CURRENT PROJECTS
Mapping culturally and ecologically important berries from space
About This Project
Berries are a crucial fall resource for a multitude of wildlife species including migratory birds, threatened grizzly bears, black bears, and a variety of small mammals. Berries are also an important socioeconomic and cultural resource for local communities and indigenous populations. We leverage satellite and aerial imagery data within a machine learning framework to develop species-specific maps of shrub distributions along the biologically diverse Rocky Mountain Front.
What is the significance of this project?
Species-specific food source maps are an integral part of any wildlife study. Current best practice assigns food source importance in an ambiguous way, often assigning food source importance based on rough differences in growth form, e.g. grasses vs. trees. Wildlife choose habitat and food in a much more specific way. Dispersing grizzly bears do not view a patch of stunted quaking aspen in the same way they view a patch of huckleberries, serviceberries, or chokecherries. Similarly, in the autumn, migratory waxwings find large caloric differences between juniper berries and the grasses this unique shrub may be labeled as in current landcover maps. The micro-placement of these shrubs on the landscape influences day-to-day wildlife movements perhaps more than any other single variable.
Whitebark pine ghost forests, the polar bear of the American west
About This Project
Whitebark pine trees are a keystone species in alpine ecosystems across the American west. They have been a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act since 2011. Their seeds’ high caloric content sustain grizzly bears and Clark’s nutcrackers, and the trees modify snowmelt patterns in arid, high-alpine ecosystems. We will map live whitebark pines in Glacier National Park to serve as a baseline for analyzing change over time of “ghost forests”.
What is the significance of this project?
Whitebark pines are a keystone species threatened with extinction and a bellwether for climate change, making them arguably one of the most important species to monitor during our lifetimes. Their remoteness makes monitoring difficult, leaving behind ghost forests with untold stories. Additionally, baseline whitebark pine maps are integral to research on sensitive wildlife species, like grizzly bears and Clark’s nutcrackers, and can help inform rehabilitation efforts. While current grizzly bear and Clark’s nutcracker (although variable) research emphasizes the plasticity of species' diets in response to declining whitebark pine populations, fine-scale mapping of this critical habitat and food source is necessary to fully comprehend the role whitebark pine plays.
