SNR News

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

alyssa — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:09:20 -0600

Alpha 1 rollout of SNR site!

admin — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 16:08:47 -0700

New rollout of the SNR site!

This Alpha 1 release is not ready for public presentation but is a major step never the less.

New versions of the SNR site can be viewed on the public test server at http://snr.arid.arizona.edu

SNR Beta 2 Rollout

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:33:06 -0700

The SNR Web content & development team is happy to announce the Beta 2 rollout of the new SNR website. This rollout at http://snr.arid.arizona.edu/ is for the School's internal evaluation.

We very much welcome your feedback! Please, leave comments for the Webmaster through the contact form or email them to Dr. Graumlich.

Tierra Seca Competes on a National Level

alyssa — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 10:12:28 -0700

In January, seven members of the Tierra Seca Student Range Club traveled to the Annual Society for Range Management meeting in Louisville KY. All seven participated in the Undergraduate Range Management Exam (URME). The URME team members were April Barron, Heather Dial, Katie Lee, Grant Rogers, Teressa Van Diest, Ashley Sheppard, and Alayna Sandford. Their coach, Professor Larry Howery, was very pleased with their performance in this demanding and highly

Director’s Welcome

lgraumlich — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:38:00 -0700

Welcome to the new web presence of the School of Natural Resources (SNR). I hope to use the Director's Blog as a feature to promote communication within our school about our common interests, issues and accomplishments. Over the course of this academic year, I hope to explore "who we are" with all of you more fully.

National Phenology Network highlighted in Ecology

alyssa — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:56:50 -0600

The February issue of the journal Ecology is focused on phenology, a result of the collective effort of leaders at the National Phenology Network. Phenology is the study of stages in plant and animal life cycles, and how these are related to seasonal and climatic events. The network is dedicated to unifying information from citizen scientists, field stations and researchers, to shed light on life cycle shifts caused by climate change. Dr.

Seafha Blount: Wildlife Professional & Native American Royalty

alyssa — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:35:31 -0600

Lisa Benton's phenology work with Sunnyside Highschoolers hits the news

alyssa — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:10:36 -0600

The National Phenology Network (NPN), with its mission to gather data from citizens across the country on the changing cycles of plants in response to global warming, has garnered interest from news networks across the nation. Masters student Lisa Benton's work with high school students to track the blooms of creosote bush in Tucson is featured in many of the stories. This high quality and timely project will likely draw in more data takers, given national visibility! Check out some of the stories in related links.

International Research Exchange brings Animal Ecology Graduate Students from Japan to Campus

alyssa — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:28:02 -0600

"Konnichi wa" ('hello' in Japanese) was heard often in the halls of Bio Sci East in recent weeks. John Koprowski's research group is part of an exciting international research exchange funded by the Support Program for Improving Graduate School Education from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The Laboratory of Animal Ecology at Tokyo Metropolitan University selected Dr. Koprowski's research group for this collaborative exchange because of a similar interest in using small mammals as models for questions in behavioral ecology, population ecology, and conservation.

Grad Students Host Dr. Dan Simberloff

alyssa — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:22:08 -0600

Graduate students in the NGRSO (Natural Resources Graduate Student Organization) raised the funds and made the plans for Dr. Dan Simberloff's visit to the School. By all accounts the two days were a success, with more than 100 students and faculty benefiting from the visit, through luncheons, formal and informal discussions, and a public seminar. Dr. Simberloff presented on the role of invasive species in the biofuels debate. We are grateful to Dr. Simberloff for sharing his time and insights with us.

Melanie Culver's work with the Florida Panther hits Podcats

alyssa — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:58:12 -0600

Associate Professor Melanie Culver interviewed by UA News on her work to determine the exact size of the bottleneck in the Florida Panther. Listen to the interview.

Behind the Scenes: Designing the SNR Web Site

lgraumlich — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:26:57 -0600

I hope you are exploring the new SNR website. As you "kick the tires", it may be useful to know what went on behind the scenes as we designed the new website.

Our goal was to create a site that portrayed the richness and relevance of the work of SNR faculty, staff and students. More specifically, we wanted to:

SNR co-sponsors Current Research on Herpetofauna of the Sonoran Desert IV

alyssa — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:36:49 -0600

The Tucson Herpetological Society, including SNR faculty and students, have organized "Current Research on Herpetofauna of the Sonoran Desert IV", in Tucson this April 11th - 13th. This conference promises to bring together top researchers to share important new information on desert life, from urban lizards to desert tortoises. SNR faculty member, and respected herpetologist, Dr. Cecil Schwalbe will speak at the Saturday night banquet.

"The Rimrock Report" highlights rangeland management.

alyssa — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:25:32 -0600

Doug Tolleson, SNR's Rangeland Management Specialist, has launched "The Rimrock Report" as a quarterly newsletter based out of UA's V Bar V Ranch in Cottonwood, Arizona. The report highlights news, events and information related to rangeland management. The publication is designed for ranchers, resource managers, rangeland professionals, educators and the general public. You can check it out at http://cals.arizona.edu/aes/vbarv/rangenews.html.

Dr. Courtney Conway's Marshbird Monitoring Protocol implemented throughout North America

alyssa — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:20:04 -0600

Over five years ago, Dr. Courtney Conway developed a new protocol for estimating abundance of elusive marshbirds. Based on call-broadcast surveys, the protocol enables researchers to detect shy and often vulnerable bird species, like rails and bitterns, by their vocalizations. The detailed protocols are now in use at two hundred sites across the United States, Mexico and Canada. Dr. Conway and his staff put on annual

Steve Archer and Dave Breshears contribute to new US Climate Change Science Program report

lgraumlich — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:35:28 -0600

Steve was the lead author of the section on Arid Lands, while Dave was on the review team. Science magazine reports that this is a landmark review, synthesizing the results from 1000+ papers. Dave is quoted in the May 28th edition of ScienceNOW Daily News, as saying the report is "an important step forward," especially because of its unique emphasis on how abrupt climate changes could upset fragile ecosystems.

Climate Change and Rangelands

lgraumlich — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:32:41 -0600

SNR researchers are playing a key role in understanding the impacts of climate change on the Southwest. In the latest issue of Rangelands, published by the Society for Range Management, SNR faculty Ed de Steiguer describes how rangeland carbon sequestration projects are playing an increasingly important role in the private sector carbon market. In the same issue, Steve Archer and Katie Predick summarize what is currently know about the impacts of climate change on Southwestern ecosystems.

Erica Koltenuk's articles on sustainable fisheries in Arizona Daily Star

lgraumlich — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:46:45 -0600

UA undergraduate Erica Koltenuk started working with the Pangas Project last year as a Space Grant Intern. Last spring she was chosed by the Arizona Daily Star to be one of 10 UA student interns to travel to Argentina. We were excited to read her articles this summer chronicling the state of fisheries and marine resources in the southernmost tip of South America.

SNR grad Sandy Doumas on Discovery News

lgraumlich — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:39:47 -0600

Who makes more difficult choices, squirrels or humans?

Undergraduate Chris Nadeau wins national scholarship

alyssa — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:48:08 -0600

Congratulations to Chris for this recoginition of his academic achievement. The Ben Meadows Scholarship for academic achievement is given in association with the Society of American Foresters. Chris was selected at the national level based on his accomplishments in Natural Resource Studies and the high caliber of his research and academic work.

Professor Randy Gimblett publishes "Monitoring, Simulation and Management of Visitor Landscapes"

alyssa — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:18:01 -0600

Co-authored by Hans Skov Petersen from Denmark, "Monitoring, Simulation and Management of Visitor Landscapes", summarizes Dr. Gimblett and his colleagues' findings from across the globe, and promises to set a foundation for this emerging field.

SNR students present at the Ecological Society of America's annual conference

alyssa — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:37:48 -0600

The School of Natural Resources was well represented at the 93rd annual Ecological Society of America Meeting in Milwaukee this summer. Research was presented by Lisa Benton, Jennifer Davison, Jason Field, Taryn Kong, Patrick Royer, Jason Stevens, Juan Villegas and Steve Woods. In addition, Jason Field organized a special session entitled: "Ecohydrological Consequences of Aeolian Processes: Local- to Global-Scale Perspectives." Congrats to the presenters!

Invited Commentary in PNAS by SNR Students and Faculty

alyssa — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:04:34 -0600

A UA team, including SNR grad student Jennifer Davison, Senior Research Specialist Chris Zou and Professor Dave Breshears, wrote an invited commentary for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on a recent study documenting vegetation response to climate. The new study, by UC Irvine researchers, looked all along a mountain gradient and found the vegetation distributions all "leaning" upslope over the past 30 years as climate warmed. The commentary summarized the new findings and placed them in a broader context about different ways in

Associate Professor Adrian Esparza publishes "Colonias in Arizona and New Mexico"

alyssa — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:08:24 -0600

"Colonias in Arizona and New Mexico: Border Poverty and Community Development Solutions" addresses the challenges facing the half-million people in these impoverished border communities. Authors Esparza and Donelson review conditions and causes and propose community development solutions based on recent success stories.

Arizona Daily Star focuses on the reintroduction of lowland leopard frogs

alyssa — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:14:37 -0600

SNR Research Specialist Phil Rosen, and Professor Cecil Schwalbe are part of a larger effort to reintroduce lowland leopard frogs to Saugaro National Park. Read about the work here.