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Fostering land stewardship and conservation in the American West
through teaching, research, outreach and leadership.

Go to LEARN


LEARN

Browse current applied, collaborative research projects

Go to READ


READ

Get the latest updates from students as they chronicle their work

Go to ENGAGE


ENGAGE

Find out about our programs and how they engage students with western partners

Go to MEET


MEET

Learn what aspects are at our core and meet our team


PROGRAM IMPACTS 2021

Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative (UHPSI) within the Yale School of the
Environment focuses on stewardship and conservation in the American West. At its
core, UHPSI seeks to engage in teaching, research, and outreach on land
stewardship, primarily through mentoring students on applied research and
management projects with western partners.

   
 * 33   Students involved
   
 * 34    Partners Engaged
   
 * 27    conservation deliverables completed
   

PUBLICATIONS




OUR TEAM


INDY BURKE, PHD

Faculty Director

Ingrid C. “Indy” Burke is the Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Dean at the Yale School of
the Environment (YSE), an internationally recognized professional school that
trains tomorrow’s environmental leaders and creates new knowledge to sustain and
restore the long-term health of the planet and the wellbeing of its people.


MICHELLE DOWNEY, MS

Program Director

Michelle worked on range and wildlife issues on public and private lands
throughout the West for 8 years. As Program Director, she connects students to
projects throughout the West, assists students in developing deliverables for
western partners, and conducts research to address land management issues.


CURRENT STUDENTS

Current UHPSI Students

Click here to learn more about our amazing graduate students currently working
on UHPSI projects.


LATEST NEWS




MAPPING RURAL GENTRIFICATION—LANI CHANG

CLICK HERE TO VIEW LANI’S STORYMAP Rural gentrification is increasingly
recognized as a significant problem for Western amenity towns in the U.S. as a
result of rapid in-migration fueled by the desire for closer access to these
amenities, expanded telework from the pandemic, and broader nation-wide
socioeconomic trends. Corresponding social, economic, and political impacts
include Read more about Mapping Rural Gentrification—Lani Chang[…]


METHODS AND MODALITIES TO EXPLORE RURAL GENTRIFICATION— MARA MACDONELL

Over the last year, the rural gentrification research group has been approaching
the subject of rural gentrification from a variety of perspectives. Rural
gentrification has many, mutable meanings and definitions, both within academia
and public discourse. Our research reflects this, as we have investigated the
topic through a variety of avenues including changing land-use, environmental
Read more about Methods and Modalities to Explore Rural Gentrification— Mara
MacDonell[…]


FRAMING THE “NEW WEST”— MOLLY RYAN

The “Old West” and the “New West.” These terms are often used to characterize
the transformation of rural western economies and communities from places
oriented around extractive industries to those based around natural amenities
and recreation (Bryson & Wyckoff, 2010; Krannich et al., 2011; Shumway &
Otterstrom, 2001). This transformation is driven by in-migration from Read more
about Framing the “New West”— Molly Ryan[…]


WHAT’S BEHIND OREGON’S NEW LAW MANDATING OVERTIME PAY FOR FARMWORKERS AND WHAT
MIGHT IT MEAN FOR FARMERS IN THE STATE? — SHANNON BELL

Labor shortages became very salient in the United States during the COVID-19
pandemic. However, the agricultural industry has been reckoning with labor
shortages and the equity concerns around farm labor conditions for years. One of
the primary factors behind both the decline in willing farm labor and the outcry
among farmworker advocates has been the Read more about What’s Behind Oregon’s
New Law Mandating Overtime Pay for Farmworkers and What Might it Mean for
Farmers in the State? — Shannon Bell[…]




THE VITAL ROLE OF WORKING LANDS IN WESTERN CONSERVATION—ANNIE MILLER

Working lands — the farms, ranchlands, and working forests that support
livelihoods —  are a vital component of the western landscape, and their
ecological, economic, and social  importance is difficult to overstate. In
addition to supplying much of the food we eat, they hold critical wildlife
habitat, provide vital ecosystem services, and represent a way Read more about
The Vital Role of Working Lands in Western Conservation—Annie Miller[…]


IMPROVING RESTORATION FUNDING FOR WORKING LANDS IN COLORADO

The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) is exploring the
development of an internally managed Agricultural Resiliency Fund to provide
landowners with support for projects that contribute to the long term
operational, ecological, and economic viability of conserved farm and ranchland,
as well as wildlife habitat. CCALT’s portfolio represents over 450 conservation
easements on working Read more about Improving Restoration Funding for Working
Lands in Colorado[…]


UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACTS AND IMPLICATIONS OF RURAL GENTRIFICATION IN THE
AMERICAN WEST

Many amenity towns in the Western United States are struggling with rapid
in-migration and its corresponding impacts on natural resources, socioeconomic
inequality, and community culture and character. The regional growth associated
with three rural hubs in the West–Summit County, Colorado; Jackson, Wyoming;
Bend, Oregon–can offer insights into this phenomenon of rural gentrification. In
partnership with Read more about Understanding the Impacts and Implications of
Rural Gentrification in the American West[…]


RURAL GENTRIFICATION: THE HOUSING CRISIS — MARA MACDONELL

There are two things that are common knowledge if you live in a ski town (and
you don’t have a trust fund to support you): 1) Getting a job is easy, which is
good because you’ll probably need at least two; and 2) there is no housing.
Previous to matriculating at Yale, I lived in Read more about Rural
Gentrification: The Housing Crisis — Mara MacDonell[…]




IS OREGON’S LAND USE SYSTEM PROTECTING FARMERS? — SHANNON BELL

Between 2001 and 2016, 11 million acres of farmland in the United States were
developed, with 4.1 million acres converted to urban and highly developed land
uses and almost 7 million acres converted to low-density residential use. The
2017 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Census revealed that
from 2012 to 2017, the amount of Read more about Is Oregon’s Land Use System
Protecting Farmers? — Shannon Bell[…]


FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA’S JOURNEY THROUGH RURAL GENTRIFICATION — MOLLY RYAN

I’ve been living on the East Coast for over eight years now. When I meet someone
new and tell them that I grew up in Arizona, they usually respond with a comment
about the weather. “You must be used to this kind of heat!” they say. I know
what they’re imagining: a dry, sandy landscape Read more about Flagstaff,
Arizona’s journey through rural gentrification — Molly Ryan[…]


CLIMATE CHANGE AND PLANT COMMUNITIES: RESHAPING ECOSYSTEMS FOR LIVESTOCK AND
WILDLIFE — SCOTT CARPENTER

During the month of August, I was unfortunate enough to be impacted by two
extreme weather events associated with climate change. In Wyoming, multiple
field days were cut short due to hazardous air quality resulting from the
ongoing wildfires in California and Oregon. While 2020 saw the second highest
acreage burned since 1960 (the highest Read more about Climate Change and Plant
Communities: Reshaping Ecosystems for Livestock and Wildlife — Scott
Carpenter[…]


GLOBAL CHANGE AND ROOT PRODUCTION: HOW DOES LAND USE AND CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT
LIFE BELOWGROUND? — UTHARA VENGRAI

Roots do everything. They are the connector between plants and soil–the
interface at which many of the transactions of life are made. Roots (with the
help of their mycorrhizal associates) conduct a plant’s search for nutrients,
water, and shelter. They scour the soil for the ingredients of life and support
whole ecosystems of microorganisms, plants, Read more about Global change and
root production: how does land use and climate change affect life belowground? —
Uthara Vengrai[…]




AUGMENTING LOCAL WATER SUPPLIES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: DIFFICULT TRADEOFFS —
RYANNA FOSSUM

Our day-to-day experience with fresh water varies drastically depending on where
in the country we live. This week, as I pulled off a highway in Connecticut to
avoid the torrential downpour from Hurricane Henri, I thought about my work back
home in Los Angeles to adapt to long-term drought. If I had superpowers, one of
Read more about Augmenting local water supplies in Southern California:
Difficult Tradeoffs — Ryanna Fossum[…]


WHY WATER UTILITIES SHOULD INVEST IN NATURAL (GREEN) INFRASTRUCTURE — LILY
COLBURN

Water utilities provide drinking, wastewater, and stormwater services to
millions of people across the United States, including for residential,
commercial, and industrial uses. These essential service providers are
responsible for offering safe and affordable resources to their customers, which
include identifying, protecting, and enhancing a drinking water source, pumping
water from the source to a Read more about Why Water Utilities Should Invest in
Natural (Green) Infrastructure — Lily Colburn[…]


A SUSTAINABLE REDESIGN OF THE SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS ACT: REIMAGINING COUNTY
PAYMENTS TO PRIORITIZE THE ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL VALUE OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS
OVER THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF TIMBER RESOURCES — SHANNON BELL

In May of 2021, Janez Potočnik and Isabella Teixeira, the co-chairs of the
International Resource Panel (IRP) that was launched by the United Nations
Environment Programme, published a think-piece on how we should best value
biodiversity. The piece, titled Building Biodiversity, asserts that our current
approach to preserving biodiversity has failed to account for the Read more
about A Sustainable Redesign of the Secure Rural Schools Act: Reimagining county
payments to prioritize the ecological and cultural value of forest ecosystems
over the economic value of timber resources — Shannon Bell[…]


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