Category: People

Saving Grasslands with Stakeholder Collaboration — Humna Sharif

Posted on by Downey, Michelle

Preview: Grassland habitats across the world are facing multiple threats due to anthropogenic changes, and species dependent on these ecosystems are suffering as a result. In North America, the Thunder Basin Region represents one of the remaining contiguous expanses of intact grasslands. There are conservation practices already taking place in Thunder Basin, and new approaches are Read more about Saving Grasslands with Stakeholder Collaboration — Humna Sharif[…]

Balancing Rights in the Context of Outdoor Recreation — Talia Niederman

Posted on by Downey, Michelle

As the number of outdoor recreationists expands due to a confluence of improved technology and social trends, humans and wildlife increasingly overlap in their demands for natural spaces. Over this past year, our UHPSI project team has explored this issue in the context of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. A dramatic and alluring landscape, this region Read more about Balancing Rights in the Context of Outdoor Recreation — Talia Niederman[…]

Rethinking What’s Important — Meghan Hills

Posted on by Downey, Michelle

I think it’s fair to say that I’ve spent my life training to be a scientist. It’s been the result of both nature and nurture, as well as a healthy dose of self-motivation to learn about topics that caught my attention at a young age and never quite let it go. Generally speaking, the subjects Read more about Rethinking What’s Important — Meghan Hills[…]

Wildlife-Friendly Ranching in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

Rory Jacobson and Anna-Sophia Haub are working with partners at the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, and the University of Pittsburgh to study ranchers’ perspectives on conservation and wildlife management in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. To understand the economic, social, and cultural drivers behind these perceptions and management strategies, they are Read more about Wildlife-Friendly Ranching in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem[…]

Climate Vulnerability in the Crown of the Continent

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

UHPSI students are collaborating with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist with a Landscape Conservation Design (LCD). The Crown Managers Partnership is creating this design to model spatially-explicit future conditions in the Crown of the Continent ecosystem, which encompasses parts of Montana, Alberta and British Columbia. As a preliminary step in LCD development, our Read more about Climate Vulnerability in the Crown of the Continent[…]

Development of a Feasibility Tool to Evaluate Grassbank Potential in Thunder Basin, Wyoming

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

Our team is working with The Nature Conservancy Wyoming to research the feasibility of a creative approach to grassland conservation in the Thunder Basin region of Wyoming. The approach is called “grassbanking” and it brings together ranchers and conservation organizations to enhance environmental performance and ranching livelihoods by offering access to discounted grazing leases in Read more about Development of a Feasibility Tool to Evaluate Grassbank Potential in Thunder Basin, Wyoming[…]

Highlighting Indigenous Relationships in the West: A Special Issue of Indigenizing the News

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

Indigenizing the News is a news source dedicated to Native nations, cultures, and contemporary issues in North America. Through a special issue of the monthly newsletter, Meghanlata Gupta is working to share a variety of news articles, videos, and images that discuss how Indigenous communities collaborate with local, state, and federal governments to pursue shared Read more about Highlighting Indigenous Relationships in the West: A Special Issue of Indigenizing the News[…]

Western Speaker Series

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

The Western Speaker Series connects conservation professionals and Yale students to explore and discuss a range of issues facing land stewardship in the American West. The Symposium Coordinators work with UHPSI staff to plan presentations, career chats, and technical training by western conservation professionals that provide our students with valuable knowledge and insight. The 2019-2020 Read more about Western Speaker Series[…]

Impacts of Recreation on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

In partnership with the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative, Bryce and Talia are investigating trends, conditions, and projections surrounding recreation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) to identify possible recreation ethics for the region. Growing negative impacts of recreation on the ecosystem necessitate a reevaluation of attitudes surrounding recreational access and growth. Through conversations with participants Read more about Impacts of Recreation on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem[…]

Solar Feasibility Study for Tensleep Preserve in North Central Wyoming

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

UHPSI research assistants are working in partnership with The Nature Conservancy’s Tensleep Preserve, located in North Central Wyoming, to conduct a solar and wind feasibility study for the preserve. Renewable energy technologies like solar and wind play an increasingly important role in building rural energy independence and resilience. Efforts to pursue this study are in Read more about Solar Feasibility Study for Tensleep Preserve in North Central Wyoming[…]

Investigating the Socioecological Importance of Pinyon Forests for Paiute Communities in the Great Basin

Posted on by Barendregt-Ludwig, Kristin

Paul’s project investigates socioecological change affecting Paiute communities in California and Nevada. It examines the cultural importance of pinyon forests on lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and focuses on the development of new approaches to forest management that promote Paiute traditional foods and silvicultural practices. The Great Basin is experiencing increasing frequency of Read more about Investigating the Socioecological Importance of Pinyon Forests for Paiute Communities in the Great Basin[…]

Spatiotemporal Patterns in the Observed Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease Across North America

Posted on by Barendregt-Ludwig, Kristin

Meghan is conducting independent research that aims to explore spatiotemporal patterns in the historic and ongoing spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) across North America. CWD is an always-fatal neurodegenerative affliction of captive and free-ranging members of the deer family — i.e., mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, and moose — that has increased in both Read more about Spatiotemporal Patterns in the Observed Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease Across North America[…]

Exploring the Interface of Religious Life and Environmental Politics in Montana

Posted on by Barendregt-Ludwig, Kristin

Leif is researching independently in northwest Montana where faith-based environmental organizing sets the stage. Three emerging organizations seek to empower religious congregations to take up environmental advocacy — Montana Faith & Environment Coalition, Faith and Climate Action Montana, and Montana Interfaith Power & Light. Through interviews with advocates and faith leaders, Leif is beginning to Read more about Exploring the Interface of Religious Life and Environmental Politics in Montana[…]

High Stakes and High Emotions: The Significance of Herrera v. Wyoming —Meghanlata Gupta

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

In his powerful Indian law manifesto In the Courts of the Conqueror: The 10 Worst Indian Law Cases Ever Decided, accomplished lawyer and author Walter Echo-Hawk writes: “American law has often worked against Native Americans, legitimizing the appropriation of their property and the decline of their political, human, and cultural rights as indigenous peoples” (15). Read more about High Stakes and High Emotions: The Significance of Herrera v. Wyoming —Meghanlata Gupta[…]

Pulse of the River —Reid Lewis

Posted on by Meghanlata Gupta

The Southwest is a dry place. This statement should not surprise anyone; when you think of Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico, you think of Prickly Pear and Saguaro, desert sunsets and dusty streets. What may not so quickly come to mind are the rapidly growing cities of Los Angeles, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Denver, and Las Vegas. Read more about Pulse of the River —Reid Lewis[…]