Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment
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- Document: Front Matter (245 kB pdf)
- Chapters:
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Section I. Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Overview and Synthesis
Chapter 1—Introduction and Overview
Chapter 2—Assessment Framework
Chapter 3—Synthesis of Key Findings for the Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment -
Section II. Change Agents—Current and Future
Chapter 4—Development
Chapter 5—Wildland Fire
Chapter 6—Terrestrial Invasive Plant Species
Chapter 7—Climate Analysis -
Section III. Assessments of Communities
Chapter 8—Streams and Rivers
Chapter 9—Wetlands
Chapter 10—Riparian Forests and Shrublands
Chapter 11—Sagebrush Steppe
Chapter 12—Desert Shrublands
Chapter 13—Foothill Shrublands and Woodlands
Chapter 14—Montane and Subalpine Forests and Alpine Zones -
Section IV. Assessments of Species and Species Assemblages
Chapter 15—Aspen Forests and Woodlands
Chapter 16—Five-Needle Pine Forests and Woodlands
Chapter 17—Juniper Woodlands
Chapter 18—Cutthroat Trout
Chapter 19—Three-Species Fish Assemblage
Chapter 20—Northern Leatherside Chub
Chapter 21—Sauger
Chapter 22—Spadefoot Assemblage
Chapter 23—Greater Sage-Grouse
Chapter 24—Golden Eagle
Chapter 25—Ferruginous Hawk
Chapter 26—Sagebrush-Obligate Songbirds
Chapter 27—Pygmy Rabbit
Chapter 28—Mule Deer -
Section V. Landscape Intactness
Chapter 29—Landscape Intactness -
Appendix
Appendix
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Section I. Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Overview and Synthesis
- Version History: Version History (12.0 kB txt)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
The Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment was conducted in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The overall goals of the BLM Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs) are to identify important ecosystems and wildlife habitats at broad spatial scales; identify where these resources are at risk from Change Agents, including development, wildfire, invasive species, disease and climate change; quantify cumulative effects of anthropogenic stressors; and assess current levels of risk to ecological resources across a range of spatial scales and jurisdictional boundaries by assessing all lands within an ecoregion. There are several components of the REAs. Management Questions, developed by the BLM and stakeholders for the ecoregion, identify the regionally significant information needed for addressing land-management responsibilities. Conservation Elements represent regionally significant species and ecological communities that are of management concern. Change Agents that currently affect or are likely to affect the condition of species and communities in the future are identified and assessed. REAs also identify areas that have high conservation potential that are referred to as “large intact areas.” At the ecoregion level, the ecological value of large intact areas is based on the assumption that because these areas have not been greatly altered by human activities (such as development), they are more likely to contain a variety of plant and animal communities and to be resilient and resistant to changes resulting from natural disturbances such as fire, insect outbreaks, and disease.
The Wyoming Basin Ecoregion encompasses approximately 133,656 square kilometers (51,604.87 square miles), including portions of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Montana. The Wyoming Basin has some of the highest quality wildlife habitats remaining in the Intermountain West. The wide variety of habitats includes intermountain basins dominated by sagebrush shrublands interspersed with deciduous and conifer woodlands and montane or subalpine forests at higher elevations. The Wyoming Basin also supports ranching and agricultural operations that are important to the region’s economy and vital to conserving habitats for wildlife. The region also contains abundant energy resources, including large natural gas reserves and areas of high wind-energy potential. Combined with increased residential and industrial development, fast-paced energy development is resulting in notable land-use changes, including habitat loss and fragmentation.
In the Wyoming Basin REA, we evaluated the following seven communities as Conservation Elements: streams and rivers, wetlands, riparian forests and shrublands, sagebrush steppe, desert shrublands, foothill shrublands and woodlands, and mountain forests and alpine zones. We evaluated a total of 14 species and species assemblages as Conservation Elements: aspen forests and woodlands, five-needle pine forests and woodlands, juniper woodlands, cutthroat trout, three-species fish assemblage, northern leatherside chub, sauger, spadefoot assemblage, greater sage-grouse, golden eagle, ferruginous hawk, sagebrush-obligate birds, pygmy rabbit, and mule deer.
We evaluated Management Questions (Core and Integrated) for each species and community for the Wyoming Basin REA. Core Management Questions address primary management issues, including (1) where is the Conservation Element, and what are its key ecological attributes (characteristics of species and communities that may affect their long-term persistence or viability); (2) what and where are the Change Agents; and (3) how do the Change Agents affect the key ecological attributes? Integrated Management Questions synthesize the Core Management Questions as follows: (1) where are the areas with high landscape-level ecological values; (2) where are the areas with high landscape-level risks; and (3) where are the potential areas for conservation, restoration, and development? The associated maps and key findings for each Management Question are summarized for each Conservation Element in individual chapters. Additional chapters on landscape intactness and an REA synthesis are included.
Suggested Citation
Carr, N.B., and Melcher, C.P., eds., 2017, Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment: (ver. 1.1, April 2017) U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015–1155, 896 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151155.
ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)
Study Area
Table of Contents
- Editors and Contributing Authors
- Executive Summary
- Acknowledgments
- Acronyms Used in this Report
- Scientific Names of Species Used in This Report
- Conversion Factors
- Scientific Notation Used in This Report
- How to Use the Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment
- Section I. Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment Overview and Synthesis
- Section II. Change Agents—Current and Future
- Section III. Assessments of Communities
- Section IV. Assessments of Species and Species Assemblages
- Section V. Landscape Intactness
- Appendix
Publication type | Report |
---|---|
Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
Title | Wyoming Basin Rapid Ecoregional Assessment |
Series title | Open-File Report |
Series number | 2015-1155 |
DOI | 10.3133/ofr20151155 |
Edition | Version 1.0: Originally posted August 28, 2015; Version 1.1: April 18, 2017 |
Year Published | 2015 |
Language | English |
Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
Publisher location | Reston, VA |
Contributing office(s) | Fort Collins Science Center |
Description | xx, 896 p. |
Country | United States |
State | Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming |
Other Geospatial | Wyoming Basin |
Online Only (Y/N) | Y |
Additional Online Files (Y/N) | Y |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |