Schedule

8:30 - 8:40 a.m.

Welcome by Major General Timothy J. Donnellan

Housekeeping and logistics by the NCA Symposium Planning Committee

8:40 - 9:00 a.m.

Savannah Bartel, USGS - Wildfire and Post-fire Restoration Treatments Have Lasting Effects on Rodent Habitat and Community Composition in Sagebrush Steppe

9:00 - 9:20 a.m.

Christina Appleby, ISU - Deep Learning Takes Flight: Detecting Jackrabbits with Thermal Drone Imagery

9:20 - 9:40 a.m.

Megan Dolman, Boise State - Human-caused Wildfire Impacts on United States National Conservation Lands

9:40 - 10:00 a.m.

Morning Break & Refreshments

Sponsored by Boise State University Raptor Research Center

10:00 - 10:20 a.m.

Steve Alsup, BOPP - Birds of Prey NCA Partnership Updates: 10 Year Anniversary, New Programs and Partnerships

10:20 - 10:40 a.m.

Catherine Waddell and Dominic Martinez, Idaho Conservation Corps - Urban and Community-Based Conservation Crews in Boise and Nampa

10:40 - 11:00 a.m.

David Pilliod, USGS - Lead Exposure of Piute Ground Squirrels Varies with the Use of Lead Ammunition Across the NCA

11:00 - 11:20 a.m.

Jen Cruz, Boise State - Where are Ground Squirrels Found During 'Bust' Years?

1:00 - 1:20 p.m.

Jay Carlisle, Boise State - Long-term Changes to Upland Bird Populations in the Morley Nelson Birds of Prey National Conservation Area - 1990s vs. 2020s

1:20 - 1:40 p.m.

Megan Yrazabal, IDARNG - The History and Evolution of Herpetological Studies on the NCA

1:40 - 2:00 p.m.

Julie Heath, Boise State - Disease and Ectoparasite Management Improve Nestling Golden Eagle Health and Survival: An Effective Mitigation Strategy

2:00 - 2:20 p.m.

Col Kyle Carpenter, IDNG - The Only One of Its Kind: Balancing Ecological Sustainability and Military Training in the NCA

2:20 - 2:40 p.m.

Break with mid-afternoon snack provided

Sponsored by Idaho Association of Environmental Professionals

2:40 - 3:00 p.m.

Marie-Anne de Graaff, Boise State - Incipient Soil Moisture Regime Drives Post-fire Resistance to Plant Invasions in the Sagebrush Steppe

3:00 - 3:20 p.m.

Sven Buerki, Boise State - From the Mojave Desert to the Boise Foothills: Biogeography and Population Genetics of the Federally Threatened Slickspot Peppergrass

3:20 - 4:00 p.m.

NCA Management Panel with panelists

• Brent Ralston (BLM - Four Rivers Manager)

• Kathleen Hendricks (FWS - Assistant State Supervisor)

• Brandon Flack (IDFG -Regional Technical Assistance Manager)

• Charlie Baun (IDARNG – Conservation Branch Manager)

8:30 - 8:40 a.m.

Opening Remarks

8:40 - 9:00 a.m.

Arden Engel, Boise State - Interactive Effects of Fungal Community Structure and Soil Moisture on Wyoming Big Sagebrush Performance

9:00 - 9:20 a.m.

Michelle Jeffries, Boise State - Accessible Adaptive Management: An Introduction to the Land Treatment Digital Library and the Land Treatment Exploration Tool

9:20 - 9:40 a.m.

Chris Hampson, IDARNG - National Environmental Policy Act 101

9:40 - 10:00 a.m.

Mathew Geisler, Boise State - Combating Extinction: Developing a Seed Biobank for Slickspot Peppergrass to Support Species Recovery

10:00 - 10:20 a.m.

Kevin Myers, Boise State - Preliminary Results on Factors Influencing the Length of the Post-fledging Dependence Period in Golden Eagles

10:20 - 10:40 a.m.

Ashley Santiago, Boise State - Landscape Changes Lead to Declines in Local Golden Eagle Territory Occupancy in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area

10:40 - 11:00 a.m.

Morning Break & Refreshments

Sponsored by Boise State University Raptor Research Center

11:00 - 11:20 a.m.

Justin Welty, USGS - Enabling Real Time Data Collection, Quality Control, Reporting, and Visualization to Enhance the Orchard Combat Training Center's Field Data Collection

11:20 - 11:40 a.m.

Jacob Venable, Boise State - Developing Native Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Inoculum for Research and Restoration

11:40 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Sierra Santosuosso, Boise State - Effects of Plant Species Diversity on Re-establishment and Performance of Native Sagebrush Steppe Species

12:00 - 12:20 p.m.

Ashley Leavell, USGS - Biochar Impacts on Soil and Sagebrush Seedling Establishment Across a Natural Recovery Gradient in the Sagebrush Steppe

12:20 - 12:40 p.m.

Tao Huang, Boise State - High-resolution Mapping to Quantify Fire Effects on Vegetation Cover in a Semi-arid Watershed

12:40 - 1:00 p.m.

Trevor Caughlin, Boise State - Leveraging Drone Imagery to Uncover Scale-Dependent Resilience Mechanisms in Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems

1:00 p.m.

Symposium End & Closing Comments -- Thank you for participating!