Due to a lapse in appropriations, the majority of USGS websites may not be up to date and may not reflect current conditions. Websites displaying real-time data, such as Earthquake and Water and information needed for public health and safety will be updated with limited support. Additionally, USGS will not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted. For more information, please see www.doi.gov/shutdown
Fort Collins Science Center
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Welcome to the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) located in Fort Collins, Colorado, just east of the Rocky Mountains. At FORT we develop and disseminate research-based information and tools needed to understand the nation’s biological resources in support of effective decision making.
Users, Uses, and Value of Landsat Imagery
Landsat satellites provide high-quality, imagery of urban, rural, and remote lands for all areas of the world. The imagery is applied to a variety of research areas, such as climate change research, agriculture, and environmental management.
Landsat ImageryBurmese Pythons Invade the Everglades
The Florida Everglades encompass a vast subtropical ecosystem. Billions of dollars have been committed to the long-term restoration of this ecosystem, but burgeoning populations of introduced and invasive reptiles threaten prospects for restoration.
Invasives SpeciesBat Fatalities at Wind Turbines
Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, however, widespread deployment of wind turbines is having unprecedented adverse impacts on tree-roosting and migratory bat species.
Bats and Wind EnergyNews
A Unified Research Strategy for Disease Management
As wildlife diseases increase globally, an understanding of host-pathogen relationships can elucidate avenues for management and improve conservation efficacy. Amphibians are among the most threatened groups of wildlife, and disease is a major factor in global amphibian declines.
Large-scale Review of Amphibian Species and Community Response to Climate Change
Amphibian species and community richness has been declining in North America and climate change may play a role in these declines. Global climate change has led to a range shift of many wildlife species and thus understanding how these changes in species distribution can be used to predict amphibian community responses that may improve conservation efforts.
USGS Scientist Dr. Craig D. Allen Named Ecological Society of America Fellow
The U.S. Geological Survey is celebrating the achievements of Dr. Craig D. Allen, who was recently named an Ecological Society of America (ESA) fellow for making exceptional contributions to a broad array of ecology. Dr. Allen, a research ecologist with the USGS Fort Collins Science Center, joins 27 other newly-initiated ESA fellows from academia, public and private sectors. Fellows are elected for life.
Publications
How and why Upper Colorado River Basin land, water, and fire managers choose to use drought tools (or not)
On the Western Slope of Colorado, variable climate and precipitation conditions are typical. Periods of drought—which may be defined by lack of water, high temperatures, low soil moisture, or other indicators—cause a range of impacts across sectors, including water, land, and fire management.The Western Slope’s Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB)...
Cravens, Amanda E.
Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment—Volume II. Species and assemblages
The Southern Great Plains Rapid Ecoregional Assessment was conducted in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative. The overall goal of the Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs) is to compile and synthesize regional datasets to facilitate evaluation of the cumulative effects of...
Reese, Gordon C.; Carr, Natasha B.; Burris, Lucy E.
Vegetative and geomorphic complexity at tributary junctions on the Colorado and Dolores Rivers: a blueprint for riparian restoration
ContextHabitat complexity in rivers is linked to dynamic fluvial conditions acting at various spatial scales. On regulated rivers in the western United States, tributaries are regions of high energy and disturbance, providing important resource inputs for riparian ecosystems.ObjectivesThis study investigated spatial patterns and extents of...
White, Margaret S.; Tavernia, Brian G.; Shafroth, Patrick B.; Chapman, Teresa B.; Sanderson, John S.