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Publications

FORT scientists have produced more than 1,500 peer reviewed publications that are registered in the USGS Publications Warehouse, along with many others prior to their work at the USGS or in conjunction with other government agencies. 

Filter Total Items: 2241

Evaluation of Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) for measuring river corridor topography

LIDAR is relatively new in the commercial market for remote sensing of topography and it is difficult to find objective reporting on the accuracy of LIDAR measurements in an applied context. Accuracy specifications for LIDAR data in published evaluations range from 1 to 2 m root mean square error (RMSEx,y) and 15 to 20 cm RMSEz. Most of these estimates are based on measurements over relatively fla
Authors
Z.H. Bowen, R.G. Waltermire

Implications of flood pulse restoration for Populus regeneration on the upper Missouri River

We developed a mass balance flow model to reconstruct unregulated daily peak flows in the National Wild and Scenic reach of the Missouri River, Montana. Results indicated that although the observed frequency of large peak flows has not changed in the post-dam period, their magnitude has been reduced from 40 to 50% as a consequence of flow regulation. Reductions in the magnitude of these flows shou
Authors
Ken D. Bovee, Michael L. Scott

Patterns of rodent abundance on open-space grasslands in relation to suburban edges

Relatively little is known about the response of grassland rodent populations to urban and suburban edges. We live-trapped rodents for three summers on 65 3.1-ha grassland plots on open space of the city of Boulder, Colorado, and compared capture rates among species according to habitat type, percentage of the 40 ha surrounding each plot that was suburbanized, and proximity to a suburban edge. Dee
Authors
C.E. Bock, K.T. Vierling, S.L. Haire, J.D. Boone, W.W. Merkle

What records have we been breaking?

"Today was another record-breaking day," the evening radio or television declares. High temperatures, low temperatures, floods, drought - take your choice. But how can we put these pronouncements in perspective? What do they really mean?We present two types of information in this article: 1) an analysis of daily air temperature and precipitation for Fort Collins and 2) an analysis of annual precip
Authors
J.M. Bartholow, R. Milhous

Ecological restoration of southwestern ponderosa pine ecosystems: A broad perspective

The purpose of this paper is to promote a broad and flexible perspective on ecological restoration of Southwestern (U.S.) ponderosa pine forests. Ponderosa pine forests in the region have been radically altered by Euro-American land uses, including livestock grazing, fire suppression, and logging. Dense thickets of young trees now abound, old-growth and biodiversity have declined, and human and ec
Authors
Craig D. Allen, Melissa Savage, Donald A. Falk, Kieran F. Suckling, Thomas W. Swetnam, Todd Schulke, Peter B. Stacey, Penelope Morgan, Martos Hoffman, Jon T. Klingel

Meeting ecological and societal needs for freshwater

Human society has used freshwater from rivers, lakes, groundwater, and wetlands for many different urban, agricultural, and industrial activities, but in doing so has overlooked its value in supporting ecosystems. Freshwater is vital to human life and societal well-being, and thus its utilization for consumption, irrigation, and transport has long taken precedence over other commodities and servic
Authors
Jill Baron, N.L. Poff, P. L. Angermeier, Clifford N. Dahm, P.H. Gleick, N.G. Hairston, R.B. Jackson, C.A. Johnston, B. D. Richter, A.D. Steinman

Selected effects of the Conservation Reserve Program on program participants: A report to survey respondents

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) established under the 1985 Food Security Act was initially designed to provide the agricultural community economic assistance while protecting highly erodible cropland. Many of the environmental benefits to soil, water, and wildlife resources have been documented (Dunn and others, 1993; Ryan and others, 1998; Flather and others, 1999; Heard and others, 2000).
Authors
Mark W. Vandever, Arthur W. Allen, Natalie R. Sexton

USFWS demonstration fees

This study examined National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) visitors' reactions to changes in fees implemented as part of the fee demonstration program. Visitors' evaluations of the fees paid were examined in addition to their beliefs about fees and the fee demonstration program, and the impact of fees paid on their intention to return. All results were analyzed relative to socio-demographic characteristic
Authors
Jonathan Taylor, Jerry Vaske, Maureen Donnelly, Lori Shelby

Sustainability of vegetation communities grazed by elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

Current management of the worlds' grazing lands in either based on changes in plant species composition or on other management evaluation programs that emphasize changes in net aboveground production. Management is based solely on changes in aboveground production has been criticized as too limited in view, because it ignores root production, nitrogen pools, nutrient processes, and the long-term s
Authors
K.A. Schoenecker, F. J. Singer, Romulo S.C. Menezes, L. C. Zeigenfuss, Dan Binkley

Cascading effects of fire exclusion in Rocky Mountain ecosystems: A literature review

The health of many Rocky Mountain ecosystems is in decline because of the policy of excluding fire in the management of these ecosystems. Fire exclusion has actually made it more difficult to fight fires, and this poses greater risks to the people who fight fires and for those who live in and around Rocky Mountain forests and rangelands. This paper discusses the extent of fire exclusion in the R
Authors
R.E. Keane, K.C. Ryan, T.T. Veblen, Craig D. Allen, J. Logan, B. Hawkes

How stakeholder roles, power, and negotiation impact natural resource policy: A political economy view

Natural resource management decisions are complicated by multiple property rights, management objectives, and stakeholders with varying degrees of influence over the decision making process. In order to make efficient decisions, managers must incorporate the opinions and values of the involved stakeholders as well as understand the complex institutional constraints and opportunities that influence
Authors
L. Caughlan

SALMOD: A population model for salmonids: user's manual. Version W3

SALMOD is a computer model that simulates the dynamics of freshwater salmonid populations, both anadromous and resident. The conceptual model was developed in a workshop setting (Williamson et al. 1993) using fish experts concerned with Trinity River chinook restoration. The model builds on the foundation laid by similar models (see Cheslak and Jacobson 1990). The model’s premise that that egg and
Authors
John Bartholow, John Heasley, Jeff Laake, Jeff Sandelin, Beth A.K. Coughlan, Alan Moos