Fire has shaped western ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest landscapes for millennia. Yet, contemporary land management coupled with warming and drought has led to shifts in forest structure and severe wildfires. A growing body of evidence suggests that under altered fire regimes and climate change, ponderosa pine forests may be vulnerable to fire-driven conversion to a different forest type or non-forest vegetation. However, the extent and direction...

The Southern Rocky Mountains are at the southern range of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) and their iconic predator, the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). In this region recreational uses, backcountry roads and trails, and other human developments have been identified as risk factors affecting lynx productivity through altering the snowshoe hare prey base. Beginning in 2013, Crested Butte Mountain Resort in western Colorado began proposals, and was...

Bee species richness has declined globally in recent decades due to several intertwined factors. Urbanization has both positive and negative effects on bees, with species responses being highly trait- and scale-specific. Urban environments differ from natural environments in the types of habitat and food resources they provide, but they still have the potential to provide valuable habitat to increase bee abundance and diversity. Although research...