Canyon Country Science Symposium, Moab, Utah, March 12-14 2012

Nichole Barger had organized this region-specific conference. This is not devoted to biocrusts, but because it is centered around the "crust capitol" of SE Utah it will feature a strong presence of biocrust research and researchers. There will be some good material on dust too.Alas, the crusts will only be supporting cast in my talk, but the conference lineup looks pretty good.

Canyon Country Science Symposium
March 12-14, 2012
Red Cliffs Lodge, Moab, Utah
 

Monday, March 12th
Afternoon of the 12th, out of town symposium participants arrive at the lodge.
2:00-5:00 pm Canyonlands Research Center, Science and Management Advisory Council
6:00-6:30pm Mixer and happy hour at the lodge
6:30- 8:00 Group dinner*

Tuesday, March 13th
9:00-12:00 Oral presentations
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-2:15 Poster session
2:15-5:00 Oral presentations
6:00-8:00 Dinner

Wednesday, March 14th
9:00-11:30 Oral presentations
11:30-12:00 Check out and pick up sack lunches
12:00-2:00 Field trip to Belnap research sites

Tuesday, March 13th
Morning Session

9:00-9:30 To be announced, BLM, NPS, and USFS Research to support management needs in Canyon Country: A BLM, NPS, and USFS perspective

9:30-9:45 Jayne Belnap, USGS, Moab Rethinking the critical zone: in deserts, it’s the small things that count

10:00-10:15 Cheryl Kuske, Los Alamos Nat’l Lab Biocrust bacterial community responses to increased
temperature, altered precipitation and physical disturbance

10:15-10:30 Trent Northen, Lawrence Berkeley Labs Metabolic dynamics of Colorado Plateau Biological Soil Crusts

10:30-10:45 Matt Bowker, USGS, Flagstaff Assessing the provisioning of multiple ecosystem services
in semi-arid rangelands

10:45-11:00 Break

11:00-11:15 Troy Wood, USGS, Flagstaff Population genetic structure in three foundational grassland
species: implications for restoration in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks

11:15-11:30 Matt Miller, USGS, Moab Assessing watershed condition in streams and rivers of the semi-arid Colorado Plateau: An example of aquatic macroinvertebrates as indicators of stream habitat conditions

11:30-11:45 Rebecca Weissinger, NPS, Moab Springs monitoring in Northern Colorado Plateau Network
national park units

11:45-12:00 Susanna Pearlstein, University of Arizona Monitoring vegetation change on three rivers in the western United States

12:00-1:00 Lunch Break

Tuesday, March 13th
 Afternoon Session

1:00-2:15 Poster Session See presenters below

2:15-2:30 Jason Neff, CU-Boulder The causes of increasing dust storm frequency over the past decade and the impacts of dust on air quality in SE Utah

2:30-2:45 Cody Flagg CU-Boulder Spatial and Temporal Variability of Fugitive Dust Flux from Colorado Plateau Landscapes

2:45-3:00 Mark Brunson, USU Dust, crust, plants and people: Testing a model of cross-scale human-nature interactions for the Colorado Plateau

3:00-3:15 Scott Hoffman, USU Road dust emissions and suppression and effects of dust on vegetation in Arches Nat'l Park

3:15-3:30 Marith Reheis, USGS, Denver Seasonal Deposition Rates and Compositions of Aeolian Dust in the Canyonlands Area

3:30-3:45 Rich Reynolds, USGS, Denver Nutrients from atmospheric mineral dust across the Colorado Plateau

3:45-4:00 Break

4:00-4:15 Mike Duniway, USGS, Moab Shallow soils, roots in rocks, and plant-water availability: Implication for Colorado Plateau ecohydrology

4:15-4:30 Sasha Reed, USGS, Moab Ecosystem consequences of nitrogen deposition in the Four Corners region, USA

4:30-4:45 Tim Wertin, USGS, Moab Increased temperature negatively affects carbon assimilation and growth of Achantherum hymenoides bunchgrass

4:45-5:00 Jane Zelikova, USGS,Mendenhall Livestock grazing on the Colorado Plateau: Impacts for above and belowground carbon stocks.

Tuesday, March 13th, Afternoon Poster Session

Harland Goldstein, USGS, Denver Loess deposits in the Hatch Point-Canyon Rims area: physical characteristics and correlation to aeolian and fluvial records in southeastern Utah

Leah Lewis, USU Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) occupancy: A measure of habitat quality and productivity in canyon habitats

Matt Lewis, USU Roads impact the reproduction of an endangered Utah endemic shrub.

Amy Tendick, NPS Canyonlands National Park Vegetation Map and Geodatabase: A Tool for Future Research in the Park

Frank Urban, USGS, Denver Local and Regional Airborne Dust in the Canyonlands Region: Integrated Analysis of Digital Imagery, Total Suspended Particulate, and Meteorological Data

Seth Munson, USGS, Denver Responses of wind erosion to climate-induced vegetation changes on the Colorado Plateau

Wednesday, March 14th
9:00-9:15 Matt Van Scoyoc, USU Ecosystem Health Assessments on the Monticello Ranger District

9:15-9:30 Anne Brasher, BLM Integrated Assessment of the Impacts of Vehicle Use in Salt Creek Watershed,Canyonlands National park

9:30-9:45 Tim Graham, Ant community structure in Salt Creek, Canyonlands National park, Utah: Changes at 4 sites in June Samples 2000-2007

9:45-10:00 Wright Robinson Grand County Biocontrol with the Tamarisk Beetle (Diorhabda carinulata):
abundance, movements, and impacts on tamarisk in Grand County, Utah, 2004–2011

10:00-10:15 Break

10:15-10:30 Dana Witwicki NPS, Moab Long-term ecological monitoring to detect trends in northern
Colorado Plateau uplands

10:30-10:45 Miranda Redmond, CU-Boulder The influence of climate on annual variations in cone production among Pinyon Pine (Pinus edulis)

10:45-11:00 Heidi Guenther, CU-Boulder Fuels treatments effects on plant communities in upland pinyon-juniper woodlands

11:00-11:30 Nichole Barger and Mark Miller, CU-Boulder Group discussion: Facilitating knowledge exchange betweenscience and management

Just to back up my statement about Utahs Canyon Country being the "crust capitol", here's some photographic evidence. The crusts are the microcanyonlands within the macrocanyonlands (Photo: Dr. Charlie Schelz, National Park Service)