Graduate Student Association Department of Natural Resources Cornell University

s Research Symposium January 2004 Graduate Student Association Department of Natural Resources Cornell University Olivia Aguilar Examining the ability of environmental action projects to close the science achievement gap A crucial gap exists between the achievement levels of white and minority students on standardized science tests (National Center for Education Statistics, 2001). Discrepancies in scores between the two groups have existed for some time now, and the latest statistics show that this trend is persisting. Achievement gaps are so significant in fact, that the national government has used inequalities in education as its basis for national school reform through the "No Child Left Behind" Act, or NCLB (No Child Left Behind, 2001). Part of the act includes specifically improving math and science education (NCLB, 2001). Many programs have been created to address this educational crisis, including programs that incorporate environmental action and environmental stewardship. In light of the growing awareness of discrepancies in science achievement, it is time to critically assess the effectiveness of these environmental action programs. This study will evaluate the effect of environmental action projects on science achievement scores of ethnic minority youth participants and investigate the factors that contribute to ethnic minority involvement in environmental action programs. In doing so, it will explore achievement gaps between ethnic minorities and whites in the areas of science and assess the impact of environmental action programs as one possible avenue toward closure of these gaps. Kate Ballantine Evaluating success of New York restored wetlands for water quality functions Numerous governmental agencies and NGOs have initiated wetland restoration programs in response to the continuing threat of wetland destruction. If wetland restoration programs are to be successful, however, evaluation must be done to determine if restored wetlands actually perform the ecosystem services they were designed to achieve. Limited research suggests that created wetlands have not recovered after a decade or more and therefore are unlikely to achieve goals for water quality and other functions. Moreover, the influence of such factors as landscape position, wetland type, hydrologic regime, and climate on the success of wetland restoration is not well known. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has conducted 1,179 wetland restoration projects throughout New York since 1990, with 12,269 acres of wetland and 45.6 miles of streamsides restored. The proposed research will examine and compare a subset of these restored wetlands to determine how well they perform the services of their natural wetland counterparts, specifically the ability to improve water quality. I propose to quantify soil and hydraulic characteristics, such as soil organic matter content, bulk density, and hydraulic conductivity, among a selected subset of these restored sites and compare them with natural wetland counterparts. Replicate sites will be selected among wetlands of varying types, age, and landscape position with sampling conducted in spring and summer of 2004. The results of this work are intended to provide insight on the rate of success in New York's restored wetlands for water quality improvement and soil formation. Brent Boscarino Mysis in crisis in Lake Ontario: Environmental factors affecting Mysis relicta's distribution Lake Ontario has been the subject of rapid ecological changes spurred on by a variety of different social, political and biological events over the last three decades. Most recently, the dramatic increase in water clarity and light penetration associated with the exotic Dreissena mussel invasions of the late 1980's has dramatically affected the distribution of many of Lake Ontario's inhabitants. Mysis relicta, a freshwater crustacean of the family Mysidacae, is the most recent in a series of declining native species thought to be connected with these introductions. M. relicta serve a pivotal role in linking the lake's benthic and pelagic subcommunities because of their daily, vertical migrations from the benthos into the upper hypolimnion and meta-epilimnion to feed at night. Consequently, a decline in mysid numbers would likely have a profound impact on food web interactions in Lake Ontario. It is therefore important that the precise environmental factors affecting their overall distribution in the water column be better understood. The overall objective of this project is to determine the specific factors that may be affecting mysid vertical distribution in Lake Ontario as well as establish a hierarchy of importance of these variables over different seasons. We propose to test the following factors' effects on mysid distribution: temperature, light, presence of predator kariomones and prey availability. After performing these experimental manipulations, we hope to relate our findings to how ecosystem changes associated with the recent exotic species introductions may be altering Lake Ontario's food web dynamics. Jason Boulanger Evaluation of hand baiting, helicopters, and bait stations to deliver rabies vaccine to freeranging raccoons (Procyon lotor) in an urban/suburban environment. The New York Oral Rabies Vaccination (ORV) program is part of an international effort to prevent the northern and western spread of raccoon (Procyon lotor) rabies in the United States and Canada. Currently, ORV, intended to immunize raccoons against the raccoon strain of rabies virus, is distributed in New York via fixed-wing aircraft. In urban/suburban vaccination zones, baits containing an oral rabies vaccine are dispensed by hand. The use of helicopters and bait stations will test novel approaches to urban/suburban bait distribution. Helicopters will drop baits along corridors (i.e., rail, stream, power line, and major highway). In addition, transects consisting of parallel, east-west flight lines will be constructed to bait small green spaces (e.g., cemeteries, woodlots, golf courses, and parks) within a residential area. This study proposes the establishment of artificial feeding stations at defined intervals throughout a residential environment. Raccoons may access bait stations at will, to obtain the vaccineladen baits contained within. Hand baiting, helicopter, and bait station vaccination will occur during late summer in populated, residential areas in the greater Buffalo, New York area (880.8 km2). Evaluation of the three distribution methods will be based on the presence/absence of biomarker (i.e., bait acceptance) and rabies antibody (i.e., seroconversion) from live-trapped raccoons. Helicopters and bait stations should provide efficient, viable alternatives to hand baiting in urban/suburban environments. Tom Butler, Sandy Tartowski, and Oksana Titarenko The North Caspian Sea: How dead is it? The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water in the world. It is rich in endemic species and is the source of most of the world's caviar. It is also the location of the 2nd largest reserves of oil in the world. We are assessing the current status of the North Caspian sea where future large scale oil development is inevitable. The North Caspian Sea is for all practical purposes an estuary that is dominated by the Volga River which is the largest river in Europe and provides not only most of the nutrients entering the basin, but also most of the pollutants. This talk will focus on looking at hydrologic, nutrient and carbon budgets, as well as pollutant inputs and food webs for the North Caspian. Since this work is funded by "Big Oil", we will also show how the oil companies are good for the ecology of the Caspian. Kathy Crowley Explaining high plant diversity in nutrient-limited rich fen wetlands: The role of mosses in fen nutrient dynamics Mineral-rich fens are nutrient-limited peatlands that support high plant diversity and many rare species, making them critical conservation targets; however, the mechanisms by which so many species coexist in these systems are poorly understood. Within rich fens, the moss layer (consisting primarily of moss species and some liverworts) frequently dominates the peat surface, but its contribution to plant diversity and its role in fen nutrient dynamics frequently are overlooked. I hypothesize that in rich fens, the moss layer contributes to high plant diversity -both in the moss community itself and in the vascular plant community -through complementary strategies for obtaining and cycling phosphorus in these primarily phosphorus-limited systems. I expect that the fen moss layer will obtain phosphorus from multiple sources and forms (i.e., in addition to readily available phosphate), thus enabling a diverse community of moss species to persist. As a consequence of these mechanisms for obtaining phosphorus, I expect that the fen moss layer also will facilitate phosphorus availability to shallow-rooted vascular plants, thus supporting the high diversity of vascular plants in fen systems. I propose to investigate these linkages between the moss layer, phosphorus cycling, and the vascular plant community in rich fens through a tracer study, substrate fertilization experiment, and moss removal experiment at New York sites. By clarifying the role of the moss layer in fen nutrient dynamics, this work will contribute to the mechanistic understanding of fen diversity essential to effective conservation and restoration of these unique systems. Timothy DePriest High school students as ecologists: Learning the nature of science through the science of nature Scientists have the capacity to play a key role in the education of secondary school students through engaging them in research activities. However, to be effective at meeting new standards in science education the learning experience must include more than following a research protocol. As a participant in a NSF program that places graduate students in school settings to teach science, I attempted to integrate my own experiences in forest ecology research into an educational setting for the purpose of meeting current reform standards, which emphasize learning the nature of science (NOS) and skills in scientific inquiry. In one project we carried out investigations into local "Old-growth" forests through a structured inquiry in which I defined the class research goal of establishing a "null model" for native forest ecosystems based on specific biological (tree size class and species composition) and physical (amount of course woody debris and leaf litter depth) characteristics. The curriculum then follows a pedagogical model that reflects a progression from structured inquiry to guided, and eventually open-inquiry through a process of shifting the identification of the research question and research process from the instructor to the student. In another project, we applied a research protocol to investigate the genetic variability of sugar levels in the sap of maple trees in an active sugarbush. My goal for this project was to investigate methods of incorporating aspects of the NOS related to the research process into a structured inquiry model. From these experiences I learned that attempting to meet science education standards through facilitating student research involved not only an integration of skills in ecological research processes, but also a critical reflection of my own conceptions of the NOS. Mark Dettling Trace metal control of methanogenesis in two contrasting peatlands in New York State Peatlands of the northern hemisphere play a dual role in regulating global climate. They have accumulated a large reservoir of atmospheric carbon because the environmental conditions they provide for microorganisms results in organic matter decomposing very slowly. However, peatlands hold water and anaerobic decomposition of plant material produces an important greenhouse gas, methane. These peatlands have the potential to emit globally significant amounts of methane if conditions change in a way that promotes methane production. Methanogens, the microorganisms that produce methane, are poorly understood, and so the factors that contribute to increased methane production are relatively unknown. I have been studying methane production in two peatlands in central New York State, one an acidic bog and the other a mineral rich fen. Since methanogens have a high nutritional requirement for trace metals, I hypothesized greater methane production in the fen than the bog. The trace metals being studied are iron, nickel, and cobalt. However, other peat characteristics, such as pH and degree of decomposition, are also being measured in order to determine their relationship to methane production in the study peatlands. Peat samples have been collected and are being characterized with measurements such as methane production, trace metal concentrations, and microbial biomass. The data will be examined to identify characteristics that are associated with increased methane production. I expect to see increasing methane production with higher trace metal concentrations, based on previous lab studies. If these results appear, then atmospheric deposition of trace metals in northern peatlands could have profound implications for global climate change. Tim Fahey Sciencelinks at Hubbard Brook: Linking science to environmental policy Through the auspices of the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, ecologists from the northeastern region are seeking to inform environmental policy debates in a program entitled, "Sciencelinks." Previous projects on acid rain, and nitrogen saturation and ongoing projects on mercury and carbon will be described. I will seek suggestions on directions for the project on carbon sequestration that is now in the planning stages. Beth Gardner Finding Nemo. No seriously, where is that turtle? This talk will discuss a simple "foundation" model developed to predict sea turtle movement. Specifically, a Kalman filter model is created and examined in predicting the migratory patterns of loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles. The model is based on satellite-tracking sea turtle data collected in the coastal western North Atlantic ocean. Eight loggerhead turtles were satellite tagged during October of 1994 and 1995 emanating from coastal northeastern U.S. waters. The tags recorded data for varying amounts of time; the shortest time a tag recorded was 9 days while the longest a tag recorded was 9 months. For this study, only the movement of turtles recorded during October to January was examined. Gary Goff, Karen Kamprath, and Paul Curtis Impact of deer herbivory on forest regeneration at the Arnot Forest Undergraduate interns at Cornell's Arnot Forest have investigated the impact of deer browsing on the regeneration of desirable hardwood sawtimber species. Sample plots were established on 2 stands at the Arnot in the summer of 2000 and on one stand owned by Cotton-Hanlon, Co. of Cayuta, NY in the summer of 2001. Treatments consisted of: control; cut & unfenced understory; uncut & fenced understory; and cut and fenced understory. Growth data were collected at the end of each growing season and cataloged for 3 size categories: >3 to 25-cm height; >26 to100-cm height; >100-cm height to <12-cm dbh. 1) Based on control plot data for woody stemmed species only, white ash and sugar maple are common with almost no American beech or striped maple present in shortest height category; sugar maple is the most common species in the middle height category, with few beech present; and beech and striped maple completely dominate the tallest category. 2) Greatest overall species biodiversity is achieved in plots with a cut and fenced understory. 3) Sugar maple in the short height category doubled in frequency over 3 growing seasons as a result of cutting the understory; tripled as a result of fencing; and increased >6-fold as a result of both cutting and fencing the understory. 4) Sugar maple growth from the shortest height category to the middle height category was evidenced only for fenced, and cut & fenced treatments. Meredith Gore and Barbara Knuth Exploring perceptions of risk associated with human-bear conflicts in New York's Adirondack Park campgrounds The 6-million acre Adirondack Park in New York State is home to an estimated 4,500 black bears (Ursus americanus). During summer months, front-country and back-country camping is an especially popular form of recreation in the park. Human-bear conflicts at the park's nearly 100 campgrounds include threats to personal safety and personal property damage. Between 19 June 2003 and 18 August 2003, 65 voluntary interviews were conducted with Adirondack Park campers and campground caretakers at 7 campgrounds to capture the breadth of human-bear conflicts at campgrounds and the perceived risks associated with those conflicts. Interviews were guided by nine potential risk-influencing variables: control over risk; familiarity with risk; volition to exposure; trust in black bear managers; responsiveness of black bear managers; feelings of dread; certainty of risk causes; chronic nature of risk; and man-made influences of risk. We confirmed these variables influence risk perception toward black bears and overall perceived risk from black bears is low. Principle component analysis explained 71% of the variance among variables; varimax rotated component matrix generated four component groups. We call these component groups responsibility-based (volition, responsiveness, and trust), knowledge-based (familiarity, dread, certainty), environmentbased (human-induced cause and control), and chronicity (chronic or catastrophic risk). The implications of this exploratory factor analysis are that: a) certain variables may help us better understand underlying variable interrelationships influencing risk perceptions associated with human-bear conflict; and b) future communication designed to mitigate risk perceptions associated with human-bear conflict could restrict content focus to these underlying variables and increase effectiveness and efficiency. Scott Hardy Understanding the whole: Collaborative management in Northeast Ohio's Grand River watershed The American Heritage Dictionary defines a watershed as simply "the region draining into a river, river system, or body of water." However, this one-dimensional definition doesn't consider the region or the body of water in terms of its complex ecological, functional, aesthetic, or cultural values. Increasingly, resource managers have come to recognize the importance of considering the human element the landowners, agencies, citizens' groups and visitors who live, work and play within the region in their watershed conservation and management efforts. To fully understand the dynamics at work within the watershed, and the factors that will ultimately affect any attempt to "manage" the watershed and protect its ecology and wildlife, one must consider the whole community: the ecological system and the stakeholders who reside within it. Collaborative watershed management is an approach to water-resource protection that enables individuals, groups, and institutions with a stake in management outcomes to participate in identifying and addressing local issues that affect or are affected by watershed functions. Proponents of collaborative watershed management maintain that involving local stakeholders results in more locally relevant solutions that take into account each community's unique social, economic, and environmental conditions and values. Stakeholder participation is also thought to create a sense of local ownership of identified problems and solutions, thus ensuring long-term support for resulting management plans. The following MPS study looks at stakeholder participation issues for a collaborative management project in the Grand River watershed in Northeast Ohio. Gregory Hitzhusen Understanding the role of spirituality and theology in outdoor environmental education: A mixed method characterization of Christian and Jewish outdoor programs Spirituality has become of interest in outdoor programming, as witnessed by the "Spirituality" theme issue of the Journal of Experiential Education (Winter 2000) and the increasing number of practitioners experimenting with explicitly spiritual program elements. Several authors have at some level examined the potential of spirituality in outdoor education (OE) but research on spiritual outdoor programming is still in its formative stages. My mixed method approach is therefore primarily descriptive, as I examine the role of spirituality and theology in a national sample of Christian and Jewish outdoor environmental education programs. I take a mixed method approach combining practitioner interviews, program surveys, an inductive descriptive examination of practitioner goals, and, in the case of one program, an analysis of program outcomes. Because religious and secular outdoor programs alike have converged upon practices that combine outdoor, environmental education (EE), and spiritual components, common ground has been created for theologians, outdoor educators, environmentalists, and spiritual directors. This study examines spiritual and outdoor programming particularly from the religious side of this meeting ground, and characterizes a sample of Christian and Jewish programs that demonstrate an original combination of outdoor and environmental education within their spiritual context. A close examination of these religious programs can hopefully complement the parallel quest to better understand the potential of spirituality in non-religious OE programs, clarify practice for outdoor educators within religious traditions, and suggest translatable frameworks and models for integrating spiritual themes into OE. Results are discussed in terms of OE and EE theory. Robin Holevinski, Paul Curtis, and Richard Malecki Movements and mortality of resident Canada geese: can hazing show measurable impacts? Hazing is often recommended as a non-lethal approach for reducing conflicts with Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in suburban areas. We describe the impacts of an intensive hazing program for geese in 3 communities near Buffalo, Rochester, and Sherburne, New York. During summer 2002, more than 550 geese were leg-banded in the 3 study areas, and radiotelemetry transmitters were affixed to 24 adult female geese. A combination of hazing techniques was used in each community depending on local resources and residents' desires. Hazing was conducted both day and night during late August and September in an attempt to disrupt the normal roosting and feeding habits of problem flocks. At night, laser light was most effective for dispersing geese from roost sites. During the day, a combination of border collies, radio-controlled boats, and pyrotechnics dispersed geese from problems sites. None of the techniques used was completely effective under all conditions. Radio-tagged geese showed strong site affinity, and were reluctant to leave their home ranges even with persistent disturbance. However, mortality of radio-tagged geese was high, with 11 of 22 (50%) geese experiencing hazing either being shot by hunters (n=7) or found dead (n=4). Combining an intensive hazing program, with egg addling to reduce reproduction, may reduce the size of problem goose flocks with several years of concerted effort. Susan Hoskins, Eugenia Barnaba, Stuart Findlay, Chuck Nieder Mapping and monitoring of submerged aquatic vegetation in the Hudson River, New York Reliable information on the abundance, distribution and ecological functions of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is essential for understanding and managing what is considered to be an important resource. Long recognized as an important component of a wide variety of aquatic ecosystems, SAV contributes to primary productivity and as a habitat for fish. Resource managers, non-governmental organizations, educators and the general public are being introduced to the value and use of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) in the Hudson River, New York by way of a long term project to map and monitor SAV in the river. The first of its kind in the Hudson, this project brings together a group of collaborators with expertise from Cornell University, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation/Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the Institute of Ecosystem Studies. In a 120 mile stretch of the river, true color aerial photographs were acquired at the 1:14,400 scale and at low tide. Focusing primarily on Vallisneria americana (water celery) and Trapa natans (water chestnut), plant beds were mapped to a base map overlay. Ground-truth was accomplished with actual sampling of SAV beds for quality assurance and to describe abundance, biomass and species composition. A GIS has been created that now includes polygon and shoreline data. The project team has conducted workshops for resource managers, educators and river users on the value, location and size of beds, hands to raise awareness and enhance stewardship. The team is presently engaged in a multi-year assessment of ecological function. Janet Hou Land use decisions from the bottom up: An analysis of the community's influence on individual land management decisions in Togo Over the last 15 years the role of the "community" (the definition of which depends on the context of the situation) in creating a relevant and feasible land management strategy has been growing in importance. Community-based natural resource management has evolved as an effective method to more effectively involve individuals and ensure successful natural resource management of communal properties (i.e. resources such as large tracts of land owned by the entire community). What is lacking is the perspective of how community characteristics and constraints affect the individual's decisions on how to best manage their individualized resources (e.g. farm plots). My proposed thesis is to investigate this perspective and what is the influence of the community on an individual facing a decision of whether or not to adopt environmentally sustainable practices? My research will be carried out in Togo while I am completing my Peace Corps duties beginning next summer. I anticipate working with individual farmers in rural villages in Togo and evaluating their decisions of whether or not to adopt sustainable agriculture intensification (SAI) practices within the context of their community settings. Jeff Klein Policies to Attain "Working Forests" in New York State's northern forest The Northern Forest is a vast expanse of 26 million acres stretching from eastern Maine to western New York. Of this, over 84%, or 21.8 million acres, is privately owned. Private ownership poses several threats to the Northern Forest, such as fragmentation of wild forest areas, subdivision for second home development, irresponsible silvicultural practices, or overharvesting of forest products. Responding to such threats, a number of policy prescriptions have been formulated to achieve a balance of intrinsic and economic benefits from the forest. This balance can be referred to as "working forest." But what are the specific goods, services, and values the working forest should provide? This study seeks to answer that question through the perspective of several key constituencies in sites within the Northern Forest. Once an aggregate definition of working forest has been established, several generic policy prescriptions will be considered for the Northern Forest. Stakeholders can then evaluate the efficacy of these prescriptions toward the end of achieving working forest. Can such policies attain the balance of priorities each stakeholder has put forth? What adaptations might such policies need to be effective in the Northern Forest? Data will be gathered through surveys of key actors. The data will be evaluated through multiple criteria analysis as well as standard statistical methodology. Two unique sites in New York State serve as sites for the survey. Heidi Kretser Using landscape species approach for conservation planning in the Adirondack Park The Living Landscapes Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society uses several methods to promote site based conservation. While this approach has been used to date in several sites where WCS is active in relatively intact systems in tropical forest regions, it has never before been applied in temperate ecosystems characterized by longer and more pervasive disturbance histories. In this talk, we will discuss the first steps towards applying the landscape species approach to the Adirondack region, encompassing northern New York, and detail the process by which landscape species were selected. Participatory discussions with members of the scientific and conservation community, and a comprehensive literature review yielded a list of potential species, threats facing the landscape, and data with which to relatively score and rank the species. Candidate species were each scored according to five selection criteria: heterogeneity of habitats, area, vulnerability to threats, ecosystem function, and socio economic values. Scores from the five categories were then aggregated into a single index to identify the species demonstrating the greatest number of landscape species' attributes to the greatest degree; species were then ranked based on aggregate scores. Applying a group complementarity analysis yielded a suite of species representative of the Adirondack landscape including Black bear (Ursus americanus) Moose (Alces alces), Wood Turtle (Clemmys insculpta), Common Loon (Gavia immer), Three toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus), and American Marten (Martes americana). Madhura Kulkarni Multi-factor controls on denitrification in natural and reclaimed mine wetlands The denitrification dynamics of soils from a wetland on a reclaimed mine site and a natural wetland (reference site) were studied through the late spring and summer. The two soils were shown to have different "baseline" and "potential" denitrification rates. Both types of denitrification rates were much higher at the reference site than at the reclaimed mine site. Furthermore, denitrification rates were shown to be controlled by differing factors by site, though temperature and anoxia-related factors played a large role at both sites. Nitrogen and carbon factors were primary controllers of denitrification in the reclaimed mine soils but only displayed secondary control, ie. under idealized anoxia and temperature, in soils from the natural wetland. Denitrification rates changed over the spring and summer sampling season at both sites. Madhura Kulkarni Large scale patterns of denitrification in a northeastern forest Humans have accelerated the global nitrogen cycle so much that ever-increasing amounts of reactive nitrogen now "cascade" through the earth's ecosystems. These increases damage ecosystem and human health. For this reason, there is growing interest in the process of denitrification, the only known way of converting reactive nitrogen back to inert dinitrogen (N2). Denitrification is a poorly understood microbial process that is highly variable, both spatially and temporally. It is, therefore, very difficult to quantify, especially at large scales. I propose a project that will use field, laboratory and modeling efforts to more accurately estimate denitrification rates over a large area. I will first measure denitrification rates and levels of potential controlling factors (eg. nitrate, organic matter, and moisture) at Hubbard Brook valley in New Hampshire. Then I will create a simulation model of denitrification using field data. This model will comprise the denitrification component of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (NASA-CASA) model. Finally, I will extrapolate denitrification rates collected at plot scale to the entire Hubbard Brook Valley using the NASA-CASA model and data from other researchers at Hubbard Brook. If the denitrification model is robust, it may be adjusted to quantify large scale denitrification rates in other systems. Jim Lassoie, Bob Moseley, and Kiran Goldman Photomonitoring ecological change: It's more than pretty pictures! The use of historical repeat photography provides valuable information on temporal changes in terrestrial landscapes. Most of these studies, however, are opportunistic in that they have had to rely on obtaining old photographs of areas of concern to natural resource managers and/or conservationists (e.g., Greater Yellowstone). Hence, the interpretative power of such studies is greatly limited by the intention of the original photographer, as well as by camera and film technology and the quality of the original photos. A current project by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is examining the potential use of repeat photography to assess ecological changes across the Hengduan Mountains and the Nujiang-Lancang Gorge Ecoregions in Northwest Yunnan as part of their conservation planning efforts in China. A ground-based, photomonitoring methodology has been developed and tested along transects across these two adjacent ecoregions. Furthermore, visual indicators obtainable from the resulting photographs have been identified to assess the threat status (e.g., climate change, logging, grazing) for vegetative conservation targets (e.g., evergreen broadleaf forest, mixed forest, alpine mosaic) as part of TNC's efforts to monitor the impacts of their conservation programs across geographically extensive and diverse ecoregions. Preliminary results from this project will be