Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service

Wildlife Services

Miscellaneous Publication No. 1544

National

Wildlife

Research

Center

PROVIDING

INNOVATIVE

SOLUTIONS TO

HUMAN-WILDLIFE

CONFLICTS

Photo Credits: The image of black-footed ferrets is by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service. All other images in this brochure are by USDA employees.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Revised August 2018

For More Information

To learn more about the NWRC, contact us:

National Wildlife Research Center

USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services

4101 LaPorte Avenue

Fort Collins, CO 80521 • Phone: (970) 266–6000

Email: nwrc@usda.gov

www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlifedamage/nwrc

Directions to NWRC

I-25

287

Cheyenne WY

Denver CO

Hwy Hwy

Christman

Field LaPorte Ave.

Mulberry St.

Prospect St.

Harmony Rd.

College Ave.

Taft Hill Rd.

Overland Trail

NWRC

Atmospheric

Science

CSU Solar

Village

CIRA

National Wildlife

Research Center

4101 LaPorte Ave.

Fort Collins, CO 80521-2154

(970) 266-6000

14

1

44

State-of-the-Art Facilities

The NWRC headquarters and field stations have state-ofthe-art facilities for wildlife research: chemistry, genetics,

disease, and other laboratories; a wide range of outdoor

animal holding pens; tropical- and temperate-simulated

natural environments; and a biosafety-level 3 suite. These

facilities allow for the study of traditional laboratory

animals and many wildlife species in both laboratory and

semi-natural settings. Scientists can also test, evaluate,

and modify new tools and techniques in-house before

conducting field studies.

Our specially trained team of wildlife veterinarians and

animal care technicians care for all animals housed at

the NWRC headquarters and field stations. The NWRC

complies with all Animal Welfare Act regulations and

standards and is committed to treating and handling

research animals safely and humanely. We also apply

innovative techniques and approaches to reduce the

number of animals we use in our research.

Collaborations

NWRC scientists work closely with their colleagues in

Wildlife Services’ operational unit to develop and transfer

methods for managing or mitigating wildlife damage.

NWRC scientists also work with many other researchers,

History and Organization

The NWRC was established in 1940 as part of the U.S.

Bureau of Biological Survey (which later became the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). In 1986, the Center

transferred to USDA and today is part of the Wildlife

Services program, a unit within USDA’s Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The Wildlife Services

program provides leadership and expertise to resolve

wildlife conflicts that threaten public health and safety,

agriculture, property, and natural resources.

As the research arm of Wildlife Services, the NWRC

employs more than 150 scientists, technicians, and

support personnel at our 43-acre headquarters campus

in Fort Collins, CO, and at eight field stations around the

country. Our scientists are experts in a wide range of

fields, including:

partners, and stakeholders, including other Federal, State,

and local governments; Tribal nations; foreign governments;

industry groups; scientific and professional societies;

environmental and animal welfare organizations; U.S. animal

and public health laboratories; and the general public. To

further extend our research and training, the Center creates

formal and informal cooperative programs with universities,

State and Federal agencies, international organizations,

and stakeholders.

• analytical

chemistry

• animal behavior

• chemistry

• ecology

• economics

• epidemiology

• genetics

• immunology

• information

transfer

• molecular and

cellular biology

• pesticide

registration

• reproductive

physiology

• sensory biology

• statistics

• toxicology

• veterinary

medicine

• virology

• wildlife biology

• wildlife diseases

Wildlife Services supports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s collaborative work

to recover endangered black-footed ferrets by manufacturing and delivering an

oral vaccine bait that protects their main food source—prairie dogs—from deadly

sylvatic plague.

NWRC Field Station Locations

Fargo, ND

Fort Collins, CO

Logan, UT

Starkville, MS

Gainesville, FL

Sandusky, OH

Philadelphia, PA

Hilo, HI

NWRC Corvallis, OR develops methods

for reducing wildlife hazards

near airports.

sequencing, and the use

of environmental DNA, are

key tools in wildlife damage

management research.
The

National

Wildlife

Research

Center

(NWRC)

Native

and invasive

wildlife can

sometimes...

Damage

property

Collide

with

aircraft

Carry

and spread

disease

Feed on

crops and

aquaculture

Damage

native

ecosystems

Attack

livestock,

pets, and

people

Our Values

In our work to help America manage its wildlife resources

wisely and effectively, NWRC upholds these core values

and principles:

• Conducting high-quality research

• Considering stakeholder needs

• Maintaining excellent standards of animal welfare

• Providing information and technology transfer

• Collaborating with numerous and diverse partners

• Promoting personal and institutional integrity

• Valuing and investing in workforce diversity

• Developing and advancing the Center’s workforce

Identifying Problems, Finding Solutions

Wildlife is an important, highly valued public resource. Yet

by its very nature, wildlife is dynamic and mobile—and can

damage agricultural and environmental resources and

pose risks to human safety and health.

NWRC evaluates wildlife damage situations

and develops methods and tools to reduce

or eliminate damage and resolve conflicts.

Our scientists study native and invasive birds,

mammals, and other wildlife that cause

serious but localized damage problems. We

conduct research to make sure the methods

developed are biologically sound, effective,

safe, economical, and socially responsible.

The majority of the Center’s research budget is

devoted to nonlethal tools and techniques.

We collaborate with numerous universities, not-for-profit

research organizations, and other public and private research

entities. The NWRC has a broad, diverse research agenda

and multi-disciplinary approach that is uniquely suited to

offer scientific information and solutions to wildlife damage

problems. Our research is organized under four categories:

Agriculture and Resource Protection—Focuses on

reducing wildlife damage to crops, aquaculture, timber

resources, natural resources, livestock, and

property; examines the ecology,

behavior, and management

of birds and mammals;

and develops methods to

mitigate wildlife-aviation

strike hazards.

Invasive Species—

Develops methods for

reducing damage by invasive

vertebrate species to

agriculture, as well as native

wildlife and ecosystems.

Wildlife Disease—Explores ways to reduce the spread and

transmission of disease agents among wildlife, humans,

and domestic animals; develops disease diagnostic

methods; develops methods and strategies to monitor

wildlife pathogens and prevent and control wildlife diseases;

assesses risks to agriculture and human health and

safety; and coordinates wildlife disease surveillance and

monitoring activities.

Technology Development and Transfer—Develops new

products that help prevent or reduce wildlife damage;

promotes research outcomes so others can adopt them

for real-world use and public benefit; and moves new

technologies to the marketplace through patents, invention

licenses, and partnerships with the private sector.

The NWRC also has a number of support units, including

pesticide and drug registration, analytical chemistry,

biological testing, animal care, administration, information

transfer, archives, quality assurance, quality control, facility

management, and legislative and public affairs.

Current Research

The NWRC is known nationally and internationally for

excellence and leadership in resolving human-wildlife

conflicts. With the diverse expertise of our staff and

collaborators, NWRC assembles teams to find innovative,

cutting-edge solutions to wildlife damage issues. The

Center’s research covers a wide range of topics:

• Strategies to manage blackbird damage to U.S. crops

• Injectable and oral contraceptives for managing locally

overabundant wildlife

• New techniques to manage predation by wild animals

on endangered and threatened wildlife, as well as

domestic animals

• Techniques to reduce mammal damage to forests

• Integrated pest management strategies to reduce

rodent damage to crops and rangeland

• Tools and strategies to reduce bird predation at

aquaculture facilities

• Registration of chemicals and drugs for use as wildlife

damage management tools

• Taste and olfaction in selected wildlife species and

nonlethal chemical repellents for birds and mammals

• Techniques to reduce wildlife hazards to planes and

other aircraft

• Economic assessments of management tools and

techniques, as well as cost estimates for a variety of

wildlife damage issues

• Genetic techniques to learn more about animals, thei

abundance, behavior, movements, and evolution and

develop new pesticides that are species-specific, hum

and have low environmental burden

• Methods to manage invasive species, such as feral sw

that threaten native ecosystems and agricultural crop

• The ecology and transmission of diseases to livestock

wildlife, and people, along with techniques to keep

diseases from spreading

is one of the world’s leading

research facilities devoted

entirely to developing methods

for managing wildlife damage

effectively. As part of Wildlife

Services, a program within the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal

and Plant Health Inspection Service, the

Center’s work covers a broad range of

concerns: agricultural and property damage,

wildlife diseases, wildlife hazards to aviation,

invasive species, and threats to endangered

species. In all, we’re committed to finding

innovative solutions that create a balance

between people and wildlife and better

enable us to coexist.

NWRC is developing a new oral toxicant bait for 

with invasive feral swine while limiting hazard

nontarget species and the environm

NWRC supports the National Rabies Management Program by evaluating oral

rabies vaccine baits for wildlife species.

Nonlethal techniques, such as using livestock protection dogs to prevent

livestock predation, are a focus of NWRC’s predator research.