Research at the INL

The INL occupies one of the largest tract of relatively undisturbed sagebrush-steppe rangeland in the United States. The land provides an important habitat for resident and migrating wildlife.  Over 40 species of mammals and 230 species of birds have been found on the INL.  The INL also supports over 420 species of flowering plants.  Because of the inherent ecological benefits of such a large tract of protected and relatively undisturbed habitat, the scientific community recognizes this acreage as an exciting opportunity for research. 

• ESER Radioecology and Ecology Research
• ESER Innovative Research
• Idaho NERP

The ESER team also conducts innovative research that has made the INL a center for state-of-the-art ecological and environmental activities.  

2006 Research:

• Monitoring Amphibian and Reptile Populations on the INL
• Annotated Checklist of the Ants on the Idaho National Laboratory
• Ecology, Conservation of Rattlesnakes in Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystems:  Landscape Disturbance, Small Mammal Communities, and Great Basin Rattlesnake Reproduction
• The Protective Cap/Biobarrier Experiment
• Developing a Conservation Management Plan for the Idaho National Laboratory
• Cesium in Soils and Plants in the Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystem
• Minimizing Risk of Cheatgrass Invasion and Dominance at the Idaho National Laboratory
• Sagebrush Demography on the Idaho National Laboratory
• Long-Term Vegetation Trends on the Idaho National Laboratory

Past Research:

• Natural and Assisted Recovery of Sagebrush in Idaho's Big Desert
• Ecological Impacts of Irrigating Native Vegetation with Treated Sewage Wastewater
• Factors that Influence the Road Mortality of Snakes on the Eastern Snake River Plain
• Phylogenetic Analysis of the Abronia ammophila Green (Nyctaginaceae) Species Complex
• The Effect of Landscape Change on the Life History of Western Rattlesnakes
• Fine-scale Movement Patterns of Coyotes (Canis latrans) on the INEEL in Idaho.
• Monitoring Amphibian and Reptile Populations on the INL
• Alternative Container Design for Large Acreage Revegetation
• Use of Genetic Markers as a Screening Tool for Ecological Risk Assessment at the INL: Microsatellite Mutation Rate of Burrowing Mammals
• Crested Wheatgrass Rates of Spread into Native Sagebrush Steppe in Eastern Idaho
• Experimental Remote Sensing of Vegetation on the INL
• Development of an Integrated Watershed Information Management Tool for Long-term Facilities Stewardship at the INL
• Assessing the Effects of Soil-forming Processes on Surface Caps
• Coupled Effects of Biointrusion and Precipitation on Soil Caps