Fostering science-based land management on the High Plains of the Western United States
About
The Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative, or UHPSI, is a science-based research program focused on land stewardship in the American West. At its core, UHPSI seeks to support research and management practices that embrace our ever changing ecological, social, and political landscapes with strength and resiliency.
UHPSI is housed in the Landscape Management Laboratory at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (FES) in New Haven, Connecticut with a field office in Ucross, Wyoming.
OUR TEAM
charlie bettigole, ms
Nick Olson, MF
Sabrina Szeto, MF
chad oliver, phd
Kris Covey, PHD
Raymond Plank
Current Students
Latest news
Wrap-Up in Lander, WY – Carli Kierstead
Hello again, it is now my last week in the The Nature Conservancy’s Lander, WY office. Though I am sad to leave such a great office and town, I am proud of what I have accomplished this summer. It has been 11 weeks characterized by climbing steep learning curves and climbing Wyoming mountains. All in Read more about Wrap-Up in Lander, WY – Carli Kierstead[…]
Instream Flows along the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie and Repeat Photography at Red Canyon Ranch – Austin Rempel
Instream Flows on the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie Over the last two months I’ve been helping piece together a picture of water use on the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie River. Water from the Middle Fork irrigates some 11,500 acres of agricultural land in the region around Lander, Wyoming. These diversions support Read more about Instream Flows along the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie and Repeat Photography at Red Canyon Ranch – Austin Rempel[…]
Infiltration: Summer in Sage Country – Rachel Renne
Summer has arrived on the sagebrush steppe of southwest Wyoming! Frosty mornings and spring snows feel far away in the baking, dry heat of long summer days. Soils are drying out and the spring annuals I so enjoyed only a month ago have dried up and blown away. The yellow highlights of mock goldenweed (Stenotus Read more about Infiltration: Summer in Sage Country – Rachel Renne[…]
Nome FM – Adam Eichenwald
Nome’s only radio station has ruined other variety stations for me. I mean, in the span of 15 minutes this one small station pumps out a current pop hit, follows up with some Rolling Stones, moves to the top 5 songs from 1957, and finishes up the time slot with an elderly man telling an Read more about Nome FM – Adam Eichenwald[…]
WRF Retreat
Western Research Fellow’s attended their annual retreat from the 23-26th of June. The retreat provides an opportunity for Fellows to check in with Ucross staff and share their progress with each other. The Fellows gathered on Friday Afternoon at Sheridan College’s Spear-O Mountain Campus. There they explored the streams, lakes, forests, and pastures of the Read more about WRF Retreat[…]
Measuring Soil Carbon – Dan Kane
A year ago, I traveled out to Wyoming to visit a few properties managed by The Nature Conservancy and test a new field method for measuring soil carbon content. Our initial results from last year’s work suggested we were on to something. The method worked! We were able to successfully use just a simple handheld Read more about Measuring Soil Carbon – Dan Kane[…]
Trophic Cascades – Adam Eichenwald
Although Adam was not able to join us at the Western Research Fellowship Retreat this last weekend, he did put together a fantastic presentation to share with the Sheridan/Gillette community during the Mountain Lecture Series event at Spear-O Mountain Campus. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Alaska is Big….Really Big – Adam Eichenwald
Alaska is big. Very big. You won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the pharmacist, but that’s just peanuts to Alaska. (Man, the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy really hits it on the nose when it comes to attempts to Read more about Alaska is Big….Really Big – Adam Eichenwald[…]
Beaver Restoration and Water Management in Wyoming – Austin Rempel
I’m writing from Red Canyon Ranch, a working ranch and nature preserve owned by the Nature Conservancy. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to live at the Ranch this summer while working with Conservancy staff on questions related to beaver restoration and water management. Red Canyon Ranch covers some 5,000 acres in the foothills of Read more about Beaver Restoration and Water Management in Wyoming – Austin Rempel[…]
Bears Ears – Cayley Geffen
Hello! I am having a wonderful start to my summer working on my Bears Ears Documentary Film Project and research project. As many of you know, the recent designation of the Bears Ears National Monument has sparked much debate in Utah and beyond. Recently, Secretary Zinke has decided to review all recent controversial national monuments Read more about Bears Ears – Cayley Geffen[…]
Take the Road Less Traveled – Jessica Swindon
Hello from Bill, Wyoming! I am currently writing from within the Thunder Basin National Grassland where one of my research sites is located. This is by far the most remote place I have ever stayed, in fact Wikipedia says the total population is 11, including pets. I’ve already spent a lot of time on the Read more about Take the Road Less Traveled – Jessica Swindon[…]
Coexistence in the Northern Rockies – Ross Donihue
“One time I was at my gym in Banff running on the treadmill and I saw a deer giving birth, no one else noticed and I didn’t want to say a thing because I knew everyone would rush over with their cameras. After the fawn was able to take a few steps I exclaimed – Read more about Coexistence in the Northern Rockies – Ross Donihue[…]
The Popo Agie (bonus points for pronouncing this one right!) – Carli Kierstad
Hello all, I am writing to you from Lander – a small town in Central Wyoming that has already won me over. Since my arrival two weeks ago, I have been interning with The Nature Conservancy as a Summer Research Fellow. My summer research will be focused on the feasibility of a decision support tool Read more about The Popo Agie (bonus points for pronouncing this one right!) – Carli Kierstad[…]
Bison Revival – Anthony Bell
Calving bison on the prairie, with nothing but grass and sky as far as the eye can see. It is a scene which, without knowing any better, could have been identical to what I would have seen if I stood on this ridge three hundred years ago. For anyone who knows better, however, it is Read more about Bison Revival – Anthony Bell[…]
The Early Botanist gets the Snow – Rachel Renne
What a thrill it is to be back in Wyoming! I arrived in Laramie two weeks ago, shyly crept my Connecticut license plates onto a side street, and dashed off into the field—that is, the sagebrush steppe of southwest Wyoming. Three hours west of Laramie, we turned off the interstate onto highway 191 north. When Read more about The Early Botanist gets the Snow – Rachel Renne[…]