 The U.S. Geological Survey Water Research Program addresses a spectrum of state water problems, thanks to research funding authorized in federal Water Resources Research Act (P.L. 101-397) to colleges and universities through each state Water Resources Institute. USGS Section 104b research funds, guided annually by the Montana Water Center's Water Research Advisory Committee, allow Montana investigators to conduct research that addresses current Montana water problems like groundwater depletion, post-fire soil erosion, and water degradation. The Committee identifies research priorities, oversees peer review of proposals, and recommends projects for funding. The Advisory Committee now also makes some of the 104b funding available for Montana student research fellowships. Another related funding program, Section 104g research, is available through national competition.
Montana USGS 104b Grant Recipients
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Kenneth Bates, an undergraduate at Montana Tech, received $1,000 to study magnesium and zinc in the Clark Fork and Big Hole rivers and see how the metals affect groundwater. Bates is a Helena native who lives in Butte. His study: “Further investigation of diel cycle changes of metals in two Montana rivers” |
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Teresa Cohn of Lakewood, Colo., an MSU graduate student in earth sciences, received $1,000 to study the effects of riparian changes on the Wind River in Wyoming. The project has implications for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in Montana, said Susan Higgins, assistant director for outreach at the Montana Water Center. Her study: “Settlement, environment, and identity: Understanding processes of vegetative change along the Wind River” |
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Sunni Heikes-Knapton of Ennis, an MSU graduate student in land resources and environmental sciences, received $2,000 to see how sub-alpine wetlands respond to environmental changes. Her study: “Water quality function in subalpine wetlands in response to disturbance and restoration” |
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Margie Kinnersley of Missoula, a UM graduate student in biological sciences, received $2,000 to look at water quality issues in Montana on a molecular level. Her study: “A genomic and proteomic approach to characterizing natural variation in E. coli: Toward construction of a microbial source tracking database to identify sources of fecal water contamination in the State of Montana” |
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Erin Thais Riley of Bozeman, an MSU graduate student in animal and range science, received $1,000 to investigate the impact of conifers on ground and surface water in Montana. Her study: “Sources of groundwater and surface water acquisition and utilization by conifers invading riparian communities in western Montana” |
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Leo Rosenthal of Butte, an MSU graduate student in ecology, received $1,000 to study the effect of culverts on fisheries development in Eastern Montana. His study: “Effects of road culverts in eastern Montana prairie fish assemblages” |
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Mark Schaffer of Taos, N.M., an MSU graduate student in earth sciences, received $2,000, to look at ground and surface water interaction in the Four Corners area near Bozeman. The project involves the Gallatin River and urban development. His study: “Spatial and temporal variation of groundwater and surface water interaction along the Gallatin River, Four Corners, Montana” |
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Christa Torrens of Rochester, N.Y., a UM graduate student in environmental studies, received $2,000 to study the effects of low water levels in Warm Springs Creek on brown trout eggs. Her study: “The effects of dewatering in brown trout redds and egg survival in a Montana creek” |
Faculty receiving grants were:
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Steve Parker of Montana Tech received $14,646 to look at carbon cycling and variability involving dissolved organic and inorganic carbon in the Clark Fork and Big Hole rivers of southwest Montana. His study: His study: “Carbon cycling and the temporal variability on the concentration and stable carbon isotope composition of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon in streams” |
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Chris Gammons of Montana Tech received $14,600 to study nitrate concentrations in the upper Silver Bow Creek drainage around Butte. This watershed has been affected by mining. His study: “Temporal and spatial changes in the concentration and isotopic composition of nitrate in the upper Silver Bow Creek drainage, Montana” |
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Lisa Eby from UM received $15,000 to study the impact of beaver ponds on brook trout expansion in the Wise River Ranger District of the Deerlodge National Forest. Her study: “Impacts of beaver on invasion ecology of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)” |
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