Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
Topics covered in the July activity report.
Blake Sauey, Jon Amberg (UMESC), Robin Calfee, and Ed Little (CERC) initiated a study of the effects of micro-particles laced with a piscicide for controlling invasive Bigheaded Carps, which ran July 13 through August 13, 2015, in the laboratory ponds located at UMESC. Algal attractants were used to lure Bigheaded Carps into an area where they were offered the piscicide laced micro-particles. Golden Shiners, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Paddlefish, and Yellow Perch were also placed within the test ponds, to determine the potential impacts of micro-particles on non-target species.
Marybeth Brey (UMESC), Alta Harris (WFRC), and Jim Duncker (IL WSC) held a webinar for the project, “Building a Database and Data Visualization Tool for Asian Carp Telemetry Data,” July 14, 2015. The project combined telemetry data from multiple sources and was designed to create a centralized location to access, archive, analyze, and visualize fish movements in the Mississippi River Basin, specifically those of Silver and Bighead carps. In addition, researchers have developed tools to assist biologists in calculating movement parameters and for visualizing fish movements through specific areas, including locks and dams. The telemetry data have been linked to USGS river gage station data, so environmental variables can be related to fish movements. Additional members of the project team include; Kevin Laurent (PWRC), Parker Norton, Curtis Price (SD WSC), and Jim Garvey (SIU). Agencies and institutions whose data were used to create the visualization tool include; USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Minnesota DNR, West Virginia DNR, Southern Illinois University (SIU), and Purdue University.
Andrew Strassman and Jennifer Dieck attended a stakeholders meeting for the vegetation remapping project of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, July 15-16, 2015 at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, TN. The meeting will be widely attended by partner agencies, abutting major landholders, and cooperators of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, to examine the remapping project, expected timeline and outcomes, and review the potential for cooperation between partner agencies. Expected outcomes are a better understanding of the project methodology and timeline amongst the partners, the review of overlapping projects, and discussion of any potential areas of cooperation or resource leveraging amongst partner agencies.
Erin Hoy and Joe Jakusz (UMESC) will assist NatureServe staff with data collection for the Accuracy Assessment portion of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail Vegetation Mapping Project, and ensure proper data collection methods are used. Field work occurred July 12-18, 2015, at randomly selected field sites throughout the Park and involved the collection of spatial, temporal, and vegetative data, as well as testing the vegetation keys for functionality and consistency.
Erin Hoy and Joe Jakusz (UMESC) assisted individuals from NatureServe, Auburn University, and the Tennessee Natural Heritage Program with data collection for the Accuracy Assessment portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway Vegetation Mapping Project, and ensured proper data collection methods were used. Field work occurred June 22-26, 2015, at randomly selected field sites throughout the Park and involved the collection of spatial, temporal, and vegetative data, as well as testing the vegetation keys for functionality and consistency.
Jennifer Sauer met with staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, and University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth on July 20, 2015, to discuss past, present, and future work on Bithynia tentaculata, an invasive snail found in the Upper Mississippi River. Bithynia is host to several trematodes that cause waterbird mortality.
Wayne Thogmartin, Patrick McKann, Shawn Crimmins (UMESC), Greg Forcey (North Dakota State University), and George Linz (USDA) published a report on predicted spatial patterns of blackbird abundance in the Prairie Pothole Region. Blackbirds cause more than $100 million in crop damage annually in the United States. To understand factors contributing to species abundance, and therefore associated levels of crop damage, the authors developed statistical models relating the abundances of red-winged blackbirds, yellow-headed blackbirds and common grackles to various land cover and climate factors. The resulting maps based on these statistical models can be used to indicate where management efforts for mitigating agricultural damage may occur to affect the greatest bang for the buck. The report is available online, at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.912/abstract.
Jenny Hanson, Erin Hoy, Janis Rusher, Enrika Hlavachek, Larry Robinson, (UMESC), Cathy Henry, and Jessica Bolser (USFWS, Port Louisa NWR) completed the FY13 Quick Response project, “Working Towards a Floodplain Model to Correlate Vegetation Patterns with Hydrological Changes on the Iowa River.” High resolution aerial imagery was collected during the spring and fall of 2014, and two genus level vegetation maps were created for assessing vegetation patterns related to different hydrological conditions. The detailed maps are only one step in a project to integrate management actions, hydrological modeling, and vegetation monitoring, for restoring floodplain connectivity and manage habitats in an adaptive management fashion.
Scientists at UMESC presented research at the International Association for Landscape
Ecology World Congress July 5-10, Portland, OR. The 2015 World Congress is a joint meeting between the International Association of Landscape Ecology World Congress and the U.S. chapter of IALE. The theme is: Crossing Scales, Crossing Borders: Global Approaches to Complex Challenges. The meeting brought together nearly 1,000 leaders in landscape ecology from around the globe, including educators and practitioners in the fields of geology, ecology, biology, geography, and landscape preservation and design, dedicated to preserving and protecting our natural resources. Presentations include:
Richard Erickson and Wayne Thogmartin participated in the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) Working Group on Habitat for Migratory Species, July 20 to 24. Thogmartin was an organizer and co-PI for the working group. The working group is developing quantitative frameworks and mathematical models for assigning value to habitat used by migratory species such as waterfowl and Monarch butterflies. Other USGS participants include, Jay Diffendorfer, Darius Semmens (GECSC), and Mike Runge (PWRC). NIMBioS is a National Science Foundation funded Synthesis Center housed at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Additional information is available at, http://www.nimbios.org/workinggroups/WG_migratoryspp.
Larry Robinson attended the 2015 Esri Users Conference (UC) in San Diego, CA, July 20-24, 2015. The Esri UC, held annually in July, is one of the largest GIS conferences in the world. This conference provides up to 16 hours of Esri software training, hundreds of user presentations that share best practices, and opportunities to interact with Esri staff and advocate for application development and enhancements. It also includes vendor and map displays from around the world and special interest group meetings that encourage networking with GIS users across multiple disciplines. Over 15,000 professionals across industries attend the UC, representing nearly every commercial sector, government organization, and non-profit field.
Stephanie Sattler attended the Society for Conservation GIS Conference July 26-30, 2015, in Pacific Grove, CA. The conference will focus on a variety of GIS techniques for improved conservation, including remote sensing and LiDAR methods, use of sUAV data, climate change and sea level rise, land classification and mapping, and many others. Sattler will also attend a workshop on ArcGIS Pro to learn the fundamental concepts of the new application, which include how to analyze, edit, and manage data, share content as web layers, and author 2D and 3D maps and layouts within ArcGIS Pro.
Wayne Thogmartin, as a doctoral committee member, served on the dissertation defense for Jaymi LeBrun at the University of Missouri, Columbia, July 16, 2015. LeBrun's dissertation was titled, “A comprehensive assessment of the response of birds to the direct and indirect effects of climate change.”
CERC – Columbia Environmental Science Center
DNR – Department of Natural Resources
Esri – Environmental Systems Research Institute
GECSC – Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
GIS – Geographic Information System
IALE – International Association of Landscape Ecology
LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging
NIMBioS – National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis
NWR – National Wildlife Refuge
PWRC – Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
SIU – Southern Illinois University
UMESC – Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
USDA – U.S. Department of Agriculture
USFWS – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
USGS – U.S. Geological Survey
WFRC – Western Fisheries Research Center
WSC – Water Science Center
URL: http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/outreach/highlights/2015_july_umesc_highlights.html
