CNHP Staff Mentor Future Conservation Biologists

CNHP continues to take a lead role in developing the future conservation biologists in Colorado. Annually, CNHP mentors honors undergraduate students as they tackle research on rare species of Colorado. The most-recent graduate is Rachel Maison. Rachel is an honors student in the Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Department. She conducted independent research on the occupancy and habitat associations of the hops blue butterfly (Celastrina humulus). She continued the research begun by Callie Puntenney in 2014, which was recently accepted as a publication in the Journal of Insect Conservation. Rachel’s research discovered that hops blue butterflies are prevalent on the U.S. Air Force Academy where there are large expanses of wild hops (Humulus lupulus). Wild hops is the host plant of the hops blue butterfly. Additionally, she found that hops blue butterflies are prevalent in areas where ant nests are abundant. Because many of the members of the blue butterfly family (Family: Lycaenidae) have larva that are tended by ants, Rachel incorporated ant-nest searches into her research project.

CNHP zoologist Rob Schorr (left) served as a mentor to CSU student Rachel Maison (right), helping her design and complete an independent research project on occupancy and habitat associations of hops blue butterfly (Celastrina humulus).

 

CNHP Internship Positions Available for Summer 2016

CNHP is looking for six Colorado State University students interested in expanding their knowledge and experience in conservation science. Interns will build skills in plant identification, vegetation sampling, animal monitoring and surveys, monitoring protocols, data collection, and describing conservation values. Interns will be paid $12/hr, with per diem provided for overnight field trips. Program begins May 23, 2016 and ends August 5, 2016. Applications are due by March 31, 2016. For more information read the full announcement on our website.

Job Announcement: Database and Web Developer

The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) of Colorado State University seeks up to two Database and Web Developers to design and support natural resource-based databases for CNHP clients, assist in the administration and maintenance of existing online databases, and work closely with others at CNHP to develop data products and improve data services. The position(s) will play a pivotal role in expanding CNHP’s data delivery tools through emerging technologies like web-based mapping and data delivery systems, and mobile applications. These are full-time positions. The incumbent(s) will have the opportunity to collaborate with CNHP staff and partners to develop proposals for grants and projects to ensure continued funding of their position(s).

The incumbent(s) must be able to work independently and with the team. A commitment to conservation and familiarity with environmental datasets is necessary to thrive at this position. CNHP provides a flexible work environment and excellent benefits.

To apply and view a complete position description, please visit: https://jobs.colostate.edu/postings/30429

Applications deadline is February 15, 2016.

Reflecting departmental and institutional values, candidates are expected to have the ability to advance the Department's commitment to diversity and inclusion.

CSU is an EO/EA/AA employer and conducts background checks on all final candidates.

CNHP's 2015 Annual Report Now Available

CNHP's 2015 Annual Report is now available on our website. Click here to read it!

Last fall, CNHP’s Rob Schorr and Bernadette Kuhn, and WCNR’s Human Dimension in Natural Resources specialist Shawn Davis, began a collaborative project with bat biologists, rock climbers, and natural resource managers. The project, called Climbers for Bat Conservation (CBC) successfully pulled all parties together to discuss the use of climbers as an information resource for where bats might be roosting in rock crevices. The CBC project recently had a warm reception at the North American Society for Bat Research 45th Annual Symposium hosted in Monterey, California. Rob Schorr was able to present a poster discussing the development of the collaboration, the challenges and opportunities the collaboration presented, and the hope for future progress. Many bat biologists appreciated the citizen science focus and liked the diligence taken to make sure this was a climber-supported endeavor. 

Rob Schorr presents his poster on the Climbers for Bat Project.

The Climbers for Bat Conservation poster at the 45th Symposium of the North American Society for Bat Research.

CNHP Releases STReaMS, An Endangered Fish Database

CNHP has completed the first release of STReaMS, an online database for managing endangered fish PIT tag tracking and location data in the Upper Colorado River Basin. STReaMS, which stands for Species Tagging, Research and Monitoring Systems, is a database that currently includes over 1 million sightings of 900,000 individual fish from more than 150 studies completed by the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Endangered Fish recovery programs.

Roundtail chub, pictured above, were once common throughout the entire Colorado River Basin. Today, they occupy only 55% of their historic range. The STReaMS database contains data on capture locations and movement patterns that help inform management of this species, now proposed as Threatened by the Endangered Species Act in the Lower Colorado River Basin.

The recovery programs are a consortium of partners from agencies, industry, and non-profits, all dedicated to restoring natural and self-sustaining populations of Endangered fishes while balancing the water needs of growing western communities. With almost 30 years of data and active partners in five states, the programs recognized the need to efficiently manage copious amounts of data. Thus the idea for a centralized, online database was born. With CNHP's October 2015 release of the database, recovery program personnel will be able to access:

• Capture, stocking, and remote detection data collected from both programs since 1981
• Filters that allow researchers to browse and download data by a variety of criteria
• Cross-basin and cross-study downloads for examining fish movement between basins
• Forms for editing existing data, and adding new data one record at a time
• Organization based security to prevent data corruption 

Public access to the website will be available in October 2017. In the meantime, learn more about the San Juan Basin recovery program, their mission, and the fish they are dedicated to protecting by clicking here. For more on the Upper Colorado River Basin program, click here.

Searching for Pocket Mice in the San Luis Valley

The Rio Grande National Forest is revising their 1996 Forest Management Plan. The Forest Management Plan is the guiding document for all management decisions and activities on the Rio Grand National Forest. As part of the update, Rio Grande NF staff are seeking more information on rare species. This summer, the Rio Grande hired CNHP zoologist Rob Schorr to survey for several lesser-known and rare small mammals. Two of the primary targets were the silky pocket mouse (Perognathus flavus sanluisi) and the plains pocket mouse (Perognathus flavescens relictus), both of which are unique to the valley. These pocket mice prefer the sandy soils of the San Luis Valley. Schorr and his daughter spent time trapping for the pocket mice on US Forest Service lands north of Great Sand Dunes National Park. They trapped in eight different areas, catching one silky pocket mouse and two plains pocket mice in sandy, sparse grasslands below pinyon and juniper forests.

The plains pocket mouse capture site with sandy soils, tall grasses, and rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus spp.).

A close-up of a plains pocket mouse.

One of the two plains pocket mice captured on Rio Grande National Forest lands in 2015. 

The silky pocket mouse capture site on the Rio Grand National Forest. The site has sandy soils and large patches of blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis).

Catching Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Near Trapper's Lake

This summer CNHP zoologist John Sovell conducted surveys for wildlife species across Garfield County, Colorado. In July, Sovell's surveys included fishing for Colorado River cutthroat trout. His field work is part of a larger effort led by Delia Malone (CNHP ecologist) to document locations of rare plant and animal species in the county, as well as noxious weed locations. Sovell and Malone will provide information from their county-wide biological surveys to Garfield County to aid in planning and natural resource management.

Colorado River cutthroat trout are one of dozens of rare species that occur in Garfield County, including Colorado hookless cactus and Debeque phacelia. Both of these rare plants are listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

A downed log rests in a pool occupied by Colorado River cutthroat trout on the North Fork of the White River near Trapper's Lake. Colorado River cutthroat trout rely on large woody debris like this tree to help form pools, store spawning gravels, and provide refuge from predators. 

Sovell updated information on Colorado River cutthroat trout at four locations in Garfield County, including the North Fork of the White River where it empties into Trapper's Lake. These brilliantly colored fish are one of three extant subspecies of trout native to Colorado. Recent genetic and morphological studies suggest that there are two extant lineages of cutthroat trout on Colorado's Western Slope. Cutthroat trout in the White River Basin are part of what is known as the Blue Lineage. For more information on Colorado River cutthroat trout, check out the newly updated State Wildlife Action Plan.

John Sovell, CNHP zoologist, catches a Colorado River cutthroat trout as part of  the 2015 Garfield County Survey of Critical Biological Resources.