Research
View Final Reports Submitted by Past Small Grant Awardees
View reports from past research at the station. For reports 1954-1976, go to the Jackson Hole Research Station Archives, and for reports 1977-present, visit the UW-NPS Research Station Archives.
Recent Research Supported by UW-NPS Grants
2022
- Lusha Tronstad, University of Wyoming. Building an integrative future for mountain research in the high Teton Range: Linking NPS geophysical research with long-term ecological monitoring of aquatic ecosystems
- Dan MacNulty, Utah State University. Trophic cascade or trickle? Understanding the indirect effects of wolves on aspen
- Philip Halliwell, Colorado State University. The sagebrush blues: Butterfly pollinator assemblages in the GYE
- Teodora Rautu, Montana State University. How does whitebark pine affect snowpack and streamflow within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem?
- Anna Shampain, Colorado State University. Glacial meltwater as a source of persistent organic pollutants and trace elements to high altitude Rocky Mountain lakes
- Rebecca Levine, University of Wyoming. The costs of thermoregulatory behavior: How are moose in the Greater Yellowstone coping as summers intensify?
- William McDonald, University of Wyoming. Wyoming river otter project: Understanding the distribution, abundance and connectivity of river otters in Wyoming
- Jeffrey Baldock, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming. Evaluating the role of spring-fed streams to Yellowstone cutthroat trout
- Hilary Byerly Flint, University of Wyoming. Designing effective and equitable approaches to transboundary wildlife conservation around national parks
- Ellen Keaveny, University of Wyoming. The influence of season and climate on montane bumble bee physiology and abundance
- Joshua Layfield, University of Wyoming. Winter space use and habitat selection of migratory-subadult Golden Eagles (Aquila Chrystaetos) in Wyoming
- Bryce Shoup, University of Wyoming. Using an isotope mass balance approach to understand lake evaporation, health, and how climate change will impact Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park
2021
- James Cohen, Weber State University, Population variation of three Yellowstone grasses, including the rare endemic Agrostis rossiae (Ross’ Bentgrass)
- Lusha Tronstad, University of Wyoming. Moving beyond morphology: Integrating molecular metabarcoding into long-term alpine stream research to better understand biodiversity change
- Jeffrey Skibins, East Carolina University. Research proposal: Visitor motivations for campground site selection at Grand Teton National Park
- Troy Koser, Montana State University, Understanding the ecology of winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem using detection canines and implications for the Jackson moose herd
- Kristin Barker, University of California – Berkeley, Evaluating how and why humans alter natural patterns of wolf predation
- Natali Kragh, Montana State University, Updating and assessing the accuracy of the geologic map of Yellowstone National Park
- Abigail Sisneros-Kidd, University of Wyoming, Integrated digital storytelling and story-mapping as a novel method to inform recreation-wildlife coexistence in Jackson Hole, WY
- Melanie Murphy, University of Wyoming, Beaver and biodiversity linkages in Grand Teton National Park
- Bridger James Huhn, University of Wyoming, Testing biophysical mechanisms to explain endemic plant locations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
- Joseph Holbrook, University of Wyoming, Recreational influence on the dietary and spatial patterns of Montane Red Fox in Grand Teton National Park
- Jordan Von Eggers, University of Wyoming, Using eDNA in alpine lake sediment cores to track multiple stressors, multiple trophic levels, and the rise of Anthropocene biodiversity changes
- Janey Fugate, University of Wyoming, How do ungulates learn to migrate? A century-long case study with Yellowstone bison
2020
- Jesse Barber, Boise State University. Rewilding the night: investigating light pollution’s effects on bats and insects, and mitigation techniques
- Jennifer Feltner, University of Montana. Intraguild competition and predator-prey dynamics following large carnivore recovery in the Southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (SGYE)
- William Fetzer, University of Wyoming. Developing a baseline understanding of gill lice distribution, prevalence, and infestation intensity in the Upper Snake River Watershed
- Stephanie Freeman, Pennsylvania State University, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem wildlife approach study
- Katherine Gura, University of Wyoming. Variation in seasonal movements, habitat selection, and demography of an irruptive, facultative migrant
- Alia Lesnek, University of New Hampshire. Quantifying rates of Quaternary landscape evolution in Grand Teton National Park using in situ cosmogenic 10Be, 14C, and 36Cl dating
- Chase Mahan, University of Wyoming. An Analysis of Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Archaeological Assemblages of Lithic Raw Materials
- Chloe Mattilio, University of Wyoming. Multispectral UAS remote sensing to detect Dalmatian toadflax in a mixed sagebrush steppe on the South Fork of the Shoshone River
- Natalie Smeltz, University of Wyoming. Geophysical investigation of groundwater & hydrothermal water interaction in the phase separation system at Rosette Spring, Sentinel Meadows, Yellowstone National Park
- Rebecca Thomas-Kuzilik, University of Wyoming. Behavioral plasticity of large mammals in the Rocky Mountains to heat
- Lusha Tronstad, University of Wyoming. Understanding food web structure in high elevation streams of the Teton Range
- Sienna Wessel, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute. Predictability and stability of sagebrush-steppe restoration in a changing climate
- Arielle Wimmer, University of Wyoming Alumn. Understanding the role of phenotypic plasticity in maintaining dominance and establishing populations of the New Zealand mud snail
2019
- Kristin Barker, University of California, Berkeley. The Tangled Web We Weave: Incorporating Humans into Predator-Prey Dynamics
- Marjorie Brooks, Southern Illinois University. Unlocking the biogeochemical role of beaver in state-transition of landscapes in Yellowstone’s northern range
- Benjamin Crosby, Idaho State University. A LiDAR-Based Landslide Inventory and Associated Map Portal (Story Map) for Grand Teton National Park
- Scott Dersam, University of Wyoming. Behavioral Complexities at High Elevation: Assessing prehistoric landscape use as a response to climate change in the alpine regions of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
- Maura Farrelly, Brandeis University. Compliments of Hamilton and Sargent: A Story of Mystery and Tragedy and the Closing of the American Frontier
- Stephanie Freeman, Penn State University. Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Bison Approach Study
- Shawn Griffiths, University of Wyoming. Measurement of depth to bedrock in and around Grand Teton National Park
- Katherine Gura, University of Wyoming. Great Gray Owl Breeding-Season Home Range and Habitat Selection
- Cole Messa, University of Wyoming. The Yellowstone Magmatic-Hydrothermal System: Using Radiogenic and Stable Isotope Geochemistry to Constrain the Processes of Water-Rock Interaction
- Nick Pitas, The College at Brockport – SUNY. Evaluation of visitor preferences and perceptions of concession services at Grand Teton National Park
- Corinna Riginos, The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming. For everything there was a season — phenology shifts in the Tetons
- Lusha Tronstad, University Of Wyoming. Five years of alpine stream monitoring in the Teton Range: Disentangling longer-term signals from year-to-year variability
2018
- Anna Chalfoun, University of Wyoming. Effects of sagebrush restoration on plant and bird communities in Grand Teton National Park
- Corinna Riginos, The Nature Conservancy. For Everything There Was a Season – Phenology Shifts in the Tetons
- Elaine Brice, Utah State University. Understanding the influence of climate, genetic variation, and herbivory on aspen (Populus tremuloides) growth in Yellowstone National Park
- Lusha Tronstad, University of Wyoming. Assessing thermal tolerance of vulnerable alpine stream insects as part of a long-term monitoring project in the Teton Range, WY
- Ryan Thigpen, University of Kentucky. Tectonics from topography: Constraining spatial and temporal landscape response rates to Teton fault activity using low-T thermochronology, quantitative geomorphology, and limnogeologic analyses
- Cory Toth, Boise State University. Lights, bats, and buildings: investigating the factors influencing roosting sites and habitat use by bats in Grand Teton National Park
- Maggie Raboin, University of California Berkeley. Fatal Distraction: Implications of Anthropogenic Noise on the Behavior and Reproductive Success of Mason Spiders
- Paepin Goff, Texas State University. An Inventory and Assessent of Glaciers, Rock Glaciers, Perennial Snowfields, and Permafrost Landforms in the Teton Range, Wyoming, USA
- Rui Li, Pennsylvania State University. A Qualitative Study on Chinese Visitors in Grand Teton National Park
- Zachariah Gompert, Utah State University. Forecasting eco-evolutionary dynamics in the Northern Blue butterfly (Lycaeides idas)
- Marjorie Brooks, Southern Illinois University. Unlocking the biogeochemical role of beaver in state-transition of landscapes in Yellowstone’s northern range
2017
- Trevor Bloom and Corinna Riginos, Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative and Univ. of Wyoming. For everything there was a season – phenology shifts in the Tetons
- Marjorie Brooks, Southern Illinois University. Unlocking the role of beaver in state-transition and their own sustainability in Yellowstone’s northern range
- Kimberly Geil and Y. Youngs, Idaho State University. The history of Exum mountain guides
- Andrea Graham, University of Wyoming. Field school for cultural documentation: Jackson Hole dude ranching folklife
- Alan Kasprak, E. Mueller, J. Sankey, USGS, Flagstaff. Are we overlooking the eco-geomorphic importance of wood in braided rivers?: A case study in Grand Teton National Park
- Hayley Lanier, University of Wyoming Casper. Are all burns created equal? The role of fire interval on community structure in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
- David Laufenberg and A. Hansen, Montana State University. Whitebark pine, snow and refugia in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
- Mary Levandowski, Montana State University and NPS. Understanding wetland response to climate change in the Greater Yellowstone Area
- Hilary L. Madinger and R. O. Hall, University of Wyoming. Nitrate control of nitrogen fixation rate in Western streams
- Glenn Thackray, Idaho State University. Paleoseismic study of the Northern Teton fault, Wyoming
- Lusha Tronstad, University of Wyoming. Establishing a long-term monitoring network for assessing potential climatic refugia in cold alpine stream types
2016
- Jesse Barber, Boise State University. Soundscapes as systems of biodiversity and human experiences
- Wendy Estes-Zumpf, University of Wyoming: Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. Understanding factors influencing amphibian distributions in Grand Teton National Park and Western Wyoming
- Matthew Kauffman, University of Wyoming. The state-dependent metabolic hypothesis: implications for the foraging ecology and life history of migratory ungulates in the Greater Yellostone Ecosystem
- Amy Krist, University of Wyoming. Management of an aquatic invasive species: population monitoring to assess long-term demographic trends and assessing impacts on native species
- Joseph Licciardi, University of New Hampshire. Management of an aquatic invasive species: population monitoring to assess long-term demographic trends and assessing impacts on native species
- Christopher Monz, Utah State University. Understanding and managing wildlife jams in national parks: An Evaluation in GRTE
- Jordanna Sprayberry and Michael Dillon, Muhlenberg College and University of Wyoming. Have shifts in flowering phenology left bumblebee pollinators with inadequate forage?
- Glenn Thackray, Idaho State University. Paleoseismic study of the central Teton fault, Wyoming
- David Tonkyn, Clemson University. The persistence of American Pika (Ochotnona Princeps) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in a future, warmer world
- Lusha Tronstad, University of Wyoming: Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. A Unique ‘icy seep’ aquatic habitat in the high Tetons: potential refuge for biological assemblages imperiled by climate change
- David G. Williams, University of Wyoming. Spatial Variation in amount and sources of nitrogen deposition in Grand Teton National Park
- Yolonda Youngs, Idaho State University. Reconstructing the cultural history of Upper Snake River use and recreation management in GTNP
2015
- Mark Anderson, University of Wyoming. Assessing alpine aquatic invertebrate assemblages in GTNP WY
- Mark Abbott, University of Pittsburg. A high-resolution geophysical survey of Jenny Lake: using lake sediments to construct a continuous record of tectonic activity, fault rupture and earthquake-driven slope failures at GTNP
- Bill Gribb and Hank Harlow, University of Wyoming. River Reach Delineations and Beaver Movement in GTNP
- Lisa Kunza, South Dakota School of Mines. Examining ecological influence and distribution of Didymosphenia geminata in GTNP
- Hayley Lanier, University of Wyoming. Small mammal movements and fire history: testing the long-term effects of the 1988 Huckleberry Mountain Fire
- Carl Legleiter, University of Wyoming. Mapping channel change and habitat dynamics along the Snake River from a time series of remotely sensed data
- Frank Matero, University of Pennsylvania. Performance Assessment and Evaluation of Hydrophobic and UV protective treatment for historic log structures
- Marcia Peterson, University of Wyoming. GTNP Table Mountain Ice Patch Archeological Survey
- Lynn Resler, Virginia Tech. Assessing Functional Role and Community Dynamics of Whitebark Pine at Alpine Treeline, GTNP
- Adam Sepulveda, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center. Invasive American bullfrog impacts and spread in GTNP
- Derrick Taff and Lauren Abbot, Pennsylvania State University. Exploring Vertical Wilderness in the Acoustic environment
- Glenn Thackray, Idaho State University. Detailed Evaluation of the Teton Fault, using LiDAR and geophysical techniques
2014
- Diane Debinski, Iowa State University. Simulating expected changes in pollinator resources as a function of climate change
- Aida Farag & Dr. Annika Walters, USGS. Temperature regime, water quality, and the potential distribution of aquatic invasive/exotic species in GTNP
- William Gribb, University of Wyoming. Water flow and beaver habitat in GTNP: Adaptation to climate
- Mathew Kauffman, University of Wyoming. The state-dependent metabolic hypothesis: Implications for the foraging ecology and life history of migratory ungulates in the GYE
- Hayley Lanier, University of Wyoming – Casper. Long-term community responses to the 1988 Huckleberry Mountain fire
- Carl Legleiter, University of Wyoming. Effects of floodplain constriction by levees on a high-energy gravel-bed river: Snake River, Wyoming
- Kendra McLaughlen, Kansas State University. Dendrochronological assessment of whitebark pine response to past climate change: Implications for a threatened species in GTNP
- Laura Schriber Laura, Indiana University. Archaeology and social geography in the Sunlight Basin, WY
- Matthew Stirn, Jackson Hole Museum. Teton archaeological project
- Jared Strasburg, University of Minnesota-Duluth. Estimating population demographics of moose in northern YNP using non-invasive methods
- Glenn Thackray, Near-surface geometric evaluation of the Teton Fault, GTNP, WY, for earthquake hazards analysis
- Daniel Tinker, University of Wyoming. Evaluating the effects of projected climate change on forest fire susceptibility using a novel forest fuel moisture model