Impact/Purpose:

GENERIC RARE OBJECTIVE: The Regional Applied Research Effort (RARE) provides the Regions with a mechanism to address near term research needs through an ORD Laboratory/Center. Any applied research project that a Region identifies and that an ORD laboratory has the expertise to carry out will be considered if the three following conditions are met: 1) projects must be funded through an ORD Laboratory or Center, 2) the project must fall within with defined mission of the selected ORD Laboratory/Center, and 3) proposals must be research-oriented.

Level III and IV ecoregions were defined for Wyoming to provide a common geographic framework for state and federal resource management agencies as well as academicians to: 1. Better understand and manage biological and land-based resources; 2. Structure more meaningful regional water quality standards and criteria; 3. Facilitate and structure resource assessment and reporting; and 4. Provide a mechanism for integration of resource management activities across agencies and programs that have different responsibilities for the same geographic areas in a holistic ecoysytem manner.

Description:

Level III ecoregions were refined and subdivided into level IV for the state of Wyoming in a manner consistent with ecoregion revision and subdivision that has been completed or is on-going in 37 of the conterminous United States. The project was collaborative, involving the scientists and resource managers from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Forest Service, US Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, EPA Region 8, EPA/NHEERL-Western Ecology Division, and the University of Wyoming. The final product is a map/poster which contains the map, photos, and descriptions of the Level III and IV ecoregions of Wyoming. This product is currently in press at the US Geological Survey in Reston, VA.

Record Details: