FY2015 Annual Report

Transcription

1 FY2015 Annual Report

2 Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Network is a national consortium of federal agencies, academic institutions, and other partners, organized around biogeographic areas. The CESUs were established to provide research, technical assistance, and education to federal resource and environmental managers. The Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (RM CESU) is one of 17 units in the CESU National Network. The Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit has been operating for sixteen years. In 1999, the RM CESU was one of four pilot CESUs established through a competitive process. It was then a partnership of four Federal agencies and 6 universities. The partnership has grown today to 9 Agencies and 20 Non Federal members. Members of the RM CESU are the following: University of Montana host 1999 Blackfeet Community College 2014 University of Idaho 1999 Montana State University 1999 University of Waterloo 2014 Wildlife Conservation Society 2014 Salish Kootenai College 1999 Utah State University 1999 Washington State University 1999 University of Wyoming 2002 Colorado State University 2004 University of Colorado Boulder 2002 University of Colorado Denver 2002 USDI USDA Bureau of Land Management 1999 Bureau of Reclamation 2004 Fish and Wildlife Service 2009 Geological Survey 1999 National Park Service 1999 University of Northern Colorado 2006 University of Calgary 2007 Metropolitan State University of Denver Forest Service 1999 Natural Resources Conservation Service Little Big Horn College 2012 Northwest College 2013 University of Utah 2013 Chief Dull Knife College 2014 DOD US Army Corps of Engineer Civil Works 2008 Office of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment) 2009 Mission The mission of the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit is to improve and disseminate the knowledge base for managing natural and cultural resources in the rapidly changing social, cultural, and environmental landscape of the Rocky Mountain Region, and to extend its expertise to national issues where appropriate. 2

3 RM CESU PROJECTS ACTIVITY FOR FY2015 This year, the RM CESU facilitated 184 task agreements (TAs) obligating $19,733,834 to new projects ($12,719,812/141 TAs) and adding funds to existing projects ($7,014,022/43 TAs). A complete listing of projects may be found on the RM CESU Project List for FY15 on the web site at (look under Annual Reports). RM CESU projects provide needed research, technical assistance, and/or education to our Federal partners and cover the fields of natural resources, cultural resources, social sciences, and interdisciplinary fields. Project Spotlight: Identifying Conservation Corridors and Transboundary Linkages for Wolverines in the Canadian Crown of the Continent Ecosystem Function: Research Agency: US Fish and Wildlife Service PI: Anthony Clevenger, Montana State University Discipline: Natural Funding: $60,000 The goal of this project is to obtain spatially explicit information on the wolverine population, connectivity, and habitat relationships in the largely unstudied and vitally important international transboundary linkage region. Objectives are to conduct survey of wolverine occurrence in the Canadian Crown of the Continent (CCoC) using noninvasive methods; develop occupancy models of wolverine distribution and estimate density; identify core habitats, dispersal corridors and highway mitigation; assess the effect of highways on wolverine gene flow and fine scale genetic structure in the CCoC; and communicate science and transfer technology. 3

4 RM CESU Activity by Agency Partners for FY2015 # of Task Agreements Total Funding RM CESU ,733,834 BLM 11 $660,731 BOR 0 $0 DOD 20 $6,697,498 NPS 114 $9,064,919 NRCS 2 $246,500 USFWS 16 $1,250,168 USGS 19 $1,714,018 USACE CW 2 $100,000 USFS 0 $0 Trends and Observations: Seven of the nine Agencies facilitated task agreements through the CESU this fiscal year. Total number of projects and $ amount are down from FY14 (216; $22.4 million) NPS, both in terms of number of projects and $ amount, and DoD, in terms of $ amount, remain the biggest users of the CESU. RM CESU facilitated $5.6 million in cultural, social and interdisciplinary projects in F y15. DoD alone contributed $707,563 million towards cultural resource projects on military lands and NPS obligated $3.1 million toward interdisciplinary projects in parks. The USFWS increased its use to the CESU agreement this year in terms of both $ amount ($641,338 over FY14) and number of task agreements (10 more than FY14). USFWS projects ranged from bird conservation to creating resilient whitebark pine forests to workforce development and training. 4

5 RM CESU Activity by Non Federal Partners for FY2015 Fourteen of the twenty RM CESU non federal members received at least one project this year. RM CESU s one non governmental organization partner, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), was the recipient of two awards in 2015: 1) additional funds to increase the sharing of scientific information and increase the involvement of Native Americans in projects, and 2) analysis of population genetics and viability for NPS and USFWS bison herds. Colorado State University (CSU) remains the largest user of the CESU. CSU received $12.7 million in 72 task agreements with the Department of Defense, National Park Service, and Geological Survey. CSU s Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML) alone was the recipient of $6.7 million in 20 task agreements from the DoD. CEMML provides research and technical; assistance to further sustainable management of natural and cultural resources on federal lands. 5

6 Montana State University (MSU) and University of Montana (UM) received over a million dollars in project funding and both worked with the most Agency partners four (BLM, NPS, USFWS, and USGS). Montana State University significantly increased its CESU activity in terms of both number of task agreements ( 11) and funding dollars ( $1.4 million) over FY14. MSU s Western Transportation Institute alone is the recipient of $546,871 from the USFWS to assist with a host of workforce development, training, and technical assistance services for complexes and refuges located within the United States and to support its international programs Smallest Task Agreement: $1,000 BLM/University of Wyoming; PI: Kristina Hufford; BLM WY Seed Collection and Genetic Research Largest Task Agreement: $ 2,621,900 DoD/Colorado State University; PI: Robert Brozka; Natural Resources Ecosystem Management Activities at Pohakuloa Training Area and Keamoku Land Parcel Management Area Activities for the U. S. Army Mean: $106,669 (FY14: $108,852; FY10: $66,935) Median: $42,302 (FY14: $36,075; FY10: $30,000) To learn more about all the projects receiving funding in FY15, view the Project Summary Sheets at click on Agency and then Year 6

7 Twenty seven principal investigators receiving project funds in FY15 were using the RM CESU agreement for the first time and contributed $2,731,762 to RM CESU totals. Colorado State University (6): Ashleyy Anderson (Journalism and Media Communication), Cindy Christen (Journalism and Media Communication), David Jones (Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands), John Moore (Ecosystem Science and Sustainability), Sarah Payne (History), Arathi Seshadri (Soil and Crop Science) University of Colorado Boulder (3): Diane McKnight (Arctic and Alpine Research), Keith Porter (Structural Engineering), Liesel Ritchie (Natural Hazards Center) University of Colorado Denver (1): Suzanne Arnold (Education and Human Development) Montana State University (12): Ed Adams (Civil Engineering), Robert Ament (Western Transportation Institute), Kenning Arlitsch (Library), Matthew Blank (Western Transportation Institute), Anthony Clevenger (Western Transportation Institute), Jaime Eidswick (Western Transportation Institute), Matthew Fields (Microbiology), Kathryn Ireland (Institute on Ecosystems), Raina Plowright (Microbiology & Immunology), Colin Shaw (Earth Sciences), Tracy Sterling (Montana Noxious Weed Education Campaign University of Idaho (2): Courtney Conway (Idaho Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit), Jeremy Kenyon (Library) University of Montana (1): Valenijn Hoff (Fire Center) University of Wyoming (3): Kristie Maczko (Ecosystem Science & Management), Michael Page (Wyoming State Archeology), Bill Rudd (Wyoming Cooperative Unit) PI Spotlight: Keith Porter, Structural Engineer, University of Colorado Boulder Website: RM CESU Project: Developing Screening Criteria for Buildings at Risk from Seismic Damage This research is to help develop and determine the risk associated with USACE civil works buildings to the public due to a seismic event. USACE has and inventory of more than 11,000 buildings and it is estimated that 1,200 of these buildings may pose a high earthquake risk to the public. Several of these buildings serve as visitor centers, emergency operation centers, and critical project operation buildings that may pose a direct threat to the public and USACE if any buildings collapse during and after a seismic event. Porter will work with USACE engineers to develop a risk based evaluation method based on applied research technologies. This methodology will be used to screen and prioritize the safety of the civil works buildings (based on potential impact to the public), estimate the probability of collapse and determine annualized losses due to a seismic event. Student Participation: The majority of all RM CESU project (and nearly 70% of RM CESU National Park Service projects) have student participation. Student participation includes research work by graduate and undergraduate students, as well as internships, field schools and class participation in projects. 7

8 Student Spotlight: Communicating Climate Change to Technology Savvy World: Creating Videos based in Glacier National Park Sarah Moody, University of Montana Climate change is altering ecosystems across the entire planet and with it the way in which humans view and interact with the world. Glacier National Park presents a stark image of these changes through the melting glaciers, changes in biodiversity, and altered landscapes. A visitor survey conducted in the national parks in on climate change education, found that not only do most visitors want to learn more about climate change but they are willing to change their behaviors in the parks to help mitigate the effects of climate change. It is imperative to communicate to the public about these pressing threats in order to educate and respond. The glaciers in Glacier National Park could be gone by as early as Even with this visual red flag warning, it is difficult to connect the melting glaciers directly to people s lives. People must find ways to embrace the beauty and wonder of the natural world while living in a technology driven world. In today s media, people gather news and learn about the outside world through images and videos that are readily available online. Sperry Glacier 2014 This project explores the production of short videos on climate change for the Crown of the Continent Learning Center in Glacier National Park as an attempt to connect the impacts of climate change directly to people s lives. Interviews with experts, locals, and employees are paired with beautiful scenery to engage people with the environmental challenges that face the planet. These videos will be featured on the Learning Center s website to increase public awareness. Filming took place throughout Glacier National Park with Canon 5D Mark 2 and Mark 3 cameras. Two videos were produced for the project. The first addresses the water system in Glacier and the connection between glaciers, snow pack, and agricultural lands. The second film highlights the changes that have been witnessed and measured in Glacier, their connection to climate change, and the implications of these changes. This project is intimately tied to resource conservation in Glacier National Park. Finding ways to communicate and educate the public on the effects of global warming will be crucial in creating a global response to this crisis. These videos will be used as educational material on climate change for the park. Glacier is an unbelievably beautiful and precious natural resource, and it is an excellent venue to show the effects of climate change and opportunities to shift the current climate trajectory. There is a balance that must be found between nature and technology, using the two creatively in partnership to generate more effective messages about the urgency of climate change. Sara Moody is a recipient of a 2014 Jerry O Neal National Park Service Student Fellowship. Read Ms. Moody s complete Portfolio for her M.A. in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana: 8

9 RM CESU ACTIVITY FY11 FY15 In last five years of operation, the RM CESU has facilitated 1,042 Task Agreements obligating 108 million dollars to non federal partners for project work. There are approximately 450 active projects between RM CESU agency and non federal partners. RM CESU HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS MSU Undergrad Awarded Jerry O Neal Fellowship for Bat Research in Glacier National Park Cheyenne Stirling, an undergrad at Montana State University in Biological Sciences, is the recipient of a 2015 Jerry O Neal National Park Service Student Fellowship. Cheyenne will use her fellowship to support Bats in Bats in Buildings: Assessing Human Structures as Roost Sites in Glacier National Park. The objective of this study is to document the locations and types of roost sites occurring in human structures throughout Glacier National Park (GNP). This information will aid biologists in GNP on the impacts of white nose syndrome should it arrive here. Study data will also help expedite the compliance review process for projects that seek to Glacier National Park. remodel, restore, or repair buildings by informing managers about whether the structure is, or has been, occupied by bats. If bats are Cheyenne Stirling used her O Neal Student Fellowship to study bats in 9

10 using a structure, this study will provide park staff with the necessary information to develop mitigation measures to protect bats. The Jerry O Neal National Park Service Student Fellowship is named for the former deputy superintendent at Glacier NP, in honor of his dedication to science and research in the NPS. The Fellowship is for work in Glacier National Park, Grant Kohrs Ranch NHS, or Little Bighorn Battlefield NM. The competition is facilitated through the Rocky Mountains CESU and is open to students at all of the RM CESU universities RM CESU Student Award The RM CESU Student Award program was established in 2007 as a way to recognize outstanding accomplishments by students involved in RM CESU projects. Two University of Montana graduate students received RM CESU Student Awards for 2015: Matt Nelson and Colin May. Matt Nelson was nominated by Dr. Douglas MacDonald for his contribution to Montana Yellowstone Archaeological Project ( ). Dr. MacDonald stated not only did Matt commit himself to the University of Montana archaeology in Yellowstone like no other student but his own research was outstanding in its contribution of information regarding Palioindion site locations in Yellowstone National Park. Moreover, Dr. MacDonald went on in his letter of support to note, One of Matt s Matt Nelson, MA Anthropology, University of Montana greatest skills is his ability to find sites. He has a remarkable knack for seeing lithic and other prehistoric artifacts in difficult terrain with limited surface visibility. The successful identification of hundreds of sites on these CESU projects in Yellowstone is in large part due to the site awareness of Matt Nelson. Colin May was nominated by Melissa Sladek, Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center, Glacier National Park, for his contributions to: Science Communication Intern at the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center, Glacier National Park from June 2014 to December Additionally the nomination was supported by Colin s advisor, Dr. Phil Condon. Dr. Condon 10

11 stated Colin is an innovator that brings his considerable research and writing skills to bear on all his projects. In her nomination letter, Ms. Sladek expressed her pleasure in having Colin as an intern, Colin gave new life to the CCRLC s communication program when he shared his ideas on how to make our online science communication pieces more Colin May, MSc. Environmental Studies, University of Montana interactive. Using examples from award winning, online journalism sources, we created a new, interactive featured article on our website. The article incorporates photos, text, audio, and interactive maps, providing the reader with a richer experience. Colin was instrumental in the product s success as he conducted interviews, wrote the story, provided the photos, and recorded and edited the audio clips associated with the article. 11