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This is the 11th in a series of Desert Technology conferences since 1991. These conferences focus on desertification issues & multidisciplinary solutions such as special characteristics and benefits of desert ecosystems, mechanism of desertification and its management, and appropriate technologies for developed and developing regions. This document details how to submit an abstract for the conference, for people interested presenting.

Presentation: Invasive species are known to cause devastating effects in introduced habitats. Invasive species can be introduced on purpose or by accident, most commonly by human activity. They are known to increase competition for habitat and food resources with native species. Invasive bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) were introduced along the Mora River at the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge. We have eradicated the bullfrogs in a section of the river to study their impact on the aquatic fauna. We found that the invasive northern crayfish (Orconectes virilis) is an important component of the diet of bullfrogs. In this study we hypothesized that the removal of bullfrogs in the Mora River will release the crayfish population from predation, which may lead to a mesopredator release. We used systematic sampling to determine the relative abundance and overall size of crayfish in both sites using baited minnow traps. There is a highly significant difference in mass between control (21.63 g) and experimental sites (18.58 g; p-value< 0.0001). However we did not find a significant difference in abundance between both sites. We hypothesize that the size difference between both sites is the results of increase recruitment and survival of young individuals that now suffer less predation, dragging the average down. Cursory evaluation of data on fish density shows a similar pattern where fish. Further examination of the data will provide us insight to the trophic interactions amongst bullfrogs, crayfish and fishes in the Mora River at the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge.

Call for proposals for "Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago Conference", May 14-18, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona

Description of the topics covered during the Malpai Borderlands Group 2015 science conference, held Jan. 6, 2015 in Douglas Arizona

Presentation made by Ken Reid to the NM Forest and Watershed Management Coordinating Group on 01/11/19

Presentation: More than 200+ mammal species worldwide are affected by plague, and yet, the dynamics of enzootic plague and its inter-species interactions among rodents are largely unknown. Non-epizootic manifestation of the disease on nocturnal or cryptic species is difficult to quantify, and how the disease persists between epizootic events is poorly understood. Enzootic transmission cycles may be maintained in soils, or by small mammals and/or fleas acting as reservoirs for the disease. If so, the invasive plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, may be functioning as a non-native predator, whose effects augment natural mortality. We hypothesized that enzootic plague is causing chronic mortality in wild rodent species in northern New Mexico. Our objectives included: (1) measuring survival rates of rodents protected from plague via an experimental F1 antigen vaccine; (2) measuring the effects of flea vectors on host mortality by controlling vectors through the application of a pyrethroid, DeltaDust; (3) testing the efficacy and longevity of DeltaDust by tracking flea abundance on host species; and (4) field-testing the efficacy of the F1 experimental vaccine. Preliminary data indicate that vaccine improved survival of brush mice (Peromyscus boylii) by 66% at one plot without demonstrating any benefit for brush mice at a second plot with similar treatment. Survival was higher in short-tailed Peromyscus spp. on dusted plots than non-dusted plots. Control for vectors and plague vaccinations may improve survival of small mammals and interdict plague transmission.

Selected plenary presentations in .pdf format.

This project demonstrates how river ecosystem improvements can be accomplished within the reality of a very limited water supply. The Pecos River is both a natural and historic legacy. It is our hope that current and future generations will be able to enjoy and learn from the restored Pecos River at Bitter Lake NWR, a window into the areas' rich history.

Video presentations from the conference held October 18-19, 2016 at Utah State University. As climate changes, forests are being impacted by severe drought, longer fire seasons, and impressive insect epidemics. New approaches to landscape restoration are needed to cope with these disturbances. The 2016 Restoring the West Conference offered presentations by experts in climate science, landscape restoration, and forest ecology on techniques for this uncertain future, and gave examples where these techniques are working.

Presentation about managing weeds in riparian restoration projects. Gregory Fenchel, NRCS Los Lunas Plant Materials Center