Fostering land stewardship and conservation in the American West
through teaching, research, outreach and leadership.
program impacts 2019
The Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative (UHPSI) 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. UHPSI is housed at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies in New Haven, CT.
OUR TEAM
Indy Burke, PhD
Michelle Downey, MS
Current Students
Latest news
Saving Grasslands with Stakeholder Collaboration — Humna Sharif
Preview: Grasslands 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 expenses of intact grasslands. There are conservation practices already taking place in Thunder Basin, and new approaches Read more about Saving Grasslands with Stakeholder Collaboration — Humna Sharif[…]
Rebirth after Fire — Zhi Li
Zhi Li, MFs 20′, spent his 2019 summer in California’s forests conducting research related to fire. This involved camping with a team in 8-night stints and taking vegetation measures day in and day out. Zhi’s hard work on this collaborative research has been condensed into a story map he created and is located here. Student Read more about Rebirth after Fire — Zhi Li[…]
Balancing Rights in the Context of Outdoor Recreation — Talia Niederman
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[…]
Annual Report 2019 — Michelle Downey
Please find our 2019 annual report below. We are incredibly grateful for all the partnerships and collaborations that have allowed UHPSI to provide over 65 students with experiential learning opportunities during 2019. Thank you to our students, partners, and supporters! Full PDF 2019 Annual Report here.
Rethinking What’s Important — Meghan Hills
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[…]
Field Research in California’s Forest after Wildfire — Zhi Li
When I present my research to the F&ES community, all I will see is the flashback of this summer: a summer I spent in California with a Californian man who is like a tree and three women from Georgia, Sweden, and Boston respectively. It was a summer with heat and sweat, tons of hiking and Read more about Field Research in California’s Forest after Wildfire — Zhi Li[…]
A Brief Introduction to Chronic Wasting Disease — Meghan Hills
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an infection found in captive (farmed) and free-ranging (wild) members of the deer family (hereafter “cervids”) [1]. North American species known to be affected include white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus), and moose (Alces alces) [2,3]. First observed in 1967 in Colorado and Read more about A Brief Introduction to Chronic Wasting Disease — Meghan Hills[…]
Wildlife-Friendly Ranching in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
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
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
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
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
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
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
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[…]
Governance successes and challenges along the Colorado River – Lucas Isakowitz
The Colorado River runs almost 1,500 miles, from the cold Rocky Mountains down to the dry Sonoran desert. Throughout this journey, the river passes through 2 countries and 7 states, providing food and water for some 40 million people. This summer I got to know the river intimately, through the work of The Nature Conservancy’s Read more about Governance successes and challenges along the Colorado River – Lucas Isakowitz[…]