Blog – Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative @Yale F&ES

Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems- Joshua Kesling (3/9/2025) - Second year Master of Environmental Management student Joshua Kesling recently published an article in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. The piece… […]

2024 Annual Report (1/28/2025) - Check our UHPSI’s newly released 2024 Annual Report! Read about student projects, impacts, and journeys from the past year. Click… […]

Mountain recreation areas often overlap with ecologically valuable conservation sites. Why we need to augment outdoor recreation research now– Joshua Kesling (1/17/2025) - Mountain recreation areas often overlap with ecologically valuable conservation sites. Why we need to augment outdoor recreation research now. Each year,… […]

Enhancing Public Transit in Crested Butte, Colorado—Kathleen Maeder (1/12/2025) - Crested Butte, a mountain town located high in the Colorado Rockies, prides itself as a community infused with creativity, authenticity,… […]

Building Bridges: Mapping Beaver Conflicts and Solutions in Montana (1/12/2025) - Photo Credit: Elissa Chott Effective mapping can be a crucial tool for managing human-wildlife interactions that benefit both people and… […]

Understanding the landscape factors that influence habitat selection and movement for Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in southwestern Montana (12/26/2024) - Photo Credit: Collin Peterson Pronghorn are an iconic wildlife species that inhabit the western interior of North America as they… […]

Transforming Transportation in Crested Butte, Colorado (12/23/2024) - Our student research assistants are developing strategies to transform the transportation network in Crested Butte, Colorado from automobile-centric to one that prioritizes buses, cycling,… […]

Keeping Track of Ungulate Trails— Jeremy D. Pustilnik (12/22/2024) - At the end of the 20th century, scientists dissolved Ungulata. “Ungulata” was not a brand of dish soap or a… […]

Mapping Beaver Conflicts: A Step Toward Coexistence— Xiaofan Shen (12/11/2024) - This fall, I found myself immersed in the world of beavers, data points, and digital maps. As a research assistant… […]

Parking Reform as a Pillar for a Sustainable Transportation Transformation— Joshua Hernandez (12/11/2024) - Crested Butte, Colorado is a small town of less than 2,000 people nestled in the Rocky Mountains, over 220 miles… […]

Desolation Canyon—Alex Wells (8/23/2024) - Over my summer as a Western Resource Fellow with the National Forest Foundation (NFF), I spent my time diving into… […]

The dynamics of an ending field season, why soundscape conservation matters for people and nature and unfiltered love—Joshua Kesling (8/20/2024) - The end of a field season can yield a suite of emotions. For some, the transition from field settings to… […]

Underground History Lessons in King County—Ingrid Thyr (8/20/2024) - Last weekend, I checked off one more box from my summer to-do list as I descended beneath the streets of… […]

The National Renewable Energy Lab (8/10/2024) - Much of my work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as a mechanical engineering intern has consisted of sitting… […]

Why it’s Cardinal to Observe the Relationship Among Mountain Wildlife, Spatial Scales, and Ecosystem Dynamics—Joshua Kesling (7/19/2024) - Many wildlife species receive support from mountain natural areas interspersed throughout the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Upper elevation field sites, ranging… […]

Why Listening to River and Riparian Distress Calls Matter—Joshua Kesling (7/9/2024) - Before taking measurements during bustling recreation events—assessing plant height, counting species diversity, recording sound levels, reading water qualities, and comparing… […]

Catalyzing Watershed Restoration on National Forest Lands (7/8/2024) - Alex will focus his summer on two projects with the National Forest Foundation (NFF). With half his time, Alex is… […]

Tanged Up in Seasons—Alex Wells (7/8/2024) - This past May, I traveled back in time.  From the top of East Rock Park, the stately houses and university… […]

Making Climate Action Data More Accessible and Engaging—Ingrid Thyr (7/8/2024) - “How do you explain ‘quintile rank’ to make it easily understandable?” “Should we use morning, afternoon, or evening temperature?” “Should… […]

The Pickle’s Place—Aya Ochiai (7/3/2024) - Just inside town limits of Arco, Idaho (pop. 995), there’s an electric green building that is emblazoned “Pickle’s Place, Home… […]

Toward an Understanding of Mountain Recreation Ecosystems and Key Services—Joshua Kesling (6/28/2024) - Jordan Pines Recreation Area with Moose, situated near the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (Joshua Kesling 2024)… […]

Nuclear and Renewable Energy in Idaho and the American West (6/21/2024) - Aya is working on a two part project focusing on non-fossil fuel energy in the American West and its human… […]

Capturing Outdoor Recreation and Ecological Patterns along a Multiple Use Mountain Stream (6/20/2024) - Jordan Pines Recreation Area, situated in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (2024) Outdoor recreation opportunities fuel important Intermountain West… […]

Supporting Climate Action in King County, WA (6/13/2024) - This summer, Ingrid is working with the Executive Climate Office of King County (Washington) on three projects related to addressing… […]

A Call to Action – Private Finance to Nature through Ecosystem Restoration—Dimitria Spathakis (6/13/2024) - Photo from CCALT, illustrating restoration structures on conserved working lands in the Yampa Valley The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)… […]

Striking a Balance Between Restoration Costs and Benefits—Alaina Geibig (6/10/2024) - The Yampa River Valley, located in the Northwest corner of Colorado, hosts critical sagebrush habitat that supports wildlife and livestock.… […]

A How-To Guide for Beaver Monitoring—Alex Wells (5/13/2024) - May is here, bringing with it the end of a semester and the end of my time working as a… […]

2023 Annual Report (4/18/2024) - Check our UHPSI’s newly released 2023 Annual Report! Read about student projects, impacts, and journeys from the past year. Click… […]

Building Markets for Wetland Restoration: Challenges and Considerations in Colorado’s Yampa Valley— Dimitria Spathakis (2/11/2024) - How can additive conservation measures be financially incentivized on Western working lands? Working with Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT),… […]

Muddying the Water—Alex Wells (1/31/2024) - Let’s say that you live in northeast Nevada and ranch a stretch of sagebrush watered by a small cottonwood-lined creek.… […]

Introducing Erosion Structures in Dryland Streams—Alaina Geibig (1/31/2024) - It was early in the morning, but the summer sun was already high above the horizon. I squinted, fumbling to… […]

A Monitoring Plan for Beaver Wellbeing and Hydrologic Impacts (1/20/2024) - Photo Credit: Chip Caroon Effective ecological monitoring is a critical component of managing ecosystems in a way that balances the… […]

Local Payment for an Ecosystem-Service-Model for Working Lands Stewardship (12/6/2023) - In partnership with The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, UHPSI research assistants are exploring possibilities of developing a payment-for-ecosystem services… […]

Student Feature in Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (11/22/2023) - Read Kathleen Voight's work here! […]

Who Cares?—Sam Wilson (9/22/2023) - I was explaining my research to someone recently and the proceeding conversation got me thinking. When I described my project… […]

Reflecting On a Summer in the San Luis Valley – Kathleen Voight (9/20/2023) - During the several months of interviews I conducted, I met with ranchers in work trucks, in hay barns, and in… […]

A Night of Astronomy—Uthara Vengrai (9/10/2023) - The astronomer walks up to the podium and everyone goes quiet. There are probably 80 people sitting in this amphitheater… […]

See how 2023 UHPSI Western Resources Fellows use community in their work! (9/9/2023) - https://youtu.be/RX0Co5EUiwA […]

Exotic annual forbs present restoration challenges on natural gas well pads—Damaris Chenoweth (9/2/2023) - Restoration of natural gas well pads is plagued by invasion from annual forbs and grasses. Exotic annual forbs particularly are… […]

Sampling soils in an ancient lake—Damaris Chenoweth (9/2/2023) - Some days our soil auger hits a layer of shale and instead of retrieving messy handfuls of sandy soil, we… […]

What is the Difference Between a Crop and a Plant?—Julia Jacobson (8/29/2023) - A few months ago, during one of my first interviews of the summer, I was trying to discern how farmers’… […]

A Future of Ranching in the San Luis Valley, Colorado (7/19/2023) - By area, livestock grazing is the single largest land use across the San Luis Valley, across the state of Colorado,… […]

Reconciling Conservation and Conservatism in Cattle Ranching—Kathleen Voight (7/11/2023) - Much of my research involves talking to ranchers, who are often older, often male, and often conservative. I receive names… […]

Dis-Assembling Agriculture— Julia Jacobson (7/11/2023) - Clouds of dust plume behind my car as I venture down the long driveway to my first farm interview of… […]

Global change effects on soil greenhouse gas exchange and carbon storage along a temperature gradient in the North American Central Grasslands (7/8/2023) - Most ecosystem and earth-system models predict soil organic carbon losses from temperate grasslands as temperatures increase. However, the magnitude of… […]

Modeling Radiation Use Efficiency in Big Sagebrush Understory (7/8/2023) - Sam’s research focuses on gathering field data to pair with remotely sensed imagery to then model a physiological plant trait… […]

Changing Agriculture in a Changing Climate: Exploring Farmers’ Responses to Climate Change via Multispecies Ethnography (6/23/2023) - Across the Southwestern United States, the already pervasive effects of climate change foreshadow a stark future for farmers. While there… […]

Assessing restoration outcomes on natural gas well pads in the Upper Green River Basin of Wyoming (6/23/2023) - The Jonah Field is a large natural gas field in southwestern Wyoming leased to energy operators by the U.S. Bureau… […]

Learning About Place—Julia Chen (6/7/2023) - I spent over a week in Wyoming and Idaho this spring learning about the environmental issues and organizations working towards… […]

A “Generational Moment” for Land Conservation—Kathleen Voight (6/1/2023) - After two semesters working closely with the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) Additive Conservation subcommittee, I was excited to… […]

A Brief Look at NDVI—Sam Wilson (5/26/2023) - Over the last eight months at Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative, our team developed a set of tools to assist… […]

See what UHPSI Research Fellows are up to! (5/25/2023) - https://youtu.be/jGlNWc3_avw […]

Landscape Vegetation Analysis (LaVA) in Southern Wyoming—Jake Barker (5/18/2023) - Forest Service Road closed for logging operations on the Medicine Bow Routt National Forest, as part of the Acorn Precommercial… […]

Gaining a Deeper Understanding of Ecosystems Through Collaboration—Rowan Sharkey (5/10/2023) - Photo Credit: Aaron Clausen The past year working with the Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative has presented a wide range… […]

2022 Annual Report (3/22/2023) - Check our UHPSI’s newly released 2022 Annual Report! Read about student projects, impacts, and journeys from the past year. Click… […]

Making the Case for Cattle—Kathleen Voight (1/30/2023) - Championing the ecological importance of cattle grazing doesn’t always land well in environmental groups. Pushback often quotes methane emissions, a… […]

Out in the Cold—Delaney Heileman (1/23/2023) - On December 31, 2020, the Kayenta Coal mine in Arizona officially closed its doors, bringing an end to nearly 40… […]

Evaluating Mesic Restoration Efforts in Montana with Geospatial Tools (1/21/2023) - Photo Credit: Aaron Clausen In conjunction with The Nature Conservancy-Montana (TNC), Montana Conservation Corps (MCC), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF),… […]

Funding Priorities for Improving Ecological Value and Agricultural Viability on Colorado Rangelands (1/10/2023) - Photo Credit: Kathleen Voight Kathleen Voight is working with the Additive Conservation department of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust… […]

On Developing a Systems Thinking Model—Julia Chen (12/16/2022) - George E. P. Box once said that “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” As we try to make… […]

Beavers and Space—Sam Wilson (12/15/2022) - It's December here in New Haven, Connecticut. The leaves have all fallen, the grass is done growing, and the days… […]

Restoration Through Ecological Forestry—Jake Barker (12/15/2022) - As we examine the complex system of forests, management, and wood products in Wyoming, we are finding that the mosaic… […]

Utilizing Geospatial Analysis to Increase Water Availability in the American West—Rowan Sharkey (12/15/2022) - Being a research assistant with the Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative at YSE has afforded me a variety of opportunities… […]

A Systems Thinking Approach to Wood Processing and Forest Health in Wyoming (11/24/2022) - Photo credit: Jake Barker Julia Chen and Jake Barker are collaborating with The Nature Conservancy-Wyoming to investigate strategies to improve… […]

See research article from former Research Assistant, Shannon Bell (10/3/2022) - Check out Shannon's published article here, which draws on the research she did with Ucross. […]

Stepping Out of the Steppe—Rachel Renne (9/20/2022) - As temperatures climbed this summer, so did the elevations of the plots that I visited. My gradual ascent was an… […]

See Field Highlights from Students (9/3/2022) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjU9Ot94Eds Hear from some of our 2022 Western Resource Fellows about what they are doing! […]

Improving Model Outputs and Recommendations Through Field Work—Rob Anderson (9/1/2022) - As I write this, while sitting in my 82-degree New Haven apartment, I cannot help but feel some nostalgia for… […]

Why study outdoor recreation in the American West?—Mara MacDonell (8/26/2022) - Industry, based on landscape, has been foundational to the American West’s cultural and ideological underpinnings since the beginning of colonization.… […]

Place, People, and Politics: A Short Reflection on a Summer of Research and Rivers in the American West—Mara MacDonell (8/25/2022) - Over the course of 14 days this August, I traveled down the calm waters of Labyrinth and Stillwater Canyons of… […]

Gold Underfoot! Soil Organic Matter matters—Raffa Sindoni (8/18/2022) - Soil is the tapestry upon which all life is weaved. Our water is cleaned through it. Our food rises from… […]

Can Bison Shape the Prairie?—Ross Martin (7/24/2022) - https://vimeo.com/733016738 There’s a bull bison rolling on the ground. Hooves point skyward as the bull’s body moves—rocking, kicking, sliding on… […]

A Note from the Steppe—Rachel Renne (7/21/2022) - As a kid growing up in Florida, we were warned that the hottest part of the day was between noon… […]

Energy Use and Access on the Hopi Reservation (7/15/2022) - Delaney is working with the Hopi Utility Authority to better understand electricity and energy use on the Hopi Reservation. Her… […]

Wreckreation? Livelihood, Labor, Work, Play, and the Environment in the Rural American West (7/15/2022) - Industry, based on landscape, has been foundational to the American West’s cultural and ideological underpinnings. The extraction and outdoor recreation… […]

Defining Spring in a Dynamic World—Rob Anderson (7/9/2022) - What is spring? This may seem like an obvious question, but over the last few months I have come to… […]

Clay, Silt, Sand, and Data: Revealing Soil Organic Carbon on Native Lands (6/30/2022) - Raffa is supporting Indigenous data-empowerment efforts by researching how Tribal Nations may engage with soil carbon markets, which offer compensation… […]

Elevating Native Led Bison Restoration Stories on the Great Plains (6/30/2022) - Ross is partnering with Tanka Fund, a Native led non-profit on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Tanka… […]

Investigating Shrub-Grass Interactions in Big Sagebrush Ecosystems Across the West (6/30/2022) - In temperate drylands, the amount and timing of precipitation interacts with soil texture to determine patterns of seasonal soil water… […]

Impact of Climate Change on Plant Community Composition in Western Wyoming and Implications for Wildlife Migration (6/30/2022) - Increasing temperature and changing precipitation patterns with climate change will have substantial impacts on plant communities, particularly in water-limited drylands.… […]

The New Frontier: Carbon or Conservation?—Raffa Sindoni (6/30/2022) - The above image depicts brown rolling foothills under the snow-capped peaks of Grand Tetons. Photo taken on the unceded Ancestral… […]

Bison Restoration: Pursuing Environmental Justice on the Great Plains—Ross Martin (6/30/2022) - Bison are a uniquely important species in North America’s past, present, and future. They are a keystone species that maintains… […]

Mapping Rural Gentrification—Lani Chang (6/8/2022) - CLICK HERE TO VIEW LANI'S STORYMAP Rural gentrification is increasingly recognized as a significant problem for Western amenity towns in… […]

Methods and Modalities to Explore Rural Gentrification— Mara MacDonell (4/23/2022) - Over the last year, the rural gentrification research group has been approaching the subject of rural gentrification from a variety… […]

Framing the “New West”— Molly Ryan (4/23/2022) - The “Old West” and the “New West.” These terms are often used to characterize the transformation of rural western economies… […]

What’s Behind Oregon’s New Law Mandating Overtime Pay for Farmworkers and What Might it Mean for Farmers in the State? — Shannon Bell (4/22/2022) - Labor shortages became very salient in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the agricultural industry has been reckoning… […]

The Vital Role of Working Lands in Western Conservation—Annie Miller (12/14/2021) - Photo by Michelle Downey Working lands -- the farms, ranchlands, and working forests that support livelihoods -- are a vital… […]

Improving Restoration Funding for Working Lands in Colorado (12/10/2021) - The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) is exploring the development of an internally managed Agricultural Resiliency Fund to provide… […]

Understanding the Impacts and Implications of Rural Gentrification in the American West (12/10/2021) - Many amenity towns in the Western United States are struggling with rapid in-migration and its corresponding impacts on natural resources,… […]

Rural Gentrification: The Housing Crisis — Mara MacDonell (12/7/2021) - There are two things that are common knowledge if you live in a ski town (and you don’t have a… […]

Is Oregon’s Land Use System Protecting Farmers? — Shannon Bell (12/7/2021) - Between 2001 and 2016, 11 million acres of farmland in the United States were developed, with 4.1 million acres converted… […]

Flagstaff, Arizona’s journey through rural gentrification — Molly Ryan (12/7/2021) - I’ve been living on the East Coast for over eight years now. When I meet someone new and tell them… […]

Climate Change and Plant Communities: Reshaping Ecosystems for Livestock and Wildlife — Scott Carpenter (9/9/2021) - During the month of August, I was unfortunate enough to be impacted by two extreme weather events associated with climate… […]

Global change and root production: how does land use and climate change affect life belowground? — Uthara Vengrai (9/8/2021) - Roots do everything. They are the connector between plants and soil–the interface at which many of the transactions of life… […]

Augmenting local water supplies in Southern California: Difficult Tradeoffs — Ryanna Fossum (9/8/2021) - Our day-to-day experience with fresh water varies drastically depending on where in the country we live. This week, as I… […]

Why Water Utilities Should Invest in Natural (Green) Infrastructure — Lily Colburn (8/29/2021) - Water utilities provide drinking, wastewater, and stormwater services to millions of people across the United States, including for residential, commercial,… […]

A Sustainable Redesign of the Secure Rural Schools Act: Reimagining county payments to prioritize the ecological and cultural value of forest ecosystems over the economic value of timber resources — Shannon Bell (8/29/2021) - In May of 2021, Janez Potočnik and Isabella Teixeira, the co-chairs of the International Resource Panel (IRP) that was launched… […]

Forest Collaboratives and Habitat Connectivity in the Northern Rockies (8/29/2021) - Laura is a Conservation Connect Fellow at the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and a U.S. Media and Storytelling Intern at… […]

Natural (Green) Infrastructure in Oregon (8/29/2021) - Lily is a Financial Analyst Intern with the Natural Infrastructure Initiative at the World Resources Institute (WRI). She is researching… […]

An introduction to the wildlife crossing structures that help animals move over and under Highway 93 in the Flathead Reservation, Montana. —Luca Guadagno (8/8/2021) - Driving north of Missoula through the Flathead Reservation, vehicles on US Highway 93 pass under a semi-circle arch of a… […]

In Colorado’s San Luis Valley, what happened in Crowley County is something of a ghost story.—Cloe Dickson (7/25/2021) - The two communities are not close, at least not geographically. From Alamosa County, the largest city in the San Luis… […]

Seeing the Forest for the (Burnt) Trees: How Salvage Logging in Oregon is Perpetuating Outdated Extractive Approaches to Federal Forestland Management—Shannon Bell (7/25/2021) - In late May of 2021, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approved a plan to log over 900 acres of… […]

Behind the scenes of LA’s most ambitious water resiliency effort: The Safe, Clean, Water Program—Ryanna Fossum (7/25/2021) - Over three years have passed since voters approved Measure W in 2018 to increase water supply, improve water quality, and… […]

Signing the Colorado Soil Health Bill!—Darya Watnick (7/25/2021) - Governor Jared Polis signing HB 21-1181, ‘the Colorado Soil Health Bill,’ into law. Photo Credit: Darya Watnick Two days after… […]

Drought in the West: The Consequences of Variable Forage Production for Open-Range Livestock Operations—Scott Carpenter (7/25/2021) - During an especially hot and dry summer in Pinedale, Wyoming it’s hard not to reflect on the looming predictions of… […]

The importance of a few places and a few organisms: soil methane fluxes in the West—Uthara Vengrai (7/25/2021) - Drylands cover about 40% of the world and the vast majority of the American West. They are expansive, diverse places… […]

Impacts of global change and land use on biogeochemical dynamics in Southwestern Wyoming (7/25/2021) - Uthara’s research focuses on the interactive effect of global change scenarios and land use practices on soil carbon and nitrogen… […]

Long-term suitability of wildlife crossing structures for species movements across US highway 93 in Western Montana (7/25/2021) - Structures that allow wildlife to safely cross highways, including overpasses, landbridges, and wildlife underpasses, are increasingly attracting the attention of… […]

Perceptions of Water Export in Colorado’s San Luis Valley (7/25/2021) - Cloe will be spending the summer in Alamosa, Colorado, where she is conducting independently-led research on the San Luis Valley’s… […]

Impact of Variable Grazing Pressure and Climate Change on Big Sagebrush Plant Communities (7/25/2021) - Associated with rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns are predicted to create novel climates contributing to changes in the distribution of… […]

Enhancing working lands in Colorado (7/25/2021) - Darya’s main project is facilitating the Colorado Coalition to Enhance Working Lands (CO-CEWL). CO-CEWL works to improve the resilience and… […]

Proposing County Payment Reforms that Incentivize Conservation of Public Forestland (7/25/2021) - Shannon is working with Oregon Wild, a non-governmental organization in Oregon dedicated to the conservation of forests and wildlife across… […]

Community-led water resilience in the Los Angeles River Watershed (7/25/2021) - Ryanna is supporting the Council for Watershed Health (CWH) in promoting integrated regional watershed management in the greater Los Angeles… […]

Impact of land use change policies on carbon sequestration capacity of natural and working lands in the US Climate Alliance western states (7/25/2021) - Kyle is working with The Nature Conservancy, North America Natural Climate Solutions Team. He will complete a regional land use… […]

Trouble in Paradise: Native Fish Entrainment in the Ditches of Jackson Hole, WY—Bryce Powell (4/15/2021) - The words “irrigation canal” conjure images of concrete systems and dirty water, but in Jackson, Wyoming, everything is touched by… […]

Complex Questions of Recreation Narratives about Wildlife Preservation in Jackson, Wyoming—Bea Portela (1/30/2021) - Over the course of this unprecedented COVID-19 summer, our project has gone through many iterations, though ultimately we decided to… […]

Inherding: The Concept, The Benefits, and its Feasibility—Cally Guasti (1/30/2021) - If you visit cattle ranches in most of the U.S., you’ll see two kinds of cattle grazing methods: the first… […]

Relationship-based Farming: Biodynamic agriculture as an innovative approach for rethinking our food system—Viola Taubmann (1/30/2021) - Cow manure that has fermented in the soil over the winter while stored in a cow horn is mixed with… […]

The Underlying Market Forces that Enable Farms to Share Risk Across the Supply Chain—Tim Ibbotson-Sindelar (1/30/2021) - Our research project with Vilicus Farms focuses on how farms and the supply chain can partner to mitigate risk for… […]

Who is leading the effort to conserve privately-owned grasslands in the West?—Laura González Mantecón (1/30/2021) - As I write this, surrounded by towering Douglas firs in the Pacific Northwest, I am very far removed from the… […]

Ranching the Hard Way—Lani Chang (1/30/2021) - "We've all chosen to do ranching the hard way" a rancher chuckles through the small illuminated rectangle on my computer's… […]

Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation—Grace Hilbert (1/30/2021) - No two conservation projects are the same, which is why the Conservation Measures Partnership (CMP) developed the Open Standards for… […]

Recording of Western Resources Fellow Presentations – Part 1 (1/22/2021) - Hello everyone! Please click here to view the recording of presentations by 6 of our 2020 Western Resources Fellows. Each… […]

Elkhorn Mountain Conifer Density Survey (1/18/2021) - In partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Pheasants Forever in Bozeman, MT, our research assistant is using… […]

Western Speaker Series 2020-2021 (1/18/2021) - Each year, UHPSI hosts a western speaker series focusing on conservation and stewardship issues in the American West. The series… […]

Collaborative Rangeland Monitoring and Management in Montana (1/18/2021) - The Range Monitoring Group (RMG), a Montana collaborative that includes ranchers, scientists and non-profit conservation groups, has implemented a pilot… […]

Exploring Inherding as a Grazing Practice for Conservation and Rangeland Health in West (1/18/2021) - UHPSI research assistants have partnered with Texas A&M University-Kingsville and a Wyoming ranch to study the feasibility of implementing inherding… […]

Innovative Risk & Reward Sharing Between Farmers and the Supply Chain for Biodynamic and Organic Grain, Pulse and Oil Seeds (1/18/2021) - UHPSI research assistants are working with Vilicus Farms to review and compile strategies for sharing risk and rewards across non-food… […]

Stillwater-Rosebud Water Quality Initiative (1/18/2021) - Photo by Tom Osborne Our team is working to design and deploy a portfolio of GIS tools for the Stillwater… […]

Recreation and Conservation Planning for Fishers Peak State Park (1/18/2021) - In partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Colorado, our research team is working across ecological and recreational decision-making processes to… […]

A Case Study: Recreation in the Palisades Wilderness Study Area of the GYE—Bea Portela (12/18/2020) - Tucked in the crest of the Snake River Range and in the heart of northwestern Wyoming’s wilderness lies the Palisades… […]

More Organic Grain? Fix the Missing Middle First—Charlotte Benishek (12/17/2020) - Where did the wheat in those organic crackers sitting in your cupboard come from? More likely Turkey than the northern… […]

Work is Flowing for the Rosebud Creek Team—Katherine Tucker (12/17/2020) - For a few hours every week, I get to escape the hustle and stress of graduate school and virtually explore… […]

Small Species, Big Impact: Communicating Biodiversity Conservation across Disciplines—Lauren Sadowski (12/17/2020) - Often, charismatic species are over-represented in scientific fields, more likely to raise funds, or considered ecologically more important than others.… […]

Fishers Peak: A Model For Collaboration—Tony Cisneros (12/17/2020) - I learned about the nascent Fishers Peak State Park in the fall of 2019, over one year ago today. At… […]

The Monotony and Excitement of Harvest Season in Montana’s Great Plains — Tim Ibboston-Sindelar (10/21/2020) - I wrote my first blog post at the two-week mark of my internship with Vilicus Farms, a 9,600-acre organic grain,… […]

Computer Simulations and Soil Texture — Jon Michel (10/2/2020) - This summer, I worked with computer simulations to determine if soil texture was currently an important factor in competition between… […]

A Win for Science and Conservation: Protecting Research in Gothic, Colorado with a Conservation Easement — Margot Buckelew and Abbey Warner (10/2/2020) - Margot Buckelew and Abbey Warner, 2020 Western Resources Fellows with UHPSI at YSE, contributed to western conservation efforts this summer… […]

Approaches to Pinyon Pine Management — Paul Berne Burow (9/25/2020) - The pinyon pine is not what you might call “charismatic megaflora.” North America’s Pacific and Intermountain West are home to… […]

Understanding the Role of Perennial Grasses in Sagebrush Establishment — Damaris Chenoweth (9/23/2020) - I recently returned from Southwestern Wyoming where I collected data over five weeks. The undisturbed Wyoming big sagebrush of the… […]

Changing Narratives in a Pandemic Summer — Reid Lewis (9/22/2020) - When’s the last time you were dancing? Really going for it, with sweat and chaos and flashing lights? For me… […]

2020 Decision Making: Considering loss in the time of Covid-19 — Margot Buckelew (9/16/2020) - Every spring, many ecologists and students around the world gear up for field season. For most of us, it is… […]

Highlighting the “Impacts of COVID-19 On The Rural West: Material Needs, Economic Recovery, Political Attitudes” Report from the Rural West Covid Project (9/8/2020) - Yale School of the Environment’s Professor Dr. Justin Farrell and his lab received National Science Foundation funding to research the… […]

Now Hiring Students and Open House (8/30/2020) - Ucross High Plain Stewardship Initiative (UHPSI) is now HIRING graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in courses to work as research assistants or speaker… […]

A River Saved: Yampa, Water, Energy, and Climate Change — Humna Sharif (8/24/2020) - The life of the Yampa River has many important lessons, it remains the wildest tributary to the Colorado River system… […]

Bottom-up, Big-tent Community Organizing — Darya Watnick (8/24/2020) - The Colorado Collaborative for Healthy Soils is a community-driven organization bringing together diverse voices of Colorado’s farmers and ranchers around… […]

Speaker Series Opportunities Available (8/12/2020) - Conservation Conversations Visit here to learn more and tune in! Conservation Conversations is a webinar series that will explore the conservation challenges of the future… […]

FAQ for Student Research Assistants (7/28/2020) - Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative typically hires students, undergrad to PhD, to work as paid research assistants during September/October-May to… […]

Predicting the Future—Jon Michel (7/24/2020) - I don’t think I need to describe to anyone that we’re living through a very odd time. With everything going… […]

Exploring New Approaches to Grassland Conservation in Wyoming—Katie Pofahl and Humna Sharif (7/24/2020) - Two students from the Yale School of the Environment’s Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative teamed up with The Nature Conservancy… […]

Large landscapes Need Large-Scale Collaboration: Efforts to protect ecosystem diversity in the vast American West—Margot Buckelew (7/24/2020) - Western landscapes create a set of unique challenges for natural resource managers because the ecosystems cover a vast area of… […]

Understanding Community Perceptions of Recreation and Wildlife in Jackson, Wyoming (7/18/2020) - As Jackson Hole’s visiting population increases exponentially and recreation use continues to climb, Bryce and Bea are working with the… […]

Mapping Resource “Neighborhoods” of Big Sagebrush — Damaris Chenoweth (7/14/2020) - Once covering nearly half of the American West, sagebrush ecosystems are now among the most threatened in North America. In… […]

From Zero to 9,600 Organic Acres in Montana’s Great Plains — Tim Ibbotson-Sindelar (7/14/2020) - I arrived at the farm on a Saturday three weeks ago. I drove for three days from Philadelphia to Hill… […]

UHPSI Black Lives Matter Solidarity Statement and Reading List (7/8/2020) - The Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and all Black people and… […]

Improving Aquatic Habitat Connectivity in the Snake River Headwaters (7/1/2020) - Bryce is the Conservation Intern for Trout Unlimited's Snake River Headwaters Initiative, a project in partnership with Wyoming Game and… […]

Land Trusts and Water Conservation (7/1/2020) - Abbey is working with the nonprofit land trust Colorado Open Lands to learn about private land conservation in the West… […]

Soil Texture and Plant Concentration on Oil Well Pad Reclamation Sites in Wyoming (7/1/2020) - Jon is investigating the relationship between soil texture and the concentration of woody plants and perennial bunch grasses on oil… […]

Non-Consumptive Water Rights as a Landscape Conservation Tool (7/1/2020) - Margot's independent policy analysis investigates the governance structures in Colorado that allowed non-consumptive water rights to be claimed by private… […]

Eco-Sensible Crop Farming in the Northern Great Plains of Montana (7/1/2020) - Tim is working this summer at Vilicus Farms, a 10,000 acre, organic, dry land (not irrigated) specialty grain and pulse… […]

Soil Health and Soil Carbon Sequestration in Regenerative Agriculture (7/1/2020) - Darya is working with Mad Agriculture, an organization focusing on regenerative agriculture out of Boulder, Colorado. She is assisting the… […]

Simulating the Recovery of Big Sagebrush Communities from Disturbances Due to Oil and Gas Extraction (7/1/2020) - At well pads—areas developed for oil and gas drilling—both the vegetation and topsoil are completely removed. After drilling infrastructure is… […]

Pursuing Better Stewardship and Better Futures: Centering Native American Histories and Perspectives (7/1/2020) - The United States recognizes over 500 American Indian or Alaskan Native nations. There is extraordinary variety in the cultural, spiritual,… […]

Assessing Climate Change Impacts to Waterways Near National Parks in the West (7/1/2020) - Humna is working with the water conservation team at National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) to assess anthropogenic threats to western… […]

Modern Storytelling, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Difficulties of Trying to Convey Truth — Reid H. Lewis (6/30/2020) - Is it possible to tell a complete story? I mean, not a good story or a fun story or a… […]

Farming from afar — Darya Watnick (6/29/2020) - This summer I’m working as a summer fellow for Mad Agriculture. MadAg is working, as they put it, to “catalyze… […]

Water in the Southwest and the New-Old Threat of Uranium Mining — Humna Sharif (6/29/2020) - Clean and safe water is one of the most precious resources anywhere in the world, but this is especially true… […]

Op-Ed: Don’t just cheer wildland firefighters as heroes. Give them affordable healthcare — James F. Puerini and Gerald Torres (6/24/2020) - James F Puerini, masters of forestry candidate, and Professor Gerald Torres have recently published an excellent op-ed focused on wildland… […]

Saving Grasslands with Stakeholder Collaboration — Humna Sharif (5/22/2020) - Preview: Grassland habitats across the world are facing multiple threats due to anthropogenic changes, and species dependent on these ecosystems are… […]

Rebirth after Fire — Zhi Li (5/12/2020) - Zhi Li, MFs 20', spent his 2019 summer in California's forests conducting research related to fire. This involved camping with… […]

Balancing Rights in the Context of Outdoor Recreation — Talia Niederman (5/8/2020) - Photo by: Bryce Powell As the number of outdoor recreationists expands due to a confluence of improved technology and social… […]

Annual Report 2019 — Michelle Downey (5/7/2020) - Please find our 2019 annual report below. We are incredibly grateful for all the partnerships and collaborations that have allowed… […]

Rethinking What’s Important — Meghan Hills (4/21/2020) - I think it’s fair to say that I’ve spent my life training to be a scientist. It’s been the result… […]

Field Research in California’s Forest after Wildfire — Zhi Li (4/6/2020) - When I present my research to the F&ES community, all I will see is the flashback of this summer: a… […]

A Brief Introduction to Chronic Wasting Disease — Meghan Hills (3/24/2020) - Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an infection found in captive (farmed) and free-ranging (wild) members of the deer family (hereafter… […]

Wildlife-Friendly Ranching in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (3/9/2020) - Rory Jacobson and Anna-Sophia Haub are working with partners at the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies,… […]

Climate Vulnerability in the Crown of the Continent (3/9/2020) - UHPSI students collaborated with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist with a Landscape Conservation Design (LCD). The Crown Managers… […]

Development of a Feasibility Tool to Evaluate Grassbank Potential in Thunder Basin, Wyoming (3/9/2020) - Our team worked with The Nature Conservancy Wyoming to research the feasibility of a creative approach to grassland conservation in… […]

Highlighting Indigenous Relationships in the West: A Special Issue of Indigenizing the News (3/9/2020) - Indigenizing the News is a digital magazine dedicated to Native nations, cultures, and contemporary issues in North America. Through a… […]

Western Speaker Series (3/9/2020) - The Western Speaker Series connects conservation professionals and Yale students to explore and discuss a range of issues facing land… […]

Impacts of Recreation on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (3/9/2020) - In partnership with the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative, UHPSI research assistants investigated trends, conditions, and projections surrounding recreation in the… […]

Solar Feasibility Study for Tensleep Preserve in North Central Wyoming (3/9/2020) - UHPSI research assistants worked in partnership with The Nature Conservancy’s Tensleep Preserve, located in North Central Wyoming, to conduct a… […]

Governance successes and challenges along the Colorado River – Lucas Isakowitz (11/7/2019) - The Colorado River runs almost 1,500 miles, from the cold Rocky Mountains down to the dry Sonoran desert. Throughout this… […]

A Week in the Desert — Danielle Glass (9/16/2019) - Two desert bighorn rams vie for dominance. Researching the impact of surface water to desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni)… […]

The Death and Rebirth of the Colorado River Delta (9/16/2019) - (© Bill Hatcher/Sonoran Institute, 2019) A century ago, the Colorado River ran uninterrupted from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf… […]

Accelerating Community-Driven Impact, Part 2 — Shea Flanagan (9/11/2019) - Before my LegacyWorks Group internship in the Tetons this summer comes to a close, I’d like to highlight a couple… […]

Investigating the Socioecological Importance of Pinyon Forests for Paiute Communities in the Great Basin (9/11/2019) - Paul’s project investigates socioecological change affecting Paiute communities in California and Nevada. It examines the cultural importance of pinyon forests… […]

Accelerating Community-Driven Impact, Part 1 — Shea Flanagan (9/9/2019) - Howdy! I’ve headed west to work as the Summer Associate for LegacyWorks Group in Jackson, Wyoming. LegacyWorks accelerates community-driven impact… […]

Exploring the Ecological Impacts of Wildfire in Coniferous Forests in Sierra Nevada (8/21/2019) - Findings Visit Zhi's story map here to learn more about forest management recommendations in burn areas. Summary Zhi’s ecological research… […]

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Survey of Canyon Creek (8/21/2019) - Joshua's research surveyed benthic macroinvertebrate communities of Canyon Creek at The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Tensleep Preserve in order to (1)… […]

The Impact of Surface Water on Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) Movement Patterns (8/21/2019) - Though the relationship between resource selection and animal distribution has been thoroughly investigated, few studies link animal movement patterns to… […]

Spatiotemporal Patterns in the Observed Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease Across North America (8/13/2019) - Meghan is conducting independent research that aims to explore spatiotemporal patterns in the historic and ongoing spread of chronic wasting… […]

Exploring the Interface of Religious Life and Environmental Politics in Montana (8/13/2019) - Leif is researching independently in northwest Montana where faith-based environmental organizing sets the stage. Three emerging organizations seek to empower… […]

Governance and Storytelling Along the Colorado River (8/13/2019) - Lucas is working for The Nature Conservancy’s Colorado River Program (CRP). His focus for the CRP is two-fold: first, Lucas… […]

Increasing the Pace and Scale of Conservation in the Tetons through Collaboration (8/13/2019) - Shea is working with LegacyWorks Group in Jackson, Wyoming to accelerate community-driven impact to advance large-scale conservation efforts in the… […]

Pulse of the River —Reid Lewis (5/9/2019) - The Southwest is a dry place. This statement should not surprise anyone; when you think of Arizona, Nevada, and New… […]

Engaging the Jackson Hole Latinx and Youth Communities in Bridger-Teton National Forest Review Processes —Eve Barnett, Haley Leslie-Bole, and Jesse Bryant (5/9/2019) - BACKGROUND Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) in western Wyoming is the third-largest forest in the continental United States. It is a… […]

Urbanization & Human-Wildlife Conflict in the West —Amy Zuckerwise (5/9/2019) - Black bear at a bird feeder Carnivores have become social media sensations when they enter into urban areas. Hundreds of… […]

Grasslands Can Help Fight Climate Change —Jeffrey Conti (5/9/2019) - A significant amount of carbon is locked up underneath the ancient grasslands of North America. Grasses naturally absorb carbon during… […]

Engaging Youth and Underserved Communities in Land Management and Project Review Processes for the Bridger-Teton National Forest (3/14/2019) - We are working with the Bridger-Teton National Forest to map community networks that will facilitate the forest in engaging local… […]

Communicating Vegetation Response after Fire in the Bridger-Teton National Forest (3/14/2019) - Our student research assistants partnered with Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) in Wyoming to create a report on the stand dynamics… […]

Coordinating Online Communications for Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative (3/14/2019) - As the Ucross Communications Coordinator, Meghanlata has completed a number of improvement projects for the website and other Ucross communications,… […]

Reconciling Landownership and Sage-Grouse Management Designation Data (3/13/2019) - This is an inter-agency project led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Federal and… […]

Organizing and Implementing the Western Speaker Series (3/13/2019) - The Symposium Student Coordinators organize the Western Speaker Series, which connects knowledgeable conservation professionals with Yale students to learn about… […]

Increasing Adoption of Grasslands Avoided Conversion Carbon Projects (3/13/2019) - Climate and Forest Capital (CFC) has partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund on an NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant to research… […]

Understanding Socio-economic Change and Implications for the Future of the Bridger-Teton National Forest (3/13/2019) - Our student research team has been working with the Bridger-Teton National Forest to help inform their efforts for a future… […]

Estimating Utah Prairie Dog Survival Using Camera-trap Data (3/13/2019) - One of our research assistants is working with the Utah Bureau of Land Management to analyze trends in plague-induced prairie… […]

Conservation Planning for Sheridan County, WY (2/20/2019) - Our research assistant team worked in partnership with the Sheridan Community Land Trust to develop a conservation planning mapping tool… […]

How to Find Spatial Data Online — Michael Storace (2/19/2019) - GIS can feel overwhelming sometimes to the casual user, and it can even intimidate those proficient with the program. However,… […]

Events (1/8/2019) - Western Connections and Community UHPSI hosts events (social or learning-driven) throughout the year to encourage connections and community among students,… […]

Methods for Non-Native Trout Removal in Rocky Mountain Streams — Brendan Boepple, Franklin Eccher, Laurel Low (1/3/2019) - The reintroduction of native trout in the Mountain West is a valuable conservation tool for fisheries managers with an interest… […]

Another Kind of Map – Joshua Morse (12/20/2018) - Western Resource Fellow alum Joshua Morse has published an article in Western Confluence featuring his UHPSI-funded masters thesis research. Click… […]

Funding the Future of Conservation: A GreenLight Ideation Session with Colorado Parks and Wildlife — Franklin Eccher (10/30/2018) - Colorado, like many western states, faces a sticky problem: its outdoor spaces are being loved to death. The problem is… […]

Final Soil Dryer Prototype — Nat Irwin (10/3/2018) - Now that my project partner, Seila De Leon, and I have finished our ten week fellowship at the Yale Center… […]

The Swan Lives On — Sam Maher (9/11/2018) - The last time I posted, I was a busy forensic ecologist/detective discovering the culprit behind dips in trumpeter swan productivity… […]

A Girl Scout’s Walden (Part Two) — Franklin Eccher (9/7/2018) - Trey Davis, the Preserve Manager at The Nature Conservancy’s Tensleep Preserve, described Tensleep as “a place of superlatives.” Everything at… […]

Thinking Beyond Acres – Brendan Boepple (8/31/2018) - During my summer with the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (RiGHT) I was tasked with developing and implementing a stakeholder… […]

Soil Dryer Updates Post-field Adventure — Seila De Leon (8/30/2018) - In mid-July, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in this year Western Research Fellowship Retreat in Ten Sleep, Wyoming.… […]

A Strong Fourth Quarter — Joshua Perez-Cruet (8/29/2018) - One of the major challenges I faced during my study was dealing with the weather; benthic invertebrates are extremely sensitive… […]

Ranch Crew: 2018 Overview — Caleb Gray (a Uni. of WY student) (8/23/2018) - Ranch Crew was an excellent opportunity that I was able to take ahold of, but I was not entirely prepared… […]

Land and Water: Conservation in Colorado’s San Luis Valley — Brendan Boepple (8/21/2018) - In the San Luis Valley, there are no shortage of views. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains rise like a wall… […]

A Girl Scout’s Walden (Part one) — Franklin Eccher (8/21/2018) - I first drove into Ten Sleep under cover of Washakie County darkness. The dark ribbon of highway unfurled through the… […]

The Forks and Fire — Brendan Boepple (8/13/2018) - Throughout our two weeks with Ranch Crew we became intimate with the Forks Ranch. Assessing ground cover and clipping grasses… […]

A Change of Perspective — Nat Irwin (8/9/2018) - For the past few months, my project partner, Seila De Leon, and I have been given the challenge of creating… […]

Designing a Soil Dryer for the Field — Seila De Leon (8/1/2018) - These past few months have been a big eye-opener to me about the importance of soil and understanding nature. I… […]

An Unexpected Discovery — Joshua Perez-Cruet (7/21/2018) - I have focused my last several weeks on the sampling portion of my project and am loving every minute of… […]

July 12 to 15: WRF Summer Retreat at Tensleep Preserve (7/19/2018) - For four sunny days, TNC's Tensleep Preserve in Ten Sleep, WY set the scene for a gathering of researchers, land… […]

Women translating ‘pixels to knowledge’ with Google Earth Engine — Sabrina Szeto (7/18/2018) - The following is an excerpt from the post: SABRINA SZETO Geospatial Analyst, Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative Master of Forestry,… […]

Changing Perspectives: The Enemy is Everywhere — Reid Lewis (7/9/2018) - I had the pleasure of arriving to Sheridan, Wyoming via road trip. My father, recently retired, proposed to turn the… […]

Of Bolts and Bullets, Part 1 — Jesse Bryant (7/6/2018) - In April 1909 Ten Sleep, Wyoming was the site of one of the last deadly conflicts of one of our… […]

Ranch Crew 2018: An Immersive Experience in Rangeland Ecology and Management — Lexi Smith (7/2/2018) - June 2018 was Ranch Crew month for several students (including myself), Ucross members, and collaborating partners from ranch managers to… […]

Forensic Ecology — Sam Maher (6/4/2018) - Sometimes studying wildlife feels a bit like you’re a detective solving a mystery. You’ve got a question that no one… […]

Western Research Fellows present at F&ES Research Day 2018 (4/25/2018) - We were so excited to see several Western Research Fellows present their master's thesis at the 34th Annual F&ES Research… […]

Predators and Prey — Adam Eichenwald (2/12/2018) - Pretend for a moment that you're a seal. You're swimming along, minding your own business, when you hear a killer… […]

Trout Fishing in America — Franklin Eccher (2/7/2018) - Trout have a storied and complicated history in America's conservation history. Ever since the early days of hatchery breeding -… […]

Musings on Montana — Emma Crow-Willard (1/17/2018) - Emma Crow-Willard is working on a film set in Montana. Follow along with her and learn about life in a… […]

Plant ID with the Ranch Crew — Katie Panek (12/17/2017) - During the first week of Ranch Crew, we discovered the joys of Plant ID – or should I say, what… […]

Interactive Map — Ross Donihue (12/17/2017) - INTERACTIVE MAP GOES LIVE I’m happy to share that my summer fellowship researching human-wildlife conflict has been featured on the… […]

Finding Errors in Data — Adam Eichenwald (12/12/2017) - The coolest part of science is when we make mistakes. Seems counterintuitive, right? Why would a mistake be the cool… […]

Writing the Rapid Assessment — Jordan Skovgard (12/5/2017) - Making the plan Leading up to our rapid assessment, our team had the opportunity to sit down and talk to… […]

More Than One Way to Ranch — Jaycie Arndt (12/5/2017) - There’s more than one way to skin a cat, but as it turns out there is also more than one… […]

A lesson about invasive species — Lydia Mendoza (12/5/2017) - During the first week of ranch crew, we all hopped in the van to visit a ranch not far from… […]

From Classroom to Field: A Trip to Red Canyon Ranch — Jessica Swindon (12/5/2017) - After spending a week in Sheridan, the crew took off towards Red Canyon Ranch in south central Wyoming. Iron rich,… […]

Ranch Crew Introduction — Jeremy Menkhaus (12/5/2017) - Summer 2017 marked the inaugural Ranch Crew course and, despite the course’s nascency, it felt like anything but Ranch Crew’s… […]

The Future of Our Public Lands — Jim Lyons (11/30/2017) - […]

Further Reflections on RALLY! — Ben Williamson (11/28/2017) - “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” –Ethan Winter, New York Senior Program Manager for the Land… […]

Wind and the Landscape of Fear — Adam Eichenwald (11/21/2017) - So I ran into a problem. If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I’m looking into gyrfalcon predation… […]

RALLY! — Jeff Conti (11/17/2017) - Anyone looking for injections of enthusiasm and creative ideas in the world of land conservation needs to head to the… […]

Sudden Aspen Decline — Jack Singer (11/6/2017) - Quaking aspen trees are important providers of ecosystem services in the west. They establish valuable wildlife habitat, support biodiversity, create… […]

Where the Wild Things Could Be — Adam Eichenwald (10/31/2017) - Following up on his trophic cascades video, Adam Eichenwald explains how he can follow his birds across entire landscapes...with MATH!… […]

Safe Crossings for Western Wildlife – A. Andis (10/25/2017) - Imagine that you could close your eyes, point to a map and wherever your finger lands, you would be in… […]

UHPSI Alum Catherine Kuhn Publishes! (10/2/2017) - Catherine Kuhn (MEsc '15) worked with Ucross during her time at F&ES, analyzing gas fluxes from Clear Creak, the main… […]

600,000 Cucumber Beetles – Adam Eichenwald (9/20/2017) - So after a long summer and an endless series of blog posts, I’ve realized that I never actually said flat-out… […]

Where’s the Water in Wyoming – Jessica Swindon (9/12/2017) - It’s not until you live somewhere like Wyoming that you truly understand what Mark Twain meant when he said “Whiskey… […]

Return to Civilization – Adam Eichenwald (8/15/2017) - So I’m finally back from Alaska. It’s great to be back home, and I’m enjoying having the use of indoor… […]

Wrap-Up in Lander, WY – Carli Kierstead (8/14/2017) - Hello again, it is now my last week in the The Nature Conservancy’s Lander, WY office. Though I am sad… […]

Instream Flows and Photography for Landscape Monitoring – Austin Rempel (8/14/2017) - Instream Flows on the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie Over the last two months I’ve been helping piece together… […]

Infiltration: Summer in Sage Country – Rachel Renne (7/17/2017) - Summer has arrived on the sagebrush steppe of southwest Wyoming! Frosty mornings and spring snows feel far away in the… […]

Nome FM – Adam Eichenwald (7/17/2017) - Nome’s only radio station has ruined other variety stations for me. I mean, in the span of 15 minutes this… […]

WRF Retreat (7/17/2017) - Western Research Fellow’s attended their annual retreat from the 23-26th of June. The retreat provides an opportunity for Fellows to… […]

Measuring Soil Carbon – Dan Kane (7/5/2017) - A year ago, I traveled out to Wyoming to visit a few properties managed by The Nature Conservancy and test… […]

Trophic Cascades – Adam Eichenwald (7/5/2017) - Although Adam was not able to join us at the Western Research Fellowship Retreat this last weekend, he did put… […]

Alaska is Big….Really Big – Adam Eichenwald (7/5/2017) - Alaska is big. Very big. You won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think… […]

Beaver Restoration and Water Management in Wyoming – Austin Rempel (7/5/2017) - I’m writing from Red Canyon Ranch, a working ranch and nature preserve owned by the Nature Conservancy. I’m fortunate to… […]

Take the Road Less Traveled – Jessica Swindon (6/19/2017) - Hello from Bill, Wyoming! I am currently writing from within the Thunder Basin National Grassland where one of my research… […]

Coexistence in the Northern Rockies – Ross Donihue (6/9/2017) - “One time I was at my gym in Banff running on the treadmill and I saw a deer giving birth,… […]

The Popo Agie (bonus points for pronouncing this one right!) – Carli Kierstad (6/8/2017) - Hello all, I am writing to you from Lander – a small town in Central Wyoming that has already won… […]

Bison Revival – Anthony Bell (6/3/2017) - Calving bison on the prairie, with nothing but grass and sky as far as the eye can see. It is… […]

The Early Botanist gets the Snow – Rachel Renne (6/2/2017) - What a thrill it is to be back in Wyoming! I arrived in Laramie two weeks ago, shyly crept my… […]

Gyrfalcon Attacks Helicopter! – Adam Eichenwald (6/1/2017) - Remember how I said a few posts ago that you don’t want to mess with a female gyrfalcon? Yeah, well… […]

The Batman Effect – Adam Eichenwald (5/22/2017) - Fun fact: a gyrfalcon flying at 200 mph hits HARD. Plus, it likes to pluck the feathers from birds it… […]

Fox Time – Adam Eichenwald (5/16/2017) - I interrupt my own blog posts to bring you this special news bulletin: yesterday I made a fox poop itself… […]

The Science of Snowmelt: An Interactive Story Map – Taylor Ganz (5/8/2017) - Check out this interactive story map about the exciting research done by Taylor Ganz, 2016 Western Research Fellow and graduating… […]

Midnight Musings in the Land of the Midnight Sun – Adam Eichenwald (5/8/2017) - So I’ve been trying to think of a way to start these posts off, like a signature of some kind.… […]

Announcing the 2017 Western Research Fellows (5/5/2017) - We're pleased to announce eleven recipients of this year's Western Research Fellowship. Topics span the range of issues affecting land… […]

The edge of the world – Adam Eichenwald (5/5/2017) - Hello from the edge! After a wonderful marathon of sleep, I am finally set up at base camp in Alaska… […]

Alaska Bound – Adam Eichenwald (5/3/2017) - I’m sitting in the Seattle airport waiting for my next flight, which is in 6 hours. It’s late, I’m sleep… […]

Summer Fellowship Opportunity with TNC and Ucross (2/28/2017) - A Partnership between the Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative and The Nature Conservancy, Wyoming Chapter for a Summer Fellowship TNC… […]

Ranch Crew: Applied Field Practicum (2/2/2017) - August 12-27, 2017 Do you love Western rangelands? Have you ever wondered what goes into managing livestock? Are you interested… […]

Western Research Fellowship – Apply Now (2/2/2017) - Are you planning research in the mountain west this summer? We should talk. There are lots of ways to fund… […]

Living with Public Lands: Snapshots of Sublette County – Sara Rose Tannenbaum (12/18/2016) - Click on the image below to see Western Research Fellow Sara Rose's multimedia article on Sublette County: […]

Curiosity and Trust – Josh Morse (12/7/2016) - At the end of the day, I’m an introvert. Perhaps predictably, as I was gearing up to begin this summer’s… […]

Sampling Soil across Wyoming Landscapes – Dan Kane (12/7/2016) - Thirteen days and nearly 600 soil samples later, we’re back from our last trip to Wyoming. The trip was a… […]

Restoring Ranches with Beartooth Capital Partners- Jay Chancellor (12/7/2016) - As I wrap up my research with Beartooth Capital Partners in Bozeman, Montana, I want to take a moment to… […]

The grass-fed challenge – Lucyann Murray (12/7/2016) - For those who are familiar with the beef industry, grass-fed and finished beef seems like a no-brainer. Healthier cows, healthier… […]

6/27/16 – Josh Morse (12/7/2016) - “Be prepared to do a lot of listening”. I’ve gotten this line of advice from every friend, colleague, and mentor… […]

“Where there’s just enough civilization” – Sara Rose (12/7/2016) - Greetings from Pinedale, Wyoming! “Where there’s just enough civilization,” reads the sign at the entrance to town. Now, I… […]

Update from the field – Becca Shively (12/7/2016) - Greetings from the Pacific Northwest! Unbelievably I’m now into my 6th week working with the Rural Voices for… […]

Out of the Mountains – Taylor Ganz (12/7/2016) - Well, we did it! With much better weather for our second attempt, Grace, Conor and I were able to… […]

Grass Fed Beef Explorations – Lucyann Murray (12/7/2016) - Hello from Portland, OR – pretentious foodie capital of the world! Paleo, gluten free, local, grass-fed, heritage, etc. are plastered… […]

Snow in the Mountains – Taylor Ganz (12/7/2016) - Time for another project update. As most of you know Grace and I came out of the mountains last Thursday… […]

WRF Update from the Field – Taylor Ganz (12/7/2016) - Hi Everyone! I wanted to write and give an update on the research project to those of you who have… […]

Request for Proposals – Western Research Fellowship (12/7/2016) - Proposal Deadline - Monday, March 7, 2016 Information Session - Monday, February 15, 2016 | 4 pm | Sage 8a… […]

Q&A with Terray Sylvester (9/26/2016) - […]

Wildfire, the “Wild West”, and Wyoming’s Wilderness Study Areas – Sara Rose (9/21/2016) - Greetings from New Haven! My summer in Wyoming has come to a close. I’ve traded sagebrush steppe for industrial seaport,… […]

Campaign for a Soil Ethic- Eamon Heberlein (9/19/2016) - Northern Plains Resource Council is a grassroots conservation group that organizes Montana citizens, farmers, and ranchers around coal, water quality,… […]

New Research Assistantships for FALL 2016! (8/29/2016) - […]

Restoring Ranches with Beartooth Capital Partners – Jay Chancellor (8/15/2016) - As I wrap up my research with Beartooth Capital Partners in Bozeman, Montana, I want to take a moment to… […]

Sampling Soil across Wyoming Landscapes – Dan Kane (8/15/2016) - Thirteen days and nearly 600 soil samples later, we’re back from our last trip to Wyoming. The trip was a… […]

The grass-fed challenge – Lucyann Murray (8/5/2016) - For those who are familiar with the beef industry, grass-fed and finished beef seems like a no-brainer. Healthier cows, healthier… […]

8/1/16 – Dan Kane (8/1/2016) - Hello from Wyoming! Two weeks ago, I spent four days collecting soil samples at the Tensleep Preserve after the rest… […]

Update from the Field – Dan Kane (8/1/2016) - Hello from Wyoming! Two weeks ago, I spent four days collecting soil samples at the Tensleep Preserve after the rest… […]

Public-Private Partnerships: Making Conservation Work in the West (4/14/2016) - Join the Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative, Westies, and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy for a two-part… […]

Public-Private Partnerships: Making Conservation Work in the West (4/4/2016) - Join the Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative, Westies, and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy for a two-part… […]

Holistic Management with the Savory Institute: Professional Skills Module (2/14/2016) - Are you interested in livestock operations, rangeland management, and climate-friendly agriculture? This two-day workshop is a unique offering designed to… […]

Request for Proposals – Western Research Fellowship (2/11/2016) - Proposal Deadline - Monday, March 7, 2016 Information Session - Monday, February 15, 2016 | 4 pm | Sage 8a… […]

Ucross: A Portrait in Place (1/24/2016) - A chance meeting three years ago over dinner at the Ucross Foundation schoolhouse led to a unique collaboration between UHPSI… […]

Looking West: Voices from the American Plains – Brian Kuehl, Principal, K-Coe Isom (11/28/2015) - Our third and final lunch lecture of the fall semester will be Monday, November 30th! Come hear Brian Kuehl, a… […]

Looking West: Voices from the American Plains – Karen Hostetler, Co-founder and Owner, Mountain Meadow Wool Company (11/4/2015) - Come hear Karen Hostetler, the Co-founder and owner of Mountain Meadow Wool Company. Mountain Meadow Wool is a full-service wool… […]

Looking West: Voices from the American Plains – Shane Cross, Western Energy Counsel at Trout Unlimited (10/28/2015) - Shane is a member of the Western Energy Counsel at Trout Unlimited and a partner in his family's cattle ranch.… […]

Wyoming Grasslands Symposium: The Art and Science of Grasslands (6/28/2015) - A day long symposium with morning talks, lunch and afternoon workshops: bird and plant walk, photography workshop, ranch mapping and… […]

Top prize at FES Colloqium (5/5/2015) - UHPSI regular Catherine Kuhn recently took one of the top prizes at the 2015 Master's Student Research Colloquium held at… […]

Presentations at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting (4/27/2015) - Three members of the UHPSI team headed to Chicago last week to deliver research on three topics: (1) an automated… […]

Demographics research addressed in secondary press (3/5/2015) - An UHPSI article on the changing demographic trends among farm and ranch operators was released in the December issue of… […]

UHPSI research makes a splash at ASLO (2/28/2015) - Catherine Kuhn recently traveled with Yale FES' Raymond lab to the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography's Aquatic… […]

Hydrology presentation at American Geophysical Union (1/29/2015) - The American Geophysical Union (AGU) holds an annual meeting attracting more than 25,000 attendees. The AGU conference is a catch-all… […]

UHPSI featured on Australia Broadcasting Corporation news programs (1/18/2015) - Reporter Brett Worthington of the Australia Broadcasting Corporation recently conducted an interview with one of UHPSI's researchers regarding our demographic… […]

Ucross mead a hit at annual Christmas party (12/26/2014) - After several months of careful monitoring, the mead that was produced during a summer-time pollinator presentation and workshop event made… […]

Demographics Research Published in Rangelands (12/20/2014) - UHPSI's article on changing demographic trends among farm and ranch operators was released in the December issue of Rangelands journal,… […]

One last hydrologic sampling run before the winter! (11/3/2014) - This past month, team member Catherine Kuhn popped out to the ranch for a three day sampling bonanza. Over the… […]

Presentations at the Northeast ArcGIS User’s Conference (10/8/2014) - Two team members recently attended the annual Northeast ArcGIS User's Conference to present research tied to the High Plains. A… […]

Barbeque Social to Attract New Interest (9/13/2014) - September is traditionally the month where academic routines resume their normal trajectories, and this September was no different. As Yale… […]

New Manuscript Out for Review (9/11/2014) - Following on the tails of demographic research and land cover research manuscripts, UHPSI recently completed a new manuscript focused on… […]

Quantifying Sheep Grazing of Leafy Spurge (9/3/2014) - In coordination with Nathan Lindsey (Manager of Conservation and Stewardship at Apache Foundation), Charlie designed, constructed, and monitored a set… […]

Dr. Pete Raymond Visits Ucross (9/2/2014) - We had the opportunity to host Dr. Pete Raymond, Professor of Ecosystem Ecology at Yale F&ES, and his family (wife… […]

Pollinators: Learning the Value of their Protection and their Products (8/6/2014) - Devin Routh recently led a local crowd in back-to-back events at the Raymond Plank Creative Center here at Ucross. Nearly… […]

UHPSI Map Takes Third Place! (7/21/2014) - Lindsi Seegmiller recently represented UHPSI at the 2014 ESRI User's Conference in San Diego, California, from July 14-18. ESRI is… […]

Join Us — Pollinators: Learning the Value of their Protection and their Products (7/11/2014) - Hello friends and fans! UHPSI will be putting together an event on July 23rd titled "Pollinators: Learning the Value of… […]

Baby pronghorn underfoot! (6/10/2014) - While we were out sampling for land cover around the ranch, Catherine and Lindsi happened upon this baby pronghorn! Young… […]

Leafy Spurge from a Distance (6/9/2014) - Our first round of work capturing the spectral signatures of leafy spurge is complete. During peak flowering period, leafy spurge… […]

Invasive species assessment (5/27/2014) - In tandem with the collection of spectral signatures (see previous post), we recently began an intensive burst of field data… […]

First field work of the summer! (5/19/2014) - Catherine and Charlie ventured into the field last week with our portable spectrometer, courtesy of the Yale Center for Earth… […]

NEARC Conference Poster Award (5/14/2014) - On Tuesday, May 13, UHPSI team members in New Haven—including Henry Glick, Lindsi Seegmiller, and Devin Routh—travelled to the… […]

Let the summer begin! (5/7/2014) - The UHPS team recently congregated for the last time before heading our separate ways for the summer field season. Over… […]

The Eagles are Coming! (5/5/2014) - April has seen the UHPSI team diving into detailed analysis of avian acoustics. In particular, the team has focused on… […]

Field Equipment: Spectrometer (4/22/2014) - As the 2014 spring semester comes to a close, the UHPSI team has begun preparing for the summer field season. One… […]

Rethinking Greenhouse Construction (4/10/2014) - In our recent stakeholder meeting, a few participants spent time discussing the application of season extension practices to enhance crop… […]

Ucross Stakeholder Meeting (3/10/2014) - Michelle Sullivan, John Heyneman, and UHPSI recently collaborated in bringing together a wide variety of regional residents invested in the… […]

Farmers and Ranchers are Getting Older (2/26/2014) - UHPSI is concluding a short-term study looking at the changing demographics among farm and ranch operators across the state of… […]

New Yale F&ES Master’s Students Join UHPSI (2/7/2014) - We have decided to bring along two fantastic master's students to work for UHPSI this Spring semester and into the… […]

The Ucross High Plains Stewardship Team wins a Google Research Award (1/30/2014) - The Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative research team (UHPSI) has recently received a “Google Earth Engine Research Award”. The award… […]

Transition Analysis for River Morphology (1/24/2014) - Water is most decidedly a crucial resource for the Ucross ranch. Fueled to a large extent by snowmelt from the… […]

NASA Snow School (1/15/2014) - Charlie was able to attend a NASA-funded snow science field workshop at the Fraser Experimental Forest during the second week… […]

Follow us on Facebook (1/1/2014) - If you're looking for updates or news from before May of 2013, you're out of luck. UHPSI was created in… […]

Happy Holidays! (12/20/2013) - Happy Holidays from all of us at UHPSI! Many thanks to everyone at Ucross and throughout Wyoming for welcoming us… […]

Driving Cattle (12/1/2013) - […]

Summer ice in an alpine tarn (10/12/2013) - […]

Western meadowlark spectogram (10/7/2013) - Spectrogram (plot of frequency vs. time) of a western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). Recorded at 10:04 AM on September 24th -… […]

Early winter storm (10/4/2013) - Winter can come swiftly and without solid warning these days; Ucross was just hit by a fairly early snowstorm that… […]

Pheasants battle for dominance (10/3/2013) - More wildlife ignoring humans while battling for dominance. These ring-necked pheasants were seen south of Clear Creek. […]

Dueling pronghorns part II (10/2/2013) - As the winner chased off the loser, we noticed three females grazing in the distance (slightly off frame to the… […]

Dueling pronghorns (10/1/2013) - We woke up on our last day in Ucross to a September snowstorm! On our way to the airport with… […]

Installing acoustic recording units (9/29/2013) - Ambika and Charlie set up a number of mobile acoustic recording stations around the ranch during the last two weeks… […]

High Plains panorama (9/29/2013) - Panorama shot from a high point in the West Skeet Range pasture. Not perfect stitching, but gives one a sense… […]

Leafy spurge rainbow (9/28/2013) - Leafy spurge, one of the priority invasive species on the ranch, goes through a number of morphological changes throughout the… […]

Traffic signs of Ucross (9/27/2013) - Needless to say, there's a lot of beautiful open space on the Ucross Ranch. Spending time there, one begins to… […]

Needle and thread (9/24/2013) - Following up on our last post, here's a close up of 'needle and thread'. As you can see, the common… […]

Fall field work (9/20/2013) - Back in Ucross for some Fall field work! Devin points out 'needle and thread' (Hesperostipa comata) - a common (and… […]

Pronghorns at sunrise (9/19/2013) - Pronghorn antelope running along the truck at sunrise yesterday. Not the best quality, but enjoy! […]

Sewing up ARU covers (9/11/2013) - Sewing covers for the external microphones on the ARU's. […]

Building acoustic recording units (9/10/2013) - Charlie has been hard at work building a set of five homemade acoustic recording units (ARU's). These units consist of… […]

More traffic at Ucross (9/3/2013) - More traffic at the Clear Creek bridge in the 1950's! Many thanks to Mike Latham for these historic photos. […]

Early days at Ucross (9/3/2013) - Before the completion of Interstate 90, Wyoming State Routes 14 and 16 were the primary corridors for travel from the… […]

Bumper-to-bumper at Ucross (9/2/2013) - Check out the Yellowstone traffic backed up at the intersection of 14 and 16 at Ucross in the 1950's. This… […]

Default title (8/21/2013) - We've been playing around with a number of methods for sharing our spatial data. Star has been working with CartoDB… […]

Sandhill cranes (8/19/2013) - The sand hill crane is a common resident of Wyoming during summer breeding seasons. These elegant birds have distinct vocalizations… […]

Ucross historical map (8/18/2013) - History! In 1932, an Iowa land company decided to build a town at the junction of routes 14 and 16,… […]

Ucross family histories (8/17/2013) - Mike Latham shared this gem with us! 100 years of family histories from Ucross and three adjacent towns. More historical… […]

Acoustic monitoring stations – Phase I (8/13/2013) - A tour of the Ucross team's Acoustic Monitoring Program — Phase 1 — with Charlie: […]

Testing acoustic recording units (8/12/2013) - Setting up a permanent station for collecting audio recordings of birds requires more than just a knowledge of the birds… […]

Exploring the Bighorns (8/9/2013) - Clear Creek, the largest waterway on the ranch, has it's origins in the southern reaches of the Bighorn Mountains in… […]

Loggerhead shrike (8/7/2013) - The loggerhead shrike is a small, rather innocuous bird occupying the open areas of the high plains. Despite its demure… […]

The backstory (8/6/2013) - Standing on the hill at the center of the Ucross's open range, the sheer geographic size of the place doesn't… […]

Ugulates! (8/5/2013) - By far the most common ungulate — a technical term roughly meaning "hoofed animal", though not all hoofed animals are… […]

Cruising the ranch (8/3/2013) - It's true that scientific fieldwork includes a lot of time spent assessing particular pieces of land — using GPS units,… […]

Badgers and coyotes hunting together (8/1/2013) - Charlie and Devin were collecting data near the Stone House South pasture in the northern half of the ranch and… […]

Recording bird calls (8/1/2013) - For the past week, we've been digitally recording bird calls from behind the Raymond Plank Creative Center at Ucross. The… […]

Targeting leafy spurge (7/31/2013) - One of the major tasks our field team is tackling this summer is mapping and modeling the distribution of leafy… […]

Common mullein (7/30/2013) - Charlie found this common mullein that is nearly 2 meters tall! […]

Common mullein (7/30/2013) - Common Mullen (Verbascum thapsus) is an invasive biennial plant, often referred to as “pioneer’s TP” As it is easily crowded… […]

UHPSI website is live! (7/23/2013) - Our project website is now live: […]

The plight of invasive species (7/4/2013) - We live in an era of globalization, the effects of which are felt in ecological as well as social and… […]

Opuntia humifusa (6/27/2013) - People tend to associate cactus with the deserts of the Southwest, but there is at least one species that's also… […]

A land of contrasts… (6/20/2013) - […]

Water scarcity (6/18/2013) - The availability of water is the major determinant of vegetation and land use on the High Plains. Well-watered valleys like… […]

Decadent cottonwoods (6/13/2013) - […]

UHPSI’s new home (6/12/2013) - […]

Summer snow (6/11/2013) - Every June, cottonwood trees (Populus deltoides var. occidentalis) release clouds of silky-haired seeds that can be carried for miles on… […]