Clearer water means high quality water, right? Well, not necessarily. Take Lake Mead as an example, where clearing water is actually evidence of the impact of the quagga mussel. This mollusk was introduced to the Great Lakes from Ukraine in the 1980s and was first discovered in Lake Mead in 2007, and as an invasive species, its impact in considerable….
GBI’s field personnel continue to dazzle us with their photographs. Here we present just a few of many submissions to our monthly photo contest, including June’s winning image, above. This one was taken by Wade Plafcan, an ecological monitoring crew lead working alongside the Bureau of Land Management in Moab, Utah. Castleton Tower can be seen in the background of…
Red Rock Canyon was designated as Nevada’s first National Conservation Area (NCA) in 1990. This NCA is a popular tourist area, as well as a recreation destination for locals. Visitors use the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area for hiking, road biking, rock climbing, and horseback riding. But as pointed out in a recent article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal,…
Our field personnel frequently work in some stunning landscapes, unique with fauna, flora, climates and geological formations. In the interest of capturing these settings and the work being done, GBI recently started a photo/media contest for our people in the field. The first contest winner is Kristen Smith, whose photo graces the top of this page. Coordinating the contest is…
In 2016, GBI entered into a cooperative agreement with the Bureau of Land Management to assist with the monitoring of greater sage grouse populations and restoration of their habitat throughout northern California. Of course, in addressing the needs of one species, one necessarily looks at the entirety of an ecosystem and the well-being of all flora and fauna therein. This…
The Great Basin Institute, in collaboration with the University of Nevada, Reno, (UNR) was recently awarded a 4.9 million grant to support forestry research and ecological restoration on the Sequoia National Forest/Giant Sequoia National Monument. Funded by the State of California, the project improves forest health and wildlife habitat by reducing fuels from drought- and beetle-impacted trees on the Hume…
During the average school year, Taylor Creek Visitor Center hosts over 150 students per day to connect classroom curriculum with direct experience with the local aquatic life. One of the highlights of the experience is the Taylor Creek Stream Profile Chamber. When the glass of this underwater viewing chamber broke during routine cleaning last season, staff worried that this educational…
Anyone who has spent significant time in our national parks is familiar with the sight of wayside exhibits, signs that provide background and information about the natural and cultural surroundings. These panels can enhance visitors’ experience in our natural lands by identifying local flora and fauna, explaining geographical formations, and tracing historical events. While we may appreciate the service these…
By Alex Drokin, free lance writer in Austin, Texas. Biologists are now closer to understanding fisher (Pekania pennanti) survival and mortality rates following a multiyear study. New research published in The Journal of Wildlife Management, found that fishers in California’s Sierra National Forest have an annual survival rate of 0.69, with the largest percentage of deaths resulting from predation. The research may…
There are kinds of work that GBI is well known for performing: invasive species control, wildlife monitoring, trails restoration, fuels reduction, travel management, and the like. But every once in a while, our partnerships will take us in some unexpected directions. This is perhaps nowhere more true than at Scotty’s Castle, a villa in Death Valley National Park that dates…
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