Natural gas extraction is a critical driver of the economy in western North America. Ecological reclamation is important to ensure surface disturbance impacts associated with natural gas development are not permanent and to assist native biota. Previous studies in semi-arid natural gas fields within Sublette County, Wyoming, USA have shown insects respond favorably to 1–3-year-old well pads undergoing reclamation compared to older successional reference vegetation communities dominated by Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata spp. Wyomingensis). Here, we examined well pads which were initially seed 5, 8, 10, 11, and 12 years prior to our study. We used a free, image-based software called SamplePointv. 1.60 to quantify vegetation on these well pads and adjacent reference areas from cell phone camera photographs. Insects were collected with a sweep net and identified to the family and morphospecies level. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare both vegetation and insect communities between reclamation sites and their paired reference area. We found little statistical difference between vegetation communities across our study but found significantly more insect abundance on reclaimed well pads than reference areas in 3 of 5 years and significantly higher family and morphospecies richness on reclaimed well pads in 4 of 5 years. A total of 2036 individual insects representing 270 species from 71 families across 11 orders were identified across this study. A total of 1557 individuals (76.5%) were found on reclamation sites, whereas 479 (23.5%) were found in reference areas across the entire study. A total of 233 species (86.3% of total) were found on reclamation sites, whereas 121 species (44.8% of total) were found in reference areas across the entire study. A total of 67 families (94.4% of total) were found on reclamation sites, whereas 45 families (63.4% of total) were found in reference areas across the entire study. All 11 orders found in the study were found on reclamation sites, whereas 9 orders were found in reference areas across the entire study. Our results suggest reclamation of natural gas well pads within an old successional stand of sagebrush continues to support higher levels of insect biodiversity and abundance for at least 12 years. As insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth and because they provide a wide array of ecosystem services, our findings suggest ecological reclamation plays an important role in returning biodiversity and ecosystem functionality to a semi-arid and old successional sagebrush–steppe ecosystem.
Land reclamation is critical to ensure surface disturbance associated with natural gas development is not permanent. Soil management is critical to reclamation success, especially in arid environments. Typically, natural gas well pad construction involves stripping topsoil to allow for equipment to be on level ground and placing it into a stockpile. After well pad construction, soil is respread and seeded to initiate interim reclamation. Previous research has shown that soil disturbance during natural gas well pad construction and subsequent reclamation in cold, arid environments is highest at the stripping and respreading phases, with minimal soil activity occurring during the stockpile phase. Other research has shown that additional soil disturbances after reclamation is initiated may exacerbate soil damage, limiting revegetation potential. Here, we examine soil stockpiles that are 1 to 7 years old in the Jonah Infill natural gas field for vegetation emergence and vegetation cover using an image analysis software called SamplePoint. In a 10-week greenhouse experiment, we found vegetation cover across stockpile age classes increased uniformly during the study period but that there was no significant difference in the rate of vegetation cover increase or percentage vegetation cover over time. These findings suggest it may be better to keep soil stockpiled in cold, arid natural gas fields when it is uncertain if additional construction activities will be required on a well pad location rather than respreading soil with a chance that redisturbance is necessary.
Ecological restoration is critical for recovering degraded ecosystems but is challenged by variable success and low predictability. Understanding which outcomes are more predictable and less variable following restoration can improve restoration effectiveness. Recent theory asserts that the predictability of outcomes would follow an order from most to least predictable from coarse to fine community properties (physical structure > taxonomic diversity > functional composition > taxonomic composition), and that predictability would increase with more severe environmental conditions constraining species establishment. We tested this “hierarchy of predictability” hypothesis by synthesizing outcomes along an aridity gradient with 11 grassland restoration projects across the United States.
This study was conducted in the Jonah Infill natural gas field (Sublette County, WY, USA). Here we show insect abundance ranges from 3-22x higher on
well pads undergoing ecological restoration compared to adjacent, undisturbed reference sites. As creating spatial and temporal mosaics of flowering
plants is critical to pollinator conservation, this paper suggests utilizing native forbs which bloom at different times of the year in reclamation seed mixes
is beneficial to insects. Of special interest — leaf beetles from the Chrysomelidae family were found on reclaimed sites with mass-flowering Rocky Mountain
bee plant at rates 180x higher than adjacent reference sites — these beetles are critical components of sage-grouse chick diet weeks 5-10 post-hatch.
This paper compared insect abundance and family richness on reclaimed well pads vs. reference areas
within the Pinedale Anticline natural gas field in Wyoming. We found significantly higher insect abundance
and richness on reclaimed areas. We found higher insect abundance on reclaimed sites which contained the
native annual forb Rocky Mountain bee plant (Cleome serrulata) than on reclaimed sites which contained only grass.
Insects play critical roles in providing ecosystem services, such as pollination and serving as a food resource to higher
trophic levels. In particular, 96% of terrestrial birds rely on insects as a primary source of protein.
This paper was led by Dr. Nancy Shackelford (Univ. of Victoria). Abnova’s Dr. Mike Curran helped write several sections
of the discussion and assisted with reviewing/editing the entire manuscript. This study is a very useful read to anyone
involved with revegetation efforts in arid & semi-arid ecosystems.
This project was led by Dr. Jared Elmore and scientists at Mississippi State University and the USDA. The manuscript lays out a protocol to develop a systematic map producing evidence on the effectiveness
of drone use to monitor wildlife in North America. Dr. Curran was a post-doc at MSU at the time and assisted with search terms, vetting literature, writing and editing the manuscript. Elmore and others published the
systematic map in 2023.
This paper compares handheld imagery vs. drone imagery in monitoring vegetation on reclaimed well pads.
We utilize a spatially balanced sampling design called Balanced Acceptance Sampling and solve the traveling
salesman problem to optimize the flight path. With a drone, image collection took ~7.5 minutes.. with
handheld imagery, image collection took ~30 minutes. There was good agreement between image analysis of the two
methods, with handheld imagery having a ground sample distance of 0.2 millimeters compared to ~2 mm with a drone.
Identifying grass species without seed heads beyond functional group was challenging with the drone.
This is the first study to utilize 3-D video cameras to count floral visits by insects. A total of 8 observers viewed the
video with virtual reality (VR) headsets. Observer bias in this study showed to be very similar to other studies, though
the permanent nature of the video allows for training opportunities. This technology shows promise for counting insects
and observing insect and other animal behavior.
This paper compares handheld imagery vs. drone imagery in monitoring vegetation in a rangeland setting.
We utilize a spatially balanced sampling design called Balanced Acceptance Sampling and solve the traveling
salesman problem to optimize the flight path. With a drone, image collection took 8 minutes 13 seconds to monitor
a 10 acre plot, whereas walking the area with a handheld camera took 29 minutes 55 seconds. The methods had
similar precision and accuracy and are both significantly faster than traditional quantitative methods.
In 2018, Abnova’s Dr. Curran was able to modify this technique slightly to rapidly perform conservation bank
assessment over 66 square miles on private land, with approval from various State and Federal Gov’t agencies.
This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of handheld imagery to satisfy regulatory criteria and collect species-specific
information to help improve reclamation practices (e.g., seed mixes). It also discusses how data from SamplePoint (a free
image analysis software) can be used to improve comparisons between reclamation sites and reference areas.
Balanced Acceptance Sampling is utilized to generate good spatial coverage on the area of interest and points are then
plugged into a handheld GPS Device for field personnel to locate while on site. Images are taken at each location and analyzed
after field collection. This method provides robust data and permanent records which are linked to the location where data was
collected while reducing observer bias and is ~10x faster than traditional methods.
This publication discusses the benefits of utilizing a native, annual forb in reclamation efforts in the Rocky Mountain West. Rocky
Mountain bee plant is widely available and its seeds do well in disturbed soils. The plant does a great job attracting pollinators,
controlling erosion, competing with weeds, and setting the stage for perennial forbs to come in. Environmental Connection is
published by the International Erosion Control Association.
This work highlights some collaborations among academia, consulting groups, industry and government agencies as they related to
what many consider the “greatest conservation effort in US history”. Wyoming, as a leader in the western US, took an all-hands-on-deck
approach with conservation and restoration of Greater Sage-Grouse habitat. Abnova’s Dr. Curran entered >50,000 acres of data related
to reclamation and restoration in Wyoming’s oil and gas fields to the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Conservation Efforts Database and worked
with Gov’t officials to beta-test the data system in its initial stages of development up to its launch.
This paper provides a summary of Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) diet and discusses the importance
of restoring habitat for the bird species. It gives a brief overview of its status related to the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s
Endangered Species Act. We provide a list of forbs which sage-grouse are known to eat and show that many forbs associated
with sage-grouse diet are not commercially available for larger restoration projects. We suggest including forbs in reclamation
and restoration seed mixes (especially forbs which increase sage-grouse preferred insects), and make a call for improving
seed availability.
This paper will highlight the need for database creation and management associated with large-scale land reclamation and ecosystem restoration projects and suggests considerations for future improvements. Scientists at University of Wyoming have
created the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center Oil and Gas Reclamation
Database by collaborating with 20 oil and natural gas development companies as well
as private environmental consulting firms, Petroleum Association of Wyoming, and
various government and regulatory agencies. A commonly noted flaw in the practice
of land reclamation and the field of restoration ecology is that they have been limited
by lack of communication and collaboration among the scientific community, reclamation practitioners, and regulatory agencies. The Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration
Center Oil and Gas Reclamation Database is the biggest collaboration to date between
scientists, industry, practitioners, and regulatory agencies. The database has also been
critical to assess reclamation and restoration efforts of ‘unprecedented’ conservation work
and has been noticed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in their process of coming
to a non-warranted Endangered Species Act listing decision of the Greater sage-grouse
(Centrocercus urophasianus). While the framework of our database is sound, data
quality has limited effectiveness of database analysis in many instances. Examples of
database utility will be demonstrated and suggestions for improving data quality and
monitoring plans will be made.
This publication lays out a data management framework aimed at assisting oil and gas pad reclamation efforts. The framework is sound and has
been shared with the Bureau of Land Management at the Washington D.C. level. While this manuscript utilized Microsoft Access, it evolved to become
more spatially oriented within ArcGIS as part of a larger project called One Steppe.
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