A Management-Oriented Classification of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands of the Great Basin

Pinyon-juniper woodlands occupy about 18 percent (7.1 million ha, 17.6 million acres) of the land area of the Great Basin (Tueller and others 1979). The associated tree species are found over a wide range of environmental conditions extending from communities representative of the upper fringes of the Mohave Desert to communities found at the lower fringes of high mountain forests. Over this spatial and elevational range, communities associated with pinyon-juniper woodlands are highly variable, with complex distribution and compositional patterns. This variability is due to climatic changes occurring over the last 10,000 years and to variation in current environmental conditions (Nowak and others 1994a; Tausch and others 1993). While juniper has been present somewhere in the area for over 30,000 years (Nowak and others 1994a,b), pinyon is a relatively recent addition with a presence ranging from less than 2,000 to about 8,000 years depending on location. Over the last century many changes have occurred in these woodlands and both the types and the pace of change could potentially increase into the future. In order to successfully inventory, plan, manage, and monitor complex wildlands like the pinyon-juniper woodlands, ecological classification is required. Ecological classifications result in several benefits. The resulting hierarchy of strata can provide guidelines for the collection and retrieval of both factual and interpretive information. Results and experiences from particular sites can be compared to other unstudied sites that are shown to be relatively similar by classification. This can increase the chances of the repetition of successful management actions and reduce the chances of failure. Research, particularly that research attempting to refine interpretations of actual data, can also be better focused if sites are related to an existing classification scheme. Creation of a hierarchy of ecological strata of increasing similarity enhances interpretation through both extrapolation and interpolation of survey data, research results, and management experiences

AGENDA: A Low-Carbon Energy Blueprint for the American West

The future of the planet may depend upon our ability to increase energy supplies even as we reduce carbon emissions. This conference will address how a low-carbon energy program might evolve with a particular focus on the American West. It will focus on the future of energy in the West--on a “managed transition” to a different energy mix, on the need to nest this effort in a framework that acknowledges interconnections, and on identifying the most salient opportunities to consider the legal, political, financial, and technical challenges

Research paper RMRS /

Title from cover.Mode of access: Internet.Electronic serial mode of access: World Wide Web from the Forest Service RMRS Web site.Merger of: Research paper RM, and: Research paper INT.Microfiche copy: Microfiche (negative). [Washington, DC] : Suptdocs/GPO. microfiche ; 11 x 15 cm

Research note RMRS /

Title from caption.Mode of access: Internet.Merger of: Research note RM, and: Research note INT.Microfiche copy: Microfiche (negative). [Washington, D.C.] : Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1998- microfiche ; 11 x 15 cm

Managing for Enhancement of Riparian and Wetland Areas of the Western United States: An Annotated Bibliography

This annotated bibliography contains 1,905 citations from professional journals, symposia, workshops, proceedings, technical reports, and other sources. The intent of this compilation was to: (1) assemble, to the extent possible, all available and accessible publications relating to riparian management within a single source or document; (2) provide managers, field biologists, researchers, and others, a point of access for locating scientific literature relevant to their specific interest; and (3) provide, under one cover, a comprehensive collection of annotated publications that could disseminate basic information relative to the status of our knowledge

Rio Grande ecosystems : linking land, water, and people : toward a sustainable future for the Middle Rio Grande Basin : June 2-5, 1998, Albuquerque, New Mexico

These proceedings are an outcome of a symposium and workshop held June 2-5, 1998 in Albuquerque, NM. Hosted by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bosque Improvement Group, in collaboration with numerous partners from a variety of sectors, the symposium was designed to report on current research and development activities in the Middle Rio Grande Basin. The purpose of the meeting was to share information and develop ideas for sustaining and conserving Middle Rio Grande Basin ecosystems, especially those from Cochiti Dam to Elephant Butte Reservoir. Experts were invited to contribute oral presentations, posters, and papers that addressed five Basin themes. Theme one's session was designed to identify methods and opportunities to enhance communication and collaboration among researchers, managers, and communities. A second theme explored ideas and approaches for conserving water and riparian resources in relation to human needs and population growth. Theme three discussed how watershed processes form linkages and influence management of upland and river resources. A fourth session identified methods and strategies for restoring and monitoring basin ecosystems and discussed project successes and failures. Theme five reported on status of endangered and sensitive species, biological diversity, and opportunites for restoring and managing habitats to recover species. Management and understanding of the Middle Rio Grande Basin's natural resources and ecosystems require communication and cooperation of partners across cultural, landowner, and organizational boundaries. To produce a shared understanding of the current state and desired future state of the Middle Rio Grande Basin and to outline the steps needed to move toward the desired future, a facilitated workshop was held the last day of the conference. The results of this workshop are reported in the concluding section of this proceedings. The technical coordinators of the symposium and proceedings wish to acknowledge all the partners who have contributed to the research, restoration, technology development, educational outreach, and special events and activities designed to improve human and ecosystem conditions in the Basin. We hope this volume captures at least some of the excitement, ideas, and productivity generated by Basin projects over the past several years

Monitoring Science and Technology Symposium: Unifying Knowledge for Sustainability in the Western Hemisphere

Abstract-Canada's Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Environment Canad

The Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project : what we have learned : symposium proceedings, Missoula, Montana, May 18-20, 1999 /

"September 2000"--Cover.Includes bibliographical references.Mode of access: Internet

Problem solving or social change? : the Applegate and Grand Canyon Forest Partnerships

9 pagesNatural resource conflicts have resulted in attempts at better collaboration between public and private sectors. The resulting partnerships approach collaboration either by problem solving through better information and management, or by requiring substantial social change. The Applegate Partnership in Oregon and the Grand Canyon Forest Partnership in Arizona illustrate each approach. These approaches show the formative influences that shape the evolution and activities of a partnership, and show the need for multistakeholder participation

Grasslands ecosystems, endangered species, and sustainable ranching in the Mexico-U.S. borderlands : conference proceedings = Ecosistemas de pastizales, especies en peligro y ganadería sostenible en tierras fronterizas de México-Estados Unidos : conferencia transcripciones /

"June 2006"--Cover.Conference held in Nuevas Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, in 2001.Includes bibliographical references.Management challenges for the pronghorn in Chihuahua ; Retos al manejo del berrendo en Chihuahua / Manuel Valdés -- Power-line electrocution of birds ; Electrocución de aves en líneas eléctricas en México / Patricia Manzano Fischer -- Ecotourism ; Ecoturismo / William Forbes -- Current situation of rangelands in Mexico ; Situación actual de los agostaderos / Alicia Melgoza-Castillo -- Ranching and prairie dogs ; La actividad ganadera y los perros llaneros / Dustin Long, Joe Truett -- Coexistence with predators ; Coexistencia con depredadores / Bill MacDonald, Mac Donaldson, Caren Cowan -- Value-added beef products / Mac Donaldson on behalf of Will and Jan Holder -- Productos cárnicos con valor agregado / Mac Donaldson en substitución de Will y Jan Holder -- Ranching and conservation in the Santa Cruz River region, Sonora : Milpillas case study ; Ganadería y conservación en la región del Río Santa Cruz, Sonora : el caso del grupo Milpillas / Joaquin Murrieta-Saldivar -- Installation of devices in water tanks to prevent drowning of wild animals ; Instalación de estructuras dentro de tanques de agua para evitar el ahogamiento de animales silvestres / Alberto Lafón -- Photo essay : trinchera dams for erosion control and streambed restoration / Valer and Josiah Austin -- Foto ensayo : trincheras para controlar la erosion y restaurar el cauce de los arroyos / Valer y Josiah Austin -- Sustainable ranching : a new paradigm ; Ganadería sustentable : un nuevo paradigma / Iván Aguirre -- Voices from the local communities ; Voces de las comunidades locales / Ma. Elena Baca Gómez ... [et al.] -- An update on conservation in the Janos-Casas Grandes area / Rurik List -- Janos-Casas Grandes a 4 años del taller ecosistemas de pastizal, especies en peligro y ganadería sustentable en la frontera México-EE.UU.Towards place-based borderlands grassland conservation ; Hacia la conservación de pastizales en tierras fronterizas / Diana Hadley, Xavier Basurto -- Grassland ecology and diversity ; Ecología y diversidad de pastizales / Laurie B. Abbott -- Status and distribution of Chihuahuan Desert grasslands in the United States and Mexico ; Evaluación del estado y distribución de los pastizales del Desierto Chihuahuense en los Estados Unidos y México / Martha Desmond, Jennifer Atchley Montoya -- Fire ecology and management in grasslands of the American Southwest ; Ecología de fuego y manejo de pastizales en el sudoeste Norteamericano / Guy R. McPherson -- Verterbrate [sic] diversity in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico ; Diversidad de vertebrados del noroeste de Chihuahua, México / Jesús Pacheco ... [et al.] -- Diversity of amphibians and reptiles associated with grasslands of Janos-Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico ; La diversidad de anfibios y reptiles asociada a los pastizales de Janos-Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, México / Georgina Santos-Barrera, Jesús Pacheco Rodríguez -- The importance of maintaining carnivores in wildlands ; La importancia de mantener carnívoros en áreas silvestres / Dave Foreman -- Grasslands of Mexico : a perspective on their conservation ; Los pastizales del norte de México : una perspectiva para su conservación / Patricia Manzano, Rurik List -- A multi-state approach to black-tailed prairie dog conservation and management in the United States ; Enfoque multi-estatal para la conservación y manejo del perro llanero de cola negra en los Estados Unidos / Robert J. Luce -- Initial results of experimental studies of prairie dogs in arid grasslands : implications for landscape conservation and the importance of scale ; Resultados iniciales de estudios experimentales en perros llaneros de pastizales áridos : implicaciones para la conservación del paisaje y la importancia de escala / Charles Curtin -- Grassland rehabilitation ; Rehabilitación de pastizales / Mario Royo --Mode of access: Internet