BCNA GRANTS FOR RESEARCH
Funding research projects aligned with BCNA’s mission
The BCNA Grants for Research program, ongoing since 1985, supports small research projects that align with BCNA’s mission of preserving and restoring native ecosystems in Boulder County.
The goal of the funding is to enhance our understanding of the ecosystems of Boulder County. Focal areas may include, but are not limited to, examining the patterns, causes, and consequences of variation in biodiversity, conservation biology of species and communities, links between biological communities and ecosystem function, and evaluating changes in ecosystems associated with environmental changes such as climate change. Research findings should add to the knowledge base available to Boulder County decision-makers to both protect and enjoy our natural resources.
Current Research Projects Sponsored by BCNA
- Mate choice in barn swallows – influence of social interactions, nest distances, and proximity to other barns. Heather Kenny-Duddela, CU Boulder
- Social grouping in western tent caterpillars and its impact on response to climate. Samantha Rothberg, CU Boulder
- Floral Functional Traits – Key to Plant-Pollinator Interactions in Alpine Habitats. Petr Sklenář, Charles University Prague, Czech Republic
- Use of pika vocalizations to assess hybrid zones in Rocky Mountain National Park. Rachel Mae Billings, CU Boulder
A sample of research reports from past projects
2022 After Fire Butterfly Inventory at Geer Meadow & Heil Ranch (Chu & Stoner)
2022 Community Monitoring for Forest Health
2022 Investigating Mammal Activity and Use of Button Rock Preserve, Lyons, Colorado
2019: Roger’s Grove Park Banding Station
2019: Digging up Boulder’s Biodiversity: Buried Responses to Climate and Land Management
2019: Boulder County Butterflies
2018: Take it to the Ribbit: A Quest for the Northern Leopard Frog
2018: Putting stress to the test: Could feces be the key to conserving the American pika?
2016: Front Range Pika Project
2015: Butterflies along Three Trails: Showing Affects of the 2013 Flood On Boulder County Open Space Properties
2014: Front Range Pika Final Report
2010: Front Range Pika Project
2009: Post-Plague Re-colonization in Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs
2009: Spatial Heterogeneity of Nitrogen in Plant Invasion Project Progress Report
2008: Genetic Effects of Post-Plague Re-colonization in Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs
Publications supported in part by BCNA grants
Whipple AL, Ray C, Varner J, Kitchens JN, Hove AA, Wilkening JL. 2022. Stress-associated metabolites vary with both season and habitat across populations of a climate sentinel species. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research 54:603-623.
Kellner, Annie, Carver,S., Scorza, V., McKee, C.D., Lappin, M., Crooks, K.R., VandeWoude, S., and Antolin, M.F, (2018) Transmission pathways and spillover of an erythrocytic bacterial pathogen from domestic cats to wild felids. Ecology and Evolution 2018:8:9779-9792.