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Annual American Fisheries Society Meeting in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, August 10-14
FRESC researchers Robert Gresswell and Christian Torgersen will be attending the annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, August 10-14. This international conference provides a forum for researchers and managers to exchange information on biology and conservation of aquatic biodiversity in freshwater and marine ecosystems. The two FRESC researchers will join USDA Forest Service scientist Kelly Burnett to co-chair the symposium "Understanding Wild Riverine Fish Populations at Watershed to Regional Scales" and each will present and coauthor a paper as part of this symposium. Gresswell is also a coauthor with Oregon State University (OSU) researcher Douglas Bateman in a symposium addressing advances in fish tracking technology. Additionally, Gresswell and OSU geneticist Michael Banks will coauthor a paper with graduate student J.E.B. Wofford and a poster with graduate student Troy Guy; both of these presentations relate to genetic diversity of coastal cutthroat trout in headwater streams of western Oregon. All of the papers noted above result from studies that are being conducted under the Cooperative Forest Ecosystem Research (CFER) Program. CFER is a consortium of federal and state partners. The USGS provides a primary source of financial support for CFER, and scientists with the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center work in collaboration with university scientists as principal investigators for CFER research. More information about the meeting and the symposium program may be obtained from the conference web site: http://www.fapaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/AFS_congres/index_A.htm
Contact: Robert Gresswell, FRESC, (406) 994-7544,
robert_gresswell@usgs.gov
National Science Advisory Board Meeting in Oregon July 28-August 1
The 129 miles along Highway 20 between Eugene and Bend, Oregon covers multiple ecosystems and was the center-stage for scientists, managers and other participants in the 2003 Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Science Advisory Board Meeting, July 28-August 1. The Oregon/Washington Office of the BLM hosted this year's meeting and field tour. FRESC scientists and their research partners accepted invitations to participate. The meeting was organized to share scientific knowledge and expertise among the participants and presenters and to develop recommendations for the BLM Director. Presentations by FRESC and their research partners included the Northwest Forest Plan, salmon management issues, log decomposition, wetland bird genetics, integrated weed control, a conservation assessment for sage grouse, restoration of Great Basin ecosystems, and amphibian declines.
Contact: Gary Larson, FRESC, 541-750-7396,
gary_l._larson@usgs.gov
Ecologists Investigate Rangeland Restoration
Fires in the Great Basin are increasing in frequency, partially due to the invasion of cheatgrass. Cheat grass dries out early in the season and grows close together, creating a fuel load that allows for fires to spread quickly. Researchers are searching for the most effective ways to remove and eliminate cheatgrass to create a healthier rangeland. FRESC Research Ecologist Dr. David Pyke was quoted in the August 4 edition of Scientific American.com regarding rangeland restoration. He said one way to keep cheatgrass from regenerating after a fire is to apply sugar to the charred ground. The carbon in sugar allows bacteria and fungi to take up nitrogen, thereby making it unavailable for cheatgrass seeds. This is an expensive technique so other techniques are being investigated. Pyke also reflected on the decades it will likely take to come closer to coexistence between cheatgrass and native grasses in a healthy rangeland.
Contact: David Pyke, FRESC, 541-750-7334,
david_a_pyke@usgs.gov
Inquiry into Mercury Research on the Willamette River
On August 6, FRESC scientist Charles Henny was interviewed by Oregonian (Portland newspaper) reporter Kevin Graham about mercury research on the Willamette River. Henny discussed his recent sampling along the river corridor of osprey eggs and several fish species consumed by osprey. These eggs and fish are currently being evaluated for mercury contamination. He also discussed research on American dippers, a bird that lives and nests along headwaters of the Willamette River. Henny sampled dipper eggs, feathers, and aquatic prey of this bird in several areas that have a history of mining associated with mercury contamination. Henny explained that a key partner in some of this research is the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Water Resources discipline of the USGS. Objectives and methods of the research were discussed, not results, because the research is ongoing. However an earlier study (1993) of osprey and fish along the Willamette River has been published and a reprint was provided to the reporter.
Contact: Charles Henny, FRESC, 541-757-4840,
charles_j_henny@usgs.gov
Media Contacts for Midwinter Bald Eagle Press Release
William Murphy, a reporter for the I-70 Scout (Stroudsburg, Colorado), contacted FRESC Research Wildlife Biologist Karen Steenhof regarding her recent Midwinter Bald Eagle Count press relase. He requested some more specific information about count trends for Colorado (-1.1% annual decrease --essentially no change), and how missing surveys were handled in the analysis.
Contact: Karen Steenhof, FRESC, 208-426-5206,
karen_steenhof@usgs.gov
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