Study: Pesticides in Streams

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

One hundred small streams in 11 Midwestern states were tested during the 2013 growing season and found to contain, on average, 52 pesticides per stream.
The pesticides pose both short- and long-term threats to aquatic insects, like stonefly and mayfly larvae, which are an essential link in the aquatic food chain.
The streams, like the two pictured, are in agricultural and urban areas and are unlikely to be used as sources of drinking water.
Learn more about the study:https://on.doi.gov/2uqbcdr

#environment #stream #water #pollution #pesticide




081017

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Bats in a Texas evening sky

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Did you know that insect-eating bats likely save the U.S. agricultural industry at least $3 billion a year in pest control services? 

Read more about the economic value of #bats athttp://bit.ly/2ps3sby, or listen to this podcast:https://on.doi.gov/2dT5kU2.

Photo: Bats in a Texas evening sky (Paul Cryan,#USGS)

#science #nationalbatappreciationday #pollinators#agriculture #economy




041817

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Today is National Bat Appreciation Day!

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Today is National Bat Appreciation Day! 

North American bats are an important part of our natural world and vital to our economy due to the importance they play in pest control and pollination of native and agricultural plants. However, bats are facing unprecedented threats including habitat loss, fragmentation, and disease.

USGS is part of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), an international interagency effort designed to monitor bat distributions and abundances on public and private lands, and provide data at the state, provincial, tribal, regional, and range-wide scales.

There are currently no national programs to monitor and track bat populations in North America, and NABat seeks to assist in development of such programs that will provide managers and policy makers with the information they need to effectively manage bat populations, detect early warning signs of population declines and estimate extinction risk.

NABat was developed in conjunction with specialists from other agencies, universities and NGOs in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Mexico.

Find out more about NABat: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/fort/science/north-american-bat-monitoring-program-nabat

Image of a spotted bat by Paul Cryan, USGS.

#USGS #science #nationalbatappreciationday #bats#pollinators #agriculture #economy 




041717 

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Deadly White-nose Syndrome (WNS)

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

#USGS scientists have confirmed the presence of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in #Nebraska for the first time, making it the 30th state confirmed to have this deadly bat disease: http://bit.ly/2nwQjtU.

#WNS has killed more than six million #bats since 2006 and continues to spread. Although WNS is not known to pose a threat to humans, pets, or livestock, it is devastating to valuable bat populations. Learn more athttps://on.doi.gov/2mUntVZ.

Image: The muzzle, ears, and wings of this little brown bat are covered with the powdery white fungus that causes WNS. (Credit: Alan Hicks, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation)

#science #wildlifedisease




031617

Happy Valentine's Day!

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

More good wishes from USGS for a Happy Valentine's Day. If you'd like to learn more about wild bees, visit our website:https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/nativebees/index.cfm




021417

H1 West Transect – 2016

Permanent Site: H1 West Transect; Depth: 5.7 Meters (18.7 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 2.4 Kilometers (1.5 Miles) east; Pre/Post Dam Removal: 5 years post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.14803012,-123.53535558; Site Description: This is a shallow site and one of the farthest removed from the effects of the sediment plume outside of the control sites. Substrate is still mainly gravel with some sand and cobble. Seaweed growth of both reds (0:58 seconds) and browns is profuse and appears to be at pre-dam removal levels. Seven different species of brown seaweeds are present with the three most abundant being Alaria marginata (0:32, 0:52 seconds), three-ribbed kelp Cymathere triplicata (0:27, 1:52 seconds) and the perennial seaweed Pterygophora californica (0:08, 1:00 seconds). Woody debris was also present (1:46 seconds). Horse clams (Tresus capax) were still abundant. No invertebrates are seen on video due to the dense seaweed cover.

Black-legged Ticks

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Is it the heat or the humidity? For black-legged ticks that carry Lyme disease, in the South it's both. They cope with the Southern climate in a way that explains why nearly all cases of Lyme disease come from 14 Northern, Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic states.

Heat in the 90s and humidity below super-soggy levels kill young black-legged ticks in days, a USGS-led study found. That's why Northern ticks perch on plant stems while Southern ticks hide under a layer of leaves, said study author Howard Ginsberg.

“In the North, when you walk through the woods you’re walking right through tick habitat,” Ginsberg said. “In the South, you’re walking on top of the habitat. We think that is a crucial difference." If the Mid-Atlantic states get warmer and dryer, scientists think Lyme disease rates there will go down.

Photo: Black-legged ticks in leaf litter in Tennessee, courtesy of Graham Hickling 




011317 

Internship Supports Youth, Tribes, and Fish

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Internship Supports Youth, Tribes, and Fish

As winter takes hold in the Columbia River Basin, Sam Doak reflects back on a very busy field season. Over the summer and into the fall, Sam’s work covered three watersheds, included a variety of fish sampling techniques, and provided rewarding collaborations with the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Klickitat, WA. As part of the Student Interns in Support of Native American Relations (SISNAR) program, Doak’s work was focused on fish of importance to the Tribe and in areas either owned by the Tribe or considered to be the Tribe’s usual and accustomed fishing areas. “This was my first time in the Pacific Northwest“ said Doak “I’ve learned a lot about salmon and trout, as well as many regional issues.“ But, what he learned through this program has meant much more. “Working side-by-side with scientists from the Tribe has allowed me to learn about the societal aspect of fisheries—to better understand and appreciate the cultural values of conservation and restoration in addition to the ecological values, and to appreciate the Tribe’s knowledge and connection to the fish and land.”

The SISNAR program provides interns work opportunities on current USGS projects directly related to, and preferably on, Native American tribal lands, and assisting Tribes with natural resource research issues including water, hazards, fish and wildlife, and climate change. These mutually beneficial projects also serve to build upon or create new relationships with Native American Tribes. Through an internal competitive process, the USGS Office of Tribal Relations liaison team solicits proposals. They select USGS projects that most benefit the Tribe on whose land the research is being conducted (each Tribe must provide written support for the internship) and that will provide meaningful internship experiences that educate interns about research and management of tribal natural resources.

“It’s a great program for us,” said Fish Biologist Jill Hardiman, “it allows us to work with early career interns to provide technical field experience as well as interpersonal relations with tribal biologists who are passionate about protecting natural and cultural resources. Additionally, I feel that the interns are able to better understand through the tribal perspective of how the land and resources have changed.”

Sam Doak came to the WFRC’s Columbia River Research Laboratory in June, 2016. He brought with him prior experience in freshwater ecology, having recently completed a Master’s degree from Bangor University in the UK. While working at WFRC, his work has focused on salmonid populations in the Columbia River Basin tributaries, including Wind River watershed restoration, White Salmon River salmonid recolonization, and Rock Creek fish and habitat assessments. When asked about his future plans, he expressed interest in staying on the West Coast and doing work focused on conservation. “Protecting local species is meaningful work, and I want to continue in this direction.”

To learn more about the SISNAR or to be connected with Sam Doak, please contact Jill Hardiman jhardiman@usgs.gov.

Photo Caption: Sam Doak (center) and scientists from the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation set up block nets to perform population estimates of fish in a pool on Rock Creek, WA. Photo credit Jill Hardiman, USGS.

SISNAR Program: https://www2.usgs.gov/tribal/activities/index.html 

Surprising Role of Trees in the Boreal Water Cycle

Approximately 25 to 50 percent of a living tree is made up of water, depending on the species and time of year. The water stored in trees has previously been considered just a minor part of the water cycle, but a study by University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists with support from the DOI Alaska Climate Science Center shows otherwise. Their research is the first to show that the uptake of snowmelt water by deciduous trees represents a large and previously overlooked aspect of the water balance in boreal watersheds. Calculating the amount of water stored by deciduous trees is important. The area occupied by deciduous trees in the boreal forest (or snow forest) is expected to increase 1 to 15 percent by the end of this century, and the absorption of snowmelt could also then increase. Quantifying tree water storage is important for understanding hydrology, tree response to drought and the related factors of tree water use, soil moisture and climate. Watch the webinar recording to learn more about the methodology and findings from this project! This webinar was conducted as part of the Climate Change Science and Management Webinar Series held in partnership by the USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center and the FWS National Conservation Training Center.

USGS Science in Point Reyes National Seashore (California)

Map of Arsenic Concentrations in Groundwater

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Bladder cancer rates for men and women have been elevated in northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) for at least 5 decades compared to the rest of the United States. To find out why, we joined with several partners in a study led by the National Cancer Institute to see if arsenic in drinking water, particularly from private wells, might play a role.

In a study of about 2,300 participants, we did find an association between low-to-moderate levels of arsenic in drinking water and bladder cancer risk in New England. We found the association particularly significant for those who had shallow private wells.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2hcQyHh For information about water testing, maintenance, and treatment of private wells, go here: http://on.doi.gov/2hdTHJK

Image shows a map of arsenic concentrations in groundwater across the contiguous United States and Alaska. Credit: USGS #USGS #Science#Groundwater #Cancer




12-16-16

Whooping Crane Recovery

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Big Bird, are you jealous? Biologists at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, MD reared some whopping whooper chicks in 2016, with the biggest male weighing in at more than 17 pounds. Starting with eggs from wild-nesting Wisconsin whooping cranes and from crane breeding centers, the researchers painstakingly reared more than 30 chicks. It’s part of a long-running effort to ensure the survival of this majestic, critically endangered bird, and establish new populations in key parts of its range.

This week 11 gawky six- to seven-month-old youngsters hopped a private jet to Louisiana piloted by volunteers from the environmental group SouthWings. In an outdoor pen in a marsh near White Lake, they joined 10 other Patuxent Class of 2016 birds that arrived on an earlier flight. Louisiana’s native whooping cranes went extinct by 1950. USGS and Louisiana state biologists have worked since 2011 to re-establish a population there. This spring they hit a happy milestone when a pair of Patuxent-raised whoopers hatched the first whooping crane chick born in the wild in Louisiana since 1939. That chick is now flying free with its parents in the flock these youngsters will join.

In the 1930s fewer than 20 whoopers remained; today there are more than 600. Learn more athttps://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/WhoopingCranes/ Photo (at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center) courtesy of Jane Chandler.

#USGS 

Ospreys In The Chesapeake Bay

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Most of you have probably heard of “Silent Spring,” the book by Rachel Carson that talked about the unintended consequences of chemicals we use in the environment, particularly the pesticide DDT and its effect of thinning bird’s eggshells to the point where their offspring couldn’t survive.

Well, we wanted to see how ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay were doing. We compared samples taken during the nesting seasons of 2011-2013 to a similar study from 2000-2001. We found that DDT and DDE had declined, while PCBs had remained about the same for the last 35 years. We also found that certain flame retardants had declined slightly, but some hotspots remained.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2glCLRW

Image shows an osprey with a fish on Poplar Island, Maryland. Credit: A game camera placed by Rebecca Lazarus, USGS.

#USGS #Science #ChesapeakeBay #Toxicology 

GeoHealth

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

2016 AGU Fall Meeting
GeoHealth
Human health and diseases are linked to Earth’s materials, its processes, and wildlife through a myriad of pathways. Many USGS activitieshttp://bit.ly/2gyFlPR examine the sources and pathways of toxins and infectious diseases. Join USGS Director Suzette Kimball, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the American Geophysical Union (AGU) for a fascinating discussion on Geohealth--how earth scientists are working with medical and public health scientists to identify the often obscure sources of human illness. Thursday, December 15 at 4pm PST, 7pm EST. Register ahead for videos http://bit.ly/2gL54Id live-streamed and on demand. #agu16 #usgs #science#geohealth USGS News: Environmental Health

#USGS


12-15-16

F1 East Transect – 2012

Permanent Site: F1 East Transect; Depth: 6.2 Meters (20.4 Feet); Distance from river mouth: 1.3 Kilometers (0.8 Miles) east; Pre/Post Dam Removal: 10 months post-dam removal; Lat/Long: 48.15292999, -123.55011402; Site Description: This is a shallow site with gravel/cobble substrate. Algae is almost all gone except for the perennial seaweed Pterygophora californica (0:32, 0:56, 1:21 seconds) whose stalks remains but the fronds are either absent or tattered. Invertebrate seen on video: blood sea star Henricia leviuscula leviuscula (0:40, 1:21 seconds).

Nitrapyrin Staying On Farm Fields?

From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Pesticides can be applied for all kinds of things, from plants to insects to even bacteria. We wanted to take a look at whether or not a common pesticide for bacteria called nitrapyrin stayed on farm fields like it was supposed to, or if it escaped into nearby waterways.

We looked at 11 sites across the state of Iowa and found that, in 7 of them, nitrapyrin had escaped into nearby streams. Read more here:http://on.doi.gov/2huIkK1

Image shows Old Mans Creek near Iowa City, Iowa, one of the test sites. Credit: Dana Kolpin, USGS.#USGS #Science #Agriculture #Pesticides #Iowa

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Tufted Puffin

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Since mid-October, hundreds of dead seabirds have washed ashore St. Paul Island, #Alaska, in the Bering Sea. Most of the carcasses being found are tufted puffins, although horned puffins, murres, and crested auklets have washed ashore as well. What's going on? 

USGS scientists found that these fish-eating puffins were severely emaciated and likely died of starvation. Starvation could be related to a lack of prey or changes in prey distribution as a result of abnormal sea temperatures.

The #USGS is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, COASST (Coastal Observation And Seabird Survey Team), Aleut Community of St. Paul Island, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Official to determine the full extent of the die-off.

Read more at http://on.doi.gov/2h2aMWT.

Image: A tufted puffin, the species most affected by the die-off. (Sarah Schoen, USGS)

#science #seabirds #puffins




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Studying Water Quality for Better Watershed Management

From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

In more than half of Chesapeake Bay’s non-tidal rivers and creeks, levels of polluting nitrogen and phosphorus are falling, but the Bay’s recovery will take more work and time. To better inform watershed management, the USGS studied four small areas where intensive pollution-fighting steps have been taken: Smith Creek and Difficult Run, VA; the Upper Chester River, MD; and Conewago Creek, PA. 

The sites range from mountainous to coastal, from pasture and crop land to suburban. In the first phase of a planned long term study, the USGS described patterns in nitrogen sources and nutrient concentrations, existing conservation practices, and the relationships between land use, geology, water flows, and water quality. The researchers plan to continue examining links between conservation practices and changes in water quality in these watersheds. Because of factors ranging from slow groundwater flows to changing land use, it will likely take years or decades before the Bay reaps the full pollution-cutting benefits of the conservation work. Find the report at http://chesapeake.usgs.gov/sciencesummary-smallwatershedreport.html Photo: Smith Creek, VA, USGS


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Golden Eagle Flight

Golden eagles can be killed by colliding with a number of human-made objects, including wind turbines. USGS research wildlife biologist Todd Katzner describes his studies of golden eagle flight. This research is being done to model flight behavior which might help managers understand how placement of wind turbines might pose significant risks to golden eagles.

Aquatic Ecosystems

From U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

"USGS aquatic ecosystems research informs the needs of regulatory agencies by identifying science-based solutions that can restore aquatic ecosystems to favorable health and mitigate disease."

Purcell, M.K., and Harris, M.C., 2016, Science to support aquatic animal health: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2016-3091, 2 p.http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2016/3091/fs20163091.pdf