570 items found
Led By
Zachary Hooley-Underwood, CPW; Kevin Thompson, CPW - retired
Study Area
Gunnison River Basin
Project Status
Ongoing
Research Objectives
- Determine whether CPW biologists can effectively use exclusion devices such as weirs to prevent non-native and hybridized suckers from participating in native sucker spawning events in intermittent tributary streams.
Project Description
Flannelmouth Sucker (Catostomus latipinnis), Bluehead Sucker (Catostomus discobolus), and Roundtail Chub (Gila robusta) are often referred to as the “three species” because the typically coexist with each other, and have similar life cycles. Natives of the Colorado River basin, they each occupy only 45 – 55% of their historic native range in the upper Colorado River basin. All three have experienced declines due to habitat loss and invasions of non-native predatory and competitory fishes. In addition, Bluehead and Flannelmouth suckers are prone to hybridization with non-native sucker species (primarily white sucker and longnose sucker) that were unintentionally introduced to the Western Slope. The range and relative numbers of these non-native suckers have expanded in western Colorado over the last 30 years, in some areas dramatically. Continued hybridization and introgression could result in the eventual extinction of the native suckers.
Unlike native Cutthroat Trout or other coldwater species, these native suckers rely on big rivers and low elevation tributaries for much of the year. Therefore, CPW can’t effectively conserve the genetics of these species by creating isolated populations of these suckers above barriers in small streams as they do with Cutthroat Trout. Instead, CPW initiated a study to investigate the effects of excluding non-native suckers and their hybrids from an important spawning tributary of the Gunnison River. CPW conducted a three-year study of excluding non-native and hybridized suckers from the spawning run using a picket weir and fish trap to answer this question, comparing the selected stream to another in which no fish control was attempted. To test the effectiveness of the exclusion, larval suckers were collected in both streams, and were genetically analyzed to identify the species, or hybrid composition, of each larvae. We found that picket weirs cannot always accommodate the volume of water and debris associated with spring runoff in the streams these fish spawn in, and unfortunately, there were periods of time when the weir was compromised during each year of the study. This resulted in the entry of at least some non-native suckers every year, and many of the resulting larvae had non-native genetics. Additionally, we found that the ratio of non-native to native larvae was much higher than the ratio of non-native to native adults in the exclusion stream, but these ratios matched up in the unmanipulated stream. The unmanipulated stream hosted a greater proportion of just the two native sucker species compared to the manipulated stream. This finding was concerning as it indicated that a few non-natives participating in the spawning run can have a large, disproportional effect on the population.
A new study is underway to use a better weir design – a resistance board weir – in a larger stream to exclude greater numbers of White Suckers and hybrids. Resistance board weirs can be more easily kept clean, and if overwhelmed they submerge, allowing debris to pass over. The new weir was deployed in March 2020, but precautions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an early termination of the work. The study resumed in 2021 and was replicated in 2022. The weir was operated during the full spawning period in 2021, and we expect that non-native suckers were unable to gain entry to the stream that year. A heavy snowpack and cool spring followed by a week of rapid warming in 2022 resulted in far-above-average flows in the creek that overwhelmed the abilities of the weir. Non-native suckers were able to access the creek for approximately half of the spawning season. Larvae collected in 2019-2023 will be genetically analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the weir.
If this study determines that non-natives can be successfully repressed to the advantage of native suckers, progeny produced in a manipulated stream would result in more pure fish in the Gunnison River. While this approach would not result in the disappearance of non-native suckers from the entire Gunnison basin, it may provide an avenue toward ensuring that the native species persist in the Gunnison Basin. If successful, this strategy could be implemented in other river basins on appropriate tributaries as well.
Video (1:55):Western Slope Native Suckers Leaving Spawning Grounds
These Colorado River basin native Bluehead Suckers and Flannelmouth Suckers are leaving a spawning tributary in the Roubideau Creek drainage near Delta, Colorado. This video was captured in late May 2016, and PIT tag antenna data indicate that this type of scene was common for about 4 days as the tremendous numbers of fish that had ascended the stream to spawn made their exit as the water began to drop and clear up.Video (12:09): The Native ThreeColorado Parks and Wildlife's aquatic research scientists have embarked on multiple projects to protect the three fish species native to the Upper Colorado River Basin (Flannelmouth Sucker, Bluehead Sucker and Roundtail Chub). This video, ‘The Native Three’ helps tell that story. Produced by Sean Ender, Peak to Creek Films, featuring Zachary Hooley-Underwood, CPW Aquatic Research Scientist.
[show more]Conservation planning
Wolf reintroduction
Adaptive management
Conservation planning
Wolf reintroduction
Adaptive management
Kokanee
Colorado
Habitat management
Kokanee
Colorado
Habitat management
<em>Bythotrephes longimanus</em> (Spiny)
<em>Ceropagis pengoi</em> (Fishhook)
<em>Daphnia lumholtzi</em>
Invasive species
<em>Bythotrephes longimanus</em> (Spiny)
<em>Ceropagis pengoi</em> (Fishhook)
<em>Daphnia lumholtzi</em>
Invasive species
Led By
Study Area
Colorado, Gunnison and Rio Grande Rivers
Project Status
Complete
Research Objectives
- To investigate the influence of physical habitat conditions on the giant stonefly Pteronarcys californica density in Colorado rivers.
Project Description
Past studies show that giant stoneflies (also known as salmonflies or willow flies), serve as a primary food source for trout in Colorado rivers where they occur. They live as aquatic larvae in rivers for 3-4 years before emerging as winged adults in June to mate and die. Their large and synchronous emergence produces some of the best fishing of the year and is eagerly anticipated by many anglers. The species' high densities and large size also make them important in the flow of energy and nutrients between aquatic and riparian systems. Although giant stoneflies can exist at extremely high numbers in certain locations, the density and range of this species has decreased in some places most likely in association with changes in stream flows and physical aquatic habitat.
CPW completed a project to determine the influence of physical stream habitat on giant stonefly density in an effort to identify limiting factors and reasons for the species' decline. To do so, CPW researchers estimated stonefly density at 16 sites on three rivers; the Gunnison, the Colorado, and the Rio Grande and measured habitat variables at each site.
The results of this study indicated that percent fine sediment, cobble embeddedness and average cobble size were the best predictors of stonefly density. Fine sediment is defined as sand, silt and clay particles less than 2 mm in diameter. As fine sediment levels increased, stonefly density decreased. The D50 is the median cobble size and as it increased so did stonefly density. Embeddedness is the extent that cobbles are submerged or buried by silt, stonefly densities were higher in areas with low embeddedness. Fine sediment was the single best predictor of the habitat variables and it explained 45% of the variability in stonefly density while a model with all of the top three variables explained about half of overall variability (50%), so further research is necessary to identify other environmental factors that could be influencing stonefly density. To support an average density of stoneflies (compared to sites in these three Colorado Rivers), a site would have approximately 5.1% fine sediment in the riffles while maximum stonefly densities could be expected with sites that have 0-2.5% fine sediment.
The results of this study indicate that giant stoneflies prefer riffle habitat with low fine sediment, larger sized cobble and low levels of cobble embeddedness. This information will be used to inform management and restoration activities, as well as to identify sites for giant stonefly re-introductions. By maintaining and restoring giant stonefly populations, wildlife managers can protect an important part of native aquatic ecosystems and improve river fisheries for Colorado's anglers.
[show more]Jake IvanSenior Wildlife Research Scientist, Species of Conservation Concern
Current or Recent Research Projects
- Snowshoe Hare Response to Silvicultural Treatments
- href="https://cpw.cvlcollections.org/items/show/640">Monitoring Canada Lynx in Colorado
- Mammal and Breeding Bird Response to Bark Beetle Outbreaks
Areas of Interest and Expertise
My research focuses on estimating wildlife population parameters and forest carnivore ecology, conservation and monitoring.
Streaming Videos
- Catching pine
- Lynx: shadows of the forest
- Snowshoe hare
- Snowshoe hare releases
- Snowshoe hare trapping, collaring and release
Select Publications
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Ivan, J. S. 2024. Canada Lynx (lynx Canadensis). Pages 129-152 in J. E. Cartron and J. K. Frey, Eds. Wild Carnivores of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press.
- Hooten, M. B., M. R. Schwob, D. S. Johnson and J. S. Ivan. 2024. Geostatistical capture-recapture models. Spatial Statistics 59:100817. doi.org/10.1016/j.spasta.2024.100817
- Squires, J. R., Olson, L. E., Ivan, J. S., McDonald, P. M., and Holbrook, J. D. 2024. Anthropogenically protected but naturally disturbed: a specialist carnivore at its southern range periphery. Biodiversity and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-024-02978-8
- Hooten, M. B., M. R. Schwob, D. S. Johnson, and J. S. Ivan. 2023. Multistage hierarchical capture-recapture models. Environmetrics 34:e2799. doi.org/10.1002/env.2799
- Ivan, J. S., E. S. Newkirk, and B. D. Gerber. 2023. Differential impacts of spruce beetle outbreaks on snowshoe hares and red squirrels in the southern Rocky Mountains. Forest Ecology and Management 544:121147. doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121147
- Squires, J. R., J. S. Ivan, K. E. Paolini, L. E. Olson, G. M. Jones, and J. D. Holbrook. 2022. Keystone structures maintain forest function for Canada lynx after large-scale spruce beetle outbreak. Environmental Research: Ecology 2:011001. https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-664X/ac8eb7
- Van Ee, J. J., J. S. Ivan, and M. B. Hooten. 2022. Community confounding in joint species distribution models. Scientific Reports 12:1–14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15694-6
- Kraberger, S., L. E. K. Serieys, C. Richet, N. M. Fountain-Jones, G. Baele, J. M. Bishop, M. Nehring, J. S. Ivan, E. S. Newkirk, J. R. Squires, M. C. Lund, S. P. D. Riley, C. C. Wilmers, P. D. van Helden, K. Van Doorslaer, M. Culver, S. VandeWoude, D. P. Martin, and A. Varsani. 2021. Complex evolutionary history of felid anelloviruses. Virology 562:176–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2021.07.013
- Olson, L. E., N. Bjornlie, G. Hanvey, J. D. Holbrook, J. S. Ivan, S. Jackson, B. Kertson, T. King, M. Lucid, D. Murray, R. Naney, J. Rohrer, A. Scully, D. Thornton, Z. Walker, and J. R. Squires. 2021. Improved prediction of Canada lynx distribution through regional model transferability and data efficiency. Ecology and Evolution 11:1667–1690. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7157
- Squires, J. R., J. D. Holbrook, L. E. Olson, J. S. Ivan, R. W. Ghormley, and R. L. Lawrence. 2020. A specialized forest carnivore navigates landscape-level disturbance: Canada lynx in spruce-beetle impacted forests. Forest Ecology and Management 475:118400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118400
- Tabak, M. A., M. S. Norouzzadeh, D. W. Wolfson, E. J. Newton, R. K. Boughton, J. S. Ivan, E. A. Odell, E. S. Newkirk, R. Y. Conrey, J. Stenglein, F. Iannarilli, J. Erb, R. K. Brook, A. J. Davis, J. Lewis, D. P. Walsh, J. C. Beasley, K. C. VerCauteren, J. Clune, and R. S. Miller. 2020. Improving the accessibility and transferability of machine learning algorithms for identification of animals in camera trap images: MLWIC2. Ecology and Evolution 10:10374-10383. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6692
- Latif, Q. S., J. S. Ivan, A. E. Seglund, D. L. Pavlacky, and R. L. Truex. 2020. Avian relationships with bark beetle outbreaks and underlying mechanisms in lodgepole pine and spruce-fir forests of Colorado. Forest Ecology and Management 464:118043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118043
- Lukacs, P. M., D. Evans Mack, R. Inman, J. A. Gude, J. S. Ivan, R. P. Lanka, J. C. Lewis, R. A. Long, R. Sallabanks, Z. Walker, S. Courville, S. Jackson, R. Kahn, M. K. Schwartz, S. C. Torbit, J. S. Waller, and K. Carroll. 2020. Wolverine occupancy, spatial distribution, and monitoring design. The Journal of Wildlife Management 84:841–851. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21856
- Zimova, M., A. P. Sirén, J. J. Nowak, A. M. Bryan, J. S. Ivan, T. L. Morelli, S. L. Suhrer, J. Whittington, and L. S. Mills. 2019. Local climate determines vulnerability to camouflage mismatch in snowshoe hares. Global Ecology and Biogeography 29:503–515. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13049
- Gigliotti, L. C., N. D. Berg, R. Boonstra, S. M. Cleveland, D. R. Diefenbach, E. M. Gese, J. S. Ivan, K. Kielland, C. J. Krebs, A. V. Kumar, L. S. Mills, J. N. Pauli, H. B. Underwood, E. C. Wilson, and M. J. Sheriff. 2019. Latitudinal variation in snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) body mass: a test of Bergmann’s rule. Canadian Journal of Zoology 98:88–95. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2019-0184
- Squires, J. R., L. E. Olson, E. K. Roberts, J. S. Ivan, and M. Hebblewhite. 2019. Winter recreation and Canada lynx: reducing conflict through niche partitioning. Ecosphere 10:e02876. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2876
- Ivan, J. S. 2019. Density estimation. Pages 20.1–20.19 in E. G. Cooch and G. C. White, editors. Program MARK - 'a gentle introduction'.
- Ayers, C. R., K. C. Hanson-Dorr, K. Stromborg, T. W. Arnold, J. S. Ivan, and B. S. Dorr. 2019. Survival, fidelity, and dispersal of double-crested cormorants on two Lake Michigan Islands. The Auk 136:1-10. https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/ukz040
- Magee, P. A., J. D. Coop, and J. S. Ivan. 2019. Thinning alters avian occupancy in piñon–juniper woodlands. The Condor 121:1-17. https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/duy008
- Tabak, M. A., M. S. Norouzzadeh, D. W. Wolfson, S. J. Sweeney, K. C. Vercauteren, N. P. Snow, J. M. Halseth, P. A. Di Salvo, J. S. Lewis, M. D. White, B. Teton, J. C. Beasley, P. E. Schlichting, R. K. Boughton, B. Wight, E. S. Newkirk, J. S. Ivan, E. A. Odell, R. K. Brook, P. M. Lukacs, A. K. Moeller, E. G. Mandeville, J. Clune, and R. S. Miller. 2018. Machine learning to classify animal species in camera trap images: applications in ecology. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 10:585–590. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13120
- Buderman, F. E., M. B. Hooten, M. W. Alldredge, E. M. Hanks, and J. S. Ivan. 2018. Time-varying predatory behavior is primary predictor of fine-scale movement of wildland-urban cougars. Movement Ecology 6:22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-018-0140-6
- Ivan, J. S., A. E. Seglund, R. L. Truex, and E. S. Newkirk. 2018. Mammalian responses to changed forest conditions resulting from bark beetle outbreaks in the southern Rocky Mountains. Ecosphere 9:e02369. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2369
- Olson, L. E., J. R. Squires, E. K. Roberts, J. S. Ivan, and M. Hebblewhite. 2018. Sharing the same slope: behavioral responses of a threatened mesocarnivore to motorized and nonmotorized winter recreation. Ecology and Evolution 8:8555-8572. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4382
- Olson, L. E., J. R. Squires, E. K. Roberts, A. D. Miller, J. S. Ivan, and M. Hebblewhite. 2017. Modeling large-scale winter recreation terrain selection with implications for recreation management and wildlife. Applied Geography 86:66-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2017.06.023
- Buderman, F. E., M. B. Hooten, J. S. Ivan, and T. M. Shenk. 2018. Large-scale movement behavior in a reintroduced predator population. Ecography 41:126-139. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ftr/10.1111/ecog.03030
- Baigas, P. E., J. R. Squires, L. E. Olsen, J. S. Ivan, and E. K. Roberts. 2017. Using environmental features to model highway crossing behavior of Canada lynx in the Southern Rocky Mountains. Landscape and Urban Planning 157:200-213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.06.007
- Hooten, M. B., F. E. Buderman, B. M. Brost, E. M. Hanks, and J. S. Ivan. 2016. Hierarchical animal movement models for population-level inference. Environmetrics 27:322-333. https://doi.org/10.1002/env.2402
- Ivan, J. S., and T. M. Shenk. 2016. Winter diet and hunting success of Canada lynx in Colorado. The Journal of Wildlife Management 80:1049-1058. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21101
- Ivan, J. S., and E. S. Newkirk. 2016. CPW Photo Warehouse: a custom database to facilitate archiving, identifying, summarizing, and managing photo data collected from camera traps. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 7:499-504. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12503
- Buderman, F. E., M. B. Hooten, J. S. Ivan, and T. M. Shenk. 2016. A functional model for characterizing long-distance movement behavior. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 7:264-273. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12465
- Ellis, M. M., J. S. Ivan, J. M. Tucker, and M. K. Schwartz. 2015. rSPACE: Spatially based power analysis for conservation and ecology. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 6:621-625. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12369
- Ivan, J. S., G. C. White, and T. M. Shenk. 2014. Density and demography of snowshoe hares in central Colorado. The Journal of Wildlife Management 78:580–594. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.695
- Gerber, B. D., J. S. Ivan, and K. P. Burnham. 2014. Estimating the abundance of rare and elusive carnivores from photographic-sampling data when the population size is very small. Population Ecology 56:463-470. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-014-0431-8
- Trainor, A. M., O. J. Schmitz, J. S. Ivan, and T. M. Shenk. 2014. Enhancing species distribution modeling by characterizing predator–prey interactions. Ecological Applications 24:204–216. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-0336.1
- Ellis, M. M., J. S. Ivan, and M. K. Schwartz. 2014. Spatially explicit power analyses for occupancy-based monitoring of wolverine in the U.S. Rocky Mountains. Conservation Biology 28:52–62. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12139
- Ivan J. S., G. C. White, and T. M. Shenk. 2013. Using simulation to compare methods for estimating density from capture-recapture data. Ecology 94:817–826. https://doi.org/10.1890/12-0102.1
- Ivan, J. S., G. C. White, and T. M. Shenk. 2013. Using auxiliary telemetry information to estimate animal density from capture-recapture data. Ecology 94:809–816. https://doi.org/10.1890/12-0101.1
- Stromborg, K. L., J. S. Ivan, J. K. Netto, and C. R. Courtney. 2012. Survivorship and mortality patterns of double-crested cormorants at Spider Island, Wisconsin, 1988–2006. Waterbirds 35:31–39. https://doi.org/10.1675/063.035.sp105
Education
- Ph.D., Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology — Colorado State University, 2011
- M.S., Wildlife Biology — University of Montana, 2000
- B.S., Wildlife Science — Purdue University, 1997
Current or Recent Positions
- Wildlife Researcher — Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2010–Present
- Refuge Biologist — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2003-2005
- Piping Plover Recovery Biologist — The Nature Conservancy, 2000-2003
Contact Information
317 W Prospect Rd, Fort Collins, CO 80526Email: target="_blank" rel="noopener">jesse.lepak@state.co.usPhone: 970-657-5820Education
- Ph.D., Natural Resources (Concentrations: Fisheries, Natural Resource Policy and Management, Cellular and Molecular Medicine) — Cornell University, 2008
- M.S., Natural Resources (Concentration: Fisheries) — Cornell University, 2004
- B.S., Biology, Zoology, Biological Aspects of Conservation — University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2001
Current or Recent Positions
- Aquatic Research Scientist – Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2023-Current
- Research Associate, Colorado State University Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2022-2023
- Aquatic Research Section Technician, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2021-2022
- Great Lakes Fisheries and Ecosystem Health Specialist, New York Sea Grant, 2017-2020
- Adjunct Biologist, Biodiversity Research Institute, 2016-present
- Aquatic Research Scientist – Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2010-2015
- Affiliate Faculty Member, Dept of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, 2011-2016
Areas of Interest/Expertise
I focus largely on the interactions between fish in lakes and reservoirs. I am primarily interested in sport fish and fisheries, but also consider native species within lake and reservoir systems. My areas of expertise include; contaminant cycling, bioenergetics, freshwater food webs, ecosystem dynamics, fish behavior and movement, fisheries management, fish immune systems and disease, aquatic nuisance species, aquaculture, biological control of invasive species, nutrient inputs and uptake, and sources of fish mortality. Combining these interests provides a better understanding of freshwater ecosystems to help protect, maintain, and enhance fisheries in Colorado.
Publications
In press: Lepak, J.M., Hansen, A.G., Johnson, B.M., Battige, K., Cristan, E.T., Farrell, C.J., Pate, W.M., Rogers, K.B., Treble, A.J., and Walsworth, T.E. Four decades of change: cyclical multi-trophic level responses to an introduced forage fish. Fisheries.
Lepak, J.M., Pate, W.M., Cadmus, P., Hansen, A.G., Gallaher, K.D., Silver, D.B. 2024. Response of an invasive aquatic crustacean to the fish toxicant rotenone. Lake and Reservoir Management 40(3):330-337
Hansen, A.G., J. M. Lepak, E. I. Gardunio, and T. Eyre. 2024. Evaluating harvest incentives for suppressing a socially-valued, but ecologically-detrimental, invasive fish predator. Fisheries Management and Ecology, 00, e12699.
Lepak, J. M., A. G. Hansen, E. T. Cristan, D. A. Williams, and W. M. Pate. 2023. Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) influence on walleye (Sander vitreus) recruitment decline: mtDNA evidence supporting the predation hypothesis. Journal of Fish Biology 103(6):1543-1548.
Lepak, J. M., B. M. Johnson, M. B. Hooten, B. A. Wolff, and A. G. Hansen. 2023. Predicting sport fish mercury contamination in heavily managed reservoirs: Implications for human and ecological health. PLoS ONE 18(8): e0285890.
Hansen, A.G., Miller, M.W., Cristan, E.T., Farrell, C.J., Winkle, P., Brandt, M., Battige, K., and Lepak, J.M. 2023. Gill net catchability of walleye (Sander vitreus): are provincial standards suitable for estimating adult density outside the region? Fisheries Research. 266: 106800.
Cristan, E. T., A. G. Hansen, and J. M. Lepak. 2022. Effects of ethanol preservation on larval and juvenile walleye and gizzard shad body size. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 42:874-881.
Hansen, A. G., E. T. Cristan, M. M. Moll, E. I. Gardunio, and J. M. Lepak. 2022. Factors influencing early growth of juvenile tiger trout stocked into subalpine lakes as biocontrol and to enhance recreational angling. Fishes 7:342.
Lepak, J. M., A. G. Hansen, M. B. Hooten, D. Brauch, and E. M. Vigil. 2022. Rapid proliferation of the parasitic copepod, Salmincola californiensis (Dana), on kokanee salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), in a large Colorado reservoir. Journal of Fish Diseases 45:89-98.Wolff, B.A., Johnson, B.M., and Lepak, J.M. 2017. Changes in sport fish mercury concentrations from food web shifts suggest partial decoupling from mercury loading in two Colorado reservoirs. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 72:167-177.
Kopack, C. J., E. D. Broder, E. R. Fetherman, J. M. Lepak, and L. M. Angeloni. 2016. The effect of a single prerelease exposure to conspecific alarm cue on poststocking survival in three strains of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Canadian Journal of Zoology 94(9):661-664.
Lepak, J.M., Hooten, M.B., Eagles-Smith, C.A., Tate, M.T., Lutz, M.A., Ackerman, J.T., Willacker, J.J. Jr., Evers, D.C., Wiener, J.G., Flanagan Pritz, C., and Davis, J. 2016. Assessing potential health risks to fish and humans using mercury concentrations in inland fish from across western Canada and the United States. Science of the Total Environment. 571:342-354.
Eagles-Smith, C.A., Ackerman, J.T., Willacker, J.J., Tate, M.T., Lutz, M.A., Fleck, J., Stewart, A.R., Wiener, J.G., Evers, D.C., Lepak, J.M., Davis, J., and Flanagan Pritz, C. 2016. Spatial and temporal patterns of mercury concentrations in freshwater fishes across the Western US and Canada. Science of the Total Environment. 568:1171-1184.
Eagles-Smith, C.A., Wiener, J.G., Eckley, C, Willacker, J.J., Evers, D.C., Marvin-DiPasquale, M., Obrist, D., Fleck, J., Aiken, G., Lepak, J.M., Jackson, A.K., Webster, J., Stewart, A.R., Davis, J., Alpers, C., and Ackerman, J.T. 2016. Mercury in western North America: a synthesis of environmental contamination, fluxes, bioaccumulation and risk to fish and wildlife. Science of the Total Environment. 568:1213-1226.
Jackson, A., Evers, D.C., Eagles-Smith, C.A., Ackerman, J.T., Willacker, J.J., Elliott, J.T., Lepak, J.M., VanderPol, S.S., and Bryan, C.E. 2016. Mercury risk to avian piscivores across the western United States and Canada. Science of the Total Environment. 568:685-696.
Willacker, J.J., Eagles-Smith, C.A., Lutz, M.A., Tate, M.T., Ackerman, J.T, and Lepak, J.M. 2016. The influence of reservoirs and their water management on fish mercury concentrations in Western North America. Science of the Total Environment. 568:739-748.
Vigil, E., Christianson, K., Lepak, J.M., and Williams, P. 2016. Temperature effects on hatching and viability of juvenile gill lice; Salmincola californiensis. Journal of Fish Diseases. 39:899-905.
Fetherman, E. R., J. M. Lepak, B. L. Brown, and D. J. Harris. 2015. Optimizing time of initiation for triploid walleye production using pressure shock treatment. North American Journal of Aquaculture 77:471-477.
Kopack, C. J., E. D. Broder, J. M. Lepak, E. R. Fetherman, and L. M. Angeloni. 2015. Behavioral responses of a highly domesticated, predator naïve rainbow trout to chemical cues of predation. Fisheries Research 169:1-7.
Johnson, B.M., Lepak, J.M., and Wolff, B.A. 2015. Effects of prey assemblage on mercury bioaccumulation in a piscivorous sport fish. Science of the Total Environment. 506-507:330-337.
Hargis, L.N., Lepak, J.M., Vigil, E.M., and Gunn, C. 2014. Prevalence and intensity of the parasitic copepod (Salmincola californiensis) on kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in a Colorado reservoir. The Southwestern Naturalist. 59:126-129.
Pate, W.M., Johnson, B.M., Lepak, J.M., and Brauch, D. 2014. Management for coexistence of Kokanee and trophy Lake Trout in a montane reservoir. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 34:908-922.
Lepak, J.M., Cathcart, C.N., and Stacy, W.L. 2014. Tiger muskellunge predation upon stocked sport fish intended for recreational fisheries. Lake and Reservoir Management. 30:250-257.
Fetherman, E.R., and Lepak, J.M. 2013. Addressing depletion failure and estimating gear efficiency using known population abundances. Fisheries Research. 147:284-289.
Lepak, J.M., Cathcart, C.N., and Hooten, M.B. 2012. Otolith weight as a predictor of age in kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) from four Colorado reservoirs. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 69:1569-1575.
Lepak, J.M., Hooten, M.B., and Johnson, B.M. 2012. The influence of external subsidies on diet, growth and Hg concentrations of freshwater sport fish: implications for fisheries management and the development of fish consumption advisories. Ecotoxicology. 21(7):1878-1888.
Stacy, W.L., and Lepak, J.M. 2012. Relative influence of prey mercury concentration, prey energy density and predator sex on sport fish mercury concentrations. Science of the Total Environment. 437:104-109.
Lepak, J.M., Fetherman, E.R., Pate, W.M., Craft, C.D. and Gardunio, E.I. 2012. An experimental approach to determine esocid prey preference in replicated pond systems. Lake and Reservoir Management. 28:224-231.
Lepak, J.M., Kinzli, K.D., Fetherman, E.R., Pate, W.M., Hansen, A.G., Gardunio, E.I., Cathcart, C.N., Stacy, W.L., Underwood, Z.E., Brandt, M.M., Myrick, C.M., and Johnson, B.M. 2012. Manipulation of growth to reduce sport fish mercury concentrations on a whole-lake scale. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 69(1):122-135.
Pate, W.M., Stacy, W.L., Gardunio, E.I., and Lepak, J.M. 2011. Collaborative research between current and future fisheries professionals: facilitating AFS subunit participation. Fisheries. 36(9):458-460.
[show more]Research Librarian
Current or Recent Research Projects
Maximizing access to CPW reports and other publications through cataloging, digitization, and collection management
Expanding access for CPW personnel to scholarly research resources
Areas of Interest and Expertise
In all the different libraries I've worked in, from elementary through academic, and now at CPW, a focus has been to help patrons access and use the best resources for their information need. Another area of interest is to continue to build and archive as complete a collection as possible of CPW publications, from the earliest days of the agency to the present.
Education
- M.S., Library and Information Science — University of Washington, 1994
- B.A., Spanish — University of Utah, 1984
Current or Recent Positions
- Research Librarian — Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2022-Present
- Ranch Manager - Ishawooa Mesa Ranch, 2010-2022
- Ranch Manager - Dayton Creek Family Ranch, 2006-2010
- Reference and Instruction Librarian - University of Idaho, 1998-2006
Pets
Human-wildlife ocnflict
Pets
Human-wildlife ocnflict

