Global survey of anthropogenic neighborhood threats to conservation of grass-shrub and forest vegetation.

The conservation value of natural vegetation is degraded by proximity to anthropogenic land uses. Previous global assessments focused primarily on the amount of land protected or converted to anthropogenic uses, and on forest vegetation. Comparative assessments of extant vegetation in terms of proximity to anthropogenic land uses are needed to better inform conservation planning.

A method for comparative analysis of recovery potential in impaired waters restoration planning.

Common decision support tools and a growing body of knowledge about ecological recovery can help inform and guide large state and federal restoration programs affecting thousands of impaired waters. Under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), waters not meeting state Water Quality Standards due to impairment by pollutants are placed on the CWA Section 303(d) list, scheduled for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) development, and ultimately restored. Tens of thousands of 303(d)-listed waters, many with completed TMDLs, represent a restoration workload of many years.

Multi-scale landscape factors influencing stream water quality in the state of Oregon.

Enterococci bacteria are used to indicate the presence of human and/or animal fecal materials in surface water. In addition to human influences on the quality of surface water, a cattle grazing is a widespread and persistent ecological stressor in the Western United States. Cattle may affect surface water quality directly by depositing nutrients and bacteria, and indirectly by damaging stream banks or removing vegetation cover, which may lead to increased sediment loads.

Detecting temporal change in watershed nutrient yields.

Meta-analyses reveal that nutrient yields tend to be higher for watersheds dominated by anthropogenic uses (e.g., urban, agriculture) and lower for watersheds dominated by natural vegetation.

A geospatial study of the potential of two exotic species of mosquitoes to impact the epidemiology of West Nile virus in Maryland.

We used geospatial techniques to study the potential impact of 2 exotic mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus and Ochlerotatus japonicus japonicus, on the epidemiology of West Nile virus in Maryland. These 2 species have established populations in Maryland over the past 15 years. Larvae of both mosquito species are found in natural and artificial water-holding cavities and containers, particularly water in tires.