierson1, Mark A. Nearing3, C. Jason Williams1, Mariano Hernandez3,
Jan Boll2, and Mark A.Weltz4
1
USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise ID
2
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow ID
3
USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Southwest Watershed Research Center, Tucson AZ
4
USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Great Basin Rangelands Research Unit, Reno NV
Osama.Al-Hamdan@ars.usda.gov
The Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) is an event-based model developed by the USDA-ARS.
The model has been developed to estimates runoff, erosion, and sediment delivery rates and volumes at the
spatial scale of the hillslope and the temporal scale of a single rainfall event. It represents runoff and water
erosion processes on undisturbed and disturbed rangeland. The data used for the development and
parameterization of the model’s main components were collected from field experiments conducted on
sites located over diverse rangeland landscapes within the Great Basin Region. Many of these sites exhibit
some degree of disturbance, such as wildfire, prescribed fire, tree encroachment, and tree removal by
mastication and/or cutting. Evaluations of the model on sites located in the Great Basin Region show its
capability to match the predicated effect of disturbances across a wide range of ecological sites with diverse
vegetation and ground cover conditions. The results of these evaluations shows the capability of RHEM to be
[32]
a practical management tool to predict water erosion processes and assess the effects of rangeland
conservation practices in the Great Basin Region.
INTEGRATED MODELING IN THE GREAT BASIN TO INVESTIGATE LINKAGES BETWEEN
VEGETATION AND HYDROLOGY
Rosemary Carroll1, Justin Huntington1, Guoping Tang1, Rich Niswonger2, Alex Lutz1, Keirith Snyder3 and
Tamzen Stringham4
1
Desert Research Institute, Reno NV, 2US Geological Survey, Reno NV, 3USDA Agricultural Research Service,
Boise ID, 4University of Nevada, Reno NV
Rosemary.Carroll@dri.edu
Changing climate or management practices can result in vegetation changes that modify the distribution of
vegetation, ecosystem function and land cover. Ecosystem changes may alter how, where and when water
moves through a system. Understanding the timing of water budget shifts based on vegetation change is
not well understood and is likely related to the partition of soil moisture to evapotranspiration, interflow
and groundwater recharge. Integrated hydrologic models allow practitioners to analyze complex
ecohydrology problems including hydrologic feedback mechanisms and timing of important water budget
components. The Groundwater and Surface water FLOW (GSFLOW) model accounts for flow within and
between three regions: (1) plant canopy to the bottom of the soil zone, (2) surface water bodies and (3) the
groundwater system below the soil zone. Two modeling studies in the Great Basin (Cleave Creek and Porter
Canyon, NV) are presented using GSFLOW in conjunction with remote sensing data and/or the RasterizedRegional Hydro-Ecological Simulation System (R-RHESSys) model to evaluate hydrologic thresholds and
ecosystem resilience in response to shifting vegetation and variable climate.
PLANT ECOLOGY, TERRESTRIAL CARBON, AND CLIMATE EFFECTS
ASPEN GENETICS: UPDATING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ASPEN IN THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST
Karen E. Mock, Colin M. Callahan, James N. Long
Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan UT
karen.mock@usu.edu
Aspen (Populus tremuloides) is the most broadly distributed tree species in North America. It is particularly
valuable in the western US, where it provides wildlife habitat, livestock forage, and is associated with
increased water yield, increased bird and herbaceous plant diversity, and can serve as a fire break. Climate
models predict dramatic losses of aspen habitat in the western US, and rapid widespread mortality is being
observed, particularly in drier, warmer locations. The use of genetic tools has led to some surprising insights
relative to reproductive ecology and management in aspen. This poster aims to summarize and interpret
some of these findings.
[33]
THE PHANTOM GAS FIELD PROJECT: EVIDENCE OF PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF SAGEBRUSH
DUE TO HUMAN NOISE-INDUCED CHANGES IN ARTHROPOD HERBIVORY
Maria T. Pacioretty1, Elizeth Cinto Mejia2, Dr. Keith Reinhardt1, Dr. Jesse Barber2, Dr. Marie-Anne de Graff2
1
Idaho State University, Moscow ID; 2 Boise State University, Boise ID
pacimari@isu.edu
Increases in human noise-disturbance have been shown to alter avian/mammalian predator activity,
creating the potential for “top-down” alterations in ecosystem services across multiple trophic levels. We
examined the effects of noise pollution across multiple trophic levels using an experimental approach. We
broadcasted recorded gas-well-compressor noise, and quantified how experimentally-induced reductions in
predator abundance and activity impacted arthropod herbivory as well as consequent changes in stem
growth, photosynthetic gas exchange in shrubs. The study area was sagebrush-steppe lands of the National
Birds of Prey Conservation area southwest of Boise, Idaho. 8 sites were selected: 4 treatment sites
broadcasting recordings 24hrs/day; and 4 control sites with no broadcast noise. We conducted
measurements on 64 Artemisia tridentata shrubs monthly throughout summer 2014. Preliminary results
show that shrubs in “noise-on” plots had almost two times the herbivory compared to control plots, and
decreased photosynthesis (as much as 40%) compared to control (“noise-off”) plots. Additionally, dark
respiration was 10-40% greater in shrubs in the noise-on plots. Our preliminary results suggest that human
noise pollution can impact ecosystem functioning at leaf to landscape scales including beneficial ecosystem
services such as carbon and water storage.
PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF SAGEBRUSH TO CLIMATE WARMING
Brynne Lazarus, Matthew Germino, Jessica VanderVeen, Lar Svenson, Martha Brabec
U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Snake River Field Station, Boise ID
blazarus@usgs.gov
Sagebrush is a keystone species in the Great Basin. Understanding its physiological responses to climate
warming is vital for predicting the type of shifts that may occur in Great Basin ecosystems with climate
change. We installed passive warming frames in mature sagebrush stands at three sites along a moisturetemperature gradient and measured water use efficiency and freezing responses in warmed and control
plants over two years. Preliminary results show sagebrush growing at the warmest, driest site had the
greatest water-use efficiency, while sagebrush growing at the coolest, wettest site showed the lowest
water-use efficiency. Water use efficiency was greater in warmed relative to control plants during a drier
year. Freezing avoidance did not vary significantly with site or treatment, but freezing resistance was
greatest for the coolest, wettest site and least for the warmest, driest site. Warmed plants were less
freezing resistant than control plants in early spring. Freezing resistance was much greater in October than
in June. Sagebrush adjusts its physiological water use and its temperature thresholds in response to
warming. These preliminary results suggest that sagebrush is most susceptible to freezing in early spring,
and that warming may increase its susceptibility.
[34]
LOW SAGEBRUSH RESPONSES TO PASSIVE WARMING AND SNOWPACK REMOVAL
Lindsay Curran1, Keith Reinhardt1, Matthew Germino2, Diane Debinski3
1
Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello ID
2
U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise ID
3
Ecology and Evolution Department, Iowa State University, Ames IA
currlind@isu.edu
In western North America, climate change is predicted to result in a 2-5º C warming by 2050, with declines
in snowpack. Those possible changes may strongly influence the physiology of vegetation, especially in highelevation communities that are sensitive to changes in environmental conditions. To better predict plant
responses to future changes in climate, we used an ongoing climate-change experiment in a montane
meadow of Grand Teton National Park. We investigated the effects of warming (1-3º C) and decreased
spring snowpack (~15%) on the physiology of low sagebrush (Artemisia arbuscula). Preliminary results
indicated that photosynthetic carbon gain, respiration, and stomatal conductance were not significantly
affected by either warming or snowpack removal. Plant water-status (water potentials) was significantly
improved by warming, but was not affected by snowpack manipulations. Collectively, our data demonstrate
that photosynthetic carbon gain A. arbuscula may not be sensitive to slight changes in temperature or
winter precipitation. However, plant water-relations may be responsive to slight changes in
temperature. Our findings suggest minimal changes in low sagebrush’s ecophysiological performance in
response to warming and altered precipitation, which may help explain why it had relatively large changes in
growth in a related study.
DIURNAL AND SEASONAL VARIATION IN TREE STEM CIRCUMFERENCE USING AUTOMATED
SELF-REPORTING DENDROMETER BANDS (TREEHUGGERS)
Sharma Harmandeep1, Keith Reinhardt1, Kathleen Lohse1, Mark Seyfried2, Evan H. DeLucia3, Timothy Mies4
1
Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello ID
2
Northwest Watershed Management Research, Boise State University, Boise ID
3
Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL
4
Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL
sharharm@isu.edu
The Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory (RC CZO) is a new CZO in southwestern Idaho whose research
objectives are to quantify soil carbon storage and flux, and the factors governing these from pedon to
landscape level. Aboveground carbon pools and fluxes are an important contributor to soil carbon, and
quantifying variation in these is important for understanding critical-zone carbon processes. To estimate
changes in aboveground carbon pools, we deployed automated, self-reporting dendrometer bands
(TreeHuggersÓ) on three tree species (Juniperus occidentalis, Populus tremuloides, Psuedotsuga menziesii).
These species represent the dominant tree species in Reynolds Creek watershed, and occupy sites of varying
aspect and microclimates. We installed TreeHuggers onto at least 6 trees per species, and treecircumference-data (accurate to within 2 mm) were recorded at 15-20 minute intervals. Data suggest that
the mean changes in tree circumference were 0.282+0.056 cm, 0.603+0.126 cm, and 1.126+0.628 cm for J.
occidentalis, P. menziesii, and P. tremuloides, respectively, during 2014 growing season. Tree circumferencegrowth began on 160, 162, and 158 DOY respectively, based on dendrometer traces. Diurnal variation in
[35]
tree circumference averaged about 0.017+0.006 cm, 0.067+ 0.051cm, and 0.261+ 0.170 cm for J.
occidentalis, P. menziesii, and P. tremuloides, respectively. Future research includes deploying litterfall traps
to measure the aboveground carbon inputs to soil and installing sap flux sensors to measure the whole tree
transpiration in all three species to examine the plant physiological compared to critical zone controls on
aboveground productivity and inputs.
TEMPERATURE SENSITIVITY OF SOIL ORGANIC CARBON DECOMPOSITION ACROSS AN
ELEVATIONAL GRADIENT IN A SEMI-ARID ECOSYSTEM
Hasini Delvinne1, Kevin Feris2, Alejandro Flores1, Shawn Benner1, Marie-Anne deGraaff2
1
Department of Geological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
2
Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
hasinidelvinne@u.boisestate.edu
Semi-arid ecosystems are important global carbon (C) stores; given the significant amount of soil C stored.
Yet, these may change at elevated global temperatures due to climate change. Incomplete understanding of
the temperature sensitivity of soil organic C (SOC) decomposition poses uncertainty in predicting C cycle
feedback to elevated temperatures. This study aims to elucidate the effect of litter inputs on SOC quality
(i.e. labile, recalcitrant) and subsequent consequences for the temperature sensitivity of SOC decomposition
along an elevational gradient in a semi-arid ecosystem. The study sites (four) located in the Reynolds Creek
Experimental Watershed in the Owyhee Mountains, Idaho are sagebrush dominated. They span across an
elevational (1000m) and climatic gradient (i.e. mean annual temperature and precipitation). Litter inputs are
quantified using litter traps and assessed for quality (i.e. Lignin, C: Nitrogen). Stratified random sampling of
soil (0-30 cm) was conducted at all elevations. Soil fractionations are used to quantify total SOC in fractions
and determine SOC quality. The temperature sensitivity of SOC decomposition is assessed in controlled
laboratory incubations by exposing soils to a temperature gradient. This study provides insights to the
sensitivity of SOC stores, which determines the vulnerability of C-stores in semi-arid ecosystems at elevated
temperatures.
WILDFIRE IN SAGEBRUSH STEPPE ECOSYS-TEMS: CAN PAST FIRE REGIMES HELP PREDICT THE
FUTURE?
Jennifer L. Pierce1, Kerrie Weppner1, Mike L. Pellant2, Katherine T. Gibble1
1
Boise State University, Boise ID
2
Bureau of Land Management, Boise ID
jenpierce@boisestate.edu
Paleo-vegetation studies show that even prior to anthropogenic influence, sage steppe communities were
dynamic, and sometimes susceptible to replacement by other vegetation communities (including forests)
under changing climatic conditions. Likewise, some forest communities (e.g. pinyon and juniper) have
expanded northward in the past several thousand years with warming climate conditions. While fire has
been a natural part of sagebrush steppe ecosystems (sage-steppe) from thousands to millions of years,
human fire starts, land-use change and invasive species have substantially altered the natural fire cycle in
recent times. Before Euro-American settlement in the western US in the 1800’s, fires in sage-steppe were
generally smaller and less frequent than today. With settlement, widespread grazing reduced fine fuels and
[36]
likely promoted expansion and densification of woody species such as sagebrush and juniper. This, along
with fire exclusion, may have created a ‘fire deficit’ (Marlon et al., 2012) that is now being aggressively
remedied by a warming climate and invasive species. In the early 1900’s, the arrival and subsequent
expansion of cheatgrass (bromus tectorum), has produced an annually renewable continuous cover of dry
fuel; in recent decades, fires exceeding 100,000 acres in rangelands are common; fires of this size were
extremely unusual prior to the 1980’s. Increased use and development in rangelands by people has
increased human-caused fires, especially along roads and in recreation areas. Finally, a changing climate is
driving longer and hotter fire seasons. These factors combine to create a vicious cycle: hot, dry, fire seasons
and plenty of natural and human ignitions spark fires in sage steppe ecosystems, cheatgrass fuels larger and
more frequent fires, and following fire, cheatgrass out-competes sagebrush to re-establish quickly in burned
areas. These cheat-infested areas then provide more fuel for fires and further increase expansion of cheat at
the expense of sagebrush.
HOW DO LONG-TERM CHANGES IN PRECIPITATION SEASONALITY AFFECT ECOSYSTEM CARBON
DYNAMICS? EVIDENCE FROM A 21-YEAR, MANIPULATIVE CLIMATE-CHANGE EXPERIMENT
Kathryn McAbee, Idaho State University, Moscow ID, Keith Reinhardt, Idaho State University, Moscow ID,
Matthew Germino, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise ID
mcabkath@isu.edu
Arid and semi-arid shrublands of the Intermountain West have been identified as potential carbon (C) sinks,
but this is contingent on precipitation amount and timing. A shift in precipitation seasonality is predicted for
this region, with increases in wintertime precipitation relative to summertime. To quantify the effects of
altered precipitation amount and seasonality on aboveground C storage and turnover, we measured C pools
and fluxes at leaf and ecosystem scales during the 2014 growing season, at a 21-year ecohydrological
experiment site. We hypothesized that increases in winter precipitation would stimulate aboveground C
uptake and storage relative to ambient conditions. This hypothesis was generally supported by our
preliminary results: winter-irrigated and summer-irrigated plots both took up more C during the growing
season (3.5 ± 0.3, 4.2 ± 0.3 µmol m-2 s-1) than plots under ambient precipitation conditions (0.1 ± 0.2 µmol
m-2 s-1. Trends in leaf- and soil-level C flux suggest that precipitation treatment effects on ecosystem-level
C exchange are primarily driven by soil respiration and moisture content. Biomass accumulation was
approximately 50% greater in winter-irrigated relative to summer-irrigated plots, and approximately 2.5X
greater relative to ambient plots. Our findings suggest that expected shifts in precipitation seasonality could
result in increased aboveground C uptake and storage in shrubland communities in cold deserts of western
North America.
USING RANDOM FOREST TO ESTIMATE POTENTIAL CHEATGRASS AND PERENNIAL HERBACEOUS
COVER FROM SITE ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
Nathan L. Cline, Bruce A. Roundy, Chris Balzotti
Brigham Young University, Provo UT
ncline1@gmail.com
Developing geospatial spatial estimates of potential cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) and perennial
herbaceous cover following fire and fire surrogate treatments has been challenging due to high variability in
[37]
climate and site environmental characteristics. The advancement of geospatial climate models and analysis
tools, such as BIOCLIM and Random Forest, may provide opportunities for tool development. We conducted
a Random Forest analysis to spatially estimate cheatgrass and perennial herbaceous cover using 43 site
environmental characteristics as explanatory variables. Site environmental characteristics were derived from
5 m digital elevation models (DEM), BIOCLIM, and ClimateWNA geospatial data sets. Cheatgrass, perennial
tall and short grass, and shrub cover were previously collected at 45 wooded (Juniperus spp.) shrublands
(Artemisia spp.) in Utah. We used Random Forest and ModelMap for R statistical software to conduct the
analysis. Preliminary analysis indicates a hierarchy of influential site environmental characteristics that
included elevation, mean precipitation and mean temperature of the driest quarter of the year. These site
environmental characteristics and a potential geospatial map may aid managers in determining which sites
are more or less resilient to woodland reduction treatments or which sites may require the addition of plant
materials for successful restoration.
BROMUS TECTORUM AND NATIVE GRASS ESTABLISHMENT UNDER DROUGHT AND WARMING
IN SAGEBRUSH STEPPE AFTER FIRE
Beth Newingham1, Alexis Suazo2, Matthew Germino3
1
USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Great Basin Rangeland Research Unit, Reno NV
2
University of Idaho, Department of Forest Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, Moscow ID
3
U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Snake River Field Station, Boise ID
Brigham Young University, Provo UT
Fire and climate change are two important drivers of desert plant communities. Changes in precipitation and
temperature due to climate change will create novel environmental conditions that will likely affect post-fire
plant establishment, invasions, and eventually alter plant community assemblages. In a field experiment, we
reduced precipitation using rainout shelters and increased temperature using open-sided warming frames in
sagebrush steppe communities in the Great Basin. At five burned sites, we established control, drought,
warming, and drought + warming plots. Seeds of two native perennial grasses (Elymus elymoides and
Pseudoroegneria spicata) used in post-fire rehabilitation and an invasive annual grass (Bromus tectorum)
were sown in experimental plots. We measured seedling emergence, density, survival, biomass, height, and
specific leaf area to evaluate native and non-native species responses to drought and warming. Native grass
emergence was low in drought and warmed plots. However, warming increased native grass height and
specific leaf area. Bromus emerged in all treatments, but drought and warming negatively affected Bromus
biomass, plant height, and high specific leaf area. These preliminary results suggest that native and nonnative species may respond differently to future climate. Individual species responses to climate change are
likely to result in altered species interactions and thus plant communities.
PRECIPITATION IMPACT S ON PLANT-DERIVED SOIL C INPUT AND DECOMPOSITION
Xochi Campos1, Matthew Germino2, Marie-Anne de Graaff1
1
Boise State University, Department of Biological Sciences, Boise ID
2
U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise ID
patriciacampos@u.boisestate.edu
[38]
Changes in climate such as timing and amount of precipitation are expected to impact the global carbon (C)
cycle by affecting important water-dependent biogeochemical processes such as litter decomposition. Litter
decomposition plays an essential role in the global C cycle by co-regulating net ecosystem C storage.
Changes in precipitation may have an especially large effect on litter decomposition rates in semi-arid
ecosystems where ecological processes are limited by and sensitive to water availability. Consequently, soil
C sequestration may be effected by precipitation-induced changes in plant production and soil microbial
activity. It is currently uncertain if a change in amount and timing of precipitation alters the balance of soil C
input via plant-derived C and soil C output via microbial activity thus the C flux from soil to the atmosphere.
We conducted a litter trap and decomposition experiment at the Idaho National Laboratory Ecohydrology
Experiment with basin big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata) after 19 years of precipitation
treatment application to assess how precipitation shifts may affect aboveground litter inputs and
decomposition rates. Preliminary data show the direct influence of precipitation treatments on initial litter
quality as well as varying decomposition rates indicating an indirect influence of precipitation. This
experiment provides evidence that precipitation shifts impact litter decomposition through changes in both
litter quality and decomposition processes.
THE IMPACT OF FUEL REDUCTION TREATMENTS ON CARBON AND NITROGEN MINERALIZATION
PROCESSES IN A DEGRADED SEMI-ARID ECOSYSTEM
Billy Bringman and Marie-Anne de Graaff, Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
billybringman@hotmail.com
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is an invasive plant species that contributes to degradation of native sagesteppe ecosystems. The USGS (United States Geological Survey) and BLM (Bureau of Land Management)
have established a manipulative field experiment that assesses how fuel load reduction treatments (i.e.
grazing, herbicide applications and mowing) affect reestablishment of native vegetation. With this study, we
assessed how the fuel reduction treatments affect soil microbial activity and nutrient cycling using
controlled laboratory incubation experiments. Further, using a greenhouse experiment, we evaluated how
herbicide treatments (i.e. Imazapic applications) may impact germination and plant performance of native
forbs. Experimental results showed no significant impact of the fuel reduction treatments on microbial
activity or on soil nutrient cycling, however, herbicide treatments significantly reduced the performance of
forbs. This indicates that Imazapic is not specific to cheatgrass, and its use could impact species diversity and
essential sage grouse preferred forbs.
ASSESSING FUEL LOADS ACROSS SUCCESSIONAL AND INVASION GRADIENTS IN DEGRADED
SAGEBRUSH LANDSCAPES
Doug Shinneman1, David Pilliod1, Robert Arkle1, Nancy Glenn2, Susan McIlroy1, Anne Halford3
1
U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Snake River Field Station, Boise ID
2
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University Boise State University, Boise Idaho
3
U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management, Boise ID
dshinneman@usgs.gov
Sagebrush shrublands in the Great Basin are highly influenced by non-native plants that alter successional
trajectories, suppress native species, and promote frequent wildfire. Non-native fine-fuel loadings can be
[39]
highly variable through space and time under these conditions, hindering attempts by land managers to
predict and control fire and restore native communities. We developed an approach to quantify and predict
fuel loads in degraded sagebrush communities, by addressing three primary research questions: How do fuel
loadings change along successional/invasion gradients in current or former sagebrush sites? How do
treatments in degraded sites influence fuels? How can remotely-sensed imagery be used to develop
spatially-explicit, predictive models of fuel loadings across the landscape? We sampled > 2,500 plots in
southwestern Idaho over three years and found that fuel loads vary: 1) across successional gradients, with
higher herbaceous fuel loadings in invaded versus intact sagebrush communities; 2) depending on nonnative species composition, with annual forbs contributing significantly to fine fuel loads relative to sites
dominated by annual grasses alone; and 3) relative to precipitation, which influences species-specific
contributions to fine-fuels. These data are being used to develop a fuels guide for land managers, and they
are being coupled with LiDAR and remotely sensed imagery to develop spatially-explicit fuel maps.
MAPPING SOIL ORGANIC CARBON (SOC) CONTENT OF SOILS IN THE REYNOLDS CREEK
WATERSHED
Ryan M. Will, Chris Stanbery, Mark S. Seyfried, Jennifer L. Pierce, Kathleen A. Lohse, Lejo N. Flores, Nancy N.
Glenn, Lucas P. Spaete, Nick Patton, Cody Black, Alison Good, Shawn G. Benner
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
ryanwill@u.boisestate.edu
Quantification of soil organic carbon (SOC) is difficult in topographically and ecologically diverse landscapes.
However, advances in information technology and computation have led to new approaches to soil
mapping. In this research, the organic carbon content of soils in the Reynolds Creek Experimental
Watershed (RCEW) will be mapped using a field and modeling approach. This study is being conducted in the
Owyhee Mountains of southwestern Idaho where a strong elevation gradient influences climate and
vegetation distribution. Vegetation species generally follow precipitation with sagebrush-steppe in the
lowlands and a mix of conifers, junipers and some sagebrush at higher elevations. Vegetation species have
direct influence on SOC in addition to being a good indicator of climate conditions. For this reason, we
hypothesize that vegetation species will be the primary control on SOC in the Reynolds Creek watershed.
RESTORATION AND PLANT MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT
COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI COLONIZING WYOMING BIG
SAGEBRUSH SEEDLINGS TRANSPLANTED TO THE SNAKE RIVER BIRDS OF PREY, NCA
Bill Davidson and Marcelo Serpe, Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
billdavidson@u.boisestate.edu
Host plant preferences and variation in the abiotic environment can affect the composition of arbuscular
mycorrhizal (AMF) assemblages. This study evaluated the AMF colonizing individual Wyoming big sagebrush
(Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) seedlings growing in the Snake River Birds of Prey, NCA. AMF were
identified based on phylogenetic analysis of sequences from the large subunit-D2 rDNA region. This analysis
revealed six phylotypes, two within the Claroideoglomeraceae and four within the Glomeraceae. Sequences
were also grouped into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) with sequence similarities ≥ 94%. Particular
[40]
phylotypes included 2 to 8 OTUs and a total of 29 OTUs were detected. Individual seedlings were colonized
by an average of 3.5 (±1.2) OTUs. Although a variety of OTUs colonized sagebrush roots, certain OTUs were
dominant. OTU GlomusII-1 was present in 94% of the seedlings. Other common OTUs were Funneliformis 1,
GlomusII-2, and Rhizophagus 1, which were detected in 54, 51, and 40% of the seedlings respectively. In
contrast, 15 of the 29 OTUs were detected in less than 5% of the seedlings. AMF community composition did
not differ significantly with season or rooting depth. Further work is needed to evaluate whether the
differences in OTU abundance reflect preference by the host plant or differences in OTU frequencies within
the soil.
SEED WEIGHT AND AREA OF ARTEMISIA TRIDENTATA: A DIAGNOSTIC FOR DETERMINING
SUBSPECIES
Deidre Jaeger, Hector Ortiz, Stephanie Carlson, Bryce Richardson
USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station - Shrub Sciences Laboratory, Provo Utah
brichardson02@fs.fed.us
Polyploidy is a common feature among sagebrush species. Studies of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)
have shown polyploids fill an important ecological niche in sagebrush ecosystems. Tetraploids, typically
Wyoming big sagebrush (subspecies wyomingensis), occupy the driest regions of the sagebrush steppe.
Therefore, restoring big sagebrush must rely predominantly on appropriately adapted Wyoming big
sagebrush seed. To date, no cost-efficient method has been developed to differentiate seed of Wyoming big
sagebrush from diploid, basin big sagebrush (subspecies tridentata). In this study we show that seed weight
or area can differentiate subspecies of big sagebrush. Seed weights were obtained from an analytical scale,
and area was calculated from scanned images. Seed weight and area are highly correlated. Based on 10 seed
weights, Wyoming big sagebrush seed weighed 1.01 mg more that basin big sagebrush, 3.14 and 2.13 mg,
respectively, from 28 wild-collected sources. Likewise, Wyoming big sagebrush seed area was 0.128 mm2
greater than basin big sagebrush, 0.523 and 0.404 mm2, respectively. Overall, subspecies seed weight and
area was significantly different among wild-collected seed and from common garden plants. Data collected
from wild-collected Wyoming big sagebrush populations are compared to BLM seed lots. These methods can
be easily adopted for big sagebrush seed certification.
CORRELATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND MANAGEMENT CHARACTERISTICS WITH NATIVE
VEGETATION VARIABILITY IN INTRODUCED BUNCHGRASS STANDS
Aleta M. Nafus, Tony J. Svejcar and Kirk W. Davies
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Burns OR
Aleta.Nafus@oregonstate.edu
Crested wheatgrass has been seeded extensively in the Great Basin sagebrush steppe and is often
associated with native species displacement and low biological diversity. In a previous study we found that
plant community composition of crested wheatgrass stands was quite variable. Environmental
characteristics, such as soil texture, helped explain some of the variability in the abundance of native
vegetation present on sites seeded to crested wheatgrass. We are attempting to determine how much
seeding conditions and subsequent management, including season of grazing and grazing intensity (using
distance from water as a proxy) and years since fire help explain the variability in native vegetation
[41]
abundance in crested wheatgrass seedings. Initial results indicate that precipitation conditions at the time of
seeding and number of years since fire in combination with site characteristics such as soil texture may be
important factors that help explain some of the variability in native vegetation presence in sites seeded with
crested wheatgrass.
MODELING TOPOGRAPHIC AND SOIL EFFECTS ON SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION OF
HYDROTHERMAL CONDITIONS FOR GERMINATION
Alex Boehm1, Stuart Hardegree1, Nancy Glenn2, and Gerald Flerchinger1
1
USDA Agricultural Research Service, Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise ID, and 2Department of
Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
Alex.Boehm@ars.usda.gov
In this study we used seed germination rate as an index for assessing relative favorability of seedbed
microclimate for cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides Swezey) and
Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis Elmer) as a function of 25 topographic classes and four soil types (clay,
sand, silt loam and loam). We first parameterized the Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) model with
topographic, soil and weather-input data to estimate soil temperature and water potential at seeding depth
for a 30-year historical simulation. Hydrothermal germination rate models were then used to map relative
favorability of seedbed microclimate as a function of soil type and topographic position. Model results
indicated a stronger topographic effect on seedbed favorability for cheatgrass than for the two native
grasses, and topographic and soil gradients in relative favorability that are consistent with observed
distributions of annual weed and perennial bunchgrass species in the Boise Front. These relationships can
be used in conjunction with Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) to identify topographic and soil conditions
that may be relatively more or less resilient to weed disturbance after wildfire.
CLINES IN GROWTH, SEED YIELD AND SURVIVORSHIP AMONG SUBSPECIES OF BIG SAGEBRUSH:
RELATIONSHIPS TO CLIMATE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SEED TRANSFER ZONES
Bryce A. Richardson1, Lindsay Chaney2, Nancy L. Shaw3, Matthew J. Germino4
1
USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Provo UT
2
Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo UT
3
USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise ID
4
US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, Idaho
brichardson02@fs.fed.us
Plant species that occupy large geographic distributions contend with highly varied climates. Such climatic
differences frequently require genetic adaptation. Failure to understand how these species are adapted to
climate will impede restoration. Here we present preliminary growth, seed yield and survival patterns of
sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subspecies tridentata, vaseyana and wyomingensis) from three common
gardens over four years. Using linear-mixed models (growth and seed yield) and survivor analysis
(survivorship), trait variation is associated with source-location derived climate variables (temperature,
precipitation and their interactions). Seed yield and growth showed similar significant clines affected by
summer dryness and winter precipitation. Seed yield and growth climate models were highly correlated (r =
0.73, p < 0.0001). However, survivorship showed clines affected by winter temperatures and the ratio of
[42]
winter to summer precipitation. Overall, continentality strongly affects climate adaptation in big sagebrush.
We discuss the development of seed transfer zones based on these data.
PLANT MATERIAL TESTING FOR RANGELAND ESTABLISHMENT
C.W. Rigby, T.A. Jones, K.B. Jensen, B.L. Waldron, M.D. Peel, J.G. Robins, and J.E. Staub
USDA-ARS Forage & Range Research Laboratory, Logan, UT
thomas.jones@ars.usda.gov
Seedling establishment on damaged Great Basin rangelands is generally considered the most limiting factor
for revegetation of such lands. Over the latter half of the 20th century, the use of plant breeding
methodology has greatly improved seedling establishment of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum)
and other introduced grasses used widely in the Great Basin. Developing plant materials of native grasses
with improved performance, while maintaining genetic variation, is a major objective for our laboratory
because, for a long time, rangelands in the Great Basin have been becoming increasingly modified, both in
extent and degree. This makes restoration efforts much more challenging. The linchpin of our plant
material development program is ongoing rangeland testing, both preceding and following plant material
release. In recent years, these trials, generally established as dormant seedings each fall, have been
upgraded fr=- om 4 to 8 replications. In addition, our intention is to produce seed of all plant materials to be
compared within a species in a common environment to avoid confounding by non-genetic maternal effects.
Results suggest that the kind of approach used for crested wheatgrass is also effective for native grasses,
though some species are much more comparable to crested wheatgrass for performance than others.
ESTABLISHING ISLANDS OF SAGEBRUSH IN AN EARLY-SERAL, POST-FIRE LANDSCAPE: EFFECTS
OF TOPOGRAPHIC POSITION, CLUSTER PLANTINGS, AND ARTIFICIAL MICROCLIMATE SHELTERS
MJ Germino1, B Davidson1, M Brabec1, A Halford2
1
U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise ID
2
Bureau of Land Management, Boise ID
mgermino@usgs.gov
Methods to increase post-fire restoration of big sagebrush are needed, particularly in relatively dry regions
of its range where annual exotic and other early seral grasses and harsh wind exposure often prevail. Patchy
establishment of sagebrush within such landscapes is increasingly recognized as an appropriate target for
restoration or rehabilitation treatments. We planted replicate clusters of Wyoming Big Sagebrush seedlings
using the collaborative nexus of the BLM Snake River Birds of Prey Nat'l Conservation Area and partner
network. Over 1000 seedlings were planted over about a 48 ha. Preliminary data after 1 year show 90%
survival in drainages, 65% on slopes, and 40% on flat areas. Use of straw wattle, snow fences, or both to
decrease windspeed reduced survival from 60% to as low as 23%, contrary to our expectations. There were
no effect of planting clustered seedlings in rows or grids of various sizes and configurations. Insect
defoliation was inversely related to survival and was as high as 70% of foliage. Whereas wind sheer is
presumed to be a stress factor for sagebrush in this relatively flat landscape, we did not find evidence for it.
Instead, our data suggests that targeting certain topographic positions and allowing for non-uniform and
non-random post-fire establishment may be realistic.
[43]
DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH AMERICAN FORB PLANT MATERIALS FOR RANGELAND
REVEGETATION AND RESTORATION
K.J. Connors, D.A. Johnson, T.A. Jones, B.S. Bushman, B.L. Waldron and M.D. Peel
USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Logan UT
Doug.Johnson@ars.usda.gov
Plant material development for Intermountain rangelands is a primary mission of the UDSA-ARS Forage and
Range Research Laboratory. Currently there is a significant demand for North American forbs (including
legumes) for rangeland revegetation and restoration in the Great Basin, but commercial quantities of seed
are available for only a few species. At the USDA-ARS Forage and Range Research Laboratory, several North
American forb species are being investigated. Four germplasms have been developed and released to meet
restoration and revegetation needs of the Great Basin: NBR-1 basalt milkvetch (Astragalus filipes), Spectrum
and Majestic western prairie clover (Dalea ornata), and Yakima western yarrow (Achillea lanulosa). Basalt
milkvetch ranges throughout the Intermountain West from Canada to Mexico, and NBR-1 Germplasm
represents populations from the Northern Basin and Range Ecoregion. Majestic Germplasm represents the
Deschutes River watershed and Spectrum Germplasm represents the balance of its range in the northern
Great Basin. Yakima Germplasm is recommended for use in revegetation throughout the northern Great
Basin. Future anticipated plant material releases include: Searls’ prairie clover (Dalea searlsiae), Utah
sweetvetch (Hedysarum boreale) and Utah trefoil (Lotus utahensis).
RESPONSE OF YOUNG SAGEBRUSH SEEDLINGS TO MANAGEMENT OF HERBS
Martha Brabec, Matthew Germino, Bryce Richardson, Doug Shinneman, Susan McIlroy, Robert Arkle
U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Snake River Field Station, Boise ID
mbrabec@usgs.gov
Seeding or planting of big sagebrush in post-fire rehabilitation or restoration projects involves alteration of a
variety of plant community, soil, and site conditions. Herbicide application, mowing, drill seeding with forbs
and grasses, and combinations of any of these treatments often happen with or before seeding or outplanting big sagebrush, and could affect herb competition or hydrological conditions for successful
sagebrush establishment. The objective of this study was to evaluate how initial establishment of big
sagebrush seedlings is influenced by management treatments on the herb layer, and to determine how
these effects vary among different populations (seed sources) of big sagebrush. Preliminary data suggest
seedling survival may be negatively affected by land management treatments that alter the herb layer and
soil surface, including drill seeding. Survival probabilities were relatively greater for the local and fastgrowing populations of big sagebrush relative to other populations in an extremely dry spring at the lower
edge of the sagebrush steppe ecosystem (Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Southwestern Idaho).
NATIVE GRASS PLANT MATERIALS DEVELOPED AT THE FORAGE & RANGE RESEARCH
LABORATORY
T.A. Jones, K.B. Jensen, B.L. Waldron, J.G. Robins, and J.E. Staub
USDA-ARS Forage & Range Research Laboratory, Logan UT
thomas.jones@ars.usda.gov
[44]
Plant material development for Intermountain rangelands is a primary mission element for the Forage &
Range Research Laboratory. In order for a plant material to be released by our laboratory, documentation
of superior performance relative to previously released material or application in a previously unfilled
market niche must be supplied to an internal committee that makes a recommendation to administrative
personnel. Neutral genetic marker data are commonly used to assess a release’s genetic variation and its
genetic similarity to other plant materials of the same species. To date, 13 plant materials of native grasses
have been released by our laboratory for use in the sagebrush semi-desert and steppe, with 6 others
planned for the near future. Species (and plant material release date) include bluebunch wheatgrass (P-7,
2001; Columbia, 2015; Rock Creek, 2017), Snake River wheatgrass (Discovery, 2007), bottlebrush squirreltail
(Toe Jam Creek, 2003; Fish Creek, 2003; Rattlesnake, 2007; Antelope Creek, 2009, Pleasant Valley, 2010;
Turkey Lake, 2016), big squirreltail (Sand Hollow, 1996), sandberg bluegrass (Reliable, 2005), Indian ricegrass
(Rimrock [NRCS lead], 1996; Star Lake, 2004; White River, 2006), basin wildrye (Continental, 2008; Trailhead
II, 2015), thickspike wheatgrass (Bannock II, 2015), and Thurber’s needlegrass (Princeton, 2016).
SOIL INORGANIC CARBON THRESHOLDS AND FORMATION: WHAT ARE THE CONTROLS IN A
TRANSITIONAL, SEMI-ARID WATERSHED?
Christopher Stanbery1, Ryan Will1, Shawn Benner1, Mark Seyfried2, Kathleen Lohse3, Cody Black1, Alison
Good1, Jennifer Pierce1
1
Geoscience, Boise State University, 2USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 3Department of Biological
Sciences, University of Idaho
chrisstanbery@u.boisestate.edu
Inorganic carbon constitutes approximately 40% of terrestrial soil carbon and it is an integral part of the
global carbon cycle. The storage of inorganic carbon within soils is controlled by the primary soil forming
factors including precipitation which is the strongest control on its presence or absence. However, within
areas dry enough to allow soil inorganic carbon (SIC) formation, the hierarchy of controls on SIC presence
and amount is complex. Measuring and modeling these variables at the pedon and watershed scale will
improve our understanding of SIC storage. We hypothesize that the strongest factors controlling the
amount of SIC are the age of the surface and the soil’s parent material. The Reynolds Creek watershed in
southwestern Idaho is an ideal location for the study as it transitions from SIC dominated in the lower
elevations to organic carbon dominated in the upper regions. Samples were collected across climate
gradients in areas representing different soil forming factors throughout the watershed. The soil samples
were then analyzed for SIC content and grain size distribution. Initial results suggest that the greatest
controls are the parent material and surface age. The largest accumulations of SIC were found in soils
formed on loess deposits and given ample time to develop soil characteristics. An initial map of the
presence and absence of SIC is shown, but future work will provide data on densities of carbon throughout
and help establish statistical relationships.
[45]
REMOTE SENSING AND LANDSCAPE MODELING OF VEGETATION
THE BLM RIPARIAN TOOLBAR: AN ARCMAP PLUGIN FOR REGIONAL ANALYSIS OF VEGETATION
RESPONSE
Kenneth McGwire1, Justin Huntington1, Charles Morton1, Sarah Peterson2, Michael Schade2
1
Desert Research Institute, Reno NV; 2Bureau of Land Management, Reno NV
Ken.McGwire@dri.edu
The Riparian Toolbar is an ArcMap plugin being developed for the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada.
This user-friendly toolbar allows a distributed user community to easily analyze a variety of geospatial At this
time, the primary datasets for the toolbar include the 30 year timeseries of summertime NDVI from Landsat,
drought indices, and annual precipitation. The toolbar allows users to examine historical patterns of
variability in vegetative vigor, and to investigate relationships to factors such as interannual climate
variability, land management practices, and disturbance history. This toolbar will allow users at all field
offices to quickly quantify the current state and historical context of vegetation in relation to grazing
allotments, habitat protection planning, water diversions, and commercial or recreational development.
The Riparian Toolbar is an ArcMap plugin being developed for the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada.
This user-friendly toolbar allows a distributed user community to easily analyze a variety of geospatial data
that are hosted on a centralized server. Users can create or import polygons for areas of interest, and share
or block public access to their polygons. The toolbar automatically identifies the intersection of
geographical and temporal coverage between datasets when generating textual, graphical, and statistical
information for user polygons. The architecture behind the toolbar is designed to be highly scalable, and it
accommodates on-the-fly addition of datasets and timeseries updates at the centralized server. At this
time, the primary datasets for the toolbar include the 30 year timeseries of summertime NDVI from Landsat,
drought indices, and annual precipitation. The toolbar allows users to examine historical patterns of
variability in vegetative vigor, and to investigate relationships to factors such as interannual climate
variability, land management practices, and disturbance history. This toolbar will allow users at all field
offices to quickly quantify the current state and historical context of vegetation in relation to grazing
allotments, habitat protection planning, water diversions, and commercial or recreational development.
USING AERIAL IMAGERY TO QUANTIFY CHANGE IN RIPARIAN HABITAT AND BEAVER
OCCURRENCE, 1991-2013, RELATED TO IMPROVED GRAZING PRACTICES
Robin Bjork1, Kurt Fesenmyer1, Carol Evans2
1
Trout Unlimited, Boise ID; 2Bureau of Land Management, Elko NV
RBjork@tu.org
Loss of herbaceous and woody riparian vegetation and concomitant increase in water temperature are some
well-documented effects of annual hot season grazing by livestock in western US streams. One such region
historically grazed throughout the summer months on an annual basis is the water-poor high desert Susie
Creek drainage in northeastern Nevada. Beginning in 1990, prescriptive grazing practices designed to limit
frequency and duration of hot season grazing were implemented across different grazing allotments on
public and private lands in an effort to restore the stream/riparian system. Our current analysis quantifies
change in riparian vegetation and other features since implementation of the management regimes. We
[46]
conducted landcover classification of the approximately 500 km2 drainage area using high resolution aerial
photography for two timeframes: an object-oriented supervised classification of 1991 photos and a
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) classification of 2013 National Agricultural Imagery Program
(NAIP) photos. Area of each landcover class, limited to the lateral extent of the valley floor and floodplain as
calculated with a Valley Confinement Algorithm (VCA), was quantified and then compared between the two
years. Additionally, we performed visual inspection of the imagery to quantify occurrence of beaver dams in
each year. Our results demonstrate substantial increase in riparian vegetation and extensive beaver
establishment across the drainage over the 22-year period indicating the importance of well-managed
grazing to maintenance of intact riparian habitat.
ESTIMATION OF SAGEBRUSH BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL PARAMETERS USING
HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGES AND INVERSION OF RADIATIVE TRANSFER MODELS
Hamid Dashtia, Nancy Glenna, Jessica Mitchell
Department of Geological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
ahangar.hamid@gmail.com
A large portion of the Earth’s surface is occupied by semiarid ecosystems, and thus they have an important
role in climate change and other ecosystem functioning. The most dynamic elements of such ecosystems are
biochemical and biophysical parameters associated with vegetation. Remote sensing can help scientists
from different disciplines better quantify vegetation characteristics and estimate the current status of the
ecosystem or predict its future behavior. Ecosystem models such as the Ecosystem Demography (ED2)
model adopts these remote sensing-derived parameters as the forcing variables to describe ecosystem
processes. Based on the inversion of a coupled leaf-canopy Radiative Transfer (RT) model, we retrieve leaf
area index and nitrogen content of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata spp.). Two airborne hyperspectral
images (HyVista’s HyMap sensor - 2010) were collected from eastern Idaho, simultaneous to our field study.
HyMap with 125 spectral bands and 2.1 meter pixel size, provides appropriate spectral and spatial resolution
for vegetation studies. The Prosail RT model was inverted using a lookup table approach to estimate leaf
area index and nitrogen content, and the results were validated with our ground measurements. Parameters
estimated from this study, will be assimilated into the ED2 model to parameterize the semiarid shrub plant
functional type as the forcing variable.
MODELING SAGEBRUSH HABITAT DISTRIBUTION IN RELATION TO CHEATGRASS AND FIRE
PROBABILITIES IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES
Matthew Moskwik1, Doug Shinneman1, Matthew Brooks2, and J.R. Matchett2
1
U.S Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Snake River Field Station, Boise ID
2
U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Yosemite Field Station, Oakhurst CA
mmoskwik@usgs.gov
The sagebrush-steppe is one of the most imperiled ecosystems in the United States. Invasion by non-native
annual grasses, large fires, and human modifications have reduced the amount of habitat available for
sagebrush-dependent species, including the greater sage-grouse. Our objective was to identify areas that
currently support sagebrush, but that also have a relatively low risk of degradation from fire and invasion by
cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). We used seven unique species distribution models (SDMs) to project the
[47]
potential ranges of five different sagebrush species (Artemisia spp.) and cheatgrass. SDMs were also used to
project the probability of fire on the landscape. After SDM projections, we used Zonation, a siteprioritization algorithm, to identify regions that maximized sagebrush species presence, while avoiding
regions of high fire probability that were spatially-correlated with high cheatgrass suitability. The
prioritization process also accounted for the variation and uncertainty among the SDM outputs and
excluded urban and agricultural areas. Although our results are preliminary, we were able to identify
regions in the western United States that represent high quality habitat for sagebrush dependent species.
We also describe how our modeling approach will be modified to project future distributions of ecologically
important sagebrush habitat under climate change.
QUANTIFICATION OF SAGEBRUSH LEAF AREA INDEX (LAI) FROM TERRESTRIAL LASER
SCANNING
Nayani Ilangakoon, Nancy Glenn and Peter Olsoy
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
nayaniilangakoon@u.boisestate.edu
Leaf area index (LAI) regulates evapotranspiration and is an indicator of photosynthetic activity and net
primary production in the sagebrush-steppe. Accurate and spatially distributed estimates of sagebrush LAI
will better quantify the functional characteristics of sagebrush and the role of sagebrush in carbon cycling. In
addition, sagebrush ecosystems have experienced significant degradation over the last few decades, causing
fragmentation which impacts the distribution of carbon and habitat suitability across the landscape.
Spatially-explicit estimates of sagebrush LAI will provide critical baseline data to monitor these changes. The
aim of this study is to combine high resolution Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) technology with in situ
sagebrush Leaf Area Index (LAI) measurements to quantify green biomass and productivity. Furthermore,
reflectance-based classification will be used with the TLS derived 3D point cloud to separate green from
woody components of sagebrush. We will use the TLS results to scale from individual to plot-level LAI using a
gap fraction based calculation. The accuracy will be assessed using Specific Leaf Area (SLA) measurements.
DERIVING SPATIOTEMPORALLY DISTRIBUTED NET ECOSYSTEM EXCHANGE ESTIMATES
COMBINING EDDY FLUX AND REMOTE SENSING DATA
Qingtao Zhou1, Alejandro Flores1, Gerald Flerchinger2, Nancy Glenn1
1
Geoscience department, Boise State University, Boise ID
2
Agricultural Research Service, Boise ID
qingtaozhou@boisestate.edu
Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) is a key ecological indicator of the direction and magnitude of exchange in
carbon dioxide between the land and atmosphere. Generally there are two different approaches for
estimating NEE: field-based measurement via eddy flux towers and deriving estimates from multispectral
remote sensing data. Here we combine the advantages of the two methods using a machine leaning
approach to develop a spatiotemporally distributed estimate of NEE in a semiarid ecosystem. The study site
is the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watersheds (RCEW) in southwest Idaho, USA. Remote sensing data are
in the form of 4-day composite estimates of the absorbed fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation
(fPAR) derived from the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) at 1 km spatial resolution
[48]
(MCD15A3 product). Additional remote sensing data available at RCEW include Leaf Area Index (LAI) from
MODIS, topography and vegetation height derived from a 2007 Lidar flight, as well as other ancillary data
such as vegetation type and soils. There are a total of five eddy flux towers within RCEW that provide
estimates of NEE at temporal resolutions as fine as 30 minutes. We use a machine learning random forest
approach to derive spatiotemporal estimates of NEE for RCEW. Input predictors to the random forest
scheme include fPAR, LAI, topography, vegetation height, soils, etc. in the vicinity of the eddy flux towers.
The random forest approach has the advantage that we can explore the relative importance of different
predictor variables to better explore the relationship between NEE and different parameters. The random
forest method can also be used to obtain measures of uncertainty in the predicted NEE by analyzing the
spread of the ensemble of outputs. Improved estimates of NEE, as well as improved understanding of the
observable predictors of NEE, can assist land managers to identify areas and times in which the landscape
serves as a net source or sink of carbon.
ESTIMATING ABOVEGROUND BIOMASS OF SAGEBRUSH USING AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING
AND RANDOM FOREST REGRESSION
Shital Dhakal1, Aihua Li1, Nancy Glenn1, Lucas Spaete1, Doug Shinneman2, Robert Arkle2, David Pilliod2, Susan
Mcllroy2
1
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise ID; 2US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland
Ecosystem Science Center, Snake River Field Station, Boise ID
shitaldhakal@u.boisestate.edu
Quantifying aboveground total biomass of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), as well as native and non-native
grasses, is important for modeling climate and hydrological dynamics, estimating pre-fire and post-fire fuel
loads, measuring carbon storage, assessing habitat quality and managing changes in sagebrush-steppe
environments. Remote sensing data, including LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) which provides
vegetation vertical structure information, have been used for biomass estimation modeling across medium
to large scales. In this study, we incorporate airborne LiDAR data with ground validation for scaling shrub
and grass biomass from small scales (1m-subplot up to 100m-plot scale) to large, regional scales in the
Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA), Idaho. Various vegetation
metrics and statistics derived from the point density airborne LiDAR were trained and linked with the
aboveground biomass ground validation data using the Random Forest regression approach. The
relationship was then used to impute (i.e. scale biomass to the larger study region covered by LiDAR data
(9970 hectares). Our results demonstrate that LiDAR-derived metrics based on vegetation height (including
mean absolute deviation from mean height and standard deviation of height) have a strong correlation with
the field-measured biomass (R2~ 0.81). This method can be used to determine the most important metrics
to estimate biomass in semiarid shrubland across Northwest United States.
SCIENCE-DRIVEN IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTS FOR LAND MANAGEMENT SIMULATIONS
Josh Johnston and Tim Wilder, Boise State University, Boise ID
jjohnston@boisestate.edu
This research explores automated techniques for visualizing environmental processes and land management
decisions. The resulting 3D environment models provide a more realistic look and feel for simulated
[49]
outcomes than 2D or 2.5D GIS maps and extracted statistics. Automated model generation reduces
workflow complexity and increases fidelity by directly coupling science inputs with 3D output. We generate
buildings, trees, and ground cover using CityEngine and procedural modeling to create realistic 3D views of
alternative scenarios predicted by the Envision integrated planning and environment assessment tool, as
well as to visualize discrete events such as fire and firebreak placement. The information for these scenes is
incorporated using standard GIS formats. We also demonstrate integration with Forest Vegetation
Simulator, which has the potential to represent stands according to prescribed climate and management
protocols. The resulting 3D models can be explored on a computer, over the web, or in the form of
interactive games, which can further incorporate science results and management policy. The presented
tools have been developed to prototype level. Future work is envisioned to validate the 3D models against
the original science and measure the effectiveness for outreach, engagement, and public input collection.
USING AERIAL IMAGERY TO PREDICT OCCURRENCE AND DENSITY OF REDBAND TROUT IN A
REMOTE, DESERT LANDSCAPE
Daniel C. Dauwalter, Kurt A. Fesenmyer, Robin Bjork, Trout Unlimited, Boise ID
ddauwalter@tu.org
Remotely-sensed characteristics of streams are often useful predictors of the distribution and abundance of
aquatic species. We conducted a supervised, object-oriented classification of National Agricultural Imagery
Program (NAIP) imagery to develop a high resolution (1-m) land cover dataset with four cover classes, with a
focus on woody riparian vegetation, in northern Nevada and southwestern Idaho. The overall classification
accuracy was 76%, and producer’s accuracy (reflecting false positives) and user’s accuracy (reflecting false
negatives) for the woody vegetation class were 84% and 70%, respectively. Using logistic and quantile
regression models, we found woody vegetation to be positively associated with Redband Trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri occurrence and density, but its effect on densities was conditional on mean
August stream temperatures ranging from 13 to 17°C. We also found woody vegetation and stream
temperature to be better predictors of Redband Trout occurrence and density than field-measured instream
and riparian habitat. Our study highlights the utility of using high resolution imagery to characterize
Redband Trout habitat across a large remote desert landscape, and suggests that it can be used to identify
restoration opportunities where land and water uses have negatively impacted woody riparian vegetation
and stream habitat in desert regions of the interior West.
PEOPLE AND THE HYDROSCAPE
CONSTRAINING THE LANDSCAPE: USING DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE TO ANTICIPATE FUTURE
DEVELOPMENT NEEDS & PREDICT WATER USAGE ALONG THE ADA COUNTY & CANYON
COUNTY BORDER
Jeremy W. Johnson, Kathryn Demps, Khila Dahal, Department of Anthropology, Boise State University, Boise
ID
jeremyjohnson2@u.boisestate.edu
During the late 1990s and early 2000s the Treasure Valley experienced rapid development and population
growth. The area around the boundary between Ada and Canyon counties experienced a 341.18%
[50]
population growth while all other areas in these counties had an 82.35% population increase. Studying the
data from the four US censuses since 1980 has also shown a trend of families moving into this area as seen
in average household size. The area around the boundary between Ada and Canyon Counties has
maintained an average household size of 3 people per household while all other areas only exhibit 2.6
people per household. This increase in household size indicates the preference for families to live outside of
the metropolitan areas and in these newly developed areas; a preference that seems likely to continue. This
raises the question of water use within these areas. Did these areas experience higher water usage as farm
land or is the increasing population density outpacing that of previous usage? With the study of this
demographic transition, projections can be made and utilized when considering continual development of
areas and the water use that is to be experienced.
ENVISIONING IMPACTS OF MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE ON WATER
RESOURCES IN THE BOISE RIVER BASIN, ID
Amy Steimke, Alejandro Flores, Bangshuai Han, Andrea Leonard
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
amysteimke@u.boisestate.edu
Changes in land use and land cover play a critical role in climate change and water resource availability.
However, feedbacks between land management strategies and regional hydroclimate are poorly
understood. There exists a need for improved representation and quantification of human activities on
hydroclimate under diverse management scenarios. In this poster, I will outline how we plan to isolate the
effects of various land management scenarios on water availability under several projections of climate
change within the Boise River Basin (BRB), a mostly federally-managed landscape. Working closely with
regional land managers, we will build a realistic suite of management scenarios which will be used in the
Envision agent-based modeling framework to assess impacts on key variables like snow cover, runoff, and
soil moisture. This framework treats the managed landscape as a dynamically coupled human and natural
system where management activities and hydrology can be simulated on the landscape. Results from this
study will allow us to quantify the impact of management activities on regional hydrology in the context of a
changing climate, identifying potentially causal relationships between management activities and regional
hydroclimate. We will continually communicate with our stakeholders to refine model parameterizations of
management scenarios and ensure that data products derived from the study are useful in management
contexts.
AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE MIDST OF CLIMATE CHANGE: USING AN AGENT- BASED
MODEL TO PREDICT THE EFFECTS OF HUMAN DECISION-MAKING ON AGRICULTURAL LANDS
Andrea Leonard, Alejandro Flores, Bangshuai Han, Amy Steimke
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise ID
andrealeonard@u.boisestate.edu
Agricultural sustainability will become a greater priority in the near future as climate change and population
growth continue in the semiarid West. Regional hydrology in the Boise River Basin (BRB) of southwestern
Idaho will vary with climate change, altering the spatiotemporal water demands in agricultural areas. It is
important to understand and quantify the impacts of human decisions and policies on agricultural
[51]
production in the midst of these changes. To accomplish this, we use an agent-based modeling framework
(Envision) that couples human and biophysical systems to create alternative future scenarios. This tool will
allow us to model decadal scale outcomes of agricultural activity in the BRB and assess trends associated
with climate and population change in variables such as irrigation use per unit acre, overall agricultural
water use in the BRB, crop yield, and urban growth impacts. Key required developments to the modeling
framework include: (1) a locally relevant but generalized crop choice model that integrates key local drivers
such as water rights, soil properties, and precipitation, (2) a robust, process-based crop growth model, and
(3) representative scenarios of future climate change to drive the crop choice and growth models. By
conducting several scenario analyses, we hope to identify key farm management decision variables that will
reveal regional implications on water demand and use as well as crop distribution and yields. Ultimately, the
modeling framework will be a useful tool to evaluate regional impacts of various policies.
INTEGRATING BIOPHYSICAL AND SOCIAL PROCESSES IN AN INTEGRATED MODELING
FRAMEWORK TO SUPPORT MANAGEMENT DECISION
Bangshuai Han1, Shawn Benner1, Nancy Glenn1, Eric Lindquist2, Khila Dahal2, John Bolte3, Kellie Vache3,
James Sulzman3, Alejandro Flores1
1
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University
2
Public Policy Research Center, Boise State University
3
Biological and Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University
4
Computer Science, Boise State University
5
Department of Civil Engineering, Boise State University
LejoFlores@boisestate.edu
Surface water and groundwater supply are greatly affected by climate-induced biophysical processes and
human activities, especially in populated semi-arid regions. Predicting water availability at regional scales,
while resolving some of the key internal variability and structure in semi-arid regions is important in order to
understand complex linkages between human and biophysical system. However, this integration is difficult
due to the degree to which humans have modified the hydrologic system by, for instance, creating dams and
other impoundments, canal systems to deliver irrigation water, and altering regional recharge and water
uptake through agricultural practices. In this study, we developed a modeling tool using the Envision multiagent framework to evaluate future water availability. This modeling tool captures elements of both human
and biophysical systems, explicitly integrating their mutual influence in a regional hydrosystem. We are
aiming to characterize the spatial patterns of water demand in the semi-arid Treasure Valley area of
Southwest Idaho, a rapidly developing socio-ecological system where urban growth is displacing agricultural
production. Hydrologic response units are represented using the conceptual HBV model, while another plugin (WaterMaster) captures the influence of human behavior by diverting water from natural waterways and
applying it as irrigation to places of use in accordance with documentation of water rights. Groundwater
withdrawal for irrigation purposes is also captured in a way that reflects the defined water rights within the
region. Initial results shows that irrigation activities significantly affects the magnitude and timing river
discharge. The modelling framework is meant to be a tool that can be used conjunctively by researchers and
stakeholders to evaluate future scenarios of urban growth, water management, and climate change. The
ultimate goal is to provide a tool that is useful for understanding the potential consequences of
management policies and activities on regional water use and sustainability.
[52]
WATER FOR THE SEASONS: EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY OF DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL
IMPLEMENTATION
Karen Simpson1, Maureen McCarthy3, Greg Pohll1,4, Derek Kauneckis4,5, Loretta Singletary2,6, Rich
Niswonger7, Mike Dettinger7, Seshadri Rajagopal4, Staci Emm6, Justin Huntington4, Kelley Sterle2
1
Department of Political Science, University of Nevada, Reno; 2Graduate Program of Hydrologic Science,
University of Nevada, Reno; 3Academy for the Environment, University of Nevada, Reno; 4Desert Research
Institute; 5Consortium for Energy, Economics, and the Environment, Voinovich School of Leadership and
Public Affairs, Ohio University; 6University of Nevada Cooperative Extension; 7U.S. Geological Survey
karensimpson@nevada.unr.edu
The Water for the Seasons project has been designed to create a collaborative research model for assessing
climate resilience in snow-fed arid basins. Although the initial research will focus on the Truckee-Carson
River System (TCRS) in northern Nevada, the project team intends to create a package of models and
methods that will be applicable to water management elsewhere in the U.S., as well as abroad. The TCRS
was selected for in-depth study because the diversity of local water-use and the complexity of water-use
arrangements makes it possible to explore the impact of a variety of factors on resilience and enhances the
generalizability of the results. Transferring this research to other basins, however, requires careful
consideration of local conditions and resources. This presentation is meant to present an initial evaluation of
the areas where this research might be utilized, the potential barriers created by differing economic and
regulatory environments, and some potential solutions to these issues.
ENHANCING RESILIENCY OF SNOW-FED ARID LAND RIVER SYSTEMS: A COLLABORATIVE
MODELING APPROACH
Kelley Sterle1, Karen Simpson2, Maureen McCarthy3, Greg Pohll1,4, Derek Kauneckis4,5, Loretta Singletary2,6,
Rich Niswonger7, Seshadri Rajagopal4, Mike Dettinger7, Justin Huntington4, Staci Emm6
1
Graduate Program of Hydrologic Science, University of Nevada, Reno; 2Department of Political Science,
University of Nevada, Reno; 3Academy for the Environment, University of Nevada, Reno; 4Desert Research
Institute; 5Consortium for Energy, Economics, and the Environment, Voinovich School of Leadership and
Public Affairs, Ohio University; 6University of Nevada Cooperative Extension; 7U.S. Geological Survey
ksterle@unr.edu
Management of snow-fed, arid river systems in the western United States has taken on critical importance
in response to the impact of variable climate conditions on water supply. By conducting an in-depth study of
the Truckee-Carson River System (TCRS), in northern Nevada, the Water for the Seasons project aims to
build a research model for examining climate resilience in snow-fed arid basins in the US and abroad. Over
the next four years, a highly interdisciplinary team will work collaboratively with local stakeholders to assess
the impact of different climate scenarios on the river system, and explore the potential for adaptation in
terms of water management. This project will fill gaps in existing research by: integrating groundwater,
surface flow and climatic models to create water supply scenarios, examining the preferences and decisionmaking processes of local water users and managers to create policy scenarios, and integrating both policy
and hydro-climatic models via collaborative modeling. This presentation will introduce the Water for the
Seasons project objectives in more detail, describe the structure and components of the hydrologic and
policy models, and explain the role of stakeholders in the collaborative modeling process.
[53]
CLIMATE CHANGE, WATER RIGHTS, AND WATER SUPPLY: THE CASE OF IRRIGATED
AGRICULTURE IN IDAHO
Wenchao Xu, Xiamen University, Scott E. Lowe, Boise State University, Richard Adams, Oregon State
University
scottlowe@boisestate.edu
We conduct a hedonic analysis to estimate the response of agricultural land uses to water supply
information under the Prior Appropriation Doctrine by using Idaho as a case study. Our analysis includes
long-term weather trends and water supply conditions as well as seasonal water supply forecasts. A farmlevel panel data set, which accounts for the priority effects of water rights and controls for diversified crop
mixes and rotation practices, is used. Our results indicate that farmers respond to long-term surface and
ground water conditions as well as to the seasonal water supply variation. Climate change-induced
variations in weather and water supply conditions could lead to substantial damages to irrigated agriculture.
We project substantial losses (up to 32%) of the average crop revenue for major agricultural areas under
future climate scenarios in Idaho. Finally, farmers demonstrate significantly varied responses given their
water rights priorities, which implies that the distributional impact of climate change is sensitive to
institutions such as the Prior Appropriation Doctrine.
LONG-TERM IMPACTS OF MAJOR WATER STORAGE FACILITIES ON AGRICULTURE AND THE
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: EVIDENCE FROM IDAHO (U.S.)
Zeynep K. Hansen, Boise State University, Scott E. Lowe, Boise State University, Wenchao Xu, Xiamen
University
scottlowe@boisestate.edu
We investigate the long-term impacts of water storage infrastructure (dams) on agriculture and the natural
environment in the semi-arid U.S. West. We conduct an empirical analysis of the agricultural impacts
associated with major dams in Idaho, focusing on their crop mixes, crop productivities, and overall
agricultural land values using an integrated, county-level repeated cross section dataset. Our results suggest
that the presence of a dam resulted in significant increases in total crop acreage, particularly in those
counties in which farmers have predominantly junior water rights. Dams led to an increase in the acreage of
the higher-valued, more water-intensive crops and positively impacted some crop productivities, particularly
during periods of severe droughts. In contrast to the traditional literature, we find that the presence of a
dam had a small, positive, but non-significant effect on farmland values. Finally, we evaluate long-term
patterns in stream flow change and examine the impacts of dams on the natural environment. We find that
the presence of dams enabled the spatiotemporal transfer of water resources from cold (non-agricultural) to
warm (agriculturally-intensive) seasons, reduced the potential availability of water resources for ecosystem
use, and increased the seasonal volatility in water supplies.
[54]
SPECIAL FEATURE
THE ALPHABET—A TRAVELING EXHIBITION OF THE WORLD’S ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST
Stinne Storm and Resford Rouzer, Department of Art, University of Utah, Salt Lake City UT
Stinnestorm@gmail.com
This show was started by graduate students at The Environmental Humanities Program at University of
Utah. It aims to raise awareness of the contemporary reality of extinction, by visually presenting all the
currently listed animals in public spaces. The show allows people the opportunity to stand in front of the
alphabet of the mass extinction as a way of connecting with the direness of the state of our world as a
whole. As a symbol the alphabet is a non-hierarchical artistic statement; it expresses a vision for shared
accountability and breaks down all geographical reference points, due to the alphabetic order of species
rather than places-based. From this a sense of a collective choir arises. This extinction is a worldwide
movement on its own, spelling out reality. As non-human species expire, increasingly fewer components are
available to sustain us. Our animal bodies sense and tell us that inherent in this mass extinction is a potential
echo of our own. It tells us to be aware and take action to survive. In the American West we find ourselves
surrounded by a landscape of grandness in both grace and fierceness. Scholars in the field of environmental
dialogue, design and planning — artistic as well as traditional academic — need new ways to engage with
peers to kindle our devotion and keep our visions burning. This is what the alphabet exhibition wish to
perform.
[55]
NOTES
[56]
http://environment.unr.edu/consortium/
Front and back cover photos courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management