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U.S. Department of the Interior
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that there are over 2.3 million onshore abandoned oil and gas wells. A well is considered abandoned by State and Federal agencies if there has not been recent oil or gas production, the well head is not properly capped, or there is no responsible operating company. Many oil and gas wells are concentrated in the southwestern United States.
National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) in Texas and Oklahoma manage forested habitats to support priority bird populations in the West Gulf Coastal Plain and Ouachitas Bird Conservation Regions. Airborne laser altimetry, or light detection and ranging (lidar), captures detail on vertical and horizonal forest structure helpful for determining bird species diversity, density, and distribution.
Coastal erosion, exacerbated by sea-level rise, threatens natural, cultural, and recreation resources in the King Range National Conservation Area (NCA) on the northern California coast. Within this otherwise steep landscape, the flat coastal terrace provides a suitable location for recreation infrastructure, including two historic lighthouses and the popular Lost Coast Trail.
Twenty years ago, ecological studies were often limited by the number of times biologists could find (relocate) their study animals. With the advent and now widespread use of Global Positioning System (GPS)collars, tracking the animals is no longer a primary concern.
The New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus), which was listed as endangered in 2014, historically ranged throughout the Middle Rio Grande River Valley in New Mexico and along perennial high-elevation streams in New Mexico, southern Colorado, and eastern Arizona. After years of drought, river modifications, and changes to habitat, many previously occupied jumping mouse populations are believed to be extirpated.
Abandoned gas and oil wells are commonly a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and can leak hydrocarbon-related fluids such as oil or brine, particularly when unplugged wells go undetected over long periods. Older wells are challenging to discover when vegetation has overgrown abandoned sites. As in other parts of the country, FWS National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) in Oklahoma and Texas contain a large number of abandoned wells from historical oil and gas development.
Mixed composition and bottomland hardwood forests are essential habitat for imperiled songbird populations on Texas and Oklahoma National Wildlife Refuges (NWR). Point-count data were collected for focal songbird species on five refuges together with remotely sensed data to estimate densities and model habitat relationships.
Sea level rise inundation on important Department of Interior (DOI) conservation lands was estimated using U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) high-resolution light detection and ranging (lidar) data coupled with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) models.
Nearly 1 million Attwater’s greater prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) once occupied 6 million acres of coastal prairie grasslands in Texas and Louisiana. Loss and fragmentation of habitat nearly drove this species to extinction, and it was listed as endangered in 1967. Today, two populations have been established in the wild through release of captive-reared birds.
Landslides are a major geologic hazard in Oregon. Landslide inventory mapping helps resource managers understand the spatial pattern of existing landslides and provides information to characterize landslide risk associated with various landscapes.
