The Colorado Plateau

by Van Riper, Charles; Cole, Kenneth L.; Anderson, Mark (CON); Block, William M. (CON); Carr, Carla B. (CON)

• ISBN13: 9780816524082
• ISBN10: 0816524084
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: Univ of Arizona Pr

Summary

Stretching from the four cornersof Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, the Colorado Plateau is a natural laboratory for a wide range of studies. This volume presents 23 original articles drawn from more than 100 research projects presented at the Sixth Biennial Conference of Research on the Colorado Plateau. This scientific gathering revolved around research, inventory, and monitoring of lands in the region. The book's contents cover management techniques for cultural, biological, and physical resources, representing collaborative efforts among federal, university, and private sector scientists and land managers. Chapters on cultural concerns cover benchmarks of modern southwestern anthropological knowledge, models of past human activity and impact of modern visitation at newly established national monuments, challenges in implementing the 1964 Wilderness Act, and opportunities for increased federal research on Native American lands. The section on biological resources comprises sixteen chapters, with coverage that ranges from mammalian biogeography to responses of elk at the urban-wildland interface. Additional biological studies include the effects of fire and grazing on vegetation; research on bald eagles at Grand Canyon and tracking wild turkeys using radio collars; and management of palentological resources. Two final chapters on physical resources consider a proposed rerouting of the Rio de Flag River in urban Flagstaff, Arizona, and an examination of past climate patterns over the Plateau, using stream flow records and tree ring data. In light of similarities in habitat and climate across the Colorado Plateau, techniques useful to particular management units have been found to be applicable in many locations. This volume highlights an abundance of research that will prove useful for all of those working in the region, as well as for others seeking comparative studies that integrate research into land management actions.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Dedication	p. xi
Introduction: Research and Resources Management Integration on the Colorado Plateau	p. 1
Cultural
Looking for Middle Ground: Archaeology on the Colorado Plateau Today	p. 11
Patterns of Human Activity in "The Heart of the Desert Wild": Archaeological Survey and Testing on the Kaiparowits Plateau, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument	p. 19
Human Impact Inventories on the Grand Canyon-Parashant, Vermilion Cliffs, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments	p. 39
The National Park Service and Implementation of the 1964 Wilderness Act: Thirty-seven Years of Competing Interests on the Colorado Plateau	p. 47
USGS and Hopi Tribe Perspectives on Research Collaborations	p. 63
Biological
Mammalian Biogeography of the Colorado Plateau	p. 73
Elk Habitat Use in Relation to Residential Development in the Hualapai Mountains, Arizona	p. 89
Nocturnal Rodent Abundance and Richness in Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands on Contrasting Soil Types Before and After a Masting Event	p. 97
Effects of Soil Type on Caching and Pilfering of Pinyon Pine Seeds by Mice	p. 105
Estimating Small Mammal Abundance on Fuels Treatment Units in Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Forests	p. 113
Fire Effects on Cryptobiotic Soil Crusts in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah	p. 121
Vegetation Changes in a Riparian Community Along the Dolores River Downstream from McPhee Reservoir in Southwestern Colorado	p. 129
Identifying Indicators of Ecosystem Health for a Semiarid Ecosystem: A Conceptual Approach	p. 139
A Comparison of a Near-Relict Site and a Grazed Site in a Pinyon-Juniper Community in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah	p. 153
Bald Eagle Abundance and Relationships to Prey Base and Human Activity Along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona	p. 163
Reliability of Infrared Surveys for Detecting and Enumerating Turkeys Within Forested Habitats in North-Central Arizona	p. 187
Conceptual Framework for Studying the Effects of Fuels Treatments on Avian Communities in Ponderosa Pine Forests of Northern Arizona	p. 193
First-Year Results of the Ongoing Paleontological Inventory of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona	p. 201
An Inventory of Paleontological Resources Associated with Caves in Grand Canyon National Park	p. 211
Paleourine Analysis of Packrat Amberat	p. 229
Preventing Zebra Mussel Infestation at Lake Powell	p. 239
Physical
Multi-Objective Analysis of the Proposed Rerouting of the Rio De Flag in Flagstaff, Arizona	p. 245
Evidence of the Signature of North Pacific Multidecadal Processes on Precipitation and Streamflow Variations in the Upper Colorado River Basin	p. 257
List of Contributors	p. 267
Index	p. 271
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