Skip Navigation Links

Contact Information:

photo of Mark Miller
Name:
Miller, Mark
Title:
Research Ecologist
Discipline(s):
Biological Resources
Research Station:
Colorado Plateau Research Station (CPRS)
Work Address:
Southwest Biological Sciences Center, c/o Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, 190 E. Center St., Kanab, UT 84741.
Telephone Number:
(435)644-4365
Email Address:
Mark_Miller@usgs.gov

Biographical Sketch:

Mark Miller received a B.S. in economics from Northern Arizona University (1989), an M.S. in Applied Geography (vegetation ecology) from New Mexico State University (1994), and a Ph.D. in Physical Geography (plant ecology and soil science) from the University of Colorado at Boulder (2000). In the early 1990s, he was a staff research scientist for LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc., where he investigated effects of oil-development activities on wildlife populations and plant communities of arctic Alaska. Prior to joining USGS and the Southwest Biological Science Center as a research ecologist in 2003, he gained experience in Federal land-management agencies as an ecologist for the Bureau of Land Management (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, 1999-2002) and the National Park Service (Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network, 2002-2003). His research interests include plant-soil relations; dynamics of dryland ecosystems in relation to land use, climate, and soil-geomorphic properties; ecosystem assessment and monitoring; restoration ecology; and the science-management interface. As the result of an interagency Memorandum of Understanding, since August 2005 he has been based with the Bureau of Land Management in the office of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Kanab, Utah, to increase opportunities for cooperation, collaboration, and USGS scientific and technical support for the Monument and for Zion National Park.

  • Professional Affiliations:
    • Ecological Society of America
    • Society for Range Management
    • Soil Science Society of America
    • Society for Ecological Restoration
    • American Geophysical Union

Project List

  • Assessment of Upland Ecosystem Conditions, Salt Creek Watershed, Canyonlands National Park (PI). This project assesses landscape-level spatial patterns in the condition of upland ecosystems by measuring indicators of soil stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity in the Salt Creek watershed and surrounding portions of Canyonlands National Park. Sampling is stratified on the basis of soils and geomorphic setting because of their importance for shaping ecosystem responses to land use and climate. The project identifies management needs pertaining to watershed restoration, long-term monitoring, and other actions that may be required for resource conservation. Data from this project and several others (projects 2-5 and 7, below, as well as past work conducted by the scientist as a BLM ecologist) also contribute to a broad-scale, interdisciplinary research effort that investigates how abiotic and biotic factors interactively control the resistance and resilience of dryland ecosystems to natural and human-caused disturbances on the Colorado Plateau.
  • Assessment of Rangeland Ecosystem Conditions, Indian Creek Allotment, San Juan County, UT (PI). This project assesses landscape-level spatial patterns in the condition of rangeland (upland) ecosystems by measuring indicators of soil stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity in a 85,000-ha grazing allotment managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) adjacent to Canyonlands National Park. The allotment is grazed by domestic livestock, and is associated with a ranch property owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The project is linked with the Salt Creek Watershed Assessment Project (above). The coordinated assessment of rangeland ecosystems on formerly- or never-grazed NPS lands and currently-grazed BLM lands takes unique advantage of an existing land-use gradient, thereby allowing a thorough examination of land-use effects on ecosystem condition. Knowledge gained from this project is integrated with results of other interdisciplinary projects (projects 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7; as well as past work conducted by the scientist as a BLM ecologist) to determine biotic and abiotic factors affecting the resistance and resilience of dryland ecosystems to climate variability and land use across the Colorado Plateau.
  • Effects of Rangeland Restoration Treatments on Wind- and Water-Driven Erosion, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UT (PI). Restoration of degraded sagebrush ecosystems is a top priority of the Bureau of Land Management and other resource-management agencies across the Intermountain West. This project examines long-term effects of vegetation treatments (two-way chaining, harrowing, and control) on wind-driven soil erosion (measured with dust traps) and water-driven soil erosion (measured with silt fences) in sagebrush ecosystems on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It is one element of a new and unique USGS-BLM partnership to increase USGS participation and science application in the Monument's adaptive-management program, and results will inform managers' decisions concerning the design of future restoration activities. This work also contributes to a new USGS research initiative focusing on the sagebrush biome, a regional-scale effort to understand causes and ecological consequences of dust emissions from western landscapes (in partnership with the USGS Geologic Discipline and project 5 below), and other of the scientist's projects that investigate factors affecting the resistance, resilience, and sustainability of dryland ecosystems.
  • Development of Monitoring Protocols for Colorado Plateau National Park Service Units (co-PI). This multidisciplinary project is conducted in partnership with the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program. It assists NPS with the identification of ecological indicators and the development of protocols for long-term monitoring in Colorado Plateau NPS units. Specific objectives are to develop conceptual models to facilitate the selection of ecosystem-level indicators, develop or acquire monitoring protocols for indicators, test protocols as needed through pilot implementation studies, conduct research to verify linkages between monitoring indicators and ecological processes and attributes, conduct research to evaluate indicator variability and responsiveness to management, and conduct research to assist in the determination of management thresholds for indicators. Though focused on NPS needs, this work is applicable to needs of other resource managers on the Colorado Plateau and surrounding ecoregions.
  • Interactions Among Geology, Biogeochemistry, and Ecology - Past, Current and Future (co-PI for ecological studies). This interdisciplinary project (http://climweb.cr.usgs.gov/info/sw/) is associated with the USGS Earth Surface Dynamics Program and investigates the effects of geology and geomorphology on the structure and functioning of dryland ecosystems, including the role of soil-geomorphic properties in controlling ecosystem resistance to exotic species (cheatgrass, Bromus tectorum) invasion and ecosystem resilience to land-use practices such as livestock grazing. Research includes field and laboratory studies investigating interactive effects of land use and climate variability on erosional processes and vegetation dynamics (including an examination of ecological aspects of dust deposition and emission), and effects of soil-geomorphic properties on the spatial distribution of cheatgrass-invaded grasslands and sagebrush shrublands of southeastern Utah. Field studies are integrated with remote-sensing studies to develop predictive models of spatiotemporal cheatgrass dynamics in relation to climate, land use, and soil-geomorphic settings. Team members include geologists, geomorphologists, remote-sensing specialists, and ecologists from USGS.
  • Effects of Invasive Exotic Plants on Habitat Conditions and Performance of the Federally Endangered Astragalus ampullarioides (Shivwits Milk-Vetch), Zion National Park (PI.) This interdisciplinary project provides the National Park Service (Zion National Park), BLM, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Shivwits Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe with scientific information to support conservation management of the federally endangered Astragalus ampullarioides (Shivwits milkvetch) - a geologically restricted (geo-edaphic) species with six known population locations in southwestern Utah. Research components include in-depth habitat-characterization studies (describing the distribution and abundance of A. ampullarioides and invasive exotic plants in relation to geology, geomorphic setting, physical, chemical, and biological soil properties; and plant community composition); field and greenhouse experiments evaluating effects of exotic species on soil biological properties and on seedling recruitment, reproductive output, and mycorrhizal colonization of A. ampullarioides; and spatial predictive modeling of potential habitat to aid future survey efforts and the identification of potential locations for introductions of new populations. This work directly supports several high-priority conservation tasks identified in the species' recovery plan, and it will make significant contributions to scientific knowledge concerning edaphic endemic plants, dryland soil ecology, and the ecology of invasive exotic plants.
  • Ecological Thresholds as a Basis for Defining Management Triggers for National Park Service Vital Signs - A Case Study for Dryland Ecosystems (co-PI). This project examines the feasibility of using existing data, ecological principles, and a variety of analytical approaches to apply the concept of ecological thresholds as a basis for establishing preventive management triggers associated with National Park Service vital signs. The project uses a case-study approach, focusing on dryland ecosystems because of their spatial extent in National Park Service units and surrounding landscapes and because of their inherent susceptibility to threshold-type dynamics in response to human land-use activities and climate. This effort will develop a conceptual framework for characterizing ecological thresholds in dryland ecosystems, and will identify and analyze pertinent existing data sets to determine whether preventive management triggers can be established on the basis of threshold concepts and detected affordably with vital signs monitoring. Results will enhance the design, effectiveness, and management-relevance of vital sign monitoring efforts and will enhance National Park Service capacity for protecting Park resources. The approach developed in this case study will be applicable to dryland ecosystems managed by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, The Nature Conservancy, the USDA Forest Service, and others.

Publications, Maps, and other Products

  1. Miller, M.E. 2009. Management effectiveness and the measurement of multiple ecological attributes at broad spatial scales. Invited oral presentation at the 62nd annual meeting of the Society for Range Management (Symposium on Grazing Systems Research), Albuquerque, NM, 12 February 2009. [Presentation with Abstract]
  2. Miller, M.E., R.K. Mann, R. Lieberg, C. Decker, K. Davidson, H. Goldstein, J. Yount. 2009. An update on ecological investigations of the Shivwits milk-vetch (Astragalus ampullarioides), Washington County, Utah. Invited oral presentation at the 5th Southwest Rare Plant Conference, Salt Lake City, UT, 19 March 2009. [Presentation with Abstract]
  3. Miller, Mark E. 2008. Review comments on the Bureau of Land Management's draft plan for monitoring post-fire rehabilitation treatments on the Milford Flat Fire, Millard and Beaver counties, Utah. U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Kanab, UT. [Technical Report]
  4. Miller, M.E. 2008. Erosion resistance and dust emission on the Milford Flat Fire: Can ESR treatments sometimes worsen wind erosion. Poster presentation, Symposium on Fire and Invasive Species in North American Deserts, Society for Range Management, Reno, NV, 9 Dec 08. [Poster with Abstract]
  5. Miller, Mark E. 2008. Ecosystem assessment and monitoring. Two-day training workshop for BLM, Forest Service, BIA, and NPS fire-management staff. [Training/Workshop]
  6. Bowker, M.A., M.E. Miller, J. Belnap, T.D. Sisk, and N.C. Johnson. 2008. Prioritizing conservation effort through the use of biological soil crusts as ecosystem function indicators in an arid region. Conservation Biology. [Journal Article]
  7. Miller, M.E. 2008. Short-term effects of mechanical land treatments on soil stability and wind erosion in dryland ecosystems. Presented at the joint annual meeting of the Geological Society of America and the Soil Science Society of America, Houston, TX, October 2008. [Presentation with Abstract]
  8. Miller, Mark E. 2008. Broad-scale assessment of rangeland health, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, USA. Rangeland Ecology and Management 61(3):249-262. [Journal Article]
  9. Miller, Mark E., R. K. Mann, H. Goldstein, & J. D. Yount. 2007. Ecological investigations of the federally endangered Shivwits Milk-Vetch (Astragalus ampullarioides) - 2006 Annual Report. USGS Open File Report 2007-1050. [Open-File Report]
  10. Miller, M.E., D.L. Witwicki, R.K. Mann, and N.J. Tancreto. 2007. Field evaluations of sampling methods for long-term monitoring of upland ecosystems on the Colorado Plateau. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1243 [available on the World Wide Web at URL http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1243/]. [Open-File Report]
  11. Turner, C. E., W. H. Romme, J. Chew, M. E. Miller, G. Leavesley, L. Floyd-Hanna, G. L. San Miguel, N. S. Cobb, R. Zirbes, R. Viger, and K. Ironside. 2007. The FRAME project: A collaborative modeling approach to natural resource management at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. Pages 23-41 in C. van Riper, III and M. K. Sogge, eds. Proceedings of the Eighth Biennial Conference on Research on the Colorado Plateau. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ. [Book Chapter]
  12. Miller, Mark E. & K. Cannon. 2007. Perspectives on management-oriented soil research and challenges at the science-management interface. USGS. Presentation at the 11th Biennial Soil Ecology Society Meeting, Moab, UT. [Presentation with Abstract]
  13. Miller, Mark E. 2007. Integration of qualitative and quantitative data to support ecosystem assessment and restoration prioritization - A case study from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. USGS. A presentation at the joint meeting of the Ecological Society of America and the Society for Ecological Restoration. [Presentation with Abstract]
  14. Miller, M.E., R.K. Mann, H. Goldstein, and J.D. Yount. 2007. Habitat relations and effects of invasive exotic plants on the federally endangered Shivwits milk-vetch (Astragalus ampullarioides), Washington County, Utah. Presented at the 9th Biennial Colorado Plateau Science Conference, Flagstaff, AZ, Oct. 2007. [Presentation with Abstract]
  15. Miller, M.E., J. Belnap. 2007. Responses of Colorado Plateau drylands to climate change: Variability due to land use and soil-geomorphic heterogeneity. Presented at 9th Biennial Colorado Plateau Science Conference, Flagstaff, AZ, Oct. 2007. [Presentation with Abstract]
  16. Miller, M. E., J. Belnap, S. W. Beatty, and R. L. Reynolds. 2006. Performance of Bromus tectorum L. in relation to soil properties, water additions, and chemical amendments in calcareous soils of southeastern Utah, U.S.A. Plant and Soil (2006) 288:1-18. [Journal Article]
  17. Miller, Mark E., Dana Witwicki, and Rebecca Mann. 2006. Field-Based Evaluations of Sampling Methods for Long-Term Monitoring of Upland Ecoystems on the Colorado Plateau-2005 Annual Report. USGS. [Technical Report]
  18. Miller, Mark E. 2006. Soil survey of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument - A foundation for future research and adaptive management. [Presentation with Abstract]
  19. Miller, Mark E., J. Belnap, R. Reynolds, J. Neff, & M. Reheis. 2006. Cheatgrass performance in relation to soil characteristics in Colorado Plateau drylands. [Presentation with Abstract]
  20. Miller, Mark E. 2006. Broad-scale assessment of upland ecosystem conditions in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. [Presentation with Abstract]
  21. Thomas, L. P., M. N. Hendrie, C. L. Lauver, S. A. Monroe, N. J. Tancreto, S. L. Garman, & M. E. Miller. 2006. Vital Signs Monitoring Plan for the Southern Colorado Plateau Network. Natural Resoruce Report NPS/SCPN/NRR-2006/002. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 116pp. [Technical Report]
  22. Miller, M.E., J. Belnap, S.W. Beatty, and B.L. Webb. 2006. Effects of water additions, chemical amendments, and plants on in situ measures of nutrient bioavailability in calcareous soils of southeastern Utah, U.S.A. Plant and Soil (2006) 288:19-29,. [Journal Article]
  23. Miller, Mark E. 2006. The emergence of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument as a center for long-term ecological research on the Colorado Plateau. [Presentation with Abstract]
  24. Miller, Mark E. 2005. Study plan for field-based evaluations of measures and measurement techniques to support long-term monitoring of terrestrial ecosystems in Colorado Plateau National Park Service Units. USGS. [Technical Report]
  25. Scott, M., A. Brasher, E. reynolds. A. CAires, & M. E. Miller. 2005. The Structure and Functioning of Riparian and Aquatic Ecosystems of the Colorado Plateau: Conceptual Models to Inform Long-term Ecological Monitoring. USGS. [Technical Report]
  26. O'Dell, T. E., S. Garman, A. Evenden, M. Beer, E. Nance, S. Daw, A. Wight, M. Powell, D. Perry, R. DenBleyker, D. Sharrow, K. Wynn, J. Brown, M. Miller & L. Thomas. 2005. Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network Vital Signs Monitoring Plan. NPS, Northern Colorado Plateau Network, Moab, UT. 174 pp. [Technical Report]
  27. Thomas, L., M. Hendrie, C. Lauver, S. Monroe, N. Tancreto, S. GArman, & M. Miller. 2005. Vital Signs Monitoring Plan for the Southern Colorado Plateau Netowrk: Phase III Report. NPS, Southern Colorado Plateau NEtwork Flagstaff, AZ 116 pp. [Technical Report]
  28. Miller, Mark E. 2005. The Structure and Functioning of Dryland Ecosystems -- Conceptual Models to Inform Long-Term Ecological Monitoring. USGS-BRD Scientific Investigations Report. USGS. [Technical Report]
  29. Schwinning, S., B. I. Starr, N. J. Wojcik, M. Miller, J. E. Ehleringer, and R. L. Sanford Jr. 2005. Effects of Nitrogen Deposition on an Arid Grassland in the Colorado Plateau Cold Desert. Rangeland Ecol Manage 58:565-574. [Journal Article]
  30. Thomas, L., C. Lauver, M. Hendrie, N. Tancreto, J. Whitteir, J. Atkins, M. Miller & A. Cully. 2004. Vital Signs Monitoring Plan for the Southern Colorado Plateau Network: Phase II Report. NPS, Southern Colorado Plateau Network Flagstaff, AZ. 163 pp. [Technical Report]
  31. Harris T.A., G. Asner, M.E. Miller. 2003. Changes in vegetation structure after long-term grazing in pinyon-juniper ecosystems: Integrating imaging spectroscopy and field studies. Ecosystems 6:368-383. [Publication]
  32. Thomas L., J. Whittier, N. Tancreto, J. Atkins, M. Miller, A. Cully. 2003. Phase I Vital Signs Monitoring Plan: Southern Colorado Plateau Network. National Park Service, Southern Colorado Plateau Network, Flagstaff, AZ. 97 pp. + appendices. [Technical Report]
  33. Miller M.E., D. Sharrow, L. Cudlip. 2003. Northern Colorado Plateau Vital Signs Network and Prototype Cluster, Plan for Natural Resources Monitoring: Phase II Report, September 30, 2003. National Park Service, Northern Colorado Plateau Network, Moab, UT. 111 pp. + appendices. [Technical Report]
  34. Sherrod S. K., J. Belnap, M. E. Miller. 2003. Comparison of ion-exchange resin counterions in the nutrient measurement of calcareous soils: Implications for correlative studies of plant-soil relationships. Communications In Soil Science and Plant Analysis 34(13-14):1981-2001. [Journal Article]
  35. Reynolds R., M. Reheis, T. Hinkley, R. Tigges, G. Clow, P. Lamothe, J. Yount, R. G. Meeke, P. Chavez Jr., D. Mackinnon, M. Velasco, S. Sides, D. Soltesz, N. Lancaster, M. Miller, R. Fulton, J. Belnap. 2003. Dust emission and deposition in southwestern United States - integrated field, remote sensing, and modeling studies to evaluate response to climatic variability and land use. In: A. S. Alsharhan, W. W. Wood, A. S. Goudie, A. Fowler, and E. M. Abdellatif, editors. Desertification in the Third Millennium. Swets & Zeitlinger (Balkema) Publishers, Lisse, The Netherlands, pp.271-282. [Book Chapter]
  36. Búrquez A., M.E. Miller, A. Martínez-Yrízar. 2002. Mexican grasslands, thornscrub, and the transformation of the Sonoran Desert by invasive exotic buffelgrass. Pages 126-146 in B. Tellman, ed. Invasive exotic species in the Sonoran region. University of Arizona Press and the Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson. [Book Chapter]
  37. Evenden A.G., M.E. Miller, M. Beer, E. Nance, S. Daw, A. Wight, M. Estenson, L. Cudlip. 2002. Northern Colorado Plateau Vital Signs Network and Prototype Cluster, Plan for Natural Resources Monitoring: Phase I Report, October 1, 2002. [Two Volumes]. National Park Service, Northern Colorado Plateau Network, Moab, UT. 138 pp. + appendices. [Technical Report]
  38. Sherrod S. K., J. Belnap, M. E. Miller. 2002. Comparison of methods for nutrient measurement in calcareous soils: Ion-exchange resin bag, capsule, membrane, and chemical extractions. Soil Science 167(10):666-679. [Journal Article]
  39. Kuske C. R., L. O. Ticknor, M. E. Miller, J. M. Dunbar, J. A. Davis, S. M. Barns, J. Belnap. 2002. Comparison of soil bacterial communities in rhizospheres of three plant species and the interspaces in an arid grassland. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 68(4):1854-1863. [Journal Article]
  40. Killingsworth M.C., M.E. Miller. 2001. The future of grazing management: Where do we go from here. Journal of Land, Resources and Environmental Law 21: 607-611. [Journal Article]
  41. Miller M., J. Belnap, S. Beatty, B. Webb. 2001. Components of spatial and temporal soil variation at Canyonlands National Park: implications for P dynamics and cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) performance. In. E. D. McArthur and D. J. Fairbanks, Eds. 11th Wildland Shrub Synposium: Shrubland Ecosystem Genetics and Biodiversity, June 13-15, 2000, Provo, UT, Proceedings RMRS-P-21. Ogden, Utah, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, pp. 154-162. [Proceedings]
  42. Miller M.E. 2000. Effects of resource manipulations and soil characteristics on Bromus tectorum L. and Stipa hymenoides R. & S. in calcareous soils of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder. 176 pp. [Thesis/Dissertation]
  43. Miller M.E. 1999. Use of historic aerial photography to study vegetation change in the Negrito Creek watershed, southwestern New Mexico. The Southwestern Naturalist 44:121-137. [Journal Article]
  44. Búrquez A., A. Martínez-Yrízar, M.E. Miller, K. Rojas, M.A. Quintana, D. Yetman. 1998. Mexican grasslands and the changing aridlands of Mexico: An overview and a case study. Pages 21-32 in B. Tellman, D.M. Finch, C. Edminster, and R. Hamre, eds. The future of arid grasslands: identifying issues, seeking solutions. 9-13 October 1996, Tucson, Arizona. Proceedings RMRS-P-3. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountains Station. 392pp. [Proceedings]
  45. Truett J.C., M.E. Miller, K. Kertell. 1997. Effects of arctic Alaska oil development on brant and snow geese. Arctic 50:138-146. [Journal Article]
  46. Miller M.E. 1994. Historic vegetation change in the Negrito Creek watershed, New Mexico. M.S. thesis, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces. 144 pp. [Thesis/Dissertation]