Weekly Highlights

NOROCK Weekly Highlights are a non-technical summary of Center activities sent to the Department of Interior (DOI) Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, DOI Public Affairs Officer, Secretary of DOI, and the White House.

November 2009

I. Departmental/Bureau News

    Upcoming
    USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center will hold its annual meeting November 18th & 19th in Bozeman, Montana. For more information visit: http://nrmsc.usgs.gov/events

    USGS scientist Jackson Gross will chair the session “Innovative ecotoxicological and conservation strategies for the eradication of invasive and nuisance species” at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA on November 19-23, 2009. For more information contact Jackson Gross at 406-994-7408 or jgross@usgs.gov

    Current
    Science Centers Collaborate to Improve Ungulate Survey Reliability: Non-native elk and deer (ungulates) on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, CA, have had adverse effects on the recovery of threatened plant communities. Annually, reliable estimates of abundance are required to assess the success of management actions directed at the species. In 2009, USGS scientists from three science centers collaborated to apply some of the highest level of ungulate expertise at the USGS to meet the needs of a client. They conducted aerial surveys of elk and deer using a double-observer method on a large portion of Santa Rosa Island. Observers counted approximately 95 percent of the elk groups that were estimated to have been present. Weather conditions prevented a similar double-observer survey for deer, but deer numbers were recorded during elk surveys. Both the calculated number of elk and the observed number of deer are considered minimal estimates because the entire island was not surveyed. Griffin, P.C., Schoenecker, K.A., Gogan, P.J., Lubow, B.C., 2009, Survey of Ungulate Abundance on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California, March 2009: U.S Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1243, p. 23. [ Full Text ]

    USGS scientists Steve Corn and Paul Cross were recently awarded Park-Oriented Biological Support (POBS) Funding. Corn received funding for the project, Assessing the Threat of Climate Change to Headwater Amphibians in Glacier National Park, and Cross was awarded funding for the project, Effects of Sarcoptic Mange on Gray Wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Contact Steve Corn (406-542-4191) or Paul Cross (406-994-6908) for more information.

    USGS scientists Bob Gresswell, Dan Fagre, Paul Cross, and Rick Sojda participated in the Greater Yellowstone Area Science Agenda Workshop November 3rd – 5th in Bozeman, Montana. The goal of the workshop was to bring together invited researchers and managers to address science needed to manage the wildlands of the GYE in the face of climate change, land use change, and invasive species.

    II. Agency Work on Presidential Initiatives
    None

    III. Notable Congressional Activity
    None

    IV. Press/Media Inquiries

      Newspapers/magazines/wires, etc.
      USGS scientist Chuck Schwartz was contacted by Matt Brown of the AP New Billings on November 17th about grizzly bear mortalities numbers, as well as population estimates for 2008 and 2009, whitebark pine, mountain pine beetle and environmental variability. The date of the article in unknown.

      USGS scientist Paul Cross was contacted by Hillary Rosner of OnEarth on November 16th on background information on the brucellosis issue in bison and elk. The date of the article in unknown.

      USGS scientist Clink Muhlfeld was interviewed by Jim Mann of the Daily Interlake on November 12th about his project on suppression of lake trout in the Quartz Lake area of northwestern Montana. The article will be published on November 15th.

      USGS scientist Chuck Schwartz was contacted by Hanna Ryan of the Montana Kaimin (University of Montana) on November 3rd. Schwartz discussed how IGBST monitor grizzly bear rates of reproduction and survival and talked about monitoring whitebark pine. Date of article is November 4th.

      USGS scientist Chuck Schwartz was contacted by Cory Hatch of the Jackson Hole News and Guide on November 2nd. Schwartz discussed methods used to establish mortality thresholds, the rule set used to distinguish (first cub of year) FCOY, and how these might change as the bear population approaches carrying capacity. Date of article is November 4th.

      Broadcasts and Film
      None

      Upcoming News Releases
      None

      Other (forum meeting, press conference, media training, etc.
      None

    V. Key FOIA Requests


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