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USGS2022

Abundance and distribution of eelgrass (Zostera marina) and seaweeds at Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2007–10

Eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) meadows are expansive along the lower Alaska Peninsula, supporting a rich diversity of marine life, yet little is known about their status and trends in the region. We tested techniques to inventory and monitor trends in the spatial extent and abundance of eelgrass in lagoons of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. We determined if Landsat imagery could be used to assess eelgrass spatial extent in shallow (less than 4 meter water depth) coastal waters of the refuge. We determined that this seagrass could be differentiated using Landsat imagery from other cover types (that is, channels and unvegetated tidal flats) with a high degree of accuracy (greater than 80 percent) in Izembek and Kinzarof Lagoons. Eelgrass meadows represented the largest cover type in Izembek (about 16,000 hectares) and Kinzarof (about 900 hectares) Lagoons, comprising between 45 and 50 percent of the spatial extent of these lagoons, respectively. When compared to estimates of spatial extent of eelgrass from previous studies, our results suggest little change in the spatial extent of eelgrass in Izembek Lagoon during the 28-year period 1978 through 2006. Preliminary mapping of eelgrass in other embayments indicated that this seagrass was also expansive in Big Lagoon (about 900 hectares; or 34 percent of the lagoon area) and Hook Bay (about 900 hectares; or 36 percent of the bay area) but not in Cold Bay (about 100 hectares; less than 5 percent of the bay area). We conducted an embayment-wide point sampling technique to assess aboveground biomass and distribution of eelgrass and seaweeds and presence of six macro-invertebrates during a 4-year period (2007–10). We determined that, when present, mean aboveground biomass of eelgrass was greater in Kinzarof Lagoon (182.5 plus or minus 12.1 grams dry weight per square meter) than in Izembek Lagoon (152.1 plus or minus 7.1 grams dry weight per square meter) in 2008–10, possibly reflecting the warmer sea temperatures and higher salinities found on the Gulf of Alaska side of the Alaska Peninsula. Seaweeds were more abundant in Kinzarof Lagoon than in Izembek Lagoon, surpassing aboveground biomass of eelgrass in both lagoons in 2008. Gastropods (4 percent of all points) and Caprella shrimp (25 percent) were the most common of the six macro-invertebrates surveyed in Izembek Lagoon, and Telmessus crab was the most common macro-invertebrate in Kinzarof Lagoon.

Alaska↗
USGS2022

Distribution of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in coastal waters adjacent to Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Declines in the distribution and abundance of seagrasses worldwide have prompted a need for baseline distribution maps of eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) in Alaska. We used high-resolution digital-color aerial photography and multi-spectral satellite imagery to map the distribution and spatial extent of eelgrass at 21 sites in coastal waters adjacent to Togiak National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR) in northwestern Bristol Bay and southern Kuskokwim Bay. The total spatial extent of eelgrass meadows was estimated to be 6,489 hectare (ha) almost equally divided between Bristol Bay (3,001 ha) and Kuskokwim Bay (3,488 ha). The four largest eelgrass beds occurred in Chagvan Bay (1,933 ha), the north side of Hagemeister Island (1,168 ha), Goodnews Bay (874 ha), and Nanvak Bay (599 ha). This report provides key baseline data useful for establishing a monitoring plan to assess trends in eelgrass along the coast of TNWR.

Alaska↗
USGS2022

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) and seaweed abundance along the coast of Nunivak Island, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2010

Eelgrass (<em>Zostera marina</em>) is a highly productive seagrass that plays an essential role in the health of the estuarine and coastal ecosystems; however, information about its abundance and distribution is insufficient in the Bering Sea along the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. We inventoried the spatial extent and abundance of eelgrass and seaweed in Duchikthluk and Shoal bays on Nunivak Island in July 2010. Using Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery, we estimated the spatial extent of eelgrass to be 1,232 hectares in Duchikthluk Bay and 40 hectares in Shoal Bay. The overall accuracy of the assessments was high (86–87 percent) based on ground truthing using field reference points. We used point-sampling methodology to assess eelgrass abundance relative to the presence of associated seaweeds and selected macro-invertebrates within each of bays. Eelgrass was found at water depths ranging from 0.1 to 2.9 meters across both bays, but the greatest density (>75 percent cover) occurred primarily in moderate to deep water (0.7–1.4 meters) in Duchikthluk Bay and deeper water (>2 meters) in Shoal Bay. The mean aboveground biomass was 39.4±4.0 grams per meter squared in Duchikthluk Bay. The eelgrass biomass was greater (67.6±11.0 grams per meter squared) in Shoal Bay, but this estimate was based on a small sample size (n=3). Seaweeds, representing six species, occurred in low abundance across both bays and were primarily associated with eelgrass. Gastropods were the most common macro-invertebrate, occurring at 45 percent of field points in Duchikthluk Bay.

Alaska↗
USGS2022

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) and seaweed assessment Alaska Peninsula-Becharof National Wildlife Refuges, 2010

We conducted the first assessment of eelgrass and seaweed distribution and abundance along the coast of the Alaska Peninsula-Becharof National Wildlife Refuges in Chignik Lagoon and Mud Bay. Areal extent of eelgrass, as determined from remote-sensing techniques, was estimated to be 2,414 hectares in Chignik Lagoon and 188 hectares in Mud Bay, and eelgrass was the dominant marine macrophyte in each of the embayments. During an embayment-wide point survey of Chignik Lagoon, eelgrass and seaweeds were observed on 76 and 62 percent of survey points, respectively. Average percent cover was greater for eelgrass (82 percent) than for seaweeds (37 percent) when each was present at a survey point. In contrast, eelgrass and seaweeds were distributed nearly equally in Mud Bay, occurring on 64 and 70 percent of the points, respectively, and when present, cover of eelgrass and seaweeds were 70 and 60 percent, respectively. Brown and red seaweeds, such as Polysiphonia pacifica, Saccharina latissima, Neorhodomela oregona, and Eudesme borealis, were the most common seaweeds in Chignik Lagoon, while green seaweeds, particularly Kornmannia leptoderma and Cladophora sericea, were dominant in Mud Bay. Standing crop of eelgrass was 44 percent greater in Chignik Lagoon (98.0±6.4 grams dry weight per square meter) than in Mud Bay (68.3±6.7 grams dry weight per square meter) in 2010. Five types of macro-invertebrates were assessed during the point survey. At least one of these macro-invertebrates was observed on 45 percent of points in Chignik Lagoon and 64 percent of points in Mud Bay. Gastropods were the most common of the macro-invertebrates, occurring on 40–57 percent of points in each of the embayments. This assessment of eelgrass and seaweeds can serve as a baseline for determining future changes in the distribution and abundance of these marine macrophytes in Chignik Lagoon and Mud Bay.

Alaska↗
USGS2022

Effects of climate change on fish and wildlife species in the United States

About this volume This U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report provides brief syntheses of the direct and indirect effects of climate change to priority species and ecosystems in the United States. Each chapter focuses on changes in climate and related e ffects to the life cycle , interspec i fic interactions, and habitats of a fish or wildlife species of conservation concern. These reports are independent species-specific summaries of relevant literature, current and historic climate conditions, and future climate projections.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1967

Mineral appraisal of the Flattery Rocks, Quillayute Needles, and Copalis National Wildlife Refuges, Washington

The Flattery Rocks, Quillayute Needles, and Copalis National Wildlife Refuges lie off the Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula between Cape Flattery and Grays Harbor. They have a total land area of 247 acres and consists of numerous small islands, sea stacks and rocks that rise above a wave-cut platform. The refuges are in a belt of intensely folded and faulted marine sedimentary and volcanic rocks of early Eocene to Pliocene age. Pleistocene glaciofluvial deposits blanket the Tertiary strata along this coastal belt. The disturbed belt borders the eastern margin of a depositional basin on the continental shelf that probably contains a thick sequence of late Tertiary rocks.

Washington↗
USGS1967

Mineral appraisal of the Harney Lake and Malheur Lake candidate areas of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, north-central Harney County, Oregon

The Harney Lake and Malheur Lake candidate areas are in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, north-central Harney County, Oreg. The two areas occupy the shallow center of the Harney Basin, a broad structural and physiographic depression filled by several varieties of silicic to mafic volcanic rocks, sedimentary rocks, and unconsolidated surficial deposits. Although some of the rocks in the Harney Basin are of Miocene age, all the rock in the two candidate areas are of Pliocene or younger age. Northwest-trending normal faults form prominent scarps in and near the two areas.

Oregon↗
USGS1996

Micrometeorological data for energy-budget studies near Rogers Spring, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nye County, Nevada, 1994

Micrometeorological data were collected at two sites near Rogers Spring in the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge for use in energy-budget studies beginning in 1994. The data collected at each site included net radiation, air temperature at two heights, dew-point temperature at two heights, windspeed at two heights, soil heat flux, and soil temperature in the interval between the land surface and the buried heat-flux plates.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

An evaluation and review of water-use estimates and flow data for the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges, Oregon and California

The Lower Klamath and Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuges, located in the upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California, encompass approximately 46,700 and 39,100 acres, respectively. Demand for water in the semiarid upper Klamath Basin has increased in recent years, resulting in the need to better quantify water availability and use in the refuges. This report presents an evaluation of water-use estimates for both refuges derived on the basis of two approaches. One approach used evaporation and evapotranspiration estimates and the other used measured inflow and outflow data. The quality of the inflow and outflow data also was assessed. Annual water use in the refuges, using evapotranspiration estimates, was computed with the use of different rates for each of four land-use categories. Annual water-use rates for grain fields, seasonal wetlands, permanently flooded wetlands with emergent vegetation, and open-water bodies were 2.5, 2.9, 2.63, and 4.07 feet per year, respectively. Total water use was estimated as the sum of the products of each rate and the number of acres in its associated land-use category. Mean annual (2003-2005) water use for the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake refuges was approximately 124,000 and 95,900 acre-feet, respectively. To estimate water deliveries needed for each refuge, first, annual precipitation for 2003-2005 was subtracted from the annual water use for those years. Then, an adjusted total was obtained by adding 20 percent to the difference to account for salinity flushing. Resulting estimated mean annual adjusted needed water deliveries in 2003-2005 for the Lower Klamath and Tule Lake refuges were 107,000 and 82,800 acre-feet, respectively. Mean annual net inflow to the refuges for 2003-2005 was computed by subtracting estimated and measured surface-water outflows from inflows. Mean annual net inflow during the 3-year period for the Lower Klamath refuge, calculated for a subsection of the refuge, was approximately 73,700 acre-feet. The adjusted needed water delivery for this section of the refuge, calculated from evapotranspiration estimates, was approximately 77,600 acre-feet. For the Tule Lake refuge, mean annual net inflow during the 3-year period was approximately 76,100 acre-feet, which is comparable to the estimated annual needed water delivery for the refuge of 82,800 acre-feet. For 1962-2005, mean annual net inflow to the Lower Klamath refuge was approximately 49,800 acre-feet, about 23,900 acre-feet less than for 2003-2005. Although mean April-September net inflows for 1962-2005 and 2003-2005 have remained fairly constant, annual net inflow has increased for October-March, which accounts for the difference. Consistently higher autumn and winter flow deliveries since the mid-1980s reflect a significant change in refuge management. More sections of the refuge are currently managed as seasonal wetlands than were in the 1960s and 1970s. Flow records for the Ady Canal at State Line Road, Klamath Straits Drain at State Line Road, and D Pumping Plant were evaluated for their data quality. On the basis of USGS flow-record criteria, all three flow records were rated as 'poor.' By definition, 95 percent of the daily flows in a record having this rating could be in error by more than 15 percent.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2008

Hydrology Prior to Wetland and Prairie Restoration in and around the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, Northwestern Minnesota, 2002-5

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) owned and managed 24,795 acres of mixed wetland, native prairie, farmland and woods east of Crookston, in northwestern Minnesota. The original wetlands and prairies that once occupied this land are being restored by TNC in cooperation with many partners and are becoming part of the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge. Results of this study indicate that these restorations are likely to have a substantial effect on the local hydrology. Water occurs within the study area on the land surface, in surficial aquifers, and in buried aquifers of various depths, the tops of which are 50 to several hundred feet below the land surface. Surficial aquifers are generally thin (about 20 feet), narrow (several hundred feet), and long (tens of miles). Estimates of the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of surficial aquifers were 2.7?300 feet per day. Buried aquifers underlie much of the study area, but interact with surficial aquifers only in isolated areas. In these areas, water flows directly from buried to surficial aquifers and forms a single aquifer as much as 78 feet thick. The surface?water channel network is modified by several manmade ditches that were installed to remove excess water seasonally and to drain wetlands. The channels of the network lie primarily parallel to the beach ridges but cut through them in places. Back?beach basin wetlands delay and reduce direct runoff to ditches. Recharge to the surficial aquifers (10.97?25.08 inches per year during 2003?5) is from vertical infiltration of rainfall and snowmelt (areal recharge); from surface waters (particularly ephemeral wetlands); and from upward leakage of water from buried aquifers through till confining units (estimated at about 1 inch per year). Areal recharge is highly variable in space and time. Water leaves (discharges from) the surficial aquifers as flow to surface waters (closed basins and ditches), evapotranspiration, and withdrawals from wells. Unmeasured losses (primarily discharge to ungaged (closed) basins) were 53?115 percent of areal recharge during 2003?5, while discharge to ditches that leave the study area was 17?41 percent. Discharge over 100 percent of areal recharge indicates a loss in ground?water storage. During the dry year of 2003, substantial ground water (about one?third of annual areal recharge) was released from aquifer storage but was replenished quickly during the subsequent normal year. Shallow ground?water flow is complex, with water in surficial aquifers, ditches, and wetlands part of a single hydrologic system. The ages determined for surficial ground?water samples were less than 15 years old, and one?third (8 of 24) were less than 5 years old, substantiating the close connection of surficial ground water to the land surface. During the study, 68?81 percent of water left the area through unmeasured surface?water losses (primarily evapotranspiration), which is 2? to 4?times that leaving through the ditch system. Base flow in ditches (ground?water discharge) was 30 to 71 percent of all ditch flow. Mean annual runoff in all gaged basins except SW3 (2.26 inches per year) was similar (3.69?4.12 inches per year). The quality of water samples from surficial aquifers and surface water collected in the study area was generally suitable for most uses but was variable. Most ground? and surface?water samples were dominated by calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate ions. About one?quarter of surficial ground?water samples contained nitrate at concentrations greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s (USEPA) Maximum Contaminant Level for human consumption. The median concentration of dissolved phosphorus ranged from 0.0108 milligrams per liter as phosphorus (mg/L?P) to 0.0293 mg/L?P. Nutrient concentrations in ditches were generally above the USEPA nutrient guidelines for reference streams in the area. Water samples contained detectable concentrations of atrazine, acetachlor, metolachlor, pendimethalin

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2008

Water quality in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge — Trends and spatial characteristics of selected constituents, 1974-2004

Water quality in the interior marsh of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is characterized by low concentrations of major ions, principally sodium and chloride, and is affected primarily by natural seasonal processes, such as evapotranspiration, rainfall, and biological activity. During the dry season, evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation, and specific conductance and conservative ion concentrations at marsh background sites typically increase by 40-70 percent between the end of the rainy season in September and the end of the dry season in May. Water enters the Refuge mainly from rainfall and perimeter canals. Water is pumped into the perimeter canals from large pumping stations, such as S-5A and S-6. In recent years, much of the water pumped into the Refuge passes through Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) before being released into the perimeter canals that surround the Refuge. Since 2001, water at S-6 has been diverted south toward STA-2, away from the Refuge perimeter canals. Water from S-5A and S-6 flows through agricultural lands with intense agricultural activity and typically contains relatively high concentrations of major ions, nutrients, and pesticides. Specific conductance, major-ion concentrations, and nutrient concentrations are an order of magnitude higher at S-5A and S-6 canal sites than at interior marsh sites. Water quality in the marsh bordering the canals can be affected substantially by the canal water, and these effects can extend several miles or more into the marsh depending on location in the Refuge and on the water level in the canals. As canal water flows into the marsh, processes such as uptake by periphyton and rooted vegetation and settling of particulate matter reduce the concentrations of nutrients to a greater extent than conservative ions such as chloride. Long- and short-term trends for specific conductance, chloride ion, sulfate ion, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen at five sites were evaluated primarily using an uncensored seasonal Kendall test with a water-level adjustment to reduce the effects of long wet or dry periods. Significant long-term trends (1974-2003) for specific conductance, chloride, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen at canal sites S-5A and S-6 were generally downward. Of the five sites, S-5A had the most pronounced decline for specific conductance at about -340 microsiemens per centimeter (?S/cm), followed by S-6 with a decline of about -280 ?S/cm. The two internal marsh sites, LOX8 and LOX13, had significant long-term trends in specific conductance of about +37 and -36 ?S/cm, respectively. Long-term trends for other constituents at the two internal marsh sites were generally small in magnitude or not measurable between 1978 and 2003. Marsh site LOX15 near the Hillsboro Canal showed no long-term trends, although specific conductance and sulfate concentration increased about 560 ?S/cm and 30 milligrams per liter, respectively, from 1998 to 2002. Site LOX15 is influenced strongly by intrusions of canal water, and increases in specific conductance and sulfate at this site coincided with increased canal-water inflows from STA-1W between 2001 and 2003. Median concentrations at LOX13 and S-5A were used to represent background and canal concentrations, respectively. Based on these values, the median chloride concentration at LOX15 indicates that the water is typically about 31 percent canal water and 69 percent ?natural? background water. Using median sulfate concentrations, similarly to chloride, the fraction of water at LOX15 was estimated to be 17 percent from canals and 83 percent from ?natural? background water. This finding suggests that in the low sulfate environment of the Refuge, sulfate is not conservative and only about half of the sulfate from canal water typically reaches LOX15; the rest presumably is removed by marsh plants, algae, and bottom sediments. Concentrations of pesticides and other organic compounds were measured

Florida↗
USGS2009

Summary and analysis of water-quality data for the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, east-central North Dakota, 1987-2004

The Bureau of Reclamation collected water-quality samples at 16 sites on the James River and the Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, N. Dak., as part of its refuge-monitoring program from 1987-93 and as part of an environmental impact statement commitment from 1999-2004. Climatic and hydrologic conditions varied greatly during both sampling periods. The first period was dominated by drought conditions, which abruptly changed to cooler and wetter conditions in 1992-93. During the second period, conditions were near normal to very wet and included higher inflow from the James River into the refuge. The two periods also differed in the sites sampled, seasons sampled, and properties and constituent concentrations measured. Summary statistics were reported separately for the two sampling periods for all physical properties and constituents. Nonparametric statistical tests were used to further analyze some of the water-quality data. During the first sampling period, 1987-93, specific conductance, turbidity, hardness, alkalinity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, nonvolatile suspended solids, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfate, chloride, phosphate, total phosphorus, total organic carbon, chlorophyll a, and arsenic were determined to have significantly different medians among the sites tested. During the second sampling period, 1999-2004, the medians of pH, sodium, chloride, barium, and boron varied significantly among sites. Sites sampled and period of record varied between the two sampling periods and the period of record varied among the sites. Also, some constituents analyzed during the first period (1987-93) were not analyzed during the second period (1999-2004), and winter sampling was done during the second sampling period only. This variability reduces the number of direct comparisons that can be made between the two periods. Three sites had complete periods of record for both sampling periods and were compared. Differences in variability and median concentration were identified between the two time periods. Sites representing inflow to the refuge and outflow were compared statistically for the period when data were available for both sites, 1999-2004. Of the nutrients tested - ammonia plus organic nitrogen, phosphate, and total phosphorus - no significant statistical differences were found between the inflow samples and the outflow samples. Statistically significant differences were found for pH, sulfate, chloride, barium, and manganese. Nutrients are of particular interest in the refuge because of the aquatic plant and animal life and the use of the wetland resources by waterfowl. However, the nutrient data were highly censored and there were differences in the seasonal timing of sample collection between the two sampling periods. Therefore, the nutrient data were examined graphically with stripplots that highlighted differences in the seasonal timing of sample collection and concentration differences likely related to the differences in climatic and hydrologic conditions between the two periods.

North Dakota↗
USGS2016

Effects of variations in flow characteristics through W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam on downstream water quality in the Caloosahatchee River Estuary and in McIntyre Creek in the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, southern Florida, 2010–13

The U.S. Geological Survey studied water-quality trends at the mouth of McIntyre Creek, an entry point to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, to investigate correlations between flow rates and volumes through the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam and water-quality constituents inside the refuge from March 2010 to December 2013. Outflow from Lake Okeechobee, and flows from Franklin Lock, tributaries to the Caloosahatchee River Estuary, and the Cape Coral canal system were examined to determine the sources and quantity of water to the study area. Salinity, temperature, dissolved-oxygen concentration, pH, turbidity, and chromophoric dissolved organic matter fluorescence (FDOM) were measured during moving-boat surveys and at a fixed location in McIntyre Creek. Chlorophyll fluorescence was also recorded in McIntyre Creek. Water-quality surveys were completed on 20 dates between 2011 and 2014 using moving-boat surveys. Franklin Lock contributed the majority of flow to the Caloosahatchee River. Between 2010 and 2013, the monthly mean flow rate at Franklin Lock ranged from 29 cubic feet per second in May 2011 to 10,650 cubic feet per second in August 2013. Instantaneous near-surface salinity in McIntyre Creek ranged from 12.9 parts per thousand on September 26, 2013, to 37.9 parts per thousand on June 27, 2011. Salinity in McIntyre Creek decreased with increasing flow rate through Franklin Lock. Flow rates through Franklin Lock explained 61 percent of the variation in salinity in McIntyre Creek. Salinity data from moving-boat surveys also indicate that an increase in flow rate at Franklin Lock decreases salinity in the Caloosahatchee River Estuary, and a reduction or elimination in flow increases salinity. The FDOM in McIntyre Creek was positively correlated with flow at Franklin Lock, and 54 percent of the variation in FDOM can be attributed to the flow rate through Franklin Lock. Data from moving-boat surveys indicate that FDOM increases when flow volume from Franklin Lock increases. The highest FDOM recorded during a survey was at Billy’s Creek. Chlorophyll fluorescence was positively correlated with flow at Franklin Lock, with 23 percent of the variation explained by the flow rate at Franklin Lock. An increase in flow rate at Franklin Lock resulted in a decrease in pH (21 percent of variation explained by flow rates). Data from the pH surveys indicate an increase in pH with distance from Franklin Lock. Turbidity and dissolved oxygen near the surface in McIntyre Creek were not correlated with flow rate at Franklin Lock. Moving-boat surveys did not document a change in turbidity or dissolved oxygen with a change in distance from the Franklin Lock. Correlations between Franklin Lock flow rate and water quality in McIntyre Creek indicate that releases at Franklin Lock affect water quality in the Caloosahatchee River Estuary and Ding Darling Refuge.

Florida↗
USGS2016

Geology and mineral resources of the Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Oregon and Nevada), the Southeastern Oregon and North-Central Nevada, and the Southern Idaho and Northern Nevada (and Utah) Sagebrush Focal Areas: Chapter B in Mineral resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming

Summary The U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed to withdraw approximately 10 million acres of Federal lands from mineral entry (subject to valid existing rights) from 12 million acres of lands defined as Sagebrush Focal Areas (SFAs) in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming (for further discussion on the lands involved see Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5089–A). The purpose of the proposed action is to protect the greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) and its habitat from potential adverse effects of locatable mineral exploration and mining. The U.S. Geological Survey Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment (SaMiRA) project was initiated in November 2015 and supported by the Bureau of Land Management to (1) assess locatable mineral-resource potential and (2) to describe leasable and salable mineral resources for the seven SFAs and Nevada additions. This chapter summarizes the current status of locatable, leasable, and salable mineral commodities and assesses the potential of selected locatable minerals in lands proposed for withdrawal that span the Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah borders. In this report, the four study areas evaluated were (1) the Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex SFA in Washoe County, Nevada, and Harney and Lake Counties, Oregon; (2) the Southeastern Oregon and North-Central Nevada SFA in Humboldt County, Nevada, and Harney and Malheur Counties, Oregon; (3) the Southern Idaho and Northern Nevada SFA in Cassia, Owyhee, and Twin Falls Counties, Idaho, Elko County, Nevada, and Box Elder County, Utah; and (4) the Nevada additions in Humboldt and Elko Counties, Nevada.

Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah↗
USGS2019

Response of vegetation in open and partially wooded fens to prescribed burning at Seney National Wildlife Refuge

The health and function of northern peatlands, particularly for fens, are strongly affected by fire and hydrology. Fens are important to several avian species of conservation interest, notably the yellow rail ( Coturnicops noveboracensis ). Fire suppression and altered hydrology often result in woody encroachment, altering the plant community and structure. Woody encroachment and its effects on biodiversity have become an increasing concern in the conservation and management of plant communities. This study evaluated the effects of spring and summer prescribed burns on the plant community, cover, and structure in open and partially wooded fens at Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan, using a before-after-control-impact design. Paired, 1-hectare blocks were established in two fen areas, C3 and Marsh Creek, and data were collected for 2 years before burning (2006–7) and 3 years after burning (2008–10). We used generalized linear mixed models and ordination to assess differences among four treatments: C3 control, C3 spring burn (May 2008), Marsh Creek control, and Marsh Creek summer burn (July 2008); results from a block burned under drier conditions in July 2007 also are reported. Variables include water depth; litter depth; graminoid height; species richness and diversity; percent cover of plant taxa, mosses, and open area; shrub height, number of patches, and cover; and visual obstruction readings. The 2008 prescribed burns were done under moderate fire conditions, whereas the 2007 summer burn on one block was done under high fire conditions because of prolonged drought. We identified 104 plant taxa over the 5 years and noted differences between C3 and Marsh Creek communities. We examined data for effects of treatment, year, and year × treatment interactions for percent open and the 28 most common taxa. Most differences among treatments were related to natural differences in the plant community and hydrology between the two areas rather than fire effects; year effects were likely related to annual differences in water conditions. We detected few effects of spring burning in C3, even in the same year of burning. In Marsh Creek, most treatment effects were in 2008, when data were collected within 3 weeks of burning. Some fire effects there, however, persisted one to two growing seasons (2009, 2010) and two to three growing seasons in the block burned in the more intense summer 2007 fire. Effects of burning on shrub measures were more apparent on summer-burned blocks, but most measures returned to preburn conditions by 2010. Our results demonstrate the heterogeneity of plant community and environmental conditions of fens within and among years and the interactions of water conditions with burning. The results also demonstrate that neither single spring nor summer burning under moderate fire conditions are effective in setting back woody cover. Maintaining more open conditions in fens may require different approaches to water management, more frequent fires, more aggressive fire management, or a combination of tools to control woody cover.

Michigan↗
USGS2019

Catalog of microscopic organisms of the Everglades, part 2—The desmids of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (refuge), Boynton Beach, Florida, contains approximately 147,000 acres southeast of Lake Okeechobee. Water quality in the interior portion of the refuge is strongly influenced by rainfall, resulting in slightly acidic waters with low dissolved ions. Desmids, a unique, ornate group of green algae loosely associated with submerged vascular plants, were photo-documented for the first time in samples from the refuge. The canal system surrounding the refuge contains a high level of ions from agricultural runoff, and intrusion of this water into the refuge interior during high canal water levels may have altered some of the desmid population. A transect from the canal to the interior was sampled every 3 months, and the species present were photographed, identified, and catalogued. Approximately 260 unique taxa from 29 genera were encountered. The interior of the refuge had the greatest diversity of desmids; however, the areas of the refuge adjacent to the canals still contained a rich population of desmids. We postulate that the diversity of desmids indicates that the pristine portions of the refuge may be an important refugium for desmids, particularly for those species restricted to the subtropical parts of the United States. This collection of taxa, identified to species with most specimens, will allow a more detailed examination of water quality issues when co-located water quality data are collected.

Florida↗
USGS2024

A comparison of contemporary and historical hydrology and water quality in the foothills and coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Arctic Slope, northern Alaska

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a unique landscape in northern Alaska with limited water resources, substantial biodiversity of rare and threatened species, as well as oil and gas resources. The region has unique hydrology related to perennial springs, and the formation of large aufeis fields—sheets of ice that grow in the river channels where water reaches the surface in the winter and freezes. This work aims to update our understanding of water resources and water quality in the springs, streams, rivers, and lakes of this region, returning to sites sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey in the 1970s. We resampled eight streams, four springs, and six lakes for hydrological metrics, water quality, and macroinvertebrates, and recalculated flood-frequency metrics for rivers using updated data and modern techniques. Aufeis field melt rates were also assessed for the past several decades. Although the available data preclude trend determinations in most cases, our analysis and comparison to the historical sampling indicates an increase in dissolved ions for streams and springs, faster and earlier aufeis melt, and similar macroinvertebrate populations.

Alaska↗
USGS2025

Managing water for birds—A tool for the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, southeastern Oregon

The “Water for Birds Tool” is a spreadsheet-based tool (using Microsoft Excel) designed to help resource managers assess the spatial extent and types of bird habitats in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, southeastern Oregon. The tool quantifies the areas of open water, partial water, and water depths on a monthly timescale during the irrigation season (April–July) from 2021 to 2024. This tool combines previously published datasets and models but also incorporates new measurements collected by partners. Results show that the relation between the amount of bird habitat and the extent (partial and open water) of Malheur Lake varies by bird guild. The Donner und Blitzen River supplied all or most of the surface water inflow to Malheur Lake during the analysis years, emphasizing the importance of informed management of the river. Additional gaging of inflows and diversions and better estimates of recharge and irrigated areas can help refine estimates of water use on the refuge.

Oregon↗