Stretching from the four corners of 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.
|
The Colorado Plateau
The
Colorado Plateau
edited
by Charles
CharlesVan Riper III and Kenneth L. Cole
University
of Arizona
Press, 2004.
Order
a copy.
Now Available
The
Colorado Plateau III
Integrating Research and
Resources Management for Effective Conservation
by
Charles van Riper
III and Mark K. Soggee
The
Colorado Plateau II
Biophysical,
Socioeconomic,and
Cultural Research
by
Charles van Riper
III and David J. Mattson |
