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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
USGS2011

Proceedings of the Fourth Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds—Observing, Studying, and Managing for Change

These proceedings contain the abstracts, manuscripts, and posters of presentations given at the Fourth Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds—Observing, Studying, and Managing for Change, held at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks, Alaska, September 26–30, 2011. The conference was jointly hosted by the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service. Watersheds face resource impacts driven by accelerated change related to land use, population, and climate. About every three years a conference is held to bring together watershed researchers, observers, and managers to share scientific advances and management strategies. This year, the Fourth ICRW took a wider perspective on watershed science and examined some pressing issues of watershed science and management in our largest and perhaps most vulnerable state, Alaska. The purpose of the conference was to better understand the processes driving change and help managers incorporate societal needs and scientific uncertainty in the management of natural resources. The conference echoed similar themes to the last, highlighting the challenges of managing watersheds based on available science when considerably uncertainty remains regarding the hypothesized relationships between observed environmental changes and their ultimate effects. For example, while the scientific case for anthropogenic climate change has been well presented, confirming possible cause and effect relationships between climatic change and physical and ecological impacts in highly variable, natural systems continues to represent a scientific challenge. This goal becomes even more difficult when superimposed upon a long history of natural resource and land management practices that have fundamentally changed the physical, chemical and biological processes important in maintaining naturally functioning ecosystems. Designing and implementing studies to better understand watersheds and clearly communicating the findings to decisionmakers will be the primary challenge for natural resource scientists and managers into the foreseeable future.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2021

U.S. Geological Survey Karst Interest Group Proceedings, October 19–20, 2021

Karst hydrogeologic systems represent challenging and unique conditions to scientists attempting to study groundwater flow and contaminant transport. Karst terrains are characterized by distinct and beautiful landscapes, caverns, and springs, and many of the exceptional karst areas are designated as national or state parks. The range and complexity of landforms and groundwater flow systems associated with karst terrains are enormous, perhaps more than any other type of aquifer. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Karst Interest Group (KIG), formed in 2000, is a loosely knit, grassroots organization of USGS and non-USGS scientists and researchers devoted to fostering better communication among scientists working on, or interested in, karst aquifers. The primary mission of the KIG is to encourage and support interdisciplinary collaboration and technology transfer among scientists working in karst areas. To accomplish its mission, the KIG has organized a series of workshops. To date (2021), eight KIG workshops, including the workshop documented in this report, have been held. This workshop is the first virtual workshop. The abstracts and extended abstracts provide a snapshot in time of past and current karst-related studies. The field trip guide is included in the proceedings volume even though the field trip will not occur in person.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2024

Novel data in recreation monitoring—Summary proceedings from interagency workshops in 2019 and 2023

Two interagency workshops were held in 2019 and 2023 in Fort Collins, Colorado, to discuss the use of novel data in recreation monitoring. During the workshops, the phrase “novel data in recreation monitoring” was primarily used to refer to data from social media, mobile device applications, and other online secondary sources. The goals of these workshops were to share information across agencies and researchers on the state of the science and applications for using novel data and to collectively discuss best practices for using novel data for understanding recreation on public lands and waters. Presentations during the workshops focused on use-cases, current applications, and the current state of research (as of the time of the workshops) for using novel data in recreation monitoring. Group discussions during the workshops focused on the strengths and limitations of novel data sources, potential approaches for integrating new and emerging data sources and methods with traditional approaches, and research and management needs. This report provides the proceedings of the 2019 and 2023 interagency workshops on novel data in recreation monitoring.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2004

Mute swans and their Chesapeake Bay habitats: proceedings of a symposium

The symposium 'Mute Swans and their Chesapeake Bay Habitats,' held on June 7, 2001, provided a forum for biologists and managers to share research findings and management ideas concerning the exotic and invasive mute swan (Cygnus olar). This species has been increasing in population size and is considered by many to be a problem in regard to natural food resources in the Bay that are used by native waterfowl during the winter months. Other persons, however, feel that resource managers are attempting to create a problem to justify more killing of waterfowl by hunters. Some persons also believe that managers should focus on the larger issues causing the decline of native food resources, such as the unabated human population increase in the Bay watershed and in the immediate coastal areas of the Bay. The symposium, sponsored by the Wildfowl Trust of North America and the U.S. Geological Survey, provided the atmosphere for presentation of mute swan data and opinions in a collegial setting where discussion was welcomed and was often informative and enthusiastic. An interesting historic review of the swan in regard to the history of mankind was presented, followed by a discussion on the positive and negative effects of invasive species. Biologists from different parts of the continent discussed the population status of the species in several states in the east and in the Great Lakes area. Data on the food habits of this species were presented in regard to submerged aquatic vegetation, and an interesting discussion on the role that the food habits of Canada geese in regard to native vegetation was presented. Findings and recommendations of the Mute Swan Task Force were presented. Finally, a representative of the Friends of Animals gave a thought-provoking presentation in defense of the mute swan. The presentations, in general, provided the necessary information and recommendations to allow managers to proceed with management of this controversial species with new and valuable perspectives.

Maryland, Virginia↗
USGS1997

Proceedings of the third biennial conference of research on the Colorado Plateau

The papers in this volume are contributions from federal, state, and private sector researchers, who have come together to share scientific information with land managers on the Colorado Plateau. This Proceedings is the third in a series of publications that focuses on providing information to land managers on baseline scientific information pertaining to physical, cultural and biological resources of the Colorado Plateau. Support for these studies came from a spectrum of federal, state, and private partners concerned about the well-being of the Plateau's resources. I applaud the effort of the contributors. With modest funding and a broad base of public and institutional support, these authors have pursued important lines of work in the four states that comprise the Colorado Plateau biogeographic region.

Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah↗
USGS1984

Proceedings of a workshop on fish habitat suitability index models

One of the habitat-based methodologies for impact assessment currently in use by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1980). HEP is based on the assumption that the quality of an area as wildlife habitat at a specified target year can be described by a single number, called a Habitat Suitability Index (HSI). An HSI of 1.0 represents optimum habitat: an HSI of 0.0 represents unsuitable habitat. The verbal or mathematical rules by which an HSI is assigned to an area are called an HSI model. A series of Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models, described by Schamberger et al. (1982), have been published to assist users in applying HEP. HSI model building approaches are described in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1981). One type of HSI model described in detail requires the development of Suitability Index (SI) graphs for habitat variables believed to be important for the growth, survival, standing crop, or other measure of well-being for a species. Suitability indices range from 0 to 1.0, with 1.0 representing optimum conditions for the variable. When HSI models based on suitability indices are used, habitat variable values are measured, or estimated, and converted to SI's through the use of a Suitability Index graph for each variable. Individual SI's are aggregated into an HSI. Standard methods for testing this type of HSI model did not exist at the time the studies reported in this document were performed. A workshop was held in Fort Collins, Colorado, February 14-15, 1983, that brought together biologists experienced in the use, development, and testing of aquatic HSI models, in an effort to address the following objectives: (1) review the needs of HSI model users; (2) discuss and document the results of aquatic HSI model tests; and (3) provide recommendations for the future development, testing, modification, and use of HSI models. Individual presentations, group discussions, and group decision techniques were used to develop and present information at the meeting. A synthesis of the resulting concepts, results, and recommendations follows this preface. Subsequent papers describe individual tests of selected HSI models. Most of the tests involved comparison of values from HSI models or Suitability index (SI) curves with standing crop, as required contractually. Time and budget constraints generally limited tests to the use of data previously collected for other purposes. These proceedings are intended to help persons responsible for the development, testing, or use of HSI models by increasing their understanding of potential uses and limitations of testing procedures and models based on aggregated Suitability Indices. Problems encountered when testing HSI models are described, model performance during tests is documents, and recommendations for future model development and testing presented by the participants are listed and interpreted.

Biological Report↗
USGS2002

Preface: Proceedings of the seventh international symposium on the biology and management of corigonid fishes

This volume is the proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium on the Biology and Management of Coregonid Fishes (ISBMCF). As in all six preceding symposia, the seventh meeting of the ISBMCF provided an international forum for the scientific review and discussion of the various taxonomic, biological, ecological, and management issues that surround this important group of Holarctic fishes. The collection of presentations for this conference was addressed in the following convened sessions: Genetics, Stocking, Fisheries, and Biology, as well as special sessions on Lake Baikal, Russia and Lake Femund, Norway. The conference comprised 53 oral and 58 poster presentations by scientists from Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Norway, Poland, Russia, and the United States. In total, there were 162 participants, including an unprecedented 18 scientists from Russia as the result of additional, concerted support.

Book chapter↗
USGS1996

Water-vapor movement through unsaturated alluvium in Amargosa Desert near Beatty, Nevada - Current understanding and continuing studies: A section in Joint US Geological Survey, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission workshop on research related to low-level radioactive waste disposal, May 4-6, 1993, National Center, Reston, Virginia; Proceedings (WRI 95-4015)

Disposal of low-level radioactive wastes has been a concern since the 1950's. These wastes commonly are buried in shallow trenches (Fischer, 1986, p. 2). Water infiltrating into the trenches is considered the principal process by which contaminants are transported away from the buried wastes, although gaseous transport in some areas may be important. Arid regions in the western United States have been suggested as places that could provide safe containment of the wastes, because little or no water would infiltrate into the trenches (Richardson, 1962), and because thick unsaturated zones would slow contaminant movement. Although burial in arid regions may greatly reduce the amount of water coming in contact with the waste and consequently may provide longterm containment, insufficient data are available on the effectiveness of burial in such regions. Of particular interest is the potential for contaminant movement, either as liquid or vapor, through unsaturated sediments to land surface or to underlying ground water. Since 1962, low-level radioactive wastes have been buried at a disposal facility in the Amargosa Desert, about 17 km south of Beatty, Nevada (fig. 50). This facility is in one of the most arid regions of the United States. Annual precipitation at the disposal facility averaged 82 mm for 1985-92; the minimum was 14 mm, recorded for 1989 (Wood and Andraski, 1992, p. 12). Investigations to determine the hydrogeology, water movement, and potential for contaminant movement at the facility began in 1976. Results from an initial study indicated that a potential exists for deep percolation of infiltrated water at the burial site (Nichols, 1987), assuming that the only water loss is by evaporation because the trenches are kept clear of vegetation. Results from a subsequent study of water movement beneath an undisturbed, vegetated site indicate that percolation of infiltrated water may be limited to the uppermost 9 m of sediments, on the basis of water potentials, subsurface temperatures, water content, and sodium chloride content of the sediments (Fischer, 1992, p. 1). One objective of a third study that began in 1987 is to determine how the typical procedure of burying wastes alters water movement and affects the potential for deep percolation of infiltrated water (Andraski, these proceedings). In addition to these studies, a fourth began in 1992 to determine the importance of vapor movement through the unsaturated zone. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the current understanding of water movement (as liquid and vapor) through the upper 13 m of unsaturated sediments beneath the undisturbed, vegetated site and to present plans for determining the importance of watervapor movement from land surface to the water table.

Nevada↗
USGS1993

Proceedings of the symposium on restoration planning for the rivers of Mississippi River ecosystem

This volume presents over 25 papers containing the proceedings of a symposium held at the 122nd annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society in September 1992. The symposium was organised to review the status of fish and wildlife resources and restoration planning for the Mississippi river ecosystem. The objectives of the symposia were as follows: to present existing information of the biota and values associated with riverine resources throughout the basin; to identify existing or planned actions that might be useful for fisheries management in rivers within the basin and to identify minimal requirements for the restoration of important fish stocks, other aquatic resources and entire ecosystems. Papers included in this issue cover the following topics: thee impacts of altered hydrologic sediment and organic matter cycles; the availability of woody debris in the river cross-section, loss of floodplain and side-arm connection, and changing water quality.

Mississippi River Basin↗
USGS1996

Geodynamic Evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains and the West Antarctica Rift System: Proceedings of a workshop

The workshop "Geodynamic Evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains and West Antarctic Rift System" was convened to provide a forum for discussion of future research on Antarctic rifting processes. The workshop drew on the expertise of thirty-one geologists and geophysicists currently involved in Antarctic research or investigating other rift systems. The general goal of the workshop was to foster enhanced cooperation and communication between the Antarctic geologic community, the Antarctic geophysical community and the global community studying the processes of rifting and rift-related uplift. Workshop sessions were designed to critically examine process-oriented rift models, with particular emphasis on identifying geological and geophysical tests of these models that can be applied to the unique Antarctic setting. Recommendations for future research are included in the workshop proceedings.

Report↗
USGS2024

U.S. Geological Survey Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center: Proceedings of the fiscal year 2023 annual reporting meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program

This proceedings is prepared for the USBR and Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP) to account for work conducted and products delivered in FY 2023 by SBSC's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) and to inform the Technical Work Group of science conducted by GCMRC and its cooperators in support of the GCDAMP. It includes a summary of accomplishments, modifications to work plans, and results related to projects included in GCMRC’s FY 2021-23 Triennial Work Plan. This work was done to support the 11 resource goals identified in the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP) Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision.

Arizona, Nevada, Utah↗
USGS2020

Book review: Proceedings of the First International Snakehead Symposium

Snakehead fishes (family Channidae) are among the most maligned aquatic invasive species in the USA and some other countries where they have been introduced outside of their native range in Asia and Africa. Nevertheless, snakeheads continue to be widely exploited in the live‐food trade in aquaculture and wild‐capture fisheries, are highly sought by anglers, and are also popular in the aquarium trade (Courtenay and Williams 2004). The Northern Snakehead Channa argus is the most widespread of the three channid species that are currently naturalized in the USA. This species has generated much concern and controversy, a situation that is partly fueled by sensational media coverage and B‐grade science fiction horror films, such as “Frankenfish,” “Snakehead Terror,” and “Snakehead Swamp.” Media reports of snakehead introductions are often replete with provocative terms, such as “vicious,” “villain,” “voracious,” “monster,” “diabolical,” and even “ecological Armageddon.” When snakeheads first appeared in natural waters of the USA, fisheries professionals became increasingly interested in their status. Established populations rapidly expanded in the mid‐Atlantic region and Arkansas, with scattered reports of introduced snakeheads from isolated locations in Hawaii, California, North Carolina, Florida, the Upper Midwest, and New England. In 2002, snakeheads were added to the list of injurious fishes under the Lacey Act, thereby prohibiting their importation or transport across state lines without a permit. This symposium was conceived by the editors and other concerned fisheries professionals of the Mississippi River Basin Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species. The mission of the symposium, held in Alexandria, Virginia, in July 2018, was to bring together experts on snakehead biology and ecology and to synthesize existing information into summary papers. In this book, 35 authors contributed to 15 peer‐reviewed articles that detail the current state of knowledge about snakehead introductions in the USA. Additionally, 16 abstracts are included from meeting presentations that were not accompanied by full‐length manuscripts. Also included is a summary of a facilitated symposium panel discussion featuring eight experts representing state and federal natural resource agencies and private fishing organizations. The book is organized into six sections. In the first section (Distribution), three papers provide an overview of the Channa species introduced into the USA and historical accounts of occurrence and dispersal of the Northern Snakehead in the mid‐Atlantic region and Arkansas. The second section (Biology/Ecology) consists of two articles that examine growth and energetics of Northern Snakehead populations and two papers that investigate diet, diel feeding activity, and movement of this species in the Potomac River drainage. The third section (Monitoring/Response) includes a paper that models range expansion of the Northern Snakehead in the southeastern USA based on occurrence data and environmental conditions. Also included in this section is a paper summarizing an environmental DNA study to assess the status and range of the Bullseye Snakehead C. marulius in southern Florida. The fourth section (Management/Control) is comprised of four papers that address harvest, age and growth, and development of a stock–recruitment model to inform management decisions regarding control and mitigation for Northern Snakehead populations in the greater Chesapeake Bay area. The fifth section (Perspectives) includes a paper on the history of snakehead introductions in Japan and a thought‐provoking social commentary on the human dimensions of Northern Snakehead management. Abstracts in the final section provide brief summaries of a diversity of snakehead studies, including aspects of distribution, ecology, behavior, control and monitoring efforts, public outreach, and pathology. The summary of the panel discussion is an engaging dialogue about the challenges of snakehead management in the context of conflicts regarding snakeheads as injurious versus their value as game and food species. Most of this book is focused on the Northern Snakehead. Much has been done to document snakehead distributions and certain aspects of snakehead biology, such as diets, age, and growth. Less research has been devoted to understanding the ecological impacts of snakeheads to native aquatic communities and ecosystems. This book would have benefited from a chapter summarizing the current systematics and diversity of the Channidae to inform fisheries biologists about the morphological characteristics of the family, approximate numbers of genera and species, and taxonomic instability. Exemplifying the latter, recent molecular and morphological evidence indicates uncertainty regarding identification of the feral snakehead population in Florida (Adamson and Britz 2019). Those authors suggest that this population may have originated from western Thailand, a possibility that could have implications for understanding historical pathways of snakehead introductions into the USA. In comparison with many published AFS symposia, this volume is relatively narrow in scope and lacks cohesive integration. It will primarily be of interest to those fisheries professionals engaged in the study of snakeheads as well as other nonnative species for which there are contrasting social values regarding their management: whether to monitor and attempt control or eradication efforts or to maintain populations for harvest as game or food species. The book should serve to identify information gaps and guide future research.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS2021

Foreword: Control and conservation of lampreys beyond 2020 - Proceedings from the 3rd Sea Lamprey International Symposium (SLIS III)

Introduction to the special issue on the 3rd Sea Lamprey International Symposium. The compiled papers in this special issue consist of a combination of syntheses requested in advance of the symposium and perspectives that emerged from the symposium break-out discussions. These written contributions address the symposium goals of updating our understanding of sea lamprey control and research on lampreys since SLIS II and of exploring new ideas and posing new methods for controlling sea lamprey in the Great Lakes and supporting conservation of lampreys in their native ranges.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗
USGS1995

Introduction to the Proceedings of the 1994 International Conference on Restoration of Lake Trout in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) restoration in the Great Lakes began in the 1950s when stocking of artificially propagated lake trout was coupled with the first attempts at sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control. A major milestone in the restoration process was recorded when a selective sea lamprey larvicide was identified in 1958 (Applegate et al. 1958) and then applied broad scale in Lake Superior in 1958-60 (Applegate et al. 1961). Other milestones include the expansion of the sea lamprey control programs into Lakes Michigan and Huron in 1960 (sustained usage in Lake Huron began in 1966, Smith and Tibbles 1980), Lake Ontario in 1971-72 (Elrod et al. 1995), and Lake Erie in 1986 (Cornelius et al. 1995). Following the collapse of lake trout in the Great Lakes and the implementation of massive stocking of hatchery-reared fish and effective sea lamprey control, the first documented evidence of nearshore natural reproduction of lake trout was in Lake Superior in 1965 (Dryer and King 1968), in Lake Michigan in 1980 (Jude et al. 1981), in Lake Huron in 1981-82 (Nester and Poe 1984), and in Lake Ontario in 1986 (Marsden et al. 1988).

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗
USGS2016

Book review: New concepts and discoveries: the Geological Society of Nevada 2015 Symposium Proceedings

The Nevada Geological Society has a long history of convening meetings and workshops focused on the geology and metallogeny of the western United States relevant to the mineral exploration and mining community across the Great Basin. One outgrowth of the Geological Society of Nevada’s 2015 Symposium is a two-volume set, edited by W.M. Pennell and L.J. Garside, entitled New Concepts and Discoveries . The symposium was held in Sparks, Nevada, May 14–23, 2015, with more than 1,000 attendees, 59 talks in 10 thematic sessions, 7 field trips, and 10 short courses, all focused on serving the geologic, exploration, and mining community. The attractively produced, hardbound, two-volume set includes a CD-ROM containing all the manuscripts as well as numerous abstracts from presentations arranged by the thematic session in which they were presented. The papers range from detailed case study descriptions of individual deposits to important syntheses covering the geologic evolution and resulting metallogeny of the Great Basin and beyond.

Economic Geology↗