Circular 1452

Version 1.1, March 2019

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife

Research Units Program—

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

2018 Year in Review

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Units Program—2018 Year in Review

By John F. Organ, John D. Thompson, Dawn E. Childs, and Donald E. Dennerline

Circular 1452

Version 1.1, March 2019

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

DAVID BERNHARDT, Acting Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

James F. Reilly II, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2019

First release: 2019, online

Revised: March 29, 2019 (ver. 1.1), online and in print

Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the 

U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials 

as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.

Suggested citation:

Organ, J.F., Thompson, J.D., Childs, D.E., and Dennerline, D.E., 2019, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Units program—2018 year in review (ver. 1.1, March 29, 2019): U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1452, 52 p., 

https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1452.

ISSN 1067-084X (print)

ISSN 2330-5703 (online)

ISBN 978-1-4113-4287-3

For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living 

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visit https://store.usgs.gov.
iii

Contents

Chief’s Message.............................................................................................................................................1

Background.....................................................................................................................................................2

CRU Mission and Facts.................................................................................................................................4

Outdoor Recreation Economy Statistics....................................................................................................5

Training the Conservation Workforce—Education and Youth ...............................................................6

Outreach and Training...................................................................................................................................7

Leveraging Resources ..................................................................................................................................7

Budget and Staffing.......................................................................................................................................8

Science Themes.............................................................................................................................................9

Where Are They Now?................................................................................................................................46

Accolades .....................................................................................................................................................47

Professional Services .................................................................................................................................47

2018 North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference ...................................................48

National Cooperators’ Coalition Update ..................................................................................................48

List of Cooperators.......................................................................................................................................49

List of Species ..............................................................................................................................................51

The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (CRU) 

program had an interesting and challenging year in 2018. We 

made significant strategic advances on many fronts and had 

setbacks in others.

Our relationship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

the agency we belonged to from 1935 to the mid-1990s, was 

further reinforced through strategic efforts with the Service’s 

Science Applications senior staff. This is bearing fruit in terms 

of research collaborations and funding support. As part of a 

larger effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Ecosystems Mission Area and the Service’s endangered species 

program, we are also collaborating to address science needs 

for species in pre-listing status. Barry Grand, Unit Supervisor 

(South), has been instrumental in this effort.

Tom Edwards of the Utah Unit has met with representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Association 

of Fish and Wildlife Agencies to promote training of leaders 

and “hands dirty” biologists in species distribution modeling. 

The Association passed a unanimous resolution endorsing 

the training at their midyear meeting in March. Tom held a 

workshop at the annual meeting of the Association of Fish 

and Wildlife Agencies in September, and future workshops, 

supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will be held 

bringing State agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

biologists together to work on species of common concern.

Wyoming Unit Leader Matt Kauffman’s pioneering work 

in identifying and mapping big-game migration corridors has 

captured the attention of conservationists far and wide. In the 

spring, the Secretary of the Interior signed Secretarial Order 

No. 3362, “Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game 

Winter Range and Migration Corridors” directing efforts of 

several U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) bureaus to collaborate with States in identifying and protecting big-game 

corridors in 11 States. Matt has conducted several workshops 

that directly support the Secretarial order, and more are 

planned. Corridor mapping efforts supported by the USGS 

and the DOI, based in the States and coordinated by Matt, are 

unfolding. 

Unit Administrative Officer Shana Coulby and her staff 

hosted a training program for university support staff at USGS 

National Headquarters in March. Shana’s team did a superb 

job, and the camaraderie among all was evident.

Chief’s Message

We co-sponsored the third in a series of workshops at the 

North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in 

March on bridging the gap between science and management. 

The State Department requested that we coordinate a 

workshop that would bring CRU scientists and other U.S. representatives together with Brazilian, Colombian, and Peruvian 

scientists and decision makers to develop best practices to 

minimize environmental damage from infrastructure development in the Amazon and to collaborate on science needs. 

The workshop was held in Iquitos, Peru, in the heart of the 

Amazon during August.

Our cooperator community, represented by the National 

Cooperators Coalition, was very active in response to the President’s budget proposal that would have redirected funding for 

the CRU program to other priorities. Their efforts are reflected 

in the House and Senate marks on the fiscal year 2019 budget 

that not only restored funding, but recommended increases.

You will see in this report many other accomplishments 

of our individual scientists and students during 2018. It was an 

impressive and productive year! What you won’t see chronicled is the work of the CRU headquarters staff and University 

support staff. These folks are extraordinary in their dedication 

to working with cooperators and scientists to solve problems 

and ensure the important work gets accomplished with minimal interference. We are truly fortunate to have such skilled 

and dedicated folks in the trenches.

I was fortunate to visit several units during 2018. For me, 

this is the most enriching part of my duties. I get to see firsthand the work our scientists do, the incredible students being 

mentored, and meet our cooperators on their turf. 

As we look forward towards the horizon, 2019 looks 

brighter for the CRU program. Efforts by our cooperators to 

generate support for filling our vacancies are materializing. 

Our cadre of scientists is second to none, and the breadth and 

depth of our work are nothing short of impressive. Thanks to 

all who are part of this cooperative endeavor—conservation is 

the ultimate winner in our efforts!

John Organ
Background

In the 1930s, Ding Darling created the first Cooperative 

Research Unit because of limited information on wildlife 

management. The first unit formed a partnership of the 

State land-grant (agricultural) college and the State game 

agency to conduct research and to provide education 

about wildlife at the Iowa State College in Ames. Darling 

and the partners expected that the unit 

would develop wildlife biologists 

and conduct relevant research. The 

mission of the CRU program is the 

following: (1) to deliver actionable 

science to cooperating agencies 

and organizations, (2) to develop 

the workforce of the future through 

applied graduate education, and (3) 

to fulfill the training and technical 

assistance needs of cooperators.

2 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review
Background 3

WASHINGTON

OREGON

CALIFORNIA

ALASKA

NEVADA

NEW

MEXICO

ARIZONA

UTAH

COLORADO

WYOMING

MONTANA

TEXAS

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

OKLAHOMA

MINNESOTA

MISSOURI

LOUISIANA

FLORIDA

GEORGIA

NORTH

CAROLINA

SOUTH

DAKOTA

IDAHO

VIRGINIA

WEST

VIRGINIA

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

OHIO

ARKANSAS

IOWA

WISCONSIN ILLINOIS

MICHIGAN

INDIANA ALABAMA

MISSISSIPPI

MAINE

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

HAWAI'I

NORTH DAKOTA

SOUTH CAROLINA

1935: 

The first 

nine CRUs.
Mission

• Graduate education to develop the 

workforce

• Actionable research to meet 

cooperator science needs

• Technical assistance to 

cooperators on application and 

integration of new science

4 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

CRU Mission and Facts

CRU Facts

• 40 units in 38 States

• Research agenda: approved by the CRU Coordinating 

Committee including the U.S. Department of the Interior, 

the State fish and wildlife agency, the university, and the 

Wildlife Management Institute

• Each unit is staffed by 2–5 Federal research scientists 

employed by the USGS

CRU

Scientists

Are embedded 

in the graduate 

faculty of 

universities

Receive 

graduate faculty 

appointments

Are assigned 

office and lab 

space

Receive 

administrative 

support from the 

universities
In 2017, the outdoor recreation 

economy generated 

• $887 billion in consumer spending 

• 7.6 million American jobs

• $65.3 billion in Federal tax revenue

• $59.2 billion in State and local tax 

revenue

Source: Outdoor Industry Association

In 2016, consumer spending by hunters, anglers, and target 

shooters supported over 1.6 million jobs.

• 13.3 million hunters and 32 million target shooters added 

$55.4 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP), 

providing for 854,000 jobs.

• 45.8 million angers contributed $63.5 billion to the 

Nation’s GDP, supporting 802,000 jobs.

• $93.7 billion was spent on gear, motorboat fuel, 

licenses, travel, clothing, and more.

Source: Data on the Impacts of Fishing, Hunting, and Target Shooting in America 

Driving the U.S. Economy (Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation)

Outdoor Recreation Economy Statistics 5

Outdoor Recreation Economy Statistics

The dependence by management agencies on hunter 

and angler participation makes understanding what 

drives participation in outdoor recreation critical to 

conservation success.
Training the Conservation Workforce—Education and Youth

6 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Each year, more than 500 graduate students participate in natural resources education and training 

through the CRU program. Research directed by CRU 

scientists assists the next generation of professionals 

to emerge from our programs uniquely prepared to be 

effective members of the natural resource workforce. 

The cooperative nature of the CRU program provides 

this new workforce with a familiarity with the needs 

and policies of State and Federal science and management agencies. The success of this approach is evident 

in that CRU students have gone on to hold important 

leadership positions in nearly every State and Federal 

conservation agency.

State Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Universities

Wildlife Management Institute

U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

503

Graduate students in 

the CRU program

21

Ph.D. degrees

awarded in 2018

48

M.S. degrees

awarded in 2018

A new initiative, started 

in fiscal year 2017 as a pilot 

partnership program with the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

allows underrepresented CRU 

graduate and undergraduate 

students to conduct research 

on National Wildlife Refuges. 

Students may participate in 

research projects designed 

to provide science-based 

management decisions that 

integrate multiple objectives 

typical of the National Wildlife 

Refuge System, such as 

landscape connectivity, fish and 

wildlife health, human uses, and 

wildlife population management.
Leveraging Resources

The unique model of the CRU program allows each cooperator to receive much 

more from their individual contribution than could be achieved alone. Programwide, the 2–5 Federal research scientists stationed at host universities collectively 

garner $25 million to $40 million in State and Federal research funding each year. 

Non-Federal cooperative faculty annually bring in an additional $4.3 million in 

Federal funds through CRU Research Work Orders. Combined research funds at 

the CRUs support an average of about 1,100 students and university staff annually. Being located on some of the finest land-grant colleges and universities provides CRU researchers access to world class research and library facilities. Unit 

scientists and affiliated university faculty link the research mission of all cooperators with student training, thereby providing students with the applied expertise to 

enter the State and Federal workforce and become decision makers and managers. 

Base funding from the State agencies is leveraged by the other cooperators to 

ensure that State agencies have “local” access to state-of-the-art research capabilities and facilities to help meet their contemporary research needs.

Outreach and Training 7

$21.4M

in State and Federal

research funding in 2018

2–5

Federal research 

scientists per unit

Outreach and Training

375

Scientific publications

65

Courses taught

32

Invited seminars

735

Presentations

24

Workshops
8 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Budget and Staffing

Number of scientists

Funding, in millions of dollars

CRU budget, 

in millions of 

dollars

Full staffing level 

without 

vacancies

Staffing level at end 

of fiscal year

EXPLANATION

Fiscal year (October 1–September 30)

10

14

18

22

80

90

100

110

120

20052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018

Current (2018) Vacancies

WASHINGTON

OREGON

CALIFORNIA

ALASKA

NEVADA

NEW

MEXICO

ARIZONA

UTAH

COLORADO

WYOMING

MONTANA

TEXAS

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

OKLAHOMA

MINNESOTA

MISSOURI

LOUISIANA

FLORIDA

GEORGIA

SOUTH

CAROLINA

SOUTH

DAKOTA

IDAHO

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

NEW 

YORK

OHIO

ARKANSAS

IOWA

WISCONSIN

ILLINOIS

MICHIGAN INDIANA

ALABAMA

MISSISSIPPI

MAINE

NEW HAMPSHIRE

VERMONT

HAWAI'I

NORTH

DAKOTA

3

2

1

1

1

2

1

1

2

1

3

1

1

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

NORTH

CAROLINA

Vacancy

VIRGINIA

WEST

VIRGINIA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

The program’s 38 vacancies across the country were due to budget shortfalls.
Species Population, Habitat, and Harvest Management

Energy and Wildlife

Decision Science

Endangered Species

Invasive Species

Wildlife Health and Disease

Ecosystem Services

Ecological Flows

Landscape Ecology

Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Climate Science

Advanced Technologies

Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Science Themes 9

Science Themes

We lead research that provides science-based solutions for the management needs 

of cooperators; science that informs decision making. Featured in this section are a few 

selected examples that display the diversity of management-oriented research conducted 

for State and Federal cooperators, aligned within science and policy themes.
0 100 200 MILES

0 100 200 KILOMETERS

160° 155°

22°

21°

20°

19°

HAWAI'I

Hilo 0 500 1,000 MILES

0 500 1,000 KILOMETERS

130°

120°

150° 140°

180°

170° 160°

170°

65°

60°

55°

50°

ALASKA

Fairbanks

100

130° 120° 110° 1

40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

10 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Species Population, Habitat, and Harvest Management

The management of fish and wildlife populations for the benefit of current and future generations of all 

Americans is the foundation of this Nation’s conservation heritage. We assist our cooperators in their mission 

through a variety of actions, from the development and implementation of basic monitoring protocols to 

complex population modeling. These efforts serve to facilitate the conservation and restoration of rare and 

declining species and to sustainably manage harvests of game and furbearer species.

The Montana Wildlife Unit 

is—

• Collaborating with the 

Montana Department 

of Fish, Wildlife and 

Parks on a wolfmonitoring study.

• Deploying camera 

stations to quantify 

cougar abundance.

The Alaska Unit is—

• Assessing the availability and use of seasonal 

habitats by rainbow trout in the Susitna River 

Basin in Alaska.

• Investigating Chinook and coho salmon 

productivity on the Unalakleet River.

The Arizona Unit is—

• Exploring the role of 

riparian vegetation and 

instream habitat on fish 

communities in Arizona.

• Examining black-tailed 

prairie dog taxonomy and 

population connectivity of 

the ancestral populations 

in Arizona to the rest of its 

range.

• Collaborating with the 

Colorado Department 

of Natural Resources to 

assess behavior ecology 

and genomics for pumas 

on the Uncompahgre 

Plateau of Colorado.

The Montana Fishery Unit is—

• Evaluating the seasonal movements of rainbow trout, brown 

trout, and mountain whitefish in the Smith River, Montana.

• Partnering with Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and 

Parks on a water chemistry analysis study.

• Examining the reproductive behavior ecology of pallid 

sturgeon in the Missouri River above the Fort Peck Reservoir.
70°

80°

80°

90°

90°

0°

100°

40°

30°

Orono

Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 11

The Iowa Unit is—

• Leading research on amphibian 

occupancy and the effects of chemical 

exposure on habitat use of northern 

leopard frogs in Iowa Prairie Pothole 

wetlands.

• Using National Wetlands Inventory Data 

to model breeding populations of Canada 

geese in the Midwest.

• Collaborating with land managers to 

design a grassland bird and invertebrate 

response to restored plantings in 

northwestern Iowa.

The Virginia Unit is—

• Documenting patterns of larval 

darter abundance in the upper 

Roanoke River Basin.

• Partnering with the Virginia 

Department of Game and 

Inland Fisheries to explore 

white-tailed deer populations 

in relation to landscape and 

land-ownership characteristics.

The Kansas Unit is—

• Using acoustic telemetry to 

document the seasonal movement 

patterns of striped bass.

• Testing the selection of cover 

crops by pheasants relative to the 

availability of other cover-crop 

types on the landscape.

The Oklahoma Unit is—

• Evaluating prey consumption 

and body condition of sturgeon 

in the Missouri River.

• Evaluating the major factors 

driving long-term changes in 

northern bobwhite populations.

The Massachusetts Unit is—

• Examining regeneration of forest 

vegetation in response to browsing 

by moose and deer.

• Evaluating freshwater productivity 

and sampling approaches for 

juvenile river herring in freshwater 

lakes and ponds.

• Investigating the effects of winter 

lake drawdowns on fish and 

wildlife.

The Georgia Unit is—

• Partnering with the Georgia 

Department of Natural Resources 

to help formulate a trout 

management strategy.

• Researching whether rabbit 

hunting affects northern bobwhite 

populations.
0 100 200 MILES

0 100 200 KILOMETERS

160° 155°

22°

21°

20°

19°

HAWAI'I

Hilo 0 500 1,000 MILES

0 500 1,000 KILOMETERS

130°

120°

150° 140°

180°

170° 160°

170°

65°

60°

55°

50°

ALASKA

Fairbanks

100

130° 120° 110° 1

40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

12 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Species Population, Habitat, and Harvest Management—Continued

The South Dakota Unit is—

• Evaluating the effectiveness of alfalfa for nesting habitat and 

seedbed preparation as a new approach for managing grasslands that support ring-necked pheasant and waterfowl for 

hunters.

• Partnering with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, 

and Parks to evaluate growth potential and genetic diversity of 

yellow perch, an important sport fish.

• Evaluating the settling dynamics of breeding ducks in the U.S. 

Prairie Pothole Region.

• Researching the growth rates of brown trout in Spearfish 

Creek, South Dakota.

The Oregon Unit is—

• Examining Columbia River fish 

using passive integrated transponders (PITs) and active tags such 

as the Juvenile Salmonid Acoustic 

Telemetry System, important tools 

for evaluating juvenile passage and 

adult return.

• Evaluating survival of suckers in 

Upper Klamath Lake.

• Assessing the effects of recolonizing 

gray wolf populations on cougars in 

northeast Oregon.

The New Mexico Unit is—

• Assessing the response of lesser 

prairie-chickens to mesquite removal, 

prescribed fire, and grazing in the shinnery oak prairie ecoregion of eastern 

New Mexico.

• Examining seasonal movement patterns of band-tailed pigeons.

• Describing seasonal movement patterns of wintering sandhill cranes in the 

Middle Rio Grande Valley.

• Researching the population and density 

of mountain lions.

The Missouri Unit is—

• Conducting a special assessment of the status and risks 

to mussel concentrations in the Meramec River drainage 

basin.

• Determining electrofishing immobilization thresholds of 

smallmouth bass, blue catfish, and flathead catfish—

a critical step to develop a standardized sampling protocol.

• Developing stream temperature models for selected 

Missouri streams.
70°

80°

80°

90°

90°

0°

100°

40°

30°

Orono

Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 13

The Minnesota Unit is examining 

sandhill crane movement patterns 

by attaching Global Positioning 

System (GPS) transmitters to inform 

harvest management strategies.

The Pennsylvania Unit is collaborating 

with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to monitor deer fawn survival and 

mortality and the distribution of predators (black bear, coyote, and bobcat) 

across Pennsylvania.

The Vermont Unit is investigating the rates of moose mortality, 

productivity, and recruitment.

The Tennessee Unit is—

• Sampling catfish stocks in 

Tennessee reservoirs.

• Using genetic techniques 

to evaluate stocked 

Florida largemouth bass 

in the Chickamauga 

Reservoir fishery.

The Maine Unit is 

partnering with the Maine 

Department of Inland 

Fisheries and Wildlife to 

optimize commercial white 

sucker harvest.

The Colorado Unit is collaborating 

with scientists at Colorado Parks and 

Wildlife to understand the movement of 

lynx and cougar in Colorado.

The Mississippi Unit is—

• Developing live-well 

management procedures 

to improve the survival 

of largemouth bass.

• Developing new 

monitoring protocols 

for fisheries.
0 100 200 MILES

0 100 200 KILOMETERS

160° 155°

22°

21°

20°

19°

HAWAI'I

Hilo 0 500 1,000 MILES

0 500 1,000 KILOMETERS

130°

120°

150° 140°

180°

170° 160°

170°

65°

60°

55°

50°

ALASKA

Fairbanks

100

130° 120° 110° 1

40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

14 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Species Population, Habitat, and Harvest Management—Continued

The Utah Unit is leading research on the 

importance of the Logan River Blue Ribbon 

trout fishery by synthesizing nearly 15 years 

of data into an integrated population model 

to empower the Utah Division of Wildlife 

Resources to evaluate management options 

and predict the potential impact of a dam and 

reservoir on the Temple Fork tributary.

The California Unit is—

• Detecting coho salmon 

using environmental DNA 

(eDNA).

• Examining how oysters 

influence benthic 

invertebrate communities in 

Humboldt Bay, California.

• Collaborating with the 

California Department of 

Fish and Wildlife to conduct 

sampling of streams defined 

in the Coastal California 

Salmonid Monitoring Plan.

The Idaho Unit is—

• Using the National Gap Analysis 

Program (GAP) species distribution 

models for marsh birds to identify 

important threats and map variation 

in habitat across the species’ range.

• Developing range-wide habitat models for predicting habitat suitability 

of marsh birds throughout Idaho.

• Tracking life history characteristics, distribution, and habitat use of 

westslope cutthroat trout in the St. 

Maries River Basin.

The Texas Unit is—

• Evaluating the effects of 

drought and anthropogenic 

influences on the growth 

of stream fishes on the 

Edwards Plateau.

• Estimating the survival and 

connectivity of midcontinental snowy plovers at 

interior nesting locations 

in Kansas, New Mexico, 

Oklahoma, and Texas.
70°

80°

80°

90°

90°

0°

100°

40°

30°

Orono

Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

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100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 15

The New York Unit is—

• Using capture-recapture techniques to estimate fisher density across the 

southern tier of New York.

• Conducting a Great Lakes cisco spawning habitat assessment.

• Integrating citizen science to monitor and estimate black bear populations 

in New York.

• Developing models to evaluate the population status of select carnivore 

species.

• Investigating the declines in the moose population in New York.

The North Carolina Unit 

is—

• Sampling American eels 

in the Roanoke River.

• Investigating factors 

influencing native 

aquatic plants to enhance 

sport fish habitat in 

North Carolina Piedmont 

reservoirs.

• Documenting stocked 

trout survival, behavior, 

and ecology in North 

Carolina streams.

The South Carolina Unit is—

• Modeling bat habitat use across 

Big South Fork National River and 

Recreational Area.

• Assessing species composition, 

distribution, and abundance of 

seabirds in the Gulf of Mexico, 

satisfying a portion of the Gulf of 

Mexico Marine Assessment Program 

for Protected Species (GoMMAPS).

• Modeling winter habitat use of 

whooping cranes in the eastern 

migratory population.
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Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

16 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Species of Greatest Conservation Need

To obtain funding under the State Wildlife Grants Program, States are mandated by Congress to develop a 

State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). SWAPs contain a list of species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) 

and identify the information needs, threats, and conservation actions pertinent to them. CRU scientists 

work with state cooperators to develop the science needed to inform conservation actions. 

The Wyoming Unit is—

• Researching the distribution, abundance, 

habitat, and disease of the Columbia spotted 

frog in Wyoming.

• Investigating black rosy-finch distribution, 

abundance, and habitat selection during the 

breeding season. 

• Leading research on bird responses to 

restoration in sagebrush-steppe ecosystems in 

Grand Teton National Park.

The Colorado Unit is—

• Collaborating with Colorado Parks 

and Wildlife to evaluate spatial 

data for Gunnison sage-grouse.

• Assessing eagle nest survival and 

raptor species distribution.

The South Dakota Unit 

is assessing the status of 

reintroduced swift fox in 

southwestern South Dakota.

The Idaho Unit is—

• Evaluating the effects of spring cattle grazing on 

demographic traits and habitat characteristics of greater 

sage-grouse. 

• Identifying migratory routes and wintering grounds of 

burrowing owls on U.S. Department of Defense installations 

in the Western United States.

• Working with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to 

evaluate kokanee breeding groups in Idaho.
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Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

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100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 17

The Iowa Unit is using state-of-theart geographic information systems 

(GISs) to guide future habitat 

restoration efforts for Topeka shiner 

and plains topminnows.

The Louisiana Unit 

is evaluating the 

effects of flooding, 

nest predation, and 

other factors on nest 

success of waterbirds 

in Louisiana.

The Maine Unit is 

investigating the effects 

of forest management 

practices on forest bird 

communities in Maine.

The Minnesota Unit is 

evaluating movements of 

golden-winged warblers.

The Missouri Unit is developing 

models that identify factors 

affecting the capture probability of 

freshwater mussels in Missouri.

The West Virginia Unit is 

collaborating with State agencies in 

Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, 

and West Virginia to evaluate the 

response of cerulean warblers 

and associated species to forest 

management practices.

The Virginia Unit is 

leading research on the 

distribution, habitat use, 

and genetic status of 

eastern spotted skunk, a 

rare species throughout 

the Appalachians.
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Fairbanks

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Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

18 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Species of Greatest Conservation Need—Continued

The Arizona Unit is examining 

the relationship of riparian and 

instream habitat with presence 

of native and nonnative fishes.

The California Unit is—

• Evaluating the role of fishless headwater streams as donors to 

downstream food supplies for coastal cutthroat trout in the lower 

Klamath River.

• Testing the effectiveness of a supplemental feeding program to 

increase giant kangaroo 

rat populations.

• Leading research on 

Townsend’s big-eared 

bats and other bat 

species identified as 

species of greatest 

conservation need 

in the California 

Department of Fish and 

Wildlife 2015 SWAP.

The Alaska Unit is—

• Investigating the ecology of 

Smith’s longspurs in northern 

Alaska.

• Evaluating migration trends for 

king and common eiders and 

yellow-billed loons.

The Utah Unit is 

locating preferred 

spawning and rearing 

habitat of bluehead 

sucker in the Weber 

River, Utah.

The Washington Unit is—

• Testing drone-based sampling and collaborating 

with the State of Washington to understand 

the factors that influence site occupancy of 

common loon based on existing 

survey data as well as citizen 

science (eBird) data.

• Developing a juvenile salmonid 

health index at National 

Water-Quality Assessment 

Program sites.

The California Unit is—

• Evaluating the role of fishless headwater streams as donors to 

downstream food supplies for coastal cutthroat trout in the lower 

Klamath River.

• Testing the effectiveness of a supplemental feeding program to 

increase giant kangaroo 

rat populations.

• Leading research on 

Townsend’s big-eared 

bats and other bat 

species identified as 

species of greatest 

conservation need 

in the California 

Department of Fish and 

Wildlife 2015 SWAP.
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Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

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100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 19

The Massachusetts Unit is 

leading research on brook 

floater, a stream-dwelling 

freshwater mussel that has 

experienced large declines over 

the past 50 years and is at high 

risk of extinction.

The Tennessee Unit is 

evaluating the distribution 

of imperiled mussels in 

Tennessee waters.

The Arkansas Unit is—

• Exploring the effects of wetland management 

strategies on habitat use of fall migrating rails 

on managed wetlands.

• Examining the invasive species effects, 

population status, and population genetics of 

crayfish in the Ozark Highlands of Arkansas 

and Mississippi.

The Kansas Unit is providing 

baseline data on the health 

and the reproduction status 

of lesser scaup.

The Montana Fishery Unit is—

• Surveying pearl dace and the northern redbelly dace to help the 

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks identify and 

prioritize potential areas and 

opportunities for long-term 

conservation.

• Investigating landscape 

connectivity of Arctic 

grayling in the Big Hole 

River watershed in Montana.

The North Carolina Unit is 

leading research on distribution 

and abundance of the Carolina madtom, a small catfish 

endemic to a restricted range in 

the Neuse and Tar River Basins 

of North Carolina.
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Fairbanks

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Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

W YOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

20 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Energy and Wildlife

Biologists and land managers need information on impacts of energy development 

on fish and wildlife species and risk analyses related to different options for energy 

infrastructure siting. CRU scientists work with cooperators to provide a science 

foundation for their decisions.

The Montana Wildlife Unit is leading research on amphibian exposure 

to sublethal stressors in wetlands 

affected by energy development in 

the Williston Basin of North Dakota 

and Montana.

The Wyoming Unit is—

• Examining the influence of energy development on 

nongame sagebrush birds.

• Leading research on the influence of energy 

development on mule deer migrations.

• Investigating the effects of energy development on 

Colorado River cutthroat trout, mountain sucker, 

mottled sculpin, and speckled dace.

The New Mexico Unit 

is—

• Examining the 

distribution of golden 

eagles in areas with 

high potential for wind 

energy development.

• Investigating 

impacts of energy 

development on lesser 

prairie-chicken.
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0°

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30°

Orono

Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 21

The West Virginia Unit is evaluating Louisiana waterthrush and avian 

response to shale gas development in 

the central Appalachian region.

The Kansas Unit is investigating 

the impacts of energy production, 

habitat selection, and population size on recruitment of lesser 

prairie-chicken in Colorado, 

Kansas, and Oklahoma.
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Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

W YOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

22 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Decision Science

Decision science is becoming an essential approach to enable transparent, 

quantifiable decisions in the face of uncertainty and contention, and to allow 

managers and scientists to learn through management actions.

The Idaho Unit is investigating 

the distribution and movement of 

wild and hatchery steelhead and 

the connection with angling across 

the State.

The Colorado Unit is using an adaptive management framework to inform 

migratory bird habitat conservation and 

harvest decisions.

The Alaska Unit is—

• Developing a landscape conservation approach in the northwest boreal and 

western Alaska regions in response to climate change. 

• Leading research on social-ecological resilience and response to climate 

change by integrating research on fire, landscape structure, ecosystem function, and social-ecological dynamics of rural Alaskan villages.

• Using a science-decision framework to engage land managers in identifying 

conservation and management objectives under a suite of climate scenarios.
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90°

0°

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Orono

Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 23

The Massachusetts Unit is—

• Testing a decision-support tool to 

examine fish species affected by 

dams.

• Using a structured decision-making 

process to address the conservation of 

headwater stream ecosystems.

The Missouri Unit is partnering with the 

Missouri Department of Conservation to 

develop a decision-support monitoring 

framework designed to maximize the 

probability of detecting species declines 

in key areas of Missouri that are the 

strongholds of mussel diversity.

The Mississippi Unit is 

working with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks 

to develop new standardized protocols to support statewide fisheries 

management activities.

The Alabama Unit is—

• Partnering with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural 

Resources to conduct long-term 

research to inform science-based 

management of eastern wild turkey 

populations.

• Using a structured decision-making 

framework to investigate viable options 

for the restoration of Dauphin Island.

• Developing a decision model for the 

management and recovery of grassland 

birds and other wildlife species.

The Louisiana Unit is—

• Collaborating with Deepwater Horizon 

oil spill trustees and State and Federal 

agencies to develop a framework that 

will enable the evaluation of restoration 

effectiveness to inform future management decisions.

• Collaborating with the Jean Lafitte 

National Historical Park and Preserve and other key stakeholders on a 

coastwide model to inform restoration 

options for over 50 acres of submerged 

aquatic vegetation in the park.
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Fairbanks

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Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

W YOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

24 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Endangered Species

Unit scientists work with Federal and State cooperators to provide answers to science 

questions that inform decision making in implementing the Endangered Species Act.

The Washington Unit is 

leading research on the 

diets of juvenile suckers 

in the Upper Klamath 

Basin using fatty-acidbased mixing models.

The Idaho Unit is—

• Assessing the importance of wetlands on over 600 U.S. Department 

of Defense (DOD) installations for 

wetland-dependent birds; the project 

will produce a first-of-its-kind inventory of the biological value of wetlands on DOD lands, detailed habitat 

models for each species, and baseline 

survey data of secretive marsh birds.

• Researching the effectiveness of 

forest restoration treatments on the 

demography of the Northern Idaho 

ground squirrel.

The California Unit is—

• Acquiring baseline data throughout the range of the giant 

kangaroo rat to formulate long-term management and 

recovery of the species. 

• Characterizing the foraging ecology of marbled murrelets 

in coastal waters adjacent to old-growth redwood forests. 

• Investigating coho salmon in Prairie Creek subbasin, recognized as being critically important for recovery of coho 

salmon and steelhead trout within Redwood Creek.

The Utah Unit is— 

• Leading research on how endangered 

fish species are monitored.

• Using passive integrated transponder 

tags on four federally listed fish (Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, 

humpback chub, and bonytail chub) 

in the Colorado River Basin.

• Developing species distribution 

models on 35 species in the UintaWasatch-Cache National Forest.

• Investigating rare plant species on 

Bureau of Land Management lands. 
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Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 25

The West Virginia 

Unit is examining 

the macrohabitat use 

and abundance of 

diamond darter in the 

lower Elk River.

The Maine Unit is—

• Using acoustic telemetry to 

estimate the survival of Atlantic 

salmon in the Penobscot River.

• Assessing the regional effects of 

acid and aluminum exposure on 

Atlantic salmon juveniles.

• Investigating sea lamprey biology and interaction with Atlantic 

salmon in Maine rivers.

The Iowa Unit is monitoring Topeka 

shiner in two streams in the Boone 

River watershed—White Fox Creek 

and Eagle Creek—two oxbows that 

support the only known remnants of 

the Topeka shiner distribution in the 

Boone River watershed.

The Tennessee Unit is 

leading research on the 

ecology of endangered 

and common mussels 

below a Green River 

Lake Dam.

The Wisconsin Fishery Unit 

is developing environmental 

DNA (eDNA) techniques for 

detection of purple cat’s paw 

pearlymussel and snuffbox.

The Georgia Unit is—

• Leading research on black rail ecology. The 

black rail is currently under review by the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 

for protection under the Endangered Species 

Act.

• Helping State agency resource managers in 

the northern recovery unit to identify uncertainties in loggerhead sea turtle demography.

• Working with State wildlife agencies and 

other partners, through the Southeastern 

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, to 

assess the status of over 300 species awaiting 

reviews for listing decision and to implement 

conservation for these species on public and 

private lands.
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Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

26 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Endangered Species—Continued

The Montana Wildlife Unit is—

• Using noninvasive collecting 

techniques and molecular genetics 

monitoring tools to develop a 

comprehensive understanding 

of greater sage-grouse genetic 

connectivity across Montana, 

North Dakota, South Dakota, and 

Wyoming.

• Acquiring data on the grizzly bear 

population status in the CabinetYaak ecosystem using noninvasive 

genetic sampling.

The Nebraska Unit is deploying 

ultrasonic acoustic detectors to 

identify when and where bats 

are moving in eastern Nebraska 

during spring and fall migration 

and summer residence.

The New Mexico Unit is—

• Investigating seasonal use of conservation 

reserve program habitat by the lesser prairiechicken in eastern New Mexico.

• Developing a screening tool to identify the 

presence of Asian tapeworm in imperiled 

native fish populations in the southwestern 

United States.

• Examining population dynamics and reintroduction characteristics of Mexican wolves 

in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area in 

Arizona and New Mexico.

The Montana Fishery Unit is—

• Assessing the density of pallid sturgeon and 

examining food web dynamics in the Missouri 

River.

• Investigating the environmental factors affecting 

egg quality and caviar yield in farmed sturgeon.

• Evaluating juvenile bull trout in the Thompson 

Falls reservoir.
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Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 27

The Kansas Unit is assessing 

aspects of livestock grazing and prescribed fire as 

management tools by quantifying vegetation structure, 

vegetation composition, and 

lesser prairie-chicken population response to grazing 

management and use of fire 

in Kansas.

The Massachusetts Unit is—

• Testing the feasibility of mussel propagation at the USFWS Richard Cronin Aquatic 

National Salmon Station.

• Monitoring the northern red-bellied cooter.

• Investigating alewife population dynamics in 

the Parker River.

• Sequencing the genome for Canada lynx 

to aid in the development of post de-listing 

monitoring and other conservation measures. 

The North Carolina Unit is—

• Assessing marsh rabbit 

and woodrat habitat use 

and feral cat population 

dynamics using 

photographic, video, and 

capture-recapture data.

• Examining the sicklefin 

redhorse priority habitats 

in regulated rivers in the 

southern Appalachian 

Mountains.

The Missouri Unit is collaborating 

with the Missouri Department of 

Conservation on the development 

of a decision-support monitoring 

framework designed to maximize the 

probability of detecting threatened or 

endangered freshwater mussels.

The Oklahoma Unit is—

• Assessing distribution of Yaqui 

catfish in the Rio Yaqui drainage—

the only shared basin between the 

United States and Mexico where 

Yaqui catfish occur.

• Developing a niche model to 

determine the distribution of 

longnose darter.

The Florida Unit is researching the composition, distribution, and ecology of sea 

turtles across the State.
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Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

W YOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

28 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Invasive Species

Invasive species of plants, animals, and microorganisms pose significant risks to native species, ecosystems, and the health of humans, fish, and wildlife. The economic, environmental, and health-related costs 

of invasive species exceed those of all other natural disasters combined. Biological invasions may affect 

the resilience of complex systems and can cause sudden and essentially irreversible changes.

The Idaho Unit is—

• Researching the population structure of 

invasive common carp and identifying 

the best techniques for removal.

• Sampling and evaluating the population 

dynamics of burbot in the Green River 

system.

The Utah Unit is investigating 

the most effective strategies 

for controlling common reed 

(Phragmites) and restoring 

migratory bird habitat at the Bear 

River Migratory Bird Refuge.

The Montana Fishery Unit is—

• Researching the effects of 

walleye and yellow perch on 

the trout fishery in Buffalo 

Bill Reservoir and the North 

Fork Shoshone River. 

• Evaluating viable suppression 

methods to induce mortality 

in lake trout embryos in lakes 

throughout the West.

• Identifying the threats of 

smallmouth bass on Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the 

Yellowstone River.

The Arizona Unit is—

• Leading research on habitat 

suitability criteria for nonnative fish in Arizona streams. 

• Investigating the relationship 

between native and nonnative 

fish in the Mogollon Rim area.

• Modeling the feasibility of 

integrated control of channel 

catfish, green sunfish, mosquitofish, red shiner, and other 

nonnative species.

The Texas Unit is 

evaluating the influence 

of environmental 

variables on growth of 

toxigenic golden algae.

The New Mexico Unit is investigating patterns of resource use 

for feral burro and coyote on 

the National Training Center, 

Fort Irwin, Calif.
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Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 29

The Wisconsin Fishery Unit is 

researching the effects of treatments to control Eurasian watermilfoil on fish and zooplankton 

in northern Wisconsin lakes.

The Missouri 

Unit is evaluating the effect of 

Asian carp species (grass carp, 

bighead carp, and 

silver carp) in the 

Great Lakes.

The West Virginia Unit 

is assessing the risks and 

nontarget impacts of insecticide (imidacloprid) treatments in riparian hemlock 

forests on water quality, 

benthic macroinvertebrates, 

and stream salamanders.

The North Carolina Unit is 

conducting a spatial capturerecapture survey to determine 

the status of the invasive Key 

Largo woodrat.

The Tennessee Unit is—

• Evaluating the food web 

between invasive silver carp and 

native fish and mussels in the 

Duck River, Tenn.

• Evaluating Asian carp abundance in the Cumberland and 

Tennessee Rivers.

The Florida Unit is—

• Evaluating the effectiveness of using an integrated 

outreach and trapping program to remove the tegu in 

Miami-Dade County.

• Integrating science and 

management for optimal 

prevention and control of 

aquatic invasive species in 

the Everglades.

• Assessing the impacts of 

Burmese pythons on gopher 

tortoises in Florida.
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Fairbanks

100

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40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

30 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Ecosystem Services

An ecosystem service is any positive benefit provided to society by fish, wildlife, or components of ecosystems 

through their functions. Public and private support for natural resource conservation can be fostered through 

increased awareness and understanding of the many benefits healthy ecosystems provide to society. Ecosystem 

services can be documented through nonmonetary or cultural values. Cultural ecosystem services are more difficult to quantify, but extremely important in understanding natural resource values to society.

The Alaska Unit is modeling landscape 

vulnerability to thermokarst disturbance 

and its implications for ecosystem services in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife 

Refuge, Alaska.

The New Mexico Unit is partnering with the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program and the 

National Gap Analysis Program to 

facilitate the use of GAP data and 

models for ecosystem services.

The Texas Unit is partnering with the Texas 

Parks and Wildlife 

Department to assess 

and monitor public 

river access leases.

The Hawaii Unit is—

• Assessing the functional 

equivalency of Hawaiian 

fishponds, an important cultural 

and economic resource for native 

Hawaiians, relative to natural 

estuaries for nearshore fisheries.

• Evaluating the impacts of 

changing nearshore environments 

on fish assemblage structure.

• Investigating the life-history and 

population structure of introduced 

predators on Hawaiian reefs.
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30°

Orono

Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 31

The Missouri Unit is examining 

the potential for conservation lands 

in the middle Mississippi River 

floodplains to mitigate flood flows 

for ecosystem services.

The Arkansas Unit is—

• Supporting the Pollinator 

Health Task Force initiatives by 

assessing pollinator diversity 

and abundance on National 

Wildlife Refuges and other 

private and public lands in the 

Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Arkansas.

• Surveying pollinator wetland 

communities to document species richness and diversity.

The Oklahoma Unit is incorporating 

an approach to aid river and reservoir 

fisheries in an altered landscape.
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Fairbanks

100

130° 120° 110° 1

40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

32 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Ecological Flows

The assessment and prescription of ecological flows require water resource managers and 

researchers to access and analyze several different types of data and select appropriate tools and 

approaches from a wide variety of established methodologies.

The Colorado Unit is collaborating with Colorado Parks 

and Wildlife and the City 

of Longmont to understand 

the habitat requirements of 

stonecat in an urban setting. 

The data will inform future 

urban stream management in 

tandem with managing for 

sensitive fishes.

The Oregon Unit is identifying physical and biological 

habitat needs of native fish 

species that will allow for 

improved habitat management and provide information to aid in protection of 

instream flows.

The Montana Fishery Unit is—

• Evaluating sediment and 

nutrient contributions from 

unpaved forest roads to 

headwater streams.

• Investigating the passage 

efficacy of Denil fishways 

placed in the Big Hole 

River watershed designed to 

improve migration corridors 

for Arctic grayling.

The Washington Unit is assessing marine 

biodiversity in the Elwha River nearshore 

using environmental DNA (eDNA).

The New Mexico Unit is—

• Leading research on the current and 

future distribution of native fishes in the 

Gila and Mimbres drainages.

• Investigating influences of changes in 

discharge and stream temperature on 

cutthroat trout in the Southwest.
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Orono

Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 33

The South Dakota Unit 

is leading research on 

the effects of water 

velocity and temperature on energy reserves 

of pallid sturgeon.

The Massachusetts Unit is examining the effects of surface-water 

supply reservoirs on streamflow.

The Louisiana Unit is—

• Monitoring water 

quality, habitat, and 

fish communities in 

the Atchafalaya River 

Basin.

• Examining hydrologic 

alternations in bottomland hardwood trees in 

the Mississippi Alluvial 

Valley.

The Missouri Unit is—

• Leading research on

fish community 

response to stream flow 

alterations in wadable 

Missouri streams.

• Investigating how 

reservoir releases affect 

habitat selection of 

river fish.

• Researching dissolved 

oxygen and river flow in 

the lower Osage River.

The Georgia Unit is leading research 

on the potential conservation benefits 

of forestry management best practices 

for sensitive aquatic species in the 

southeastern United States.

The Mississippi Unit is—

• Evaluating movement (river conditions, 

water-release flows) and seasons in 

the lower Mississippi River to identify 

strategies to aid in the recovery of the 

pallid sturgeon.

• Quantifying entrainment rates for pallid 

sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon and 

identifying flow management alternatives to reduce entrainment.
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Fairbanks

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130° 120° 110° 1

40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

34 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Wildlife Health and Disease

Wildlife diseases pose potential threats to the viability of wildlife populations and have 

potential implications to human health and our economy. CRU scientists work with 

cooperators to better understand the causes of these diseases, the impacts on wildlife 

and people, and means to control, contain, and eradicate them.

The Idaho Unit is—

• Leading research on the effects 

of sylvatic plague on northern 

Idaho ground squirrels.

• Examining how the 

introduction of nonnative 

species into an ecosystem can 

alter the dynamics of energy 

transfer and food webs or 

adversely affect native species 

via disease or competition.

The Colorado Unit is 

leading research on the 

survival of rainbow trout.

The New Mexico Unit is 

examining the impacts of coyotes on Fort Irwin, Calif., to 

develop a mitigation strategy 

that can be adopted by the 

base to minimize human-wildlife conflict and the spread of 

disease to humans and pets.

The Oregon Unit is—

• Evaluating survival of adult 

and juvenile bighorn sheep 

in the Mojave National Preserve in response to respiratory disease.

• Leading research on salmon 

disease in the Klamath River.

The Wyoming Unit is—

• Investigating the nutritional carrying capacity for bighorn sheep.

• Investigating elk movement and 

winter-range connectivity to predict the spread of brucellosis.

The Washington Unit is—

• Investigating destructive pathogens 

to Chinook salmon and impacts 

on other salmonids in the Pacific 

Northwest.

• Assessing the impact of 

environmental contaminants 

(endocrine disrupting compounds) 

on fish health.
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Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 35

The Wisconsin Wildlife Unit is—

• Leading research on white-tailed deer 

population dynamics in the wake of 

chronic wasting disease.

• Investigating how the fungus that 

causes white-nose syndrome in 

hibernating bats differs among groups 

of bats that are either resistant or 

susceptible to the disease.

• Partnering with the U.S. Department 

of Defense to evaluate the potential 

effects of climate change on plague 

exposure pathways in prairie dogs, 

ground squirrels, and other rodents.

The New York Unit is 

collaborating with the New 

York State Department of 

Environmental Conservation 

to examine moose density 

in New York in relation to 

density dependent diseases.

The Arkansas Unit is investigating the effects and sources 

of strontium in lesser scaup. The Pennsylvania Unit is—

• Investigating the role of groundwater as 

a point source of emerging contaminants 

to smallmouth bass in the Susquehanna 

River Basin.

• Determining how breeding amphibians 

respond to annual variation in weather 

and disease.

• Establishing a strategy for assessing risk 

of endocrine disrupting chemicals to 

aquatic and terrestrial organisms.

• Assessing population structure of whitetailed deer for surveillance of chronic 

wasting disease. The South Carolina Unit is 

evaluating the effect of whitenose syndrome on bats.
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Fairbanks

100

130° 120° 110° 1

40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

36 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Landscape Ecology

Landscape ecology is the study of the origin, structure, and dynamics of ecosystem components across broad geographic or watershed scales. It includes analysis of spatial and 

temporal information, effects of stressors, and how the information can be scaled to address 

specific management needs and support decision making.

The Nebraska Unit is monitoring 

amphibian occupancy, functional 

connectivity, and resilience of 

Rainwater Basin wetlands.

The New Mexico Unit is—

• Monitoring the responses of mule deer, 

elk, black bear, and mountain lion to 

forest restoration treatments associated 

with the Southwest Jemez Mountains 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project.

• Researching the influence of fire and 

forest restoration on spatial and temporal 

distribution of fish and aquatic invertebrate communities.

The Alaska Unit is—

• Evaluating moose spatial habitat use on the Kanuit 

National Wildlife Refuge.

• Applying an integrated ecosystem model to 

understand potential landscape, habitat, and 

ecosystem change in Alaska and northwest Canada.

• Assessing connectivity for landscape conservation 

design and adaptation planning.

• Assessing historical and projected changes in 

carbon storage in Alaska.

• Evaluating landscape changes associated with 

social-ecological systems on the Kenai Peninsula.
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Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 37

The Pennsylvania Unit is 

designing an ecology framework to better predict nutrient 

patterns for all continental 

U.S. lakes to inform global 

cycles of nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon, while also 

providing locally valuable 

information about conditions 

in unsampled lakes.

The North Carolina Unit is investigating applications in support of 

the National Gap Analysis Program 

to help natural resource managers 

develop better monitoring protocols.

The West Virginia Unit is—

• Monitoring how Corridor H, a four-lane 

highway under construction in eastern West 

Virginia, will influence stream health and 

stream sedimentation during the construction 

process. 

• Evaluating genetic- and landscape-level threat 

assessments of the candy darter.

• Partnering with the West Virginia Division of 

Natural Resources and the Wildlife Management Institute to examine methods for 

creating young forest habitat for birds and 

terrestrial salamanders.

The Wisconsin Wildlife Unit 

is—

• Investigating landscape-scale 

management of forest wildlife populations.

• Monitoring density and nest 

success of grassland birds in 

warm season conservation 

reserve program fields in 

southwestern Wisconsin.

The Maine Unit is—

• Developing models to predict a landscape’s ability to support a variety of 

forest bird species. 

• Organizing a team of ecologists and 

economists from multiple subdisciplines and institutions to explore 

the biophysical and socioeconomic 

components of vernal pools from a 

landscape perspective.
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Fairbanks

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Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

38 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Landscape Ecology—Continued

The Wyoming Unit is—

• Evaluating the threats that face the 

key documented migration corridors 

of big-game herds in Wyoming. 

• Using geospatial modeling to determine existing ungulate migration 

corridors and landscape connectivity 

throughout Wyoming.

The Utah Unit is—

• Investigating the effects of wildfire 

on fish populations and stream geomorphology in Twitchell Canyon.

• Developing species and habitat 

sampling and distribution modeling 

protocols on the Colorado plateau.

The Mississippi Unit is—

• Researching the 

establishment of agricultural 

plantings on mudflats to 

create suitable fish habitat.

• Inventorying and classifying 

oxbow lakes in the 

Mississippi Alluvial Valley.
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Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 39

The Vermont Unit is developing 

methods to implement wildlife 

monitoring projects that produce 

high-quality, high-resolution 

data for landscape-scale 

community monitoring.

The Massachusetts Unit is—

• Providing a synthesis of river herring 

and modeling the food web in the St. 

Croix River.

• Exploring how land-use patterns have 

influences American black bear and 

Peruvian Andean bear distributions.

The Georgia Unit is—

• Assessing field- and landscape-level 

effects of U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation 

Service (NRCS) conservation practices 

on gopher tortoise habitat. 

• Integrating metapopulation ecology 

and landscape ecology for improved 

population viability analysis and 

conservation decision making for the 

Chiricahua leopard frog.

The Missouri Unit is—

• Evaluating grassland restoration efforts 

on invertebrate communities.

• Researching science information needs 

for management of conservation lands 

on large tracts of Mississippi and 

Missouri River floodplains.
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ALASKA

Fairbanks

100

130° 120° 110° 1

40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

40 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Human dimensions of fish and wildlife conservation is the application of social science to 

management issues. Integration of human dimensions and ecological science allows for greater 

insights into management solutions and, ultimately, more durable decisions.

The Minnesota Unit is leading 

research on private landowner perceptions in the walk-in access program—

the information collected will provide 

a better understanding of the variables 

that best predict landowners’ decisions 

to enroll property in the program.

The Nebraska Unit is designing a 

comprehensive evaluation of the 

Nebraska outdoor enthusiast by 

researching hunting and fishing 

license purchasing patterns.

The Wyoming Unit is assessing 

how hunters change their use of 

the forest and where they choose to 

hunt elk throughout all stages of the 

beetle kill and tree fall.
70°

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90°

90°

0°

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Orono

Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 41

The Wisconsin Wildlife Unit 

is evaluating levels of participation, direct expenditures, 

indirect economic benefits, and 

expenditures of wildlife management in the United States.

The Virginia Unit is partnering 

with the Intermountain West Joint 

Venture to understand the perceptions, values, and interests of 

key stakeholders and associated 

incentives for cooperative conservation in wet meadow habitats in 

sage-steppe landscapes.

The New York Unit is examining opportunities for local-level 

stakeholder engagement in 

landscape conservation design.

The Massachusetts Unit is—

• Assessing the values, expectations, 

and satisfaction of hunters 

regarding white-tailed deer hunts in 

suburban eastern Massachusetts. 

• Assessing deer hunter attitudes and 

values related to use of non-lead 

ammunition for deer hunting on 

National Wildlife Refuges in the 

northeast.

The Georgia Unit is—

• Providing ecological 

information to leverage 

the needs of conservation 

planning and the values held 

by diverse stakeholders on 

Jekyll Island, S.C.

• Collaborating with the Georgia Department of Natural 

Resources to assess stakeholders’ expectations and 

preferences for trout fishing.

The South Dakota 

Unit is investigating 

human dimensions 

of habitat loss in the 

plains and Prairie 

Pothole Region.
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55°

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Fairbanks

100

130° 120° 110° 1

40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

42 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Climate Science

The effects of projected climate trends on fish and wildlife populations and habitats are a 

major concern of natural resource managers. CRU scientists work with cooperators to better 

understand potential implications and reduce uncertainty so that managers can better evaluate 

future scenarios and management options.

The Alaska Unit is—

• Evaluating the effects of climate on 

available forage for moose and caribou, as modified by snow cover and 

fire regimes.

• Investigating the effects of large-scale 

climate patterns on caribou.

• Developing an Alaska-based research 

framework for migratory waterfowl.

• Developing the Integrated Ecosystem 

Model that integrates disturbance, 

permafrost, hydrology, and vegetation 

in Alaska and northwest Canada.

The California Unit is 

assessing restoration efforts 

and climate change on the 

abundance of the Chinook 

salmon population in Redwood Creek, California.

The Colorado Unit is 

delineating population boundaries 

based on the movement and space use 

of animals to aid in 

the effective management of wildlife 

populations in the 

North Atlantic and 

Bering Sea.

The Montana Fishery Unit is 

investigating how changes in 

climate and other factors have 

influenced the distributions 

of native and nonnative fishes 

throughout time. This information is needed to help guide 

future restoration and management efforts in Yellowstone 

National Park.

The Oregon Unit is 

addressing the priority 

goals established in “Rising to the Urgent Challenge” developed by the 

USFWS to establish their 

strategic climate change 

plan to assist managers 

with the development of 

adaptation and planning 

strategies in coastal areas.

The Utah Unit is 

leading research 

on whole-lake 

warming in the 

Arctic to better understand 

the sensitivity of 

lakes to changing 

conditions.

The New Mexico Unit is—

• Assessing how drought affects 

cutthroat trout and wildlife 

species in the southwestern 

United States. 

• Evaluating adaptive capacity of 

desert bighorn sheep to climate 

change by identifying genetic 

links to climate adaptations 

in native and reintroduced 

populations.
70°

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80°

90°

90°

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40°

30°

Orono

Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 43

The Missouri Unit is—

• Developing measures of vulnerability 

to climate change and disturbance of 

aquatic communities in national parks 

within the Heartland Network.

• Quantifying the effects of changing 

climate conditions on wetland plant 

production in the playa wetlands.

• Engaging resource managers to identify 

science needs for long-term management 

of floodplain conservation lands. The Louisiana Unit is—

• Researching coastal wetland-dependent 

wildlife associated with sea level rise.

• Investigating the occurrence of submerged aquatic vegetation communities 

within the northern Gulf of Mexico.

• Exploring long-term accretion rates in 

managed and unmanaged coastal marshes 

in southwestern Louisiana.

The Kansas Unit is developing 

a human-landscape model that 

incorporates the linkages among 

atmospheric, terrestrial, aquatic, and 

social processes to predict the potential impact of climate variability, 

climate change, land use, and human 

activity on water resources.

The Vermont Unit 

is assessing the role 

of climate in forest 

ecosystem health and 

function through a 

combination of monitoring, experiments, 

and modeling. The 

researchers will focus 

on American black 

bear, moose, and 

white-tailed deer.

The Wisconsin Fishery 

Unit is exploring how 

climate affects inland 

recreational fisheries, 

an economically viable 

sport fishing industry.

The South Carolina Unit is exploring 

historical data from surveys in Kansas to 

better understand the effects of weather 

and land-use change on lesser prairiechickens, northern bobwhites, and ringnecked pheasants.
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60°

55°

50°

ALASKA

Fairbanks

100

130° 120° 110° 1

40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH D

SOUTH D

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBR

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

44 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Advanced Technologies

Advanced technologies include development and adaptation of new technologies and 

tools that increase effectiveness, efficiency, safety, accuracy, geographic extent, or timeliness of gathering data, dissemination, analysis, and interpretation of natural resource 

phenomena. It also includes development of new tools that assist natural resource managers in decision making and adaptive management.

The Arizona Unit is—

• Assessing modified electrofishing devices for surveying fish habitat in desert 

streams.

• Developing low-cost, highdefinition videography for 

documenting underwater 

plants and animals.

• Using high-definition 

videography to educate the 

public on cryptic desert 

fishes of southern Nevada 

and the Death Valley region.

• Developing a website and 

database that will accompany the book “Standard 

Methods for Sampling 

North American Freshwater 

Fishes.”

The Hawaii Unit is quantifying parrotfish grazing 

activity using computeraided image analysis.

The Oregon Unit is using 

remote cameras and acoustic recorders to monitor 

Leach’s storm-petrel.

The Utah Unit is using geospatial data layers and the 

internet to monitor wildlife 

habitat across Utah.

The Washington Unit is using 

satellite imagery to develop a 

new technique for documenting 

snow geese on Wrangel Island.
70°

80°

80°

90°

90°

0°

100°

40°

30°

Orono

Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

Auburn 

Clemson

Raleigh

Columbia

Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

ALABAMA

MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

0 100 200 300 500 KILOMETERS

100 200 300

400

Map image is the intellectual property of Esri and is used herein under 

license. Copyright © 2014 Esri and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Universal Transverse Mercator projection, zone 14

Blacksburg

Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 45

The Florida Unit is developing models that help determine key targets for water 

management in the Greater 

Everglades Ecosystem.

The Mississippi Unit is assessing 

the utility of the remote sensing platform and a multi-camera 

payload to provide visible, nearinfrared, and thermal data for 

USGS earth science missions.

The South Carolina Unit is 

collaborating with the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service to evaluate a new tool to 

monitor the effectiveness of 

and inform farm bill incentive 

programs related to avian species of conservation concern 

in South Carolina.

The Wisconsin Fishery Unit 

is using aerial survey data 

to develop spatially explicit 

distribution models for 

waterbirds on Lake Michigan.

The Minnesota Unit 

is exploring the use of 

acoustic monitors as a 

method to assess the 

effects of wind energy 

development on wildlife.
46 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Where Are They Now?

One of the greatest legacies of the CRU program is the 

placement of our students in natural resource agencies and 

organizations. Key to the concept of a unit brand is the notion 

that a hiring official will recognize added value in an applicant 

who received their graduate education in a CRU. The sheer 

volume of unit graduates that staff agencies and the proportion 

of those who are leaders is a tribute to the value of a CRU 

education.

A pillar of the CRU mission is to develop the workforce 

of the future through graduate education. This graphic shows 

where some of our recent graduates have settled into professional positions with State, Federal, university, and nongovernmental positions.

Unit University Nongovernmental,

private,other

State 

government

Federal 

Government

Alabama 4 3 5 0

Alaska 0 3 5 6

Arkansas 10 6 10 9

Arizona 6 4 2 7

California 3 8 3 0

Colorado 9 6 2 4

Georgia 1 0 1 0

Idaho 3 3 11 2

Iowa 4 7 4 1

Kansas 13 9 6 12

Louisiana 4 7 3 0

Maine 9 5 7 1

Massachusetts 6 10 12 3

Minnesota 5 5 3 4

Mississippi 5 7 19 3

Missouri 4 6 9 2

Montana-Fishery 2 2 8 5

Montana-Wildlife 4 4 2 1

Nebraska 12 17 13 2

New Mexico 2 1 11 3

New York 4 0 2 0

North Carolina 8 4 5 6

Oklahoma 6 3 6 6

Oregon 7 6 3 3

Pennsylvania 8 6 5 2

South Carolina 3 6 2 2

South Dakota 2 3 9 5

Tennessee-Fishery 3 1 8 2

Texas 3 14 5 2

Utah 3 5 6 3

Vermont 2 3 1 1

Virginia 7 4 1 1

Washington 4 3 4 3

West Virginia 5 4 4 8

Wisconsin-Fishery 0 1 5 7

Wisconsin-Wildlife 5 3 2 3

Wyoming 10 2 10 4

Total* 186 181 214 123

*Not all Units are listed. Data range from 2012 to 2018.
Professional Services 47

Accolades

Unit scientists and their students received approximately 

82 awards in 2018 from universities, agencies, and societies 

with recognition at the local, national, and international levels. 

Highlights include the following:

• Peter R. Stettenheim Service Award, American Ornithological Society

Anna Chalfoun, Wyoming Unit

• Outstanding Book Award, Texas Chapter of The Wildlife 

Society

Clint Boal, Texas Unit and

David Haukos, Kansas Unit

• Early Career Award, American Fisheries Society Genetics 

Section

Wes Larson, Wisconsin Fishery Unit

• Best Poster, University of Missouri

Craig Paukert and Corey Dunn, Missouri Unit

• American Fisheries Society Fellow, American Fisheries 

Society

Reynaldo Patiño, Texas Unit

2018

Professional Services

Unit scientists held approximately 427 professional 

service positions (scientific society officers, technical committees, working groups, panels, and so forth) and served in 

101 editorial positions in fiscal year 2018.

427

professional 

service 

positions

101

editorial 

positions

• Robert L. Kendall Best Paper in Transactions of the 

American Fisheries Society

Brian Irwin, Georgia Unit and 

Tyler Wagner, Pennsylvania Unit

• Edward D. Bellis Award, Pennsylvania State University 

Ecology Program

Tyler Wagner, Pennsylvania Unit

• Gold Chalk Award for Outstanding Mentoring and Teaching, University of Missouri

Craig Paukert, Missouri Unit

• Equal Opportunity Section Award, American Fisheries 

Society

Amanda Rosenberger, Tennessee Unit

Dr. Clint Boal and Dr. Blake Grisham at the 2018 Texas Chapter 

of The Wildlife Society meeting in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Boal 

was awarded the Outstanding Publication Award - Book for 

“Ecology and Conservation of Lesser Prairie-Chickens” along 

with Dr. David Haukos (not pictured).

Barry Grand (right), accepting a 30-year service award from 

John Organ.

Texas Tech University, Department of Natural Resources Management.
48 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

Building Resiliency Workshop

The CRU program co-sponsored a workshop at the 2018 

North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the 

American Fisheries Society, The Wildlife Society, and the 

Wildlife Management Institute titled “Bridging Science and 

Management: Building Resiliency to Ensure Relevance.” The 

workshop built upon the 2017 workshop, “Bridging Science 

and Management: Maintaining Relevancy Through Organization Transformation and Professional Development.”

The 2018 workshop was the third in a series of successful 

workshops that focused on the dynamic changes in social and 

environmental landscapes currently facing wildlife agencies 

and wildlife science, and how agencies can build resiliency 

to address these challenges. To be resilient, the institution of 

wildlife conservation must be willing to adapt progressively 

while retaining the core values and beliefs that characterize 

North American conservation. With many agencies and universities facing reduced capacities, embracing new challenges, 

maintaining core responsibilities, and striving to be in the forefront of science applications become a daunting challenge.

The CRU leadership team met with Dr. Benjamin Tuggle and 

his U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Science Applications 

leadership team in Kansas City, Missouri, during January 

2018 to strengthen this important collaboration with strategic 

initiatives designed to provide benefit to the Nation’s natural 

resources and the people who enjoy them.

The National Cooperators Coalition (NCC) comprises 

the non-Federal cooperators in the Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Units program. The NCC is chaired by 

John Kennedy, Deputy Director of the Wyoming Game and 

Fish Department, and is led by a Steering Committee with the 

following members: Jonathan Mawdsley (Association of Fish 

and Wildlife Agencies [AFWA]), Chad Bishop (University 

of Montana and National Association of University Fish and 

Wildlife Programs [NAUFWP]), Steve Williams (Wildlife 

Management Institute), Keith Norris (The Wildlife Society), 

and Lowell Baier (Boone and Crockett Club).

The NCC, under the leadership of Chairman Kennedy, 

focused its efforts in 2018 on gaining congressional support 

for full funding of the CRUs. Chairman Kennedy along with 

Lowell Baier engaged with key Congressional leaders during a 

spring visit to the Nation’s capital to raise awareness and build 

support for the CRUs. University leaders, through communications from NAUFWP and the Association for Public Land 

Grant Universities, have been encouraged to raise awareness 

among their State leaders of the need to fill vacant CRU positions in their States. The Boone and Crockett Club, through 

efforts of Lowell Baier, James Cummins, and David Anderson, 

has been instrumental in building support for the CRUs. The 

AFWA has worked diligently in encouraging the support of 

all State fish and wildlife agency directors to urge Congress to 

fully fund the CRUs. This coordinated effort by NCC can be 

beneficial in addressing the record number of vacant scientist 

positions that currently exist in the program. Their efforts were 

reflected in House and Senate marks on the fiscal year 2019 

budget that proposed increases for the CRU program.

2018 North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference

National Cooperators’ Coalition Update
List of Cooperators 49

The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program is proud

to serve its cooperators

ALABAMA

Auburn University 

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

ALASKA

University of Alaska Fairbanks 

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

ARIZONA

University of Arizona 

Arizona Game and Fish Department

ARKANSAS

University of Arkansas 

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

CALIFORNIA

Humboldt State University 

California Department of Fish and Wildlife

COLORADO

Colorado State University 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

FLORIDA

University of Florida 

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

GEORGIA 

University of Georgia 

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

HAWAIꞌI FISHERY UNIT

University of Hawaiꞌi 

Hawaiꞌi Department of Land and Natural Resources

IDAHO

University of Idaho 

Idaho Department of Fish and Game

IOWA

Iowa State University 

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

KANSAS

Kansas State University 

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

LOUISIANA

Louisiana State University 

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

MAINE

University of Maine 

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

MARYLAND

University of Maryland, Eastern Shore 

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

MASSACHUSETTS

University of Massachusetts 

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife 

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries

MINNESOTA

University of Minnesota 

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi State University 

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks

MISSOURI

University of Missouri Columbia 

Missouri Department of Conservation

MONTANA FISHERY UNIT

Montana State University 

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks

MONTANA WILDLIFE UNIT

University of Montana 

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks

NEBRASKA

University of Nebraska Lincoln 

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

NEW MEXICO

New Mexico State University 

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

NEW YORK 

Cornell University 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina State University 

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
50 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma State University 

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

OREGON

Oregon State University 

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania State University 

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission 

Pennsylvania Game Commission

SOUTH CAROLINA

Clemson University 

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

SOUTH DAKOTA

South Dakota State University 

South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks

TENNESSEE FISHERY UNIT

Tennessee Technological University 

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

TEXAS

Texas Tech University 

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

UTAH

Utah State University 

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

VERMONT

University of Vermont 

Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

VIRGINIA

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

WASHINGTON

University of Washington 

Washington State University

Washington State Department of Ecology 

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 

Washington State Department of Natural Resources

WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia University 

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources 

WISCONSIN FISHERY UNIT

University of Wisconsin Stevens Point 

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

WISCONSIN WILDLIFE UNIT

University of Wisconsin Madison 

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

WYOMING

University of Wyoming 

Wyoming Game and Fish Department
List of Species 51

List of Species

Common name Scientific name

alewife Alosa pseudoharengus

alfalfa Medicago sativa

American black bear Ursus americanus

American eel Anguilla rostrata

Arctic grayling Thymallus arcticus

Asian tapeworm Bothriocephalus acheilognathi

Atlantic salmon Salmo salar

band-tailed pigeon Patagioenas fasciata

bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis

bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis

black rail Laterallus jamaicensis

black rosy-finch Leucosticte atrata

black-footed ferret Mustela nigripes

black-tailed prairie dog Cynomys ludovicianus

blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus

bluehead sucker Catostomus discobolus

bobcat Lynx rufus

bonytail chub Gila elegans

brook floater (type of mussel) Alasmidonta varicosa

brown trout Salmo trutta

bull trout Salvelinus confluentus

burbot Lota lota

Burmese python Python bivittatus

burrowing owl Athene cunicularia

Canada goose Branta canadensis

Canada lynx Lynx canadensis

candy darter Etheostoma osburni

caribou Rangifer tarandus

Carolina madtom Noturus furiosus

catfish Siluriformes

cattle Bos taurus

cerulean warbler Setophaga cerulea

channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus

Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Chiricahua leopard frog Lithobates chiricahuensis

cisco Coregonus artedi

coastal cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii

coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch

Colorado pikeminnow Ptychocheilus lucius

Colorado River cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus

Columbia spotted frog Rana luteiventris

common carp Cyprinus carpio

common eider Somateria mollissima

common loon Gavia immer

cougar or mountain lion Puma concolor

Common name Scientific name

coyote Canis latrans

cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii

desert bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis nelsoni

diamond darter Crystallaria cincotta

eastern spotted skunk Spilogale putorius

eastern wild turkey Meleagris gallopavo silvestris

elk Cervus canadensis

Eurasian watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum

feral burro Equus asinus

feral cat Felis catus

fisher Pekania pennanti

flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris

giant kangaroo rat Dipodomys ingens

golden alga Prymnesium parvum

golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos

golden-winged warbler Vermivora chrysoptera

gopher tortoise Gopherus polyphemus

grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella

gray wolf Canis lupus

greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus

green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus

grizzly bear Ursus arctos

Gunnison sage-grouse Centrocercus minimus

humpback chub Gila cypha

river herring Alosa spp.

Key Largo woodrat Neotoma floridana smalli

king eider Somateria spectabilis

kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka

lake trout Salvelinus namaycush

largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides

Leach’s storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa

lesser prairie-chicken Tympanuchus pallidicinctus

lesser scaup Aythya affinis

loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta

longnose darter Percina nasuta

Louisiana waterthrush Parkesia motacilla

marbled murrelet Brachyramphus marmoratus

marsh rabbit Sylvilagus palustris

Mexican wolf Canis lupus baileyi

moose Alces alces

mosquitofish Gambusia affinis

mottled sculpin Cottus bairdii

mountain sucker Catostomus platyrhynchus

mountain whitefish Prosopium williamsoni

mule deer Odocoileus hemionus
52 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review

List of Species—Continued

Common name Scientific name

northern bobwhite Colinus virginianus

northern Idaho ground squirrel Urocitellus brunneus brunneus

northern leopard frog Lithobates pipiens

northern red-bellied cooter Pseudemys rubriventris

northern redbelly dace Chrosomus eos

pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus

pearl dace Margariscus margarita

ring-necked pheasant Phasianus colchicus

phragmites Phragmites australis

plains topminnow Fundulus sciadicus

prairie dog Cynomys spp.

pumas Puma concolor

purple cat’s paw pearlymussel Epioblasma obliquata obliquata

rainbow trout or steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss

razorback sucker Xyrauchen texanus

red shiner Cyprinella lutrensis

redwood Sequoia sempervirens

regal fritillary Speyeria idalia

sandhill crane Grus canadensis

sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus

shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus

sicklefin redhorse Moxostoma sp.

silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix

smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu

Smith’s longspur Calcarius pictus

snow goose Chen caerulescens

snowy plover Charadrius nivosus

snuffbox Epioblasma triquetra

speckled dace Rhinichthys osculus

stonecat Noturus flavus

striped bass Morone saxatilis

swift fox Vulpes velox

tegu Tupinambis spp.

Topeka shiner Notropis topeka

Townsend’s big-eared bat Corynorhinus townsendii

walleye Sander vitreus

westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi

white sucker Catostomus commersonii

white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus

whooping crane Grus americana

woodrat Neotoma floridana smalli

Yaqui catfish Ictalurus pricei

yellow perch Perca flavescens

yellow-billed loon Gavia adamsii

Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri

For more information, contact:

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Units Program

U.S. Geological Survey 

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive 

Reston, VA 20192 

Phone 703–648–4260

Fax 703-648-4269

http://www.coopunits.org/

Anne Kinsinger, Associate Director, Ecosystems

John Organ, Scientist Emeritus

John Thompson, Acting Chief

Mike Tome, Unit Supervisor, North

Kevin Whalen, Unit Supervisor, West

Barry Grand, Unit Supervisor, South

Shana Coulby, Administrative Officer

Don Dennerline, Senior Program Biologist

Dawn Childs, Information Specialist

Publishing support provided by the Reston and 

Pembroke Publishing Service Center

ISSN 1067-084X (print)

ISSN 2330-5703 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1452

Organ and others—Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2018 Year in Review—Circular 1452, ver. 1.1

Printed on recycled paper