Recording of Western Resources Fellow Presentations – Part 1

Hello everyone! Please click here to view the recording of presentations by 6 of our 2020 Western Resources Fellows. Each fellow presentation is about 10 minutes and below is the line-up: Abbey Warner Groundwater Conservation Easements in Southwest Colorado Margot Buckelew In-stream Flows in Colorado: Establishment and Opportunities Damaris Chenoweth Modeling Recovery of Big Sagebrush Read more about Recording of Western Resources Fellow Presentations – Part 1[…]

Now Hiring Students and Open House

Ucross High Plain Stewardship Initiative (UHPSI) is now HIRING graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in courses to work as research assistants or speaker coordinators during the academic year (September/Oct 2020– May 2021). Projects focus on applied conservation and stewardship issues in the West and collaborate with western partners. All work will be completed remotely.  Information on how to apply and projects Read more about Now Hiring Students and Open House[…]

Speaker Series Opportunities Available

Conservation Conversations  Visit here to learn more and tune in! Conservation Conversations is a webinar series that will explore the conservation challenges of the future and identify specific policies, programs, and strategies to help secure the long-term health of the nation’s natural resources, wildlife, and landscapes, and broaden the benefits for all Americans. An unprecedented coalition of university centers from throughout the western United States are Read more about Speaker Series Opportunities Available[…]

FAQ for Student Research Assistants

Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative typically hires students, undergrad to PhD, to work as paid research assistants during September/October-May to complete conservation work for a western partner. This program is referred to as our Research Assistant program. The projects are selected by UHPSI staff and will be advertised early in the semester. Student applications for Read more about FAQ for Student Research Assistants[…]

Op-Ed: Don’t just cheer wildland firefighters as heroes. Give them affordable healthcare — James F. Puerini and Gerald Torres

James F Puerini, masters of forestry candidate, and Professor Gerald Torres have recently published an excellent op-ed focused on wildland firefighter’s access to healthcare. Please visit the link below to read their op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times. Op-Ed: Don’t just cheer wildland firefighters as heroes. Give them affordable healthcare — James F. Puerini Read more about Op-Ed: Don’t just cheer wildland firefighters as heroes. Give them affordable healthcare — James F. Puerini and Gerald Torres[…]

Saving Grasslands with Stakeholder Collaboration — Humna Sharif

Preview: Grassland 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 expanses of intact grasslands. There are conservation practices already taking place in Thunder Basin, and new approaches are 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[…]

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[…]