Sarah Carter, PhD
Sarah Carter is an ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center whose interests lie in landscape, wildlife, community ecology, coproduction of actionable science products, and evaluating the use, utility, and impact of our research.
Sarah Carter is an ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center. Her interests lie in landscape, wildlife, and community ecology, and in conservation planning and evaluation. Sarah is interested in how we can manage landscapes to accommodate diverse resource values and uses, informed by monitoring the integrity of landscapes, the effectiveness of planning and management actions, and the potential effects of development on species, ecosystems, and landscapes. Sarah is also interested in finding ways to bridge the research-management gap by involving managers in all stages of producing applied science that is both useful for and used by managers.
Sarah joined the USGS in 2015 and is currently working on a number of projects to help inform management of multiple-use lands in the western US, including developing multiscale assessments and analyses to support implementation of a landscape approach to resource management in the Bureau of Land Management, identifying core, broad-scale indicators, methods, and datasets for quantifying the structure, composition, and function of ecosystems, and developing a framework and process for using broad- and fine-scale monitoring data together to quantify the ecological integrity of rangelands across the west.
Professional Experience
Ecologist (2015 – present), USGS, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Landscape Ecology (2014 –2015), University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
Research Assistant, Conservation planning and evaluation (2010 –2014), Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Conservation Biologist (2007-2010), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin
Regional Ecologist (2004-2006), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Fitchburg, Wisconsin
Assistant Director (2000-2004), Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Wisconsin
Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Conservation Plan Data Manager (2001-2002), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin
Wildlife Damage Biologist (1999-2001), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin
Research Assistant, Community Ecology (1995-1999), School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Research Assistant, Marine Mammals (1995), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Fulbright Scholar, Wildlife Biology (1993-1994), National Institute of Amazon Research (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Forestry, Department of Forest & Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2014
M.S. in Fisheries, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, 1999
B.S. in Mathematics, Lewis and Clark College, 1992
Science and Products
Tool 4: Suggested communication deliverables for coproduced projects
Persistence and quality of vegetation cover in expired Conservation Reserve Program fields
Quantifying aspects of rangeland health at watershed scales in Colorado using remotely sensed data products
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on pygmy rabbits published from 1990 to 2020
Identifying policy-relevant indicators for assessing landscape vegetation patterns to inform planning and management on multiple use public lands
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Ventenata dubia published from 2010 to 2020
Evaluating establishment of conservation practices in the Conservation Reserve Program across the central and western United States
U.S. Geological Survey landscape science strategy 2020–2030
Connectivity of Mojave Desert tortoise populations—Management implications for maintaining a viable recovery network
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published from 2015 to 2019
Distance effects of gas field infrastructure on pygmy rabbits in southwestern Wyoming
Quantifying development to inform management of Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise habitat in the American southwest
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Using remotely sensed data to evaluate aspects of land health at watershed scales for the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado
Providing a Climate Science Foundation for Updating the Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy Actionable Science Plan
Developing a step-by-step process for assessing cumulative effects in the Bureau of Land Management
Annotated Bibliography of Scientific Research on Greater Sage-Grouse
Higher and Farther: Patterns of Development within Protected Areas
Assessing Threats to Conservation Priority Areas in State Wildlife Action Plans
Quantifying Ecological Integrity in Terrestrial systems
Informing Habitat Management for Desert Tortoise
Developing Broad Scale Indicators for Monitoring Ecosystems and Landscapes
Science Support for Implementing a Landscape Approach to Resource Management in the Bureau of Land Management
Energy Development and Changing Land Uses
Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: Mechanistic Studies of Wildlife
Science and Products
Tool 4: Suggested communication deliverables for coproduced projects
Persistence and quality of vegetation cover in expired Conservation Reserve Program fields
Quantifying aspects of rangeland health at watershed scales in Colorado using remotely sensed data products
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on pygmy rabbits published from 1990 to 2020
Identifying policy-relevant indicators for assessing landscape vegetation patterns to inform planning and management on multiple use public lands
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on Ventenata dubia published from 2010 to 2020
Evaluating establishment of conservation practices in the Conservation Reserve Program across the central and western United States
U.S. Geological Survey landscape science strategy 2020–2030
Connectivity of Mojave Desert tortoise populations—Management implications for maintaining a viable recovery network
Annotated bibliography of scientific research on greater sage-grouse published from 2015 to 2019
Distance effects of gas field infrastructure on pygmy rabbits in southwestern Wyoming
Quantifying development to inform management of Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise habitat in the American southwest
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.