Images

Biologists are very careful to keep the grizzly bear under shade and protected from the elements while they collect biological data.  Vital signs are monitored throughout the handling period. 

Biologists measure a grizzly bear’s body length.

The kerchief over the grizzly bear’s eyes protects it from dust and debris and reduces visual stimulation. The small tubing in its nose, known as a nasal cannula, delivers oxygen to the animal while it is tranquilized.  

A biologist prepares to collect biological information from the bear they have captured.  Biologists collect hair samples for genetic analysis, weigh the bear,  and gather numerous measurements of the body, such as the head, paws, claws, teeth, etc.  Overall condition of the bear is assessed as well, including a body fat measurement.

Biologists use a syringe pole to immobilize the captured grizzly bear.  It takes approximately 10 minutes for a bear to become immobilized.  

Biologists have immobilized the bear and prepare to lift it out of the trap and onto the tarp for data collection.  Once on the tarp the bear is easier to move. 

Biologists with IGBST and the National Park Service fit a grizzly bear with a radio collar.  Once a bear is radio collared, biologists can track its movements with telemetry.

Biologists measure a grizzly bear’s paw width. 

One of the first measurements taken is the bear’s weight using a quadpod and electronic scale. 

USGS hydrologic technician Deena Green collects streamflow data at streamgage station 12413875, St. Joe River at Red Ives Ranger Station, Idaho

USGS hydrologic technician Jayson Blom collects a groundwater-level measurement from an aquifer monitoring well at the Idaho National Laboratory.

View out over the Crescent Lake landslide from the headscarp (left foreground) of the Red Bluffs landslide, looking toward Stevenson, Washington and the Columbia River.

Trask River stage, discharge, and water-quality data are collected and used together to help monitor the current health of the river. Instream equipment is stored in protective housing to protect it from the elements. Data from the river are sent to equipment in the gage house, where it is stored then transmitted to USGS servers.

USGS scientists Kate Allstadt and Cynthia Gardner tell the story of the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and how the catastrophic landslide, lateral blast, and lahar changed the landscape.

A USGS grizzly bear researcher snapped this picture of a mother grizzly bear and her cub in Yellowstone National Park. Recent research shows that fffspring of grizzly bear mothers with a history of human-bear conflicts are more likely to be involved in human-bear conflicts than offspring of mothers without a history of human-bear conflicts. 

Newberry Volcano's youngest lava flows. Source: Robinson, J.E., Donnelly-Nolan, J.M., and Jensen, R.A., 2015, Newberry Volcano’s Youngest Lava Flows: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3329, 1 sheet, https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sim3329.

Bathymetry data of Columbia River mouth, derived from an interferometric swath bathymetry systems survey in 2013. A) Swath map of data; B-E) sample detail pull-outs

A U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist collects a water sample from the Williamson River below Chiloquin, Oregon. The sample was analyzed as part of a water-quality study the USGS conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Klamath Tribes.

Path of small debris flows originating above Butte Camp, Mount St. Helens, Washington.

Debris flow in channel near Butte Camp, Mount St. Helens, Washington.

After receiving permission from the homeowner, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist collects a water sample from a residential well in Emmett, Idaho. The sample was analyzed as part of a water-quality study the USGS conducted in cooperation with Gem County, Idaho and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.