• October 5, 2009: Colorado Plateau/ Desert Southwest/Rocky Mountains Joint CESU Meeting, Flagstaff, AZ. CESU meeting is in conjunction with the Tenth Biennial Conference of Research on the Colorado Plateau, October 5-8.The three CESUs are organizing the following science sessions: Happy 10th Birthday to the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units, where will the next decade take us?; A River Runs Through it - studies on the Colorado River through the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Plateau and Sonoran Desert; and Ungulates and Predators in National Parks - what we can learn by comparing notes across bioregions. More information coming soon.
  

• June 15-19, 2009: "Using the natural and cultural resources of Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS as a classroom, " Deer Lodge, MT. Kathy Tonnessen, RM-CESU, has agreed to serve as the "mentor" for the annual Deer Lodge teacher training course at Grant Kohrs Ranch NHS,Montana. Local Deer Lodge teachers will get University of Montana Continuing Education credits for attending this training. Agenda

• May 27-29, 2009: NPS National CESU Coordinators Meeting, Missoula, MT Agenda; GRKO Ranch Tour; Attendee List, Notes, Photos, PowerPoint Presentations: RLCs - Ben Becker, Peer Review and Information Quality - Louise Hose, Joint Fire Science Program - Tim Swedberg, Measuring Student Involvement - Judy Bischoff; Handouts: RLC Information, Expanding CESU Visability, RM CESU 2009 Renewal: Issues and Questions

• April 8-9, 2009: A Post-WACAP (Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project) Workshop for the Sierra Nevada – Southern Cascade (SNSC) region, Three Rivers, CA. Hosted by Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. Kathy Tonnessen, RM-CESU NPS Research Coordinator, will facilitate the workshop to determine follow up activities from the Western Airborne Contaminant Assessment Project for the parks in the Sierra Nevada and the Southern Cascades.  Agenda; Notes

• March 11-12, 2009, National Park Service, Yellowstone Center for Resources staff visit University of Montana Campus  Staff from the Yellowstone Center for Resources (Tom Olliff, Chief, Yellowstone Center for Resources; Glenn Plumb, Chief, Branch of Aquatic Resources and Wildlife, Yellowstone National Park; Christie Hendrix, Research Permit Coordinator, Yellowstone National Park) visited the University of Montana campus on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 to provide information to faculty and students on research opportunities in Yellowstone National Park and to discuss the use of the Rocky Mountains CESU cooperative agreement to get science and history done in the park. Presentations: "Research in Yellowstone", "Research Permitting" and the "Use of the Rocky Mountains CESU agreement".   Handout: Yellowstone Leave no Trace. On March 12 the group met with University of Montana Research and Science Leadership to better develop Yellostone NP/University of Montana relationship.

• December 1-3, 2008: Climate Change in the Crown of the Continent:
  Identifying Multi-Jurisdictional Strategies, Whitefish, MT. The workshop to discuss managers' adaptation strategies was jointly sponsored by the RM-CESU, the University of Montana and Colorado State University.  Additional support was provided by the USFS-Rocky Mountain Research Station and the USGS-Fort Collins Science Center, and the NPS-NRPC.  There was good participation by managers and NGOs in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem , including NPS, USFS, USGS, FWS, State of Montana, Blood Tribe, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and Parks Canada.  This workshop was the first in a series of multijurisdictional climate change workshop; the next workshop will involve adaptation to climate change in grasslands ecosystems.

PAST RM-CESU ACTIVITIES

RM-CESU Project:

Culturally Scarred Trees in
Glacier National Park

Recent studies demonstrate culturally
scarred trees are indicators of prehistoric
and historic travel corridors and campsites – providing information on many aspects
of Indian society, including subsistence
patterns, technological innovations,
population movements, epidemics,
acculturation, and cultural continuity.
Read more.

• September 27-30, 2010: Wild Trout Symposium, West Yellowstone, Montana. The primary cosponsors of this event include: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the USDA Forest Service, the Trout and Salmon Foundation, the Federation of Fly Fishers, and Trout Unlimited.

• June 28-30, 2010: "High-Five" Symposium: The Future of High Elevation Five Needle White Pines in Western North America, University of Montana Campus, Missoula, MT

• November 5 - 6, 2009: Montana Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology: 2nd Annual Research Symposium, University of Montana, Missoula, MT.  Call for abstracts will be posted in September 2009

• October 27 & 28, 2009: Restoring the West Conference 2009, Utah State University, Logan UT.  The theme of this year's Restoring the West Conference is sustainability of Great Basin landscapes from peaks to valleys, with an emphasis on forest, sagebrush steppe, and riparian ecosystems. Unifying themes include the causes and consequences of historic changes in community composition and structure, the effects of ongoing climate change, the importance of the water cycle or ecohydrology, and wildlife considerations. 

• October 1-2, 2009: Montana AWRA/River Center Conference, Missoula MT.  This is a joint conference of the MT AWRA and the University of Montana's River Center. The abstract submission site is for everyone who wishes to present at this conference, as there will be no separate River Center conference this year. There will be a conference-related field trip the afternoon of September 30.

• August 4-7, 2009: 2nd International Conference on Occurrence, Fate, Effects, and Analysis of Emerging Contaminants in the Environment, Fort Collins, CO. This conference will provide a forum for presenting the latest research on all aspects related to the topic of emerging contaminants in the environment. Sponsors include: Colorado State University and USGS.

• June 16-19, 2009: Long term global monitoring of vegetation variables using moderate resolution satellites:
  A fourth global vegetation workshop at the University of Montana, Missoula, MT. Hosted by UM's NTSG and NASA

• June 12-16, 2009: “Evolution 2009," the joint annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), the Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB), and the American Society of Naturalists (ASN), University Idaho, Moscow, ID.  Conference is hosted by UI’s The Department of Biological Sciences.

• June 3-5, 2009:  Natural Resources Law Center’s annual summer conference: Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, & New Channels for Inquiry, University of Colorado Law School, Boulder, CO.
  

July 5-8, 2009: International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, ISSRM 2009, Vienna, Austria. The theme for the ISSRM 2009 is: Meet Old and New Worlds in Research, Planning and Management

July 12-15, 2009: 12th Conference on National Scenic & Historic Trails, Missoula, MT. The Conference will include workshops on how to increase the outreach and capacity of our trail organizations, the completion of our trails, and protection of the National Trails System.

July 22-24, 2009:  Third International Chronic Wasting Disease Symposium, Park City, UT.

August 2-7, 2009: 94th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, “Ecological Knowledge and a Global Sustainable Society,” Albuquerque, NM.

September 15-18, 2009: 36th annual Natural Areas Conference, Vancouver, Washington.

September 20-24, 2009: The Wildlife Society 16th Annual Conference, Monterey, CA. 

October 1-2, 2009: 9th Annual Montana Water Law Conference, Helena, MT.

October 5-8, 2009: 10th Biennial Conference of Research on the Colorado Plateau, “Collaborative Conservation in Rapidly Changing Landscapes,” Flagstaff, AZ.  Deadline for abstracts is June 1, 2009. 

October 6-9, 2009: National Atmospheric Deposition Program Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium, Saratoga Springs, NY. Abstract Submission: 7/15/09

November 6-13, 2009: 9th World Wilderness Congress: Symposium on Science and Stewardship to Protect and Sustain Wilderness Values, Mérida, Mexico.

November 30-December 4, 2009: 4th International Fire Ecology and Management Congress: Fire as a global process, Savannah, Georgia

February 7-19, 2010: Society for Range Management and Weed Science Society of America, Denver, CO.  Learn how to Manage for Invasive Species, Open Spaces, Sustainable Livestock Production,
Drought, and Conservation of our Natural Resources. 

April 25-29, 2010: National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) Seventh National Monitoring Conference - Monitoring From the Summit to the Sea, Denver, CO. The conference will focus on the many facets of water quality and water quantity monitoring for improved understanding, protection, and restoration of our natural resources and communities. It will also provide a unique forum for water practitioners from all backgrounds - including governmental organizations, volunteers, academia, watershed and environmental groups and the private sector - to exchange information, develop skills, and foster collaboration and coordination. USGS, EPA, NOAA, and state scientists and others will showcase new findings on the quality of the Nation's streams and groundwater, and highlight recent innovations and cutting-edge tools in water-quality monitoring, assessment, and reporting. The conference's location in Denver, Colorado will also provide a forum to showcase western water monitoring issues, including sustainable water management, effects of wildfires, and efforts to evaluate the effects of climate change on water quality, quantity, and aquatic ecosystems. Abstracts due September 19, 2009.

The Principles and Practice of Stream Restoration Utah State University Logan, Utah

Part I: July 13-17, 2009
Part II: August 10-14, 2009

The purpose of Part 1 is to provide an overview of hydrologic, sediment transport, geomorphic, and ecological principles applicable to (1) assessment of stream channel condition, (2) developing approaches to stream management and restoration, and (3) evaluating project performance.  The course emphasizes the inter-relatedness of hydrology, hydraulics, sediment transport, geomorphology, aquatic ecology, fisheries, and riparian ecology.  Part 1 is intended for agency and consulting industry professionals and others seeking an overview of the scientific basis of stream restoration. The purpose of Part 2 is to present the principles of hydrology, hydraulics, sediment transport, and geomorphology as applied to design of stream channels in stream restoration projects.   Part 2 is intended for professionals involved in channel design. Students may enroll in either or both of the classes. Further information about the courses, instructors, and registration information.

Ninemile Wildlands Training Center in West Central Montana offers a variety of training for traditional backcountry skills such care and handling of traditional tools, horsemanship and packing, historic building preservation and maintenance, and low impact backcountry stock use.  If you are interested, please go to their website for more information or contact Linda R. Carlson, Ninemile Ranger District, USFS,  (406)626-5410.

Online Wilderness Training Courses from Carhart Wilderness Training Center
Arthur Carhart Wilderness Training Center is offering 4 wilderness training courses. The courses are open for enrollment by all federal employees (free of Charge.  Non-employees may also take the training courses.
All courses are designed to benefit wilderness managers, resource specialists, managers and others involved or interested in wilderness stewardship.  More information, including registration procedures, can be found at http://carhart.eppley.org/ or www.carhart/wilderness.net.  Brief descriptions of the courses are shown below:

The Wilderness Act: A 2-hour foundational training, developed by the Carhart Center staff, to provide an understanding of the Wilderness Act.

Minimum Requirements Decisions:  A comprehensive 2-hour session providing the tools and skills necessary for anyone involved in determining whether use of motorized equipment, mechanical transport, aircraft, structures, or installations are necessary in wilderness.  Completion of the Wilderness Act training is required before taking this course.

Wilderness Stewardship Planning Framework:  This is a 6-hour course divided into 9 modules to address common components of the wilderness planning process.  The course is instructed by Jim Hammett and Linda Merigliano.
Students can enhance their training by completing work products for each module that begin development of a wilderness plan.

Wilderness Visitor Use Management:   New this year is an 8-hour, 12 module
course encompassing the principles and practices for managing visitor use and impacts. The course benefits from contributions by four highly qualified instructors:  David Cole, Troy Hall, Jeff Marion, and Connie Myers.  Like the Planning course, this training offers practical exercises that help students produce work products using information and issues from the wilderness they are most familiar with.

Survey of Natural Resources Distance Learning Courses at RM-CESU Partner Institutions

• CESU Project Opportunity: HISTORIC STRUCTURES REPORT- PIPE SPRING NATIONAL MONUMENT, ARIZONA
  Pipe Spring National Monument seeks a principle investigator to research and compile a historic structures report on the National Register of Historic Places historic structures at the Monument.  The principle investigator should be associated with a Historic Architecture, Architecture, Historic Preservation, or other related program with a university or institution associated with the National Park Service network of Cooperative Ecosystem Study Units.  Read More. Letters of intent due by July 17, 2009.

• CESU Project Opportunity: Lava Beds National Monument Seeks CESU University Investigator for Bat Data Synthesis Project  Lava Beds National Monument, a unit of the National Park Service is seeking assistance with synthesis and analysis of 21 years of collected bat population data.  Please click here for statement of interest which describes the project in more detail. Lava Beds National Monument is requesting responses by July 7, 2009 for work to begin sometime this fall/winter. 

• The National Park Foundation is offering grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 to encourage parks to undertake documentation of new properties that may be eligible for either form of recognition or update the documentation of existing National Historic Landmark and National Register properties. Please see the announcement.  Reply due August 1, 2009.

• Fitch Mid-Career Grant: The James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation will award research grants of up to $25,000 to mid-career professionals who have an academic background, professional experience and an established identity in one or more of the following fields: historic preservation, architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, environmental planning, architectural history and the decorative arts. The Foundation will consider proposals for the research and/or execution of the preservation-related projects in any of these fields. The grants are not visualized as prizes for past accomplishments, but rather to support innovative original research and creative design. The grants are intended to promote the practice of historic preservation; the project must demonstrate usefulness to practitioners and the results must be in publishable form.  The next application deadline is Wednesday, September 16, 2009 (postmark deadline).
• Professional Development Grant for Archives and Historical Publishing:  The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks proposals to improve the training and education of professionals in the archival and historical publishing communities.  Projects can be for professional education curriculum development; for basic and advanced institutes; or research seminars. Surveys, focus groups, and other activities to understand these professions and their educational and training needs are also eligible.  A grant normally is for one to three years and up to $150,000.  Deadline:   October 5, 2009. 

• The Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), is seeking to fund environmental research and development efforts for Fiscal Year 2010. For further information and requirements please click link above.

• Directory of Federal Grant-Making Programs for Environmentally- Related Education The directory is designed to help meet the needs of the environmental education community for easily accessible and reasonably comprehensive information about federal funding programs. 

• Wenner-Gren Research Grants Basic research in archeology and anthropology funded to $25,000. There are two deadlines each year, May 1st and November 1st. For applications submitted by the May 1st deadline, funding will be available the following January 1st. Under the November 1st deadline, funding will be available the following July 1st.

• Wildlife Conservation Society Research Fellowship Program (annual deadlines: March 15 and September 15) The RFP is a small grants program designed to build capacity for the next generation of conservationists through supporting individual field research projects that have a clear application to the conservation of threatened wildlife and wildlife habitat. We seek projects that are based on sound and innovative conservation science and that encourage practices in conservation that can contribute to sustainable development. Most of the grantees are professional conservationists from the country of research and/or post-graduates pursuing a higher degree. The RFP supports field research in Africa, Asia, and Latin America regardless of the nationality of the applicant. In addition, the RFP accepts applications from Native Americans (US) and First Nation Peoples (Canada) who intend to conduct work on native lands on issues of direct relevance to wildlife. Grants are for up to $25,000 dollars, and are for no longer than one year. The average grant is $10,500.

• Research Fellowship at Rocky Mountain National Park
  Housing , $5,000 stipend and $3,000 for expenses related to research for graduate research conducted during 3-4 months in the Park. (annual deadline: February 1)

• Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service Listing of competitive grants and cooperative projects.

• Conservation Trust grants from the National Geographic Society The objective of the Conservation Trust is to support conservation activities around the world as they fit within the mission of the National Geographic Society. The trust will fund projects that contribute significantly to the preservation and sustainable use of the Earth's biological, cultural, and historical resources.
  (open deadlines)

• Western National Parks Association Grants Grants awarded to institutions and individuals for research in National Parks. (September 1st deadline). Grant funding is limited to $7500 per project.

• GRANTS.GOV The Federal government now requires all requests for proposals be listed on-line at http://www.grants.gov. There are instructions on line of how to search for specific topic areas (environment, natural resources, energy) and for specific agencies, e.g. National Science Foundation, Department of the Interior, etc.