Fostering land stewardship and conservation in the American West
through teaching, research, outreach and leadership.
program impacts 2021
Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative (UHPSI) within the Yale School of the Environment focuses on stewardship and conservation in the American West. At its core, UHPSI seeks to engage in teaching, research, and outreach on land stewardship, primarily through mentoring students on applied research and management projects with western partners.
OUR TEAM
Justin Farrell, PhD
Michelle Downey, MS
Current Students
Latest news
Desolation Canyon—Alex Wells
Over my summer as a Western Resource Fellow with the National Forest Foundation (NFF), I spent my time diving into some of the complexities of implementing stream restoration in the West. Whether that was creating outreach materials to communicate the relevance of stream restoration to water rights holders or developing a tool for the NFF Read more about Desolation Canyon—Alex Wells[…]
The dynamics of an ending field season, why soundscape conservation matters for people and nature and unfiltered love—Joshua Kesling
The end of a field season can yield a suite of emotions. For some, the transition from field settings to temperature and humidity-controlled data organization and refinement centers (namely, our homes, offices, and corner coffee joints) brings unfettered joy. In others, the changing gears reminds us of the time we spent waist-deep in high alpine Read more about The dynamics of an ending field season, why soundscape conservation matters for people and nature and unfiltered love—Joshua Kesling[…]
Underground History Lessons in King County—Ingrid Thyr
Last weekend, I checked off one more box from my summer to-do list as I descended beneath the streets of Seattle and attended Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour. For approximately 75 minutes, I got a crash course in early Seattle history and enough musty basement air to last me for a while. And, although this adventure Read more about Underground History Lessons in King County—Ingrid Thyr[…]
The National Renewable Energy Lab
Much of my work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as a mechanical engineering intern has consisted of sitting in a gray cubicle, surrounded by identical cubicles, staring at my dual monitor screens. I spend most of my working hours in SolidWorks, a computer-aided design software. Using this software, I model potential tidal turbine Read more about The National Renewable Energy Lab[…]
Why it’s Cardinal to Observe the Relationship Among Mountain Wildlife, Spatial Scales, and Ecosystem Dynamics—Joshua Kesling
Many wildlife species receive support from mountain natural areas interspersed throughout the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Upper elevation field sites, ranging from 6,500-8,500 ft above sea level, cover several ecoregions or ecosystems and landscapes determined by biological, geological, chemical, and physical factors. For instance, in the uplands beyond the freshwater shorelines, dense conifer forest stands (i.e., Read more about Why it’s Cardinal to Observe the Relationship Among Mountain Wildlife, Spatial Scales, and Ecosystem Dynamics—Joshua Kesling[…]
Why Listening to River and Riparian Distress Calls Matter—Joshua Kesling
Before taking measurements during bustling recreation events—assessing plant height, counting species diversity, recording sound levels, reading water qualities, and comparing soil compaction images—it is crucial to read ecosystem distress calls through careful observation. I call this ‘read’ a qualitative query, which involves discernment and meaningful observation of natural surroundings. Ecosystem or ‘ecological distress signals’ occur Read more about Why Listening to River and Riparian Distress Calls Matter—Joshua Kesling[…]
Catalyzing Watershed Restoration on National Forest Lands
Alex will focus his summer on two projects with the National Forest Foundation (NFF). With half his time, Alex is conducting a stakeholder assessment and developing outreach materials to better understand and engage with landowners and water rights holders around restoring the natural processes of headwater streams in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. While this summer’s Read more about Catalyzing Watershed Restoration on National Forest Lands[…]
Tanged Up in Seasons—Alex Wells
This past May, I traveled back in time. From the top of East Rock Park, the stately houses and university buildings of New Haven barely poked out from beneath an overflow of green leaves. It was early May, but it already felt like summer in Connecticut. Seven days later, I’d returned to early April, the Read more about Tanged Up in Seasons—Alex Wells[…]
Making Climate Action Data More Accessible and Engaging—Ingrid Thyr
“How do you explain ‘quintile rank’ to make it easily understandable?” “Should we use morning, afternoon, or evening temperature?” “Should there be more narrative around this statistic?” “How can we incorporate data or stories from users?” “How many blurbs is too many blurbs?” These are the sorts of questions that have been occupying my day-to-day Read more about Making Climate Action Data More Accessible and Engaging—Ingrid Thyr[…]
The Pickle’s Place—Aya Ochiai
Just inside town limits of Arco, Idaho (pop. 995), there’s an electric green building that is emblazoned “Pickle’s Place, Home of the ‘Atomic Burger!’” It stands across the street from a sign declaring “Welcome to Arco, First City in the World Lighted by Atomic Power” and a silver sculpture of an atom–a nucleus and its Read more about The Pickle’s Place—Aya Ochiai[…]
Toward an Understanding of Mountain Recreation Ecosystems and Key Services—Joshua Kesling
It is just before 6:00 am, and the sun has not yet greeted subalpine fir and quaking aspen tops, although they eagerly await the warm embrace. Freezing water races through riffle-pool sequences, flossing interstices full of non-vascular specialists. Lichen and moss thrive just above the water line. Despite the golden sun’s absence, moose traipse across Read more about Toward an Understanding of Mountain Recreation Ecosystems and Key Services—Joshua Kesling[…]
Nuclear and Renewable Energy in Idaho and the American West
Aya is working on a two part project focusing on non-fossil fuel energy in the American West and its human and environmental impacts. She is studying communities and landscapes surrounding nuclear energy testing, research, and waste storage in the Snake River Plain of Idaho. Since 1949, southeastern Idaho has been the U.S.’ center of nuclear Read more about Nuclear and Renewable Energy in Idaho and the American West[…]
Capturing Outdoor Recreation and Ecological Patterns along a Multiple Use Mountain Stream
Outdoor recreation opportunities fuel important Intermountain West economies, satisfy cultural needs, and uphold nature connectedness. Similarly, mountain freshwater ecosystems promote the development and recruitment of flora and fauna. When considered together, recreation ecosystems comprise natural areas with varying levels of human and (non) human use. Some of the chief drivers shifting more visitors into stream-lined Read more about Capturing Outdoor Recreation and Ecological Patterns along a Multiple Use Mountain Stream[…]
Supporting Climate Action in King County, WA
This summer, Ingrid is working with the Executive Climate Office of King County (Washington) on three projects related to addressing climate change at the county level: 1) contributing to an initial draft of the next 5-year Strategic Climate Action Plan for the county; 2) writing a user guide to accompany a new urban heat mapping Read more about Supporting Climate Action in King County, WA[…]
A Call to Action – Private Finance to Nature through Ecosystem Restoration—Dimitria Spathakis
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines nature-based solutions (NbS) as actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously benefiting people and nature. UNEP publishes “The State of Finance for Nature”, an annual report tracking global finance flows to NbS and compares them to Read more about A Call to Action – Private Finance to Nature through Ecosystem Restoration—Dimitria Spathakis[…]