Managing Idaho's Landscapes for Ecosystem Services: Pocatello

Project Information
Purpose/Overview of Study
Managing Idaho's Landscapes for Ecosystem Services: (1) advance understanding of changes in ecosystem services at the interface between urban and rural environments, (2) relate those changes to societal and climate drivers, and (3) provide science-based tools and training to inform policy decisions about the sustainable management of these ecosystem services.

Pocatello Study Site: What are the tradeoffs between flood protection and the aesthetic, recreational and water quality services associated with the Portneuf river system in and near the mid-sized city of Pocatello, Idaho?
Pocatello is a mid-sized city poised to expand along the length of the Portneuf River. Our research will inform community leaders and decision-makers how to develop ecosystem services in concert with urban expansion, in a way best-suited to current community values. It will also provide a means of formulating discussion so that scientists, policy-makers, and the general public can effectively communicate.
Pocatello has a population of 85,000 with ~1% annual growth. Urban expansion upstream and into the foothills is replacing farming and grazing. The city has a Comprehensive Plan to emphasize healthy lifestyles, business growth, and outdoor recreation. Stakeholder groups include government, business, and community activist groups.
Main Topic
Society
Boundaries
Environment
Farming
Inland Waters
Project Sub Topic
Agriculture
Ecosystem Services
Inland Water Bodies
Land Tenure and Ownership
Pollution
Tribal Land and Resources
Urban Growth
Water Resources and Management
Project Website
MILES Pocatello Site
ISU MILES Websites
Intended Audience
Land/Resource Managers
Community/Public
Academic
Investigators
Team-Based
Newly formed for this specific project
Team expanded or significantly changed during project
Project Type
EPSCoR
Project Diagram
/sites/default/files/2017-03/Portneuf%20SES.jpg
Region
Rocky Mountain
Location

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Pocatello, Id

Collaboration
Is this project a collaboration?
Yes
Collaboration Type
Tribal Government or Members
Academic Biophysical Scientists
Academic Social Science
Academic Humanities
Government Agency Biophysical Scientists
Local Government
State Government
Private Landowners or Managers
Science Question
Determined before project begun by individual or pre-existing team
Data Collection
Determined Before project begun by individual or pre-existing team
Co-created in collaboration with partners
Academic Biophysical Scientists
Academic Social Science
Interdisciplinary Type
Transdisciplinary
Framework
Social-Ecological Systems
Products Produced
Products
Project Products PT
Project Products PT
Project Products PT
Documents
Project Documents PT
Project Documents PT
Project Data
Data Types
nutrient load
Social data
Demographic
Water use history
Water quality
Landcover change
Land use change
Water availability
Hydrologic data
Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau
Idaho State Tax Commission
US Dept. of Agriculture National Agricultural Imaging Program
Idaho Dept. of Water Resources
Social Explorer
FedStats
ICPSR
Landsat8
Data Formats
Historic photographs
Aerial photographs
Photographs
Raster
ESRI Shapefiles
Esri geodatabase files
About Data
Data Collected Domain
Integrated
Describe the data domain
social and environmental history of water use; water quality and quantity; hydrologic data; population and urban growth; land use; human values, attitudes, and perceptions
Data Collected Methodology
Mixed-methods
Describe Data Methodology
spatio-statistical modelling; sustainability algorithms; visual content analysis; qualitative social data; combined social and biophysical visualizations
Data Collected Biophysical Scale
Site
Local
Landscape/Watershed
Data Collected Social/Organizational Scale
City
Region or State
Data Collected Temporal Scale
Contemporary
Describe Data Scale
Biophysical: Gibson Jack Creek; Portneuf River; Portneuf River Watershed; Marsh Creek; Snake River; Fort Hall Reservation

Temporal: Historic water use; contemporary perceptions of the Portneuf; projected growth models through 2034; community vision for the Portneuf meant to be a living document
Data Combined
Yes
Describe Data Combined
Pre-existing: Ecological/biophysical data on hydrological flow, river floodplain management, in-stream flow policies, and water quality; vegetation management data (fire history, exotic/invasive species increases); demographics, agricultural prices and costs of production, land values, water rights; hydrological and landscape databases developed at University of Idaho, Boise State, and Idaho State; climate data via observations and modeling; digital elevation and other remote sensing data; soil data; bathymetry data; historic and current local weather data

Collected: remote sensing of land use and land cover, quantitative/qualitative socio-economic data; geophysical data including river discharge, local runoff, groundwater, and geological layers including soils and vegetation; plant/vegetation characteristics, pollinators, noise disturbance, soil changes associated with development and conversion of open land; ecosystem responses to changes in post-fire communities associated with land use scenarios; geospatially explicit social data combined with cross-cultural traditional knowledge
 
Pre-existing and collected: hydrologic data; water quality; social and environmental water use; land use and land cover data
Integrated Method
spatio-statistical modeling; geospatial for community mapping of the Portneuf that integrated geographical locations and social data; coupled modeling for urban growth and ecosystem services; coupled indicators for past growth using physical infrastructure data and social household information; coupled indicators for social and environmental history of water use
Data Methodology
Coupled Modeling
Geospatial
Project Personnel
Project Personnel
Person with Project
Role
PI
Senior Researcher
Discipline
Geographer
Person with Project
Role
PI
Discipline
GIS Analyst
Visualization
Person with Project
Role
PI
Discipline
Biologist
Landscape Ecologist
GIS Analyst
Social Scientist
Social Ecological Systems Scientist
Ecologist
Person with Project
Role
PI
Discipline
Hydrologist
Person with Project
Role
Co-Lead
PI
Senior Researcher
Discipline
Hydrologist
Landscape Ecologist