Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU

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US Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) is offering a funding opportunity is to evaluate conservation actions, or inactions, in relation to Yellowstone cutthroat trout conservations efforts, particularly in anticipations of climate change impacts. Currently, there remains paucity in the empirical analysis supporting the effectiveness and/or needs of conservation action, in particular regarding the relative threats to existing extant Yellowstone cutthroat trout populations. The intent is to use to long-term datasets from two distinct regions within the historical range of Yellowstone cutthroat trout to demonstrate the potential threats and benefits of conservation efforts in the context of climate change. Integrating and analyzing this information will assist in prioritizing actual threats and perceived benefits and risks from addressing such threats. The project will need to be conducted in two steps. The first step will be to assemble and analyze fish distribution data and climatic attributes to quantify how changing climatic conditions, among other factors, will influence the abundance and distribution of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and non-native species. In this phase, it will be important to assess the relative importance of existing threats to native cutthroat trout populations including habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation and loss, non-native species, and changing climatic conditions. The next step will be to assist in synthesizing results into a peer-reviewed manuscript to a scientific journal.

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