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One-Stop-Shop for Zeedyk Resources – Research
Peer-reviewed research on Zeedyks, their construction, and the context for mesic restoration. The Need for Mesic Restoration Donnelly, J. P., Allred, B. W., Perret, D., Silverman, N. L., Tack, J. D., Dreitz, V. J., Maestas, J. D., & Naugle, D. E. (2018). Seasonal drought in North America’s sagebrush biome structures dynamic mesic resources for sage-grouse.…
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Greater Sandhill Cranes
Greater sandhill cranes are among the most iconic migratory waterbirds of western North America. Commonly considered seasonal harbingers, their movements throughout the predominantly rural landscapes of the Intermountain West are often celebrated with festivals and are timed with seasonal cycles important to agricultural communities. Sandhill cranes are inextricably linked to ranching and working lands. Their…
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Intermountain West Shorebird Surveys Pinpoint Key Stopover Sites
Words by Shaela Adams Communications Manager, Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust & Saline Lakes Program Max Malmquist stares into the southern edge of Great Salt Lake, his dad at his side, eyes drawn in the same direction. That’s when they spot it: a Snowy Plover. Small and as sandy in color as the dry…
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Fire on the Chupadera
Fuels treatment successes at a local scale By Emily Downing, Intermountain West Joint Venture Lino Baca remembers visiting a fuels treatment site on Chupadera Mesa one year after he and his crews implemented a prescribed burn there. It was just after the monsoon brought much-needed moisture to central New Mexico, and hundreds of wildflowers blanketed…
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Finding Balance with Fire in Montana’s Sagebrush Country
Low-intensity fire has kept ecosystems in southwest Montana in balance for thousands of years. The Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership is working to maintain that balance. ✦ ✦ ✦ In June, the spider web of mountains and valleys that traverse Beaverhead County in southwest Montana are in a full bloom of wildflowers. In this high, cold…
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Stitching the Landscape Back Together
In 2021, the Biden Administration committed $10 million per year over the next five years under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for sagebrush ecosystem restoration. To implement this funding for priority projects such as mesic habitat restoration, which helps retain needed water on sagebrush landscapes longer, the…
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New Report Compiles Knowledge on Climate Resilience of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands
This article was originally published in the Bureau of Land Management’s internal newsletter, the BLM Daily, on August 14, 2023. Pinyon-juniper woodlands are incredibly complex and fascinating places that have recently been receiving a lot of attention. A highly diverse ecosystem of 100 million acres, “PJ” is often used to describe such diverse habitat types as…
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Intermountain Insights: Climate Resilience in Persistent Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands
Pinyon-juniper woodlands are ubiquitous across the Intermountain West and important to many–from Tribal Nations and recreationists to pinyon jays and mule deer. However, concern has arisen among researchers and managers about their vulnerability to a warming and drying climate. Managers have indicated that they often lack the information needed to guide climate-smart management in woodland…
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Wetland Evaluation Tool
ABOUT THE WETLAND EVALUATION TOOL (WET) To understand how wetland drying is affecting the Intermountain West, IWJV researchers are using satellite imagery to monitor the timing and duration of seasonal flooding on both natural and agricultural wetland habitats (the latter being primarily flood-irrigated hay or grain fields flooded postharvest) from the mid-1980’s to the present-day.…
