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At least 1,027 records · Page 57Linked to original sources
USGS1951

Preliminary report on geobotanical exploration in the Yellow Cat District, Grand County, Utah

Two geobotanical methods of prospecting have been applied to the search for uranium deposits in the Yellow Cat district, Grand County, Utah. The first method is based on the absorption and accumulation of uranium by plants from underlying uranium deposits. To demonstrate this method, several hundred samples of Juniperus monosperma, Atriplex confert ifolia, and Cowania mexicana were collected in the district and analyzed for their uranium content. Plants containing significant amounts of uranium are considered to indicate mineralized ground. The second method of prospecting is based on the relation of selenium-indicator plants of the genera Astragalus and Stanleya to mineralized ground. Chemical analyses show that selenium is associated with the uranium and vanadium in the ore deposits. Distribution maps of the selenium-indicator plants, Astragalus confertiflorus. A. Pattersonii, A. Preussii var. arctus, and Stanleya pinnata, are included in this report. Outlines of favorable ground in the Yellow Cat district determined by these data are drawn on the maps.

Utah↗
USGS1988

Key to acanthocephala reported in waterfowl

This is the third part of a continuing series on helminths reported in waterfowl (McDonald 1974, 1981). Coots and moorhens (in Family Rallidae, Order Gruiformes) are included with the Anatidae of Anseriformes. The goal of these studies i complete coverage of waterfowl helminths of the world, although the original incentive-inadequate knowledge of the parasites of North American waterfowl- is less true now. World coverage is desirable because the world distribution of the family, tribes, and even many species of waterfowl often results in world distribution of parasites.

Resource Publication↗
USGS1982

Liming of acidified waters: issues and research - a report of the International Liming Workshop

Acidic deposition is a problem of significant national and international concern. It is strongly suspected that acidic deposition has adversely affected aquatic resources in Scandinavia and North America. While substantial resources are being devoted to understanding the causative factors associated with surface water acidification, much less research is being conducted on mitigative strategies. Mitigative techniques involving liming may be useful for short-term protection of specific component of aquatic communities or for renovation of seriously impacted aquatic ecosystems. The selection of effective liming strategies is based on an integrated understanding of the following key factors: biological systems, water chemistry, sediment chemistry, hydrology, and watershed characteristics, effectiveness of neutralizing materials, and application techniques. Research in Scandinavia, Canada, and the U.S. has led to a partial understanding of some of the key factors for successful neutralization of surface waters (Bengtsson, 1982; Fraser and Britt, 1982). However, conflicting results of liming operations and experiments have been reported. (Fraser et al., 1982; Fraser and Britt, 1982; Sverdrup and Bjerle, 1982). Additional research is required to improve the ability of scientists and resource managers to select effective liming strategies. An International Liming workshop was convened during 19-25 September 1982 at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories. The major objective of this workshop were: - To identify the most critical deficiencies in the scientific understanding of liming techniques and their long-term consequences. - To develop and document a research strategy to address information deficiencies that are pertinent to the protection or renovation of acidic surface waters in the United States. The participants who contributed to this workshop are listed in Table 1.

FWS/OBS↗
USGS2010

Olympic Fisher Reintroduction Project: 2010 Progress Report

The 2010 progress report is a summary of the reintroduction, monitoring, and research efforts undertaken during the third year of the Olympic fisher reintroduction project. Jeffrey C. Lewis of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Patti J. Happe of Olympic National Park, and Kurt J. Jenkins of U. S. Geological Survey are the principal investigators of the monitoring and research program associated with the reintroduction. David J. Manson of Olympic National Park is the lead biological technician.

Washington↗
USGS2011

Formal and informal trail monitoring protocols and baseline conditions: Great Falls Park and Potomac Gorge. Final research report

This report presents the results of research on the conditions of formal and informal (visitorcreated) trails conducted within the Great Falls Park (GFP) portion of George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP), Virginia, and the adjacent Maryland portions of the C&O Canal National Historical Park (CHOH). This research was prompted primarily by concerns about the impact of extensive informal trail networks within both parks on native vegetation and rare plant communities, rare flora and fauna, and historic and archaeological resources. Resource conditions on formal park trails were also assessed to provide information supporting the development of park planning and management decision-making.

Report↗
USGS2009

Olympic Fisher Reintroduction Project- 2009 Progress Report

The 2009 progress report is a summary of the reintroduction, monitoring, and research efforts undertaken during the first two years of the Olympic fisher reintroduction project. Jeffrey C. Lewis of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Patti J. Happe of Olympic National Park, and Kurt J. Jenkins of U. S. Geological Survey are the principal investigators of the monitoring and research program associated with the reintroduction. David J. Manson of Olympic National Park is the lead biological

Washington↗
USGS2012

Wind River watershed restoration: Annual report of U.S. Geological Survey activities November 2010 – October 2011

This report summarizes work completed by U.S. Geological Survey’s Columbia River Research Laboratory (USGS-CRRL) in the Wind River subbasin during November 2010 through October 2011 under Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) contract 40481. The primary focus of USGS activities during this contract was on tagging of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, and working toward a network of instream PIT tag detection systems to monitor movements and life histories of these fish.

Report↗
USGS2012

2011 Georgiana Slough non-physical barrier performance evaluation project report

The Sacramento River and its tributaries support populations of anadromous fish species including winter-run, spring-run, fall-run, and late fall–run Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ); and steelhead ( O. mykiss ). Several of these species are listed as threatened or endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), or both. These species spawn and rear in Sacramento River tributaries; adults use the mainstem Sacramento River for primarily upstream migration and juveniles use it for downstream migration. Juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead migrate through the lower river during winter and spring. During their downstream migration, juvenile salmonids encounter alternative pathways, such as Sutter and Steamboat Sloughs, the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (Delta), Delta Cross Channel (DCC), and Georgiana Slough. Likewise, sturgeon juveniles migrate downstream in the Sacramento River basin to the Delta, utilizing the distributary channels to rear within and migrate through the system. Georgiana Slough is a natural channel that allows water and fish to move into the interior Delta. Previous studies have demonstrated that juvenile Chinook salmon experience greater mortality when migrating into Georgiana Slough than those juveniles that continue to migrate downstream in the Sacramento River (Perry 2010). Movement and/or diversion of these fish into the interior and south Delta increases the likelihood of losses through predation, entrainment into non-project Delta diversions, and mortality associated with the State Water Project (SWP) and Central Valley Project (CVP) pumping facilities in the south Delta (Perry 2010; NMFS 2009). Figure ES-1 shows the migration pathways in the lower Sacramento River and Delta for outmigrating anadromous salmonids, and the location of the DCC, and the SWP and CVP pumping facilities in the south Delta. Passage of juvenile salmonids from the Sacramento River into the interior Delta through the DCC can be reduced through seasonal closure of the radial gates (February through May); however, no similar protection is available to reduce the movement of juvenile salmonids from the Sacramento River into the interior Delta through Georgiana Slough. Flows into Georgiana Slough improve water quality and flushing in the interior Delta and free access encourages use by recreational boaters. Because of these benefits, alternatives to the installation of a physical barrier (i.e. radial gates), are being investigated. Under the ESA, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued the 2009 Biological and Conference Opinion for the Long‐Term Operations of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project (BO) for Chinook salmon and other listed anadromous fish species (NMFS 2009). Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) Action IV.1.3 of the BO requires the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to consider engineering solutions to reduce the diversion of juvenile salmonids from the Sacramento River into the interior and south Delta. DWR implemented the 2011 Georgiana Slough NonPhysical Barrier (GSNPB) Study to test the effectiveness of using a non-physical barrier, referred to as a behavioral Bio-Acoustic Fish Fence (BAFF), that combines three stimuli to deter juvenile Chinook salmon from entering Georgiana Slough: sound, high-intensity modulated light (previously known as stroboscopic light), and a bubble curtain. This report presents the results of the experimental tests conducted in 2011.

California↗
USGS2010

Mount Rainier National Park and Olympic National Park Elk Monitoring Program Annual Report 2010

Fiscal year 2010 was the third year of gathering data needed for protocol development while simultaneously implementing what is expected to be the elk monitoring protocol at Mount Rainier (MORA) and Olympic (OLYM) national parks in the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN). Elk monitoring in these large wilderness parks relies on aerial surveys from a helicopter. Summer surveys are planned for both parks and are intended to provide quantitative estimates of abundance, sex and age composition, and distribution of migratory elk in high elevation trend count areas. Spring surveys are planned at Olympic National Park and are intended to provide quantitative estimates of abundance of resident and migratory elk on low-elevation winter ranges within surveyed trend count areas. An unknown number of elk is not detected during surveys. The protocol under development aims to estimate the number of missed elk by applying a model that accounts for detection bias. Detection bias in elk surveys in MORA will be estimated using a double-observer sightability model that was developed based on data from surveys conducted in 2008-2010. The model was developed using elk that were previously equipped with radio collars by cooperating tribes. That model is currently in peer review. At the onset of protocol development in OLYM there were no existing radio- collars on elk. Consequently double-observer sightability models have not yet been developed for elk surveys in OLYM; the majority of the effort in OLYM has been focused on capturing and radio collaring elk to permit the development of sightability models for application in OLYM. As a result, no estimates of abundance or composition are included in this annual report, only raw counts of the numbers of elk seen in surveys. At MORA each of the two trend count areas (North Rainier herd, and South Rainier herd) were surveyed twice. 290 and 380 elk were counted on the two replicates in the North Rainier herd, and 621 and 327 elk counted on the two replicate South Rainier counts. At Olympic National Park, each of three spring trend count areas was surveyed once in March 2010. 27 elk were observed in the South Fork Hoh trend count area, 137 elk were observed in the Hoh trend count area, and 131 elk were observed in the Queets trend count area. In September 2010, 18 elk were captured and fitted with radio collars as part of a contracted animal capture, eradication and tagging of animals (ACETA) operation. These animals will be available to contribute double-observer sightability data in future spring and summer surveys. There were no summer surveys for elk in OLYM in 2010.

Washington↗
USGS1954

Progress report on selected ground-water basins in Utah

This technical publication consists essentially of the interpretation of data collected in connection with a detailed inventory of ground-water pumpage and water-level trends in four irrigation districts in southern Utah. Much of this information was assembled in a preliminary report entitled "Inventory of ground-water pumpage in three irrigation districts in southern Utah," by H. A. Waite and others, and was used by the State Engineer in a court hearing in Parowan in February 1954.

Utah↗
USGS2012

Snake River fall Chinook salmon life history investigations: Annual report 2010

This report summarizes three research activities conducted in 2010-2011. The first was a radiotelemetry study conducted in the lower Clearwater River. The second was a hydroacoustic study conducted in Lower Granite and Little Goose reservoirs. The third was an analysis of covariates affecting juvenile fall Chinook salmon survival and behavior. In 2010, we used radiotelemetry to evaluate the migratory behavior, delay, and relative mortality of subyearling fall Chinook salmon in the Clearwater River and Lower Granite Reservoir. We captured, tagged, and released a total of 100 run-at-large subyearlings in the Transition Zone of the lower Clearwater River in late July and monitored their downstream movement past fixed detection sites and by mobile tracking through the end of August. The Transition Zone is that portion of the river where it transitions from free-flowing to impounded habitat. Median residence time of fish that passed through the Transition Zone, Confluence, and Upper Reservoir reaches was relatively short (8.8-25.6 h). However, for fish that remained in the Transition Zone that were detected by mobile tracking, median residence time was over 30 d (N=6). Median migration rates through the study reaches were variable but slow (range 2.9-17.2 km/d) compared to that of more active migrants indicating that subyearlings from the Clearwater River were not actively migrating during July and August. The fate of radio-tagged subyearlings was determined from mobile tracking records. A total of 37 of the 71 fish detected during tracking were deemed to be dead, 22 were determined to be alive, and the fate of 16 was unknown. We also radio tagged 66 smallmouth bass in the Confluence reach and later detected 59 bass during mobile tracking. Predators were primarily located along shorelines in the Confluence reach, but a few fish did swim downstream into the Upper Reservoir reach. Most radio-tagged subyearlings that we determined to be dead were also located in shoreline areas suggesting that predation could account for some of the mortality we observed.

Oregon, Washington↗
USGS2013

Raptor nesting near oil and gas development: an overview of key findings and implications for management based on four reports by HawkWatch International

The project was undertaken because of a paucity of information about the possible effects of OG operations and resource management on nesting raptors. BLM raptor management has included stipulations that restricted human activity near raptor nests during the raptor nesting season. The BLM and the Department of Energy (DOE), which provided financial support for the study, seek information that will contribute to enhancing OG extraction operations while providing environmental protection, including raptor conservation. This project used historical data from Utah and Wyoming. The Price, Utah study area, as of 2006, contained more than 1,100 wells, in a nearly uniform distribution at a density of one per quarter section (160-acre spacing). Some development occurred closer to existing nests because the nest sites had not been discovered or because the land is administered by the State of Utah, without these stipulations. The Rawlins, Wyoming study area included more than 4,200 OG wells in 2006. Compared to the Price study area, wells at Rawlins were less regularly distributed; reaching densities of one well per quarter section (160-acre spacing) in some areas, but less dense elsewhere. HWI compiled information from federal bureaus, state agencies, and industry, and determined how to evaluate the effectiveness of spatial and temporal buffer restrictions that have been applied within areas of OG extraction. HWI used the historical data to describe patterns of OG development relative to raptor nests, and to document changes in the distribution and breeding status of raptor nests relative to OG activities. HWI evaluated how these historical datasets were useful for quantifying the relationship between OG development and other human activities and nesting raptors. HWI assessed changes in Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) nesting success and productivity, and in use of artificial nest structures (ANSs), which had been erected to reduce the use by raptors of OG structures as nest substrates. Also, HWI studied Accipiter species’ use of pinyon– juniper vegetation communities in the Piceance Basin of Colorado, described basic vegetation and landscape characteristics of nests, and offered recommendations about surveying for accipiter hawks in pinyon–juniper landscapes. Please read the HWI reports for details.

BLM Technical Note↗
USGS1974

A progress report on results of test drilling and ground-water investigations of the Snake Plain aquifer, southeastern Idaho: Part 3: Lake Walcott-Bonanza Lake area

Direct-current resistivity soundings and exploratory drilling suggest that the basalt of the Snake River Group is relatively thin in the area along the Snake River that is topographically suitable for pumping large quantities of ground water in exchange for surface water. The formations underlying the Snake River Group appear to have low permeability and probably would not yield large amounts of water. Previous studies have indicated that the southern edge of the Snake Plain aquifer extended to the Snake River. Data presented in this report implies that, in general, the southern boundary should, in fact, be several miles north of the river.

Idaho↗
USGS1954

Summary of geology and ground-water resources of the Eastern Shore peninsula, Virginia: a preliminary report

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Virginia Division of Geology (Virginia Division of Mineral Resources), conducted an investigation of the geology and ground-water resources of the Coastal Plain of Virginia. This report summarizes preliminary findings from exploratory test drilling done to ascertain whether there are any satisfactory water-bearing zones deeper than those in general use.

Virginia↗
USGS2013

Operational Group Sandy technical progress report

Hurricane Sandy made US landfall near Atlantic City, NJ on 29 October 2012, causing 72 direct deaths, displacing thousands of individuals from damaged or destroyed dwellings, and leaving over 8.5 million homes without power across the northeast and mid-Atlantic. To coordinate federal rebuilding activities in the affected region, the President established the cabinet-level Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force (Task Force). The Task Force was charged with identifying opportunities for achieving rebuilding success while supporting economic vitality, improving public health and safety, protecting and enhancing natural and manmade infrastructure, bolstering resilience, and ensuring appropriate accountability. The Department of the Interior (DOI) Strategic Sciences Group (SSG) was established in 2012 to provide interdisciplinary science-based scenarios for environmental crises affecting Departmental resources. In January 2013, the Secretary of the Interior directed the SSG to support the Department’s participation in the Task Force. The SSG assembled a team of experts from government, academia, and non-governmental organizations – Operational Group Sandy (OGS) – to develop scenarios for the impacts of Hurricane Sandy and future major storms on coastal communities and urban systems in the New York/New Jersey region. This report documents results from the March 2013 deployment of the OGS. It includes background information on Hurricane Sandy and the federal response; the OGS methodology; scenarios for Hurricane Sandy’s impact on coastal communities and urban ecosystems; potential interventions to improve regional resilience to future major storms; a discussion of scenario results; and lessons learned about the OGS process.

Report↗
USGS2013

Mount Rainier National Park and Olympic National Park elk monitoring program annual report 2011

Fiscal year 2011 was the first year of implementing an approved elk monitoring protocol in Mount Rainier (MORA) and Olympic (OLYM) National Parks in the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) (Griffin et al. 2012). However, it was the fourth and second year of gathering data according to protocol in MORA and OLYM respectively; data gathered during the protocol development phase followed procedures that are laid out in the protocol. Elk monitoring in these large wilderness parks relies on aerial surveys from a helicopter. Summer surveys are intended to provide quantitative estimates of abundance, sex and age composition, and distribution of migratory elk in high elevation trend count areas. An unknown number of elk is not detected during surveys; however the protocol estimates the number of missed elk by applying a model that accounts for detection bias. Detection bias in elk surveys in MORA is estimated using a double-observer sightability model that was developed using survey data from 2008-2010 (Griffin et al. 2012). That model was developed using elk that were previously equipped with radio collars by cooperating tribes. At the onset of protocol development in OLYM there were no existing radio-collars on elk. Consequently the majority of the effort in OLYM in the past 4 years has been focused on capturing and radio-collaring elk and conducting sightability trials needed to develop a double-observer sightability model in OLYM. In this annual report we provide estimates of abundance and composition for MORA elk, raw counts of elk made in OLYM, and describe sightability trials conducted in OLYM. At MORA the North trend count area was surveyed twice and the South once (North Rainier herd, and South Rainier herd). We counted 373 and 267 elk during two replicate surveys of the North Rainier herd, and 535 elk in the South Rainier herd. Using the model, we estimated that 413 and 320 elk were in the North and 652 elk were in the South trend count areas during the time of the respective surveys. At OLYM, the Core and Northwest trend count areas were completely surveyed, as were portions of the Quinault. In addition, we surveyed 10 survey units specifically to get resight data. Two-hundred and forty eight elk were counted in the Core, 19 in the Northwest, and 169 in the Quinault. We conducted double-observer sightability trials associated with 14 collared elk groups for use in developing the double-observer sightability model for OLYM.

Washington↗
USGS2007

Survey report of NOAA Ship McArthur II cruises AR-04-04, AR-05-05 and AR-06-03: habitat classification of side scan sonar imagery in support of deep-sea coral/sponge explorations at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

Habitat mapping and characterization has been defined as a high-priority management issue for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS), especially for poorly known deep-sea habitats that may be sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance. As a result, a team of scientists from OCNMS, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), and other partnering institutions initiated a series of surveys to assess the distribution of deep-sea coral/sponge assemblages within the sanctuary and to look for evidence of potential anthropogenic impacts in these critical habitats. Initial results indicated that remotely delineating areas of hard bottom substrate through acoustic sensing could be a useful tool to increase the efficiency and success of subsequent ROV-based surveys of the associated deep-sea fauna. Accordingly, side scan sonar surveys were conducted in May 2004, June 2005, and April 2006 aboard the NOAA Ship McArthur II to: (1) obtain additional imagery of the seafloor for broader habitat-mapping coverage of sanctuary waters, and (2) help delineate suitable deep-sea coral-sponge habitat, in areas of both high and low commercial-fishing activities, to serve as sites for surveying-in more detail using an ROV on subsequent cruises, Several regions of the sea floor throughout the OCNMS were surveyed and mosaicked at 1-meter pixel resolution. Imagery from the side scan sonar mapping efforts was integrated with other complementary data from a towed camera sled, ROVs, sedentary samples, and bathymetry records to describe geological and biological (where possible) aspects of habitat. Using a hierarchical deep-water marine benthic classification scheme (Greene et al. 1999), we created a preliminary map of various habitat polygon features for use in a geographical information system (GIS). This report provides a description of the mapping and groundtruthing efforts as well as results of the image classification procedure for each of the areas surveyed.

Washington↗