Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—

2017 Year in Review

Circular 1438

Version 2.0, February 2018

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Units Program—2017 Year in Review

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

Circular 1438

Version 2.0, February 2018

U.S. Department of the Interior

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

RYAN K. ZINKE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

William H. Werkheiser, Deputy Director 

 exercising the authority of the Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia

First release: 2018

Revised: February 15, 2018 (ver. 2.0)

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

resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS.

For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, 

visit https://store.usgs.gov.

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., Dennerline, D.E., and Childs, D.E., 2018, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Units Program—2017 year in review (ver 2.0, February 15, 2018): U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1438, 68 p., 

https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1438.

ISSN 1067-084X (print) 

ISSN 2330-5703 (online)

ISBN 978-1-4113-4198-2
iii

Contents

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

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

Coop Unit Mission and Facts .......................................................................................................................4

Training the Conservation Workforce—Education and Youth ...............................................................5

Leveraging Resources ..................................................................................................................................6

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

Technical Assistance ....................................................................................................................................8

Current (2017) Vacancies............................................................................................................................10

Budget and Staffing.....................................................................................................................................10

Science Themes...........................................................................................................................................11

Where Are They Now?................................................................................................................................60

Accolades .....................................................................................................................................................61

Professional Services .................................................................................................................................62

2017 North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference ...................................................62

National Cooperators’ Coalition Update ..................................................................................................62

List of Cooperators.......................................................................................................................................63

List of Species ..............................................................................................................................................65

Photograph Credits......................................................................................................................................67

Chief’s Message

The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units 

Program was involved in a number of notable events during 2017, many concerning our personnel. Dr. Barry Grand 

left his position as Leader of the Alabama Cooperative Fish 

and Wildlife Research Unit to become the Cooperative Units 

Program Supervisor for the South, replacing Dr. Kevin Whalen who took over as Supervisor for the West. We welcomed 

Dr. Sarah Converse who left the Patuxent Wildlife Research 

Center to become Leader of the Washington Cooperative Fish 

and Wildlife Research Unit. Dr. Amanda Rosenberger joined 

the Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit as Assistant Leader, transferring from the Missouri Cooperative Unit. 

Dr. Scott Carleton left his position as Assistant Unit Leader in 

New Mexico to become Chief of the Region 2 Migratory Bird 

Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

We said farewell to many colleagues who retired. Their 

departure is bittersweet as we wish them health, happiness, 

and wellness in retirement. We will miss their companionship 

and the extraordinary contributions they have made to the 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program and 

conservation. Our retirees are:

Phil Bettoli, Tennessee

David Krementz, Arkansas

Chip Leslie, Oklahoma

Christine Moffitt, Idaho

Mike Samuel, Wisconsin

Hal Schramm, Mississippi

Carl Schreck, Oregon

Glenn Van Blaricom, 

Washington

Peggy Wilzbach, California

The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program has a record high number of vacant scientist positions 

due to a combination of retirements and base funding shortfalls. These issues are affecting our ability to meet cooperator 

needs. Yet, we remain highly productive. For example, this 

year we released a report (https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1427) 

containing abstracts of nearly 600 of our research projects, 

covering thematic areas ranging from advanced technologies 

to wildlife diseases. We provided highly competent, trained 

scientists and natural resource managers for our cooperators’ 

workforce. We delivered technical training and guidance to 

professional practitioners. We provided critical information to 

cooperators for decisions on species status assessments and 

management of species of greatest conservation need.

This year we had an active presence at major national 

meetings, including the North American Wildlife and Natural 

Resources Conference where we co-sponsored a workshop on 

continuing education as a means to bridge the gap between 

science and management. During the coming year, with support from the U.S. Geological Survey and our cooperators, 

we intend to reduce the number of vacancies in the program. 

It will take time and active support of our cooperators to get 

back to full strength, but I am committed to this goal and 

encouraged by the resolve of our partners. We look forward to 

an even more productive year in 2018!

John Organ
2 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Background

The shortage of wildlife biologists and the lack of 

information about wildlife management in the early 

1930s motivated Ding Darling to use personal funds 

to establish the first Cooperative Wildlife Research 

Unit in Iowa. The first Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units Program (Coop Unit) was a partnership between the State land-grant college and the 

State fish and wildlife agency to conduct research and 

provide wildlife education at Iowa State College in 

Ames. Darling subsequently expanded the partnership to include the Department of the Interior and the 

Wildlife Management Institute. From its inception in 

Iowa, the Coop Unit Program has grown to 40 Coop 

Units in 38 States and is now considered to be a 

national conservation institution.

Kansas Unit ribbon cutting.

Montana Wildlife Unit, John 

Craighead was Unit Leader 

from 1950 to 1977.

Left: Ding Darling, and 

right, cartoon by Ding Darling.

1935 Duck stamp.

North Carolina Unit 

Leader Mel Huish and 

students sample fish 

with an early model 

backpack electrofisher.

North Carolina Unit 

Leader Mel Huish and 

students.
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

ILLIN

OIS

MIC

HIGAN

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 Coop 

Units.
4 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Coop Unit Mission and Facts

Mission

• Develop the workforce of the future through 

applied graduate education

• Deliver actionable science to cooperating agencies and organizations

• Support the training and technical assistance 

needs of cooperators concerning the application 

and integration of new science

Outdoor Recreation Economy 

Statistics:

The outdoor recreation economy generates:

$887 billion in consumer spending 

annually

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)

Funds generated by sportsmen and women in 

support of the American system of conservation funding:

$823 million from hunting and recreational shooting-related excise taxes authorized by the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act

$686 million from fishing licenses

$624 million from fishing and boatingrelated excise taxes authorized by the DingellJohnson Sport Fish Restoration Act

$821 million from hunting licenses

More than $56.9 billion or 80 percent of 

the funding for State fish and wildlife agencies 

since 1939

(Source: Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation)

Cooperators:

State Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Universities

Wildlife Management Institute

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Geological Survey

Partnerships:

40 Coop Units in 38 States

Units receive support from and 

work closely with their respective 

State fish and wildlife agency

Coop Unit Facts:

• Each Coop Unit is staffed by Federal 

scientists employed by the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS)

• 2–5 Federal research scientists

• More than 1,100 students and university 

staff

• Coop Unit scientists

• receive graduate faculty appointments,

• are assigned office and laboratory space, 

and

• receive administrative support from the 

universities
Training the Conservation Workforce—Education and Youth 5

Training the Conservation Workforce—Education and Youth

Each year, nearly 550 graduate students participate in natural resources education and 

training through the Coop Unit Program. Research directed by Coop Unit 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 and applied nature of the program 

provides this new workforce the opportunity to become oriented and accustomed to the needs 

and policies of State and Federal natural resource agencies. The success of this approach is evident in that Coop Unit students have gone on to hold important leadership positions in nearly 

every State and Federal conservation agency.

Doris Duke conservation scholars

Coop Unit graduate students

525

Graduate students in 

the Coop Unit Program

25

Ph.D. degrees awarded

71

M.S. degrees awarded
6 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Leveraging Resources

The unique model of the Coop Unit Program 

allows each cooperator to receive more from their 

individual contribution than could be achieved 

alone. Program wide, the 2–5 Federal research 

scientists stationed at host universities collectively garner $25 million to $40 million in State, 

Federal, and private research funding each year. Non-Federal 

cooperative faculty annually bring in an additional $6 million

in Federal funds through Coop Unit Research Work Orders. 

Combined research funds support an average of about 

1,100 students and university staff annually. Being located at 

some of the finest land grant colleges and universities provides 

Coop Unit scientists access to world class research and library 

facilities. Coop Unit scientists and affiliated university faculty 

link the research mission of all cooperators with student 

training, thereby providing students with the opportunity to 

address the information needed by State and Federal decision 

makers and managers.

Base funding from the State agencies is leveraged by 

funding and support from the other cooperators to ensure State 

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

needs and have a continuous output of highly qualified graduate students for subsequent employment.

$29.4M

in State and Federal

research funding in 2017

2–5

Federal research 

scientists per Coop Unit
Outreach and Training 7

Outreach and Training

Coop Unit scientists routinely develop programs and applications that can be used by State 

and Federal natural resource managers to conduct data analyses to inform decision making. The 

Alabama Unit is providing professional assistance to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species 

Status Assessment Framework Implementation Team. The Arizona Unit is providing input to Devils 

Hole pupfish recovery to conserve this species and providing data to educators to support increased 

teaching of the concept of “carrying capacity” in core curriculum. The Iowa Unit is offering a 2-day 

continuing education course for the Iowa Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, “Database 

Concepts, Design and Application in Fisheries Management.” The Vermont Unit is developing an 

interactive web tool, BeeMapper, which displays land cover and predicted wild bee abundance 

across Maine. The Washington Unit is conducting research with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

to support its species status assessment for lesser prairie-chicken.

• The Arkansas Unit is providing technical assistance 

to the Arkansas Game and 

Fish Commission on the 

imperiled coldwater crayfish, a species of greatest 

conservation need.

• The Massachusetts Unit is 

assessing the effects of outreach efforts on local water 

conservation programs and 

policies.

• The New Mexico Unit is 

providing an effective outreach database that was used 

to inform interested publics 

on New Mexico’s wildlife 

conservation issues.

• The South Carolina Unit 

supports @Biotweeps, an 

ecology-focused Twitter 

account for science communication.

365

Scientific publications

56

Courses taught

981

Presentations

50

Invited seminars

23

Workshops
8 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Technical Assistance

Coop Unit scientists remain actively engaged in our 

mission to provide technical assistance to our cooperators by 

conducting workshops and training for our State and Federal 

partners through designated, instructor-led courses and special 

symposia at the National Conservation Training Center in 

Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Courses covered a variety of 

subjects, but recurrent topics included structured decision 

making, R programming and graphics, and Bayesian modeling 

approaches. 

• Quantitative ecology courses—Tom Edwards at the Utah 

Unit teaches graduate level classes in The Design and 

Analysis of Ecological Research, and Topics in Spatial 

Ecology. He also teaches two National Conservation Training Center courses, Species Distribution Models Using R, 

and Ensemble Modelling Approaches: Extending Species 

Distribution Models to Forecast Environments.

• American paddlefish sustainability in Tennessee—In the 

1990s, Tennessee exported paddlefish caviar internationally due to the collapse of the sturgeon caviar industry. 

Overfishing, illegal activity, and more demand caused the 

paddlefish population to drop dramatically. The Tennessee 

Fishery Unit outlined the problems and produced management actions that were adopted and helped ensure continued sustainable harvests of paddlefish.

• Bee abundance and the production of blueberries—

Maine is the world’s largest producer of blueberries. The 

Maine Unit assessed the effectiveness that wild native bees 

have on blueberry pollination against the managed honey 

bees. The Unit developed a web-available spatial crop pollination model (InVEST; The Natural Capital Project) that 

predicts bee abundance across the landscape.

• Maine fish populations—The construction of dams on 

major New England rivers in the 1800s and 1900s halted 

the migration of fish. This caused human, animal, and plant 

communities to disappear or decline because of the species 

dependence on the fish for food. The Maine Unit is working 

with Penobscot Nation, Federal, State, private, and industry 

partners to help fish populations recover from hundreds of 

years of discontinuity.

• Oyster reef restoration in Louisiana—The eastern oyster 

is an economically and ecologically important species, 

with more than 60 percent of its harvest coming from 

waters along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Global trends in 

shellfish resources indicate substantial declines, including a 

decline in the functional role of these reef-building organisms (eastern oyster). To support the restoration efforts, the 

Louisiana Unit has been studying the population dynamics of eastern oysters in coastal Louisiana to help refine 

restoration of the species and inform water management to 

benefit oyster production. This work has been incorporated 
Technical Assistance 9

into sustainable oyster production harvest models being 

developed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and 

Fisheries. The Coop Unit is also working on characterizing 

the ecosystem services provided by oyster reefs. 

• Unmanned aerial systems in Florida—The University 

of Florida Unmanned Aerial Systems Research Group, 

based at the Florida Unit, has one of the longest-running 

programs focused on the utility of unmanned aerial vehicles 

(UAVs) for wildlife research and conservation. Current 

aerial platforms include fixed wing, rotorcraft, and manned 

vehicle options for UAV no-fly zones. The Florida Unit 

is committed to evaluating the benefits of using UAVs to 

advance natural resource research and management while 

decreasing the risks to practitioners in the field and educating the public on the important and beneficial applications 

of this technology.

• Species of greatest conservation need in New York—

A model developed by the New York Unit was used to 

analyze assessment data on Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and categorize SGCN on the basis of 

available data concerning their status. SGCN are species 

that have experienced or are likely to experience population decline in the next 10 years and require conservation 

actions to stabilize their populations in New York. High 

Priority SGCN are species that are experiencing population declines or have specific threats that may put them 

in jeopardy and, thus, are in need of timely management 

intervention before their populations reach critical levels in 

New York.

• Oxbow lakes in Mississippi—In cooperation with the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Mississippi Unit has 

been surveying the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of oxbow lakes, focusing on fish communities. 

Information obtained by the Unit is shared with conservation organizations and groups with agricultural interests to 

develop regional plans for restoration and conservation of a 

resource considered by many to be a national treasure.
10 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Budget and Staffing

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0

5

10

15

20

25

1997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012

20132014201520162017

Number of scientists

Funding, in millions of dollars

Fiscal year (October 1–September 30)

Coop Unit staffing 

budget, in 

millions of 

dollars

Full staffing level 

without 

vacancies

Staffing level at end 

of fiscal year

EXPLANATION

Current (2017) 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

ILLIN

OIS

MICHIGAN INDIANA

ALABAMA

MISSISSIPPI

MAINE

NEW HAMPSHIRE

VERMONT

HAWAI'I

NORTH

DAKOTA

1

2

1

1

1

2

1

1

2

1

3

1

1

1

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
Science Themes 11

Science Themes

We lead research that can provide science solutions for the management needs of cooperators and inform decision making. Featured in this section are examples of the diversity of 

management-oriented research conducted with State and Federal cooperators. Many more 

examples are available from individual Coop Units. Featured here are examples of what this 

cooperative effort can yield.

Species Population, Habitat, and Harvest Management

Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Energy and Wildlife

Decision Science

Endangered Species

Invasive Species

Ecosystem Services

Ecological Flows

Wildlife Health and Disease

Landscape Ecology

Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Climate Science

Advanced Technologies
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° 100

40°

Logan

Tucson

Arcata

Moscow

Lubbock

Laramie

Bozeman

Las Cruces

Seattle

Fort Collins 

Corvallis

NORTH DA

SOUTH DA

WYOMING

MONTANA

NEBRA

T

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

12 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 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. Coop Unit scientists 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:

• Studying southern temperate songbirds to assess whether their long lives 

can be explained by reduced energy expenditure of parents compared 

with northern temperate species.

• Determining the distribution of elk during hunting seasons.

• Developing a framework for the dynamic, adaptive harvest management 

of wolves and designing a targeted monitoring program for wolves.

The Alaska Unit is:

• Examining population dynamics of and visitor 

effects on nesting oystercatchers. 

• Assessing the availability and use of seasonal 

habitats by rainbow trout and linking the habitat 

characteristics (physical habitat, water temperature, and flow) to fish location and movement. 

The Arizona Unit works 

with partners on refining 

standard fisheries sampling techniques in North 

America.

The Hawai'i Fishery Unit 

evaluates the relative effects 

of consumptive and nonconsumptive uses on coral 

reef health and reef fish 

populations.
70°

80°

80°

90°

90°

0°

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

AKOTA

AKOTA

ASKA

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 Iowa Unit is:

• Assessing the utility of wetlands 

to provide habitat and landscape 

connectivity to amphibians in the 

Des Moines Lobe by examining 

water quality, discerning the presence of amphibian disease, and 

estimating survival, reproduction, 

and stress levels in native frogs.

• Developing a model that uses 

National Wetlands Inventory data 

to predict Canada goose breeding 

densities.

• Using population models to determine age structure and population 

trends for river otters and bobcats.

The Virginia Unit is developing 

practical and efficient assessments 

that connect deer population goals 

to ecosystem effects.

The Kansas Unit is leading 

research on how movements of a 

top fish predator affect ecosystem 

structure and function.

The Oklahoma Unit 

is establishing a 

stream-sampling 

protocol that includes 

the collection of 

monitoring data to 

support environmental flow standards.

The Alabama 

Unit estimates 

white-tailed 

deer demographic rates 

by using 

time-lapse 

photography.

The Massachusetts Unit is:

• Using a Global Positioning System 

(GPS) to track and monitor bears 

in densely populated suburban, 

urban, and rural areas in central 

Massachusetts to inform population 

management. 

• Investigating the effects of dam 

removal on stream ecosystems. 

The Maine Unit is:

• Testing various sampling 

designs and methodologies to 

determine the best unbiased 

predictor of population size 

and trends over time.

• Conducting surveys of 

amphibians on coastal islands 

along the entire coast of Maine 

to enhance the limited amount 

of information about amphibian distributions on coastal 

islands.

• Characterizing the effects of 

dam removal over time. 

The Georgia Unit evaluates the 

abundance, age, size, and mortality rates for populations of spotted 

and largemouth bass in three 

Georgia reservoirs: Lake Lanier, 

Lake Chatuge, and Lake Nottely.
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—2017 Year in Review

Species Population, Habitat, and Harvest Management—Continued

The Washington Unit is:

• Collaborating with the University 

of Washington and the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers on a project to 

assess and evaluate the success of 

restoration sites in western Washington.

• Analyzing high-resolution satellite 

photographs for the beginning and 

end of the nesting season periods of 

snow geese on Wrangel Island.

The New Mexico Unit is:

• Developing a model based on the 

demography and population ecology 

of Cooper’s hawk, which can provide 

useful inferences to other raptor populations, including golden eagles.

• Assessing mule deer survival rates, 

pregnancy rates, and nutrition, and 

determining how habitat selection 

by mule deer is influenced by habitat 

conditions and predation risk from 

mountain lions. 

• Monitoring black bears during wildfire 

season in the Santa Fe National Forest 

and on the Valles Caldera National 

Preserve. 

• Comparing predictions from a habitat 

model with data from a remote-sensing 

camera to estimate mountain lion abundance and density. 

The South Dakota Unit is 

identifying potential causes of 

observed high natural mortality 

in yellow perch.

The Nebraska Unit is:

• Examining migratory shorebird habitat and 

how habitat characteristics might influence 

the condition and potential fitness of shorebirds during spring migration.

• Using radio telemetry to assess hen pheasant 

reproduction and habitat use.

The Missouri Unit is:

• Offering biologists the tools and knowledge necessary to measure and 

adjust electrofishing output in the field and afford them the opportunity to sample these species in a standardized, efficient, and safe 

manner.

• Evaluating the effectiveness of various sampling methods to determine the detection probability for amphibians and fish.

• Developing reference stream reaches on the basis of physical habitat 

in Missouri. Results from this study can inform decisions on aquatic 

resources and help managers prioritize conservation efforts.
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 15

The Minnesota Unit is building 

upon existing eastern elk restoration 

research to address two research 

goals: (1) defining public support 

for a restored elk population by 

surveying citizens in and around 

prospective restoration sites and 

(2) determining where suitable habitats exist and how many elk could 

be sustained.

The Louisiana Unit is:

• Investigating the carrying capacity for proposed 

regional aquaculture 

parks, identifying areas 

for restoration, and predicting oyster growth and 

production in response to 

several scenarios: water 

diversion, sea level rise, 

and climate change. 

• Leading research in 

genomic variation and 

local adaptation among 

natural stocks of eastern 

oysters in coastal Louisiana.

The Wisconsin Fishery Unit is:

• Extending the survey work of the 

Wisconsin Department of Natural 

Resources by investigating the spatial 

genetic structure of cisco populations 

across Wisconsin.

• Assessing the effectiveness of muskellunge stocking by conducting electrofishing surveys to estimate catch per 

effort and the relative contribution of 

stocked fish.

The Pennsylvania Unit is:

• Conducting research that focuses on identifying the habitat conditions that resulted 

in wild pheasant populations meeting or 

exceeding established pheasant-density 

goals. 

• Stabilizing deer populations at different densities in specific study areas and quantifying 

changes in vegetation with respect to other 

forest conditions.
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Missoula

16 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Species Population, Habitat, and Harvest Management—Continued

The Oregon Unit is:

• Leading research on the survival 

rates and causes of mortality for 

mule deer and black-tailed deer.

• Studying the effects of recolonizing 

gray wolf populations on cougars 

in northeast Oregon.

The Utah Unit is:

• Estimating the abundance and vital rates of a large population of 

Bonneville cutthroat trout from the Logan River in northern Utah.

• Leading research in how arctic lake fish populations and communities are structured and function with special consideration of 

the potential effects of climate change.

• Evaluating habitat-based niche requirements for the bluehead 

sucker.

The Wyoming Unit is:

• Studying the factors regulating the growth of struggling mule deer populations and identifying what, if any, effect elk have on mule deer.

• Evaluating how hunters and elk change their use of the forest as trees die, as 

dead trees begin to fall, and as beetle-kill management is implemented.

• Using two sources of sheep-harvest data to document long-term trends in 

horn size and the ages of bighorn sheep, Dall’s sheep, and Stone’s sheep at a 

regional level.

• Conducting a statewide moose habitat evaluation with the Wyoming Game 

and Fish Department to serve as a benchmark for defining the relation 

between moose habitat and population performance.

The Idaho Unit assesses the 

importance of wetlands on 

Department of Defense installations for the persistence of 

wetland-dependent birds.

The Texas Unit is estimating age/sex-specific 

survival and connectivity 

of midcontinental snowy 

plovers via consistent, 

long-term banding 

efforts at interior snowy 

plover nesting locations 

in Texas, New Mexico, 

Oklahoma, and Kansas.
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Cookeville

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Clemson

Raleigh

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Lincoln

Madison

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State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

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OHIO

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CAROLINA

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EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

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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

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Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 17

The New York Unit is:

• Developing a conceptual framework for managing black bears.

• Developing models to evaluate the population status of selected species by using spatial capture-recapture methods and noninvasive genetic 

sampling. 

• Using landscape-scale camera trapping for species of conservation or 

management interest (fisher, bobcat, marten, and black bear).

The West Virginia Unit is examining various methods 

for creating young forest habitat for early successionaldependent species.

The Tennessee Fishery Unit is developing population management and 

harvesting management protocols for 

catfish species in Tennessee reservoirs.

The North Carolina 

Unit is:

• Sampling American 

eels in the Roanoke 

River in North Carolina to assess their 

age and growth.

• Documenting 

stocked trout migration and mortality 

and the persistence 

of stocked trout in 

designated streams.

The South Carolina Unit is enhancing the 

understanding of the relations between 

migratory shorebirds, particularly red 

knots, and spawning horseshoe crabs at 

key locations in South Carolina. 
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Corvallis

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CALIFORNIA

UTAH

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WASHINGTON

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Missoula

18 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Every State has a State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) mandated by Congress as a requirement for obtaining 

funding under the State Wildlife Grants program. SWAPs contain a list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and identify information needs, threats, and conservation actions. Coop Unit scientists 

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

The Idaho Unit is analyzing seabird 

population dynamics and environmental drivers at a regional scale.

The Nebraska Unit is conducting population and genetic studies 

to improve understanding of swift fox distribution, abundance, 

and conditions in Nebraska in order to develop best-management 

practices for this species. 

The Wyoming Unit is:

• Comparing small mammal abundance in areas of 

native mixed-grass prairie to those with exotic grass 

(cheatgrass) encroachment to inform grassland management in eastern Wyoming. 

• Evaluating habitat suitability at potential introduction 

sites of the hornyhead chub and exploring the effects 

of predation by nonnative salmonids.

The Iowa Unit is reviewing habitat restoration efforts and the response of stream 

fishes of greatest conservation need, 

specifically Topeka shiners and plains 

topminnows. An extensive geographic 

information system (GIS) analysis using 

a new, state-of-the-art framework could 

help guide restoration efforts.

The Colorado Unit is investigating the effects 

of a dynamic environment on harbor seal 

movement and resource selection in the coastal 

waters of southern Alaska.
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Cookeville

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Clemson

Raleigh

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Lincoln

Madison

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Baton Rouge

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State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

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IOWA

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ILLINOIS INDIANA

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KENTUCKY

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CAROLINA

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EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

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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

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Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 19

The Wisconsin Fishery Unit is using acoustic 

telemetry to describe the movement of lake 

sturgeon in the Menominee River.

The South Carolina Unit is:

• Estimating current population structure, abundance, 

and habitat requirements for American alligators in 

South Carolina. 

• Addressing information gaps relative to brown pelicans in the South Atlantic Bight and providing baseline 

ecological information for the species in the region.

The Pennsylvania 

Unit is characterizing snowshoe hare 

habitats in northern 

hardwood forests in 

northwestern Pennsylvania and in the 

scrub oak barrens in 

the Poconos region.

The Vermont Unit is:

• Assessing stonecat populations in both the Missisquoi 

and LaPlatte Rivers.

• Documenting adult and 

juvenile movements, identifying suitable spawning 

and nursery habitat, investigating age structure, and 

developing a method for 

estimating the population 

size of lake sturgeon in Lake 

Champlain.

The Florida Unit is providing data 

on annual productivity of oystercatchers nesting on spoil islands at 

the Cross Florida Greenway State 

Recreation and Conservation Area.
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Bozeman

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Fort Collins 

Corvallis

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MONTANA

NEBR

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ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

20 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Species of Greatest Conservation Need—Continued

The Montana Wildlife Unit is analyzing data collected from a multi-State wolverine monitoring 

program.

The Utah Unit is developing models 

to investigate rare and sensitive plant 

distributions and energy development in the Colorado Plateau region.

The Texas Unit is:

• Investigating how urbanization and 

other anthropogenic factors have 

affected stream fishes, particularly 

Guadalupe bass. 

• Compiling detailed records of known 

historical golden eagle nest locations 

in Texas and collecting occupancy 

data on nests. 

The New Mexico Unit is studying the effects of drought on 

southwestern cutthroat trout.
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Baton Rouge

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State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

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MINNESOTA

IOWA

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DAKOTA

RASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

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LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

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CAROLINA

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YORK

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MICHIGAN

CANADA

UNITED STATES

EXPLANATION

Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

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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 North Carolina Unit is:

• Researching how water quality and contaminants 

affect the robust redhorse in the Pee Dee River of 

North Carolina and South Carolina. 

• Assessing the effects of the National Park Service 

predator management and vehicle management practices on nesting shorebirds at Cape Hatteras National 

Seashore. 

The Alabama Unit is leading 

research on nongame fish SGCN in 

order to identify patterns that can be 

used to increase the effectiveness 

of water-quality regulations and 

conditions below impoundments.

The Massachusetts Unit is 

investigating habitat loss, fragmentation, and other anthropogenic sources of mortality that 

contribute to population decline 

of the wood turtle.

The Tennessee Fishery Unit is 

assessing sites that historically 

harbored at-risk mussel species to 

determine their current distribution. 

These data can inform management 

of fisheries conservation efforts 

throughout the State.

The Georgia Unit is investigating 

at-risk species in the longleaf pine 

ecological system.
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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

22 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Energy and Wildlife

Biologists and land managers use information on the effects of energy development on 

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

infrastructure siting. Coop Unit scientists work with cooperators to provide a science 

foundation for biologists and land managers to make decisions.

The Wyoming Unit 

is leading research 

in the nutrition and 

fitness of mule deer 

exposed to human 

disturbance across 

three winter ranges in 

western Wyoming. 

The Alaska Unit is assessing post-breeding shorebird use of the lagoons and estuaries along the 

coast of northwestern Alaska given the potential vulnerability of Cape Krusenstern National 

Monument to the effects of offshore energy 

development.

The Kansas Unit is investigating 

the effects of energy production, 

habitat selection, and population 

size on resource selection, survival, and recruitment of lesser 

prairie-chickens.

The Colorado Unit is developing a 

model to estimate the number of bird 

fatalities at wind turbine projects by 

integrating the mortality, scavenging, and detection processes into the 

model.

The New Mexico Unit is 

improving the understanding 

of the movement ecology and 

landscape genetic structure of 

golden eagles in the Western 

United States.

The Texas Unit 

is assessing 

survey protocols for eagles 

and other raptor species.
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Cookeville

Manhattan

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Clemson

Raleigh

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Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

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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 23

The West Virginia Unit is:

• Quantifying how the size, shape, age, 

and placement of gas well pads and 

pipelines affect the abundance and 

diversity of forest songbirds across 

the Marcellus shale region. 

• Leading an extensive fishery 

resource research project on Cheat 

Lake. 

The Georgia Unit is evaluating 

threats to important grassland bird 

habitats in oil and gas development 

areas, changes in landownership 

patterns, and invasive species of the 

Gulf Coast Prairie.

The Massachusetts Unit 

is conducting rigorous 

ecological assessments 

to evaluate the effects of 

offshore wind power on 

birds, bats, and fish and 

other marine species.

The Virginia Unit is quantifying the 

potential effects of mining on downstream water quality.

The South Carolina Unit is addressing information gaps relative to brown pelicans in 

the Gulf of Mexico and providing baseline 

ecological information for the species in the 

region.
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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

24 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Decision Science

Decision science is becoming a much needed 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 California Unit is 

collaborating with the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the 

USGS Columbia River 

Research Laboratory and Texas State 

University to develop 

decision-support systems such as the Stream 

Salmonid Simulator 

(S3) model.

The Minnesota Unit is leading longterm monitoring of trends in waterfowl 

hunter satisfaction and attitudes toward 

management.

The Oregon Unit is:

• Employing a structured decision-making process to 

help managers develop appropriate cruise ship management priorities in Glacier Bay National Park to protect 

species such as humpback whales and Steller sea lions. 

• Working with researchers from the USGS Forest and 

Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center and State and 

Federal natural resource managers in the Pacific Northwest to develop a decision-support system for amphibian conservation.

The Nebraska Unit is:

• Exploring how structured decision making 

can link resilience, adaptive management, and 

optimization in order to generate a cohesive 

method of implementing conservation within 

the emerging social-ecological context.

• Leading research to inform landowners 

enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in Nebraska's Niobrara Valley of how 

mid-contract management activities affect 

soil health.
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Clemson

Raleigh

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Lincoln

Madison

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Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

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MINNESOTA

IOWA

DAKOTA

DAKOTA

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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 25

The Wisconsin Fishery Unit is 

implementing an adaptive management framework to identify effective 

regulations aimed at improving the 

mean length of bluegill where size 

of the fish is considered to be poor.

The Vermont Unit is developing a suite of packages to be 

used with R statistical software 

called AMHarvest, AMPop, and 

AMModels that includes a variety of functions for implementing an adaptive management 

program for harvested species.

The Georgia Unit is:

• Developing a dynamic adaptive 

management framework for the public 

harvest of alligators in Georgia, Florida, 

and South Carolina.

• Using qualitative information to develop 

a reliable predictive framework for specific management actions or practices in 

Georgia forests.

• Engaging in a collaborative assessment 

to help Georgia Department of Natural 

Resources update or formulate a trout 

management strategy that will satisfy 

most trout anglers and be relatively 

robust to identified critical uncertainties. 

• Providing assistance with structured 

decision making and population viability analysis related to recovery planning for the Chiricahua leopard frog in 

southern Arizona.

• Developing a decision-support system 

that leads to a viable landscape in support of the statewide tortoise population 

and associated species and communities 

of interest.

• Using structured decision making and 

scenario forecasting to evaluate alternative conservation strategies for robust 

redhorse.
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Fort Collins 

Corvallis

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T

NEW MEXICO

ARIZONA

NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

26 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Decision Science—Continued

The Montana Fishery Unit is developing a decision-support tool to 

identify and prioritize conservation propagation for threatened, endangered, imperiled, and declining species.

The Kansas Unit is:

• Developing a spatially explicit, decisionsupport tool for managing human effects in 

stream and river networks.

• Developing a model that relates atmospheric, terrestrial, aquatic, and social 

processes to predict the potential effect of 

climate variability, climate change, land use, 

and human activity on water resources.

The Montana Wildlife Unit is using 

integrated population models to help 

inform management decisions 

for mule deer 

and elk.

The Missouri Unit is:

• Developing a decision-support monitoring framework designed to maximize the 

probability of detecting species or assemblage expansions or declines in key areas of 

Missouri that are the strongholds of mussel 

diversity.

• Investigating the relation between secretive 

marsh bird occupancy during the spring 

migration and wetland habitat characteristics 

and management practices.
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Manhattan

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Clemson

Raleigh

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Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

University Park

Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

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IOWA

AKOTA

AKOTA

ASKA

KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

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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 27

The South Dakota Unit is developing a structured decision-making 

process that uses surveys to identify core values, sets objectives, 

identifies reasonable sampling scenarios, and chooses an appropriate 

sampling regime that optimizes 

objectives and minimizes cost for 

bald eagle populations.

The Pennsylvania Unit is working with 

partners to better understand deer browsing and its relation to deer density, which 

will help to inform harvest regulations.

The New York Unit is:

• Developing a conceptual framework for joining citizen science 

efforts with telemetry, spatial capture recapture, and occupancy 

methods into a single integrated population model for managing 

black bears.

• Working with local stakeholders and researchers to develop a 

conservation program that connects existing forest reserves with 

the newly created ecological corridor for the Andean bear in 

Ecuador.

The Massachusetts Unit is using 

structured decision making to 

address the conservation of 

headwater stream ecosystems in 

the face of climate change.

The Alabama Unit is:

• Investigating viable options for the restoration of Dauphin Island as a sustainable 

barrier island to protect and restore island 

resources, including habitat and living 

coastal and marine resources. 

• Partnering with the Alabama Department 

of Conservation and Natural Resources to 

conduct a long-term study to inform science 

based adaptive management of eastern wild 

turkey populations. 

• Using decision models developed for grassland bird population management to consider 

non-avian taxa that rely on the same habitat 

and that are of high conservation concern.

• Using time lapse photography to estimate 

demographic rates of white-tailed deer for 

use in a population model that will inform 

harvest management decision analysis.
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WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

28 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Endangered Species

Coop Unit scientists work with Federal and State cooperators to answer science questions 

that inform decision making in implementing the Endangered Species Act.

The Washington Unit, in collaboration 

with National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration’s National Marine 

Fisheries Services, is providing new 

information on critical requirements for 

successful spawning of wild populations 

of endangered black abalones.

The California Unit is leading 

research on a dual-frequency 

identification sonar (DIDSON) 

imaging system to estimate 

the number of adult steelhead 

migrating into and out of Redwood Creek.

The Utah Unit is developing methods for 

collecting accurate data on endangered Colorado River fish populations through detection 

approaches using passive integrated transponder 

(PIT) tags.

The New Mexico Unit is conducting 

research on the Mexican wolf.

The Texas Unit is creating an assessment of surveys 

for golden eagles and other raptor species.
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Cookeville

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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

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KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

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LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

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Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

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Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

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NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 29

The Wisconsin Fishery 

Unit is collaborating 

with the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service 

Midwest Region on 

problem solving and 

conservation actions 

related to the purple 

cat’s paw pearlymussel 

and snuffbox.

The Wisconsin Wildlife Unit is identifying 

where management 

adjustments may need 

to occur throughout 

the geographic 

distribution of the 

Kirtland’s warbler to 

identify and implement strategies that 

mitigate the effects of 

climate change.

The Louisiana Unit is 

determining habitat use, 

survival, and behavior 

of released whooping 

cranes, refining release 

methods to enhance project success, and assisting 

land managers in the 

reintroduction program. 

The Maine Unit is evaluating 

the effect of acid and aluminum 

exposure to determine the role 

of acid rain in Atlantic salmon 

declines.

The West Virginia Unit is developing a new sampling approach to 

examine the diamond darter and its 

microhabitat.

The Alabama Unit is:

• Developing a framework for assessing species 

status to inform or support endangered species 

conservation, including the Sonoran Desert 

tortoise and the headwater or roundtail chub. 

• Contributing research toward the recovery 

of spectacled and Alaska-breeding Steller’s 

eiders.
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Fort Collins 

Corvallis

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CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

30 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Endangered Species—Continued

The South Dakota Unit is:

• Assessing pesticide exposure on remnant native and 

restored grasslands.

• Developing a tool for assessing habitat suitability for larval 

pallid sturgeon in the Missouri River.

The Colorado Unit is:

• Investigating vital rates of black-footed and Laysan albatross.

• Developing a methodology that uses the existing sources of 

telemetry and spatially explicit habitat data to better understand resource selection by Steller sea lions in the western 

and central Aleutian Islands.

• Conducting a field evaluation of a predator-resistant nest 

box for Micronesian starlings with application to endangered 

Guam Micronesian kingfishers.
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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

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YORK

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CANADA

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Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) location

0 400 500 MILES

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

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Morgantown

DISTRICT OF

COLUMBIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

NEW

HAMPSHIRE

MASSACHUSETTS

VERMONT

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Science Themes 31

The Mississippi Unit is:

• Conducting island-wide surveys, 

identifying mortality threats, 

determining spatial distribution, 

and developing habitat suitability 

models to prevent the extinction of 

both the broad-winged hawk and 

sharp-shinned hawk in Puerto Rico.

• Leading research in conserving, 

managing, and restoring habitats 

necessary to restore the endangered 

pallid sturgeon and conserve the 

threatened shovelnose sturgeon in 

the lower Mississippi River.

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 Virginia Unit is:

• Studying the spruce-fir moss spider 

that inhabits high-elevation, sprucefir forests in the southern Appalachians, considered one of the most 

endangered ecosystem types in the 

United States.

• Incorporating Wallops Island bat 

species presence/absence data into 

a larger multi-partner, mid-Atlantic 

landscape and smaller forest standlevel predictive modeling effort.

The North Carolina Unit is 

using photography, videography, and capture-recapture 

methods to evaluate the 

validity of occupancy 

estimates based on marsh 

rabbit pellet counts, estimate 

population size and movement of feral cats, assess the 

use of artificial structures by 

woodrats, and estimate the 

population size and movement of feral cats in woodrat 

habitats.

The Florida Unit is assisting in the creation 

of a baseline for rainfall effects on nesting 

and relocation management techniques on 

the population of nesting loggerhead sea 

turtles in Georgia.
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Fort Collins 

Corvallis

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NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

32 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Invasive Species

Invasive species of plants, animals, and microorganisms pose substantial 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 effectively irreversible changes.

The Idaho Unit is:

• Completing a draft decision control manual 

that summarizes the invasive New Zealand 

mud snail.

• Providing guidance documents for risk 

assessment and control measures for invasive mollusks in fish hatchery operations in 

Lake Pend Oreille.

The Montana Fishery Unit is:

• Conducting controlled experiments to evaluate the 

effects of chemical and mechanical methods on 

the mortality of lake trout embryos. 

• Monitoring the movements of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake.

The Iowa Unit is investigating the 

population ecology of Asian carp in 

the upper Missouri River Basin.

The New Mexico Unit 

is estimating the size of 

the burro population, 

examining patterns of 

space use, and employing methods to reduce 

recruitment.

The Oklahoma Unit is 

assessing the extent and 

reproduction potential 

of the Asian swamp eel 

population.
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Athens

Cookeville

Manhattan

Ithaca

Amherst

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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

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YORK

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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 33

The Minnesota Unit is evaluating the response of bird communities to the control of invasive vegetation by developing 

protocols to assess the effects of several treatments to remove 

invasive vegetation.

The Tennessee Fishery Unit is:

• Evaluating diet niche overlap 

between native mussels and silver carp in the Duck River over 

three seasons.

• Evaluating population characteristics of Asian carp, studying recruitment mechanisms, 

and investigating how larvae 

relate to environmental factors 

such as river flows and water 

temperature.

The Missouri Unit is 

investigating the thermal 

preference and tolerance 

of coldwater crayfish to 

enhance the understanding of invasive species 

dynamics.

The South Carolina Unit is 

investigating feral hog damage 

on South Carolina farms to assist 

natural resource managers who 

are developing management strategies across the region.

The Pennsylvania Unit is developing models based 

on population vital rates and habitat use of the 

invasive flathead catfish to estimate the relative 

abundance and age and growth characteristics of 

the species.

The Florida Unit is:

• Evaluating the effectiveness of using an integrated 

outreach and trapping program to remove invasive 

wildlife in south Florida.

• Leading research in the 

movement, habitat use, 

and control tools of 

Burmese pythons in the 

Greater Everglades.
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Fort Collins 

Corvallis

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NEVADA

CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

IDAHO

OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

34 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem services are attributes and outputs of ecosystems that create value for human users. 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 are extremely important in understanding natural resource values to society.

The Washington Unit is assessing 

the ecological effects of physical 

disturbances associated with cultured intertidal tracts of Pacific geoduck clams in habitats of southern 

Puget Sound, Washington.

The Alaska Unit is:

• Building upon an existing modeling framework to 

represent the key processes that can improve our 

understanding of the effects of thermokarst disturbance on ecosystem structure and function at the 

regional scale.

• Studying how climate variability and change are 

affecting the social-ecological dynamics of rural 

Alaskan villages by understanding how changes in 

ecosystem services are affecting community resilience and helping to identify opportunities for adaptation and (or) transformation of community practices. 

The New Mexico Unit is using USGS National Gap Analysis 

Program (GAP) data, including land cover, land stewardship, and 

habitat models for terrestrial species, to map metrics reflecting 

ecosystem services or biodiversity aspects valued by humans over 

large areas.
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Raleigh

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Lincoln

Madison

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Baton Rouge

Mississippi

State

Stillwater

Ames

St. Paul

Burlington

Gainesville

Fayetteville

Princess Anne

Stevens Point

WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA

IOWA

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DAKOTA

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KANSAS

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS INDIANA

OKLAHOMA

ARKANSAS

TENNESSEE

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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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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 Maine Unit is:

• Examining factors that may affect native bee 

pollinators of blueberries with a focus on understanding the relations between native pollinators 

of wild blueberries and the landscape composition and arrangement around wild blueberry 

fields.

• Working with a team of ecologists and economists to explore the biophysical and socioeconomic components of conserving vernal pools 

and other small natural features of great importance.

• Collecting data needed to inform immediate management needs and increase our understanding of 

the Gulf of Maine coastal marine ecosystem.

The Virginia Unit is developing a spatially explicit framework for mapping 

the capacity of ecosystems to provide 

freshwater recreational fishing.

The Georgia Unit is:

• Leading research on Jekyll Island, a 

Georgia barrier island that supports 

developed tourism amenities, a residential community, and a State park 

that is committed to conserving and 

managing most of the island's area as 

natural habitat. 

• Collaborating with the Working Lands 

for Wildlife program of the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service to 

provide incentives for private landowners to manage their lands in ways 

that enhance habitat suitability for 

wildlife species of conservation concern, including the gopher tortoise.
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Bozeman

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Fort Collins 

Corvallis

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MONTANA

NEBR

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CALIFORNIA

UTAH

COLORADO

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OREGON

WASHINGTON

MEXICO

Missoula

36 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Ecosystem Services—Continued

The Arizona Unit is:

• Developing habitat suitability criteria for 

Apache trout that will give managers the 

information to make informed decisions 

about recovery stream selection and barrier 

placement.

• Studying virile crayfish and Apache trout 

populations. 

• Researching whether ecosystem services 

programs can encourage ranchers to conserve threatened and endangered species on 

private land.

The Nebraska Unit is:

• Researching critical ecosystem 

services that bats provide in the 

form of insect consumption, 

pollination, and seed dispersal.

• Developing a management 

approach to recreational fisheries that applies resilience science to maintain the integrity 

of both social and ecological 

system components.

The Louisiana Unit is leading 

ecosystem services research on 

oyster reefs in Vermilion Bay, 

Louisiana, and is investigating 

the effects of oyster harvest on 

Louisiana reef habitat and resident aquatic communities.
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Cookeville

Manhattan

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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 37

The South Dakota Unit is evaluating flora and fauna of 

South Dakota and the potential benefits of the James 

River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.

The Vermont Unit is 

leading research on the 

effects of forest biomass 

energy production on 

Northern Forest wildlife 

and forest sustainability.

The Arkansas Unit is:

• Supporting the Federal Pollinator Health Task Force 

initiatives of monitoring and 

documenting pollinator diversity and abundance at local 

and regional scales.

• Surveying pollinator communities to document species 

richness and diversity in 

native and managed emergent 

wetlands in eastern Arkansas 

and to assess whether those 

pollinators travel to adjacent 

croplands to pollinate.

The Oklahoma Unit is:

• Characterizing hydrology and fishproduction relations for different 

ecological groups of fishes living in 

river and reservoir habitats. 

• Demonstrating the relation between 

water temperature and fish fitness 

through interactions of surface 

water and groundwater.
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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—2017 Year in Review

Ecological Flows

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

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

approaches from a wide variety of established methodologies.

The Alaska Unit is:

• Developing metrics that describe 

historic, current, and future flow and 

temperature regimes within the Chena 

River Basin with regard to chinook 

salmon.

• Leading research on freshwater ecosystems of Bristol Bay in western Alaska.

• Developing the Integrated Ecosystem 

Model (IEM) that coordinates the driving components for, and the interactions among, disturbance regimes, 

permafrost dynamics, hydrology, and 

vegetation in Alaska and Northwest 

Canada. 

• Collaborating with partners to link 

information on landscape change with 

changes in river flow and fish habitat 

on the Kenai River.

The Wyoming Unit is examining the 

relation between seasonal out-migration 

patterns of burbot and the associated 

flow and temperature regimes.

The Utah Unit is:

• Leading research on flow regimes and ecosystem function of the Rio Grande, a river 

characterized as having a substantially altered 

flow regime since the late 1800s.

• Providing a roadmap for making scientific 

recommendations in future efforts to recover 

dynamic processes in imperiled riverine 

ecosystems.

The Texas Unit is evaluating the influence of flow regime on the growth and 

recruitment of Guadalupe bass across 

its entire range and monitoring the 

effect of changing flow regime on the 

growth and mortality of young-of-year 

through their first summer.
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Raleigh

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Lincoln

Madison

Brookings

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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

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LOUISIANA

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

TEXAS

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA VIRGINIA

NORTH CAROLINA

SOUTH 

CAROLINA

FLORIDA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW

YORK

MAINE

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MICHIGAN

CANADA

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EXPLANATION

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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 39

The Minnesota Unit 

is leading research on 

improving the survival 

of juvenile winged 

mapleleaf mussels 

through identification 

of host fish overwintering areas.

The Wisconsin Fishery Unit is conducting 

a genetic assessment of seven fish species 

above and below the Wisconsin River dam at 

Prairie du Sac.

The Tennessee Fishery Unit 

is gathering data that resource 

agencies can use to predict possible effects of any proposed 

flow reduction and prescribe 

water allocations for endangered mussels.

The Missouri Unit is:

• Leading research on water supply and 

energy development projects across the 

State.

• Addressing ecological flow issues that 

continue to arise due to climate change, 

increasing human population, and the 

associated increased demand for water that 

makes streamflow management a complex 

and long-term issue.

• Linking Missouri Department of Conservation fish collections with temperature and 

dissolved oxygen data to determine the 

tolerances of fishes to these variables.

• Using radio telemetry to track the daily 

movement and habitat selection of spotted 

bass and shorthead redhorse during variable 

streamflows to provide a better understanding of how streamflow alteration affects 

these fish.
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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

40 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Ecological Flows—Continued

The Arizona Unit is:

• Exploring native fish species across multiple rivers 

to better understand how 

various habitat suitability 

criteria relate to distribution.

• Leading research on flow, 

temperature, and other 

habitat requirements that 

are critically important for 

protecting desert fish communities.

The Kansas Unit is quantifying how dams affect 

threatened or endangered 

fish species and selected 

tributary species.

The Oklahoma Unit is:

• Developing flowecology hypotheses that 

include alterations to 

the fitness of stream fish 

populations.

• Using conceptual 

advancements to promote trait-based research 

in stream ecology.
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80°

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90°

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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 41

The Massachusetts Unit is:

• Developing a guidance document for sampling 

stream sites to help facilitate more uniform and 

effective collection of continuous temperature and 

stream data. 

• Leading research on the extent to which dams 

impair stream ecosystems and quantifying potential improvements in water quality following dam 

removal.

• Investigating fish and macroinvertebrate responses to 

regional, local, and instream environmental factors 

within narrow ranges of watershed impervious cover.

• Investigating the effects of winter lake drawdowns 

on fish and wildlife.

• Establishing long-term monitoring of macroinvertebrates in streams to quantify potential effects of 

climate change on stream ecosystems.

The Georgia Unit is evaluating 

the prevalence of endocrinedisrupting chemicals along 

a disturbance gradient in the 

upper Conasauga River and 

how that prevalence relates to 

intersex in fish.
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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—2017 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. Coop Unit scientists work 

with cooperators to better understand the causes of these diseases, the effects on wildlife and people, and the means to control, contain, and eradicate them.

The Washington Unit is focusing on 

recent emergence and displacement 

events observed with the infectious 

hematopoietic necrosis virus in salmonid fish in the Pacific Northwest.

The Idaho Unit 

is evaluating the 

effectiveness of 

habitat-restoration 

treatments in an 

attempt to increase 

populations of the 

northern Idaho 

ground squirrel.

The South Dakota Unit is investigating the role of super-shedders in 

respiratory disease persistence and 

transmission in bighorn sheep.

The Iowa Unit is:

• Quantifying mercury concentrations in several fish species.

• Leading research in amphibian populations 

in wetlands of the Des Moines Lobe in 

central Iowa.
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80°

90°

90°

0°

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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

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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 Wisconsin Fishery Unit is leading 

research in investigating the possible 

relation between 

variations in major 

histocompatibility 

complex (MHC) and 

the prevalence of gill 

lice in brook trout. 

The Virginia Unit is revisiting sites that were 

intensively monitored acoustically for bat 

activity before the onset of white-nose syndrome across a wide geographic area in the 

Eastern United States.

The Massachusetts Unit is 

using data obtained from 

a regional snake species 

assessment to construct 

an adaptive management 

framework for developing 

long-term conservation 

strategies for as many as 40 

of the snake species potentially affected by disease.

The North Carolina Unit is 

documenting the presence 

of anthropogenic chemicals, 

endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and intersex at selected 

sites and determining whether 

southern flounder in two 

brackish water nursery areas 

have skewed sex ratios based 

on temperature.

The Georgia Unit is evaluating 

the prevalence of endocrinedisrupting chemicals in the 

upper Conasauga River.
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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

44 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Wildlife Health and Disease—Continued

The Montana Wildlife Unit is using radio telemetry to 

estimate the survival of amphibians.

The Minnesota Unit is:

• Assessing the environmentally 

relevant exposure risk of grassland wildlife to common soybean 

aphid insecticides in the farmland 

region.

• Assessing relations between lead 

concentrations in eagles and their 

reproduction throughout National 

Park Service holdings in the western Great Lakes region.

The Missouri Unit is assessing the biological effects of 

endocrine-disrupting chemicals on populations of fish 

and wildlife.
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 Wisconsin Wildlife Unit is:

• Investigating the demographic parameters of chronic wasting disease in 

white-tailed deer populations.

• Evaluating predicted temporal and 

spatial changes in avian malaria, the 

potential for additional species extinctions considering genetic adaptation 

to malaria, and the effectiveness and 

costs of conservation strategies.

The West Virginia Unit, in collaboration with the USGS Leetown 

Science Center, is identifying gene sequences and developing techniques to better understand the underlying mechanisms and (or) pathogens associated with certain identified fish-health issues.

The Pennsylvania Unit is:

• Investigating a wide range of variables to better 

understand the factors that could relate to disease in 

smallmouth bass.

• Establishing a strategy for assessing the risk of 

endocrine-disrupting chemicals to aquatic and terrestrial organisms.
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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

46 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 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 Montana Fishery 

Unit is evaluating 

sediment and nutrient contributions from 

unpaved forest roads to 

headwater streams.

The Colorado 

Unit is constructing fish 

population models for the Little 

Colorado River 

from integrated 

data sources.

The Alaska Unit is:

• Evaluating the effect of fire history, plant 

community composition, and landscape 

characteristics on moose overwinter forage resources and use.

• Examining the genetic and environmental 

landscape among introduced populations 

of northern pike in south-central Alaska.

The New Mexico Unit is 

monitoring the responses of 

mule deer, elk, black bear, and 

mountain lion to forest restoration treatments associated 

with the U.S. Forest Service 

Southwest Jemez Mountains 

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project.
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 47

The New York Unit, in partnership with the Saint Regis 

Mohawk Tribe, is integrating a land stewardship strategy 

for existing and newly settled Native American lands 

in the Northern Forest. This research combines Native 

American ecological knowledge and scientific understanding to achieve sustainable forest management.

The Maine Unit is leading research on 

bees found in powerline rights-of-way and 

examining the use of powerline easements 

for nesting and foraging by native bees.

The Wisconsin Wildlife Unit is:

• Designing and implementing an evaluation program for the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative 

(WBCI) strategic grasslands-implementation plan. 

• Working with the U.S. Forest Service Northern 

Research Station to evaluate two projects: amphibian use of ephemeral ponds and wetlands within 

forested systems and beaver colony activity along 

trout streams.

The Arkansas Unit 

is examining flow 

alteration in seven 

natural flow regimes 

of the U.S. Interior 

Highlands.

The Florida Unit is investigating changes 

in mammal communities across the 

Greater Everglades ecosystem.
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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

48 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Landscape Ecology—Continued

The Wyoming Unit is:

• Using models to describe species distributions to 

identify conservation priority areas for freshwater fish, amphibians, mussels, and aquatic 

reptiles in the Great Plains, Wyoming. 

• Developing a method to determine the migratory 

movement paths and seasonal range use of Wyoming ungulates by using the strontium isotope 

values recorded in the teeth of these animals.

The Utah Unit is combining hydrological and geomorphological analyses of channel change with data on 

current fish distributions and habitat needs to help guide 

restoration efforts on the lower San Rafael River.

The Texas Unit is assessing the role that 

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge has in 

conservation of wintering sandhill cranes.

The Louisiana 

Unit is quantifying changes in 

selected bottomland 

hardwood forests 

and determining the 

effects of hydrologic processes on 

seed germination 

and seedling establishment of selected 

tree species.
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 49

The Pennsylvania Unit is 

exploring nutrient patterns 

in all continental U.S. lakes 

to inform estimates of lake 

contributions to continental 

and global cycles of nitrogen, 

phosphorus, and carbon.

The Mississippi Unit is:

• Evaluating water quality and fish assemblages 

in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley to 

support restoration efforts.

• Seeding selected plant species that have demonstrated synergistic effects on plant survival 

and growth or that provide benefits to fish.

The Massachusetts Unit is:

• Investigating fish and macroinvertebrate responses to regional, local, and 

instream environmental factors.

• Exploring how land-use patterns have 

influenced population status and habitat 

use of Andean bears. In addition, 

researchers are investigating landuse change to provide input into the 

National Forest and Wildlife Service 

Andean Bear Conservation Plan in Peru.

The West Virginia Unit is studying the environmental effects 

of road construction on streams 

within eastern West Virginia, with a 

focus on stream health and stream 

sedimentation.

The Georgia Unit is integrating metapopulation ecology and 

landscape ecology for improved 

population viability analysis and 

conservation decision making.
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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

50 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 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. The integration of human dimensions and ecological science allows for greater 

insights into management solutions and ultimately more durable decisions.

The Arizona Unit is assessing incentives and how they can be used to help 

overcome landowner concerns about 

the critical habitat of endangered 

species.

The Hawai'i Fishery Unit is:

• Assisting with the assessment of fishery 

resources that are economically and culturally important to the people of Hawai'i.

• Strengthening natural resource management 

partnerships between Federal agencies and 

community groups.

The South Dakota Unit is:

• Leading research on the social and economic effects of fishing in small lakes and 

impoundments in South Dakota. 

• Measuring attitudes and behaviors of 

landowners toward participating in various 

conservation programs to help understand 

land-use decisions by private landowners.

The Nebraska Unit is:

• Evaluating angler behavior 

in response to management 

actions on Nebraska reservoirs.

• Determining what differentiates participating outdoor 

enthusiasts by compiling 

available fishing and hunting 

license datasets and merging them with larger sociodemographic data.
70°

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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 51

The Missouri Unit 

is evaluating the 

outreach strategies 

used to determine if 

the Midwest Region 

National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) are succeeding in encouraging hunters to switch 

to alternative (nonlead) ammunition.

The Minnesota Unit is:

• Assessing the preferences of stakeholders and waterfowl management professionals for waterfowl population management alternatives.

• Using mixed mode survey methods to enhance the understanding of deer hunter attitudes and 

perceptions of deer populations, hunter motivations and satisfaction, agency trust, and governance statewide.

• Determining the attitudes of landowners and their preferences for future elk management.

• Conducting a visitor use survey of wildlife management areas (WMAs) to determine how the 

WMAs are used, which species are hunted, the distribution of uses, and economic considerations.

• Evaluating the spring turkey hunting season in Minnesota and examining alternatives that might 

provide opportunities for improving hunter satisfaction while sustaining the turkey population.

The New York Unit is focusing on developing broader management and population 

goals for moose in New York, including the 

characterization of stakeholder concerns for 

population-level thresholds.

The Massachusetts 

Unit is assessing the 

attitudes, beliefs, and 

behaviors of deer hunters on National Wildlife Refuges related to 

the use of alternative 

(nonlead) ammunition.
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180°

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65°

60°

55°

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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

52 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Climate Science

Uncertainty about the effects of projected climate trends on fish and wildlife populations 

and habitats is a major concern of natural resource managers. Coop Unit scientists work 

with cooperators to better understand potential implications and reduce uncertainty so that 

managers can better evaluate future scenarios and management options.

The Oregon Unit 

is conducting an 

investigation into 

the population 

dynamics of the 

Adélie penguin 

on Ross Island, 

Antarctica.

The Alaska Unit is evaluating the effects of 

climate-mediated forest change on the habitats 

of ungulates important to subsistence and sport 

hunting.

The Wyoming Unit is exploring how climate 

change affects behavior, distribution, and abundance of ungulates and their migration patterns.

The New Mexico Unit is looking at whether changes in 

temperature and precipitation are linked to population 

declines of American pronghorn in the Southwest.
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 53

The Wisconsin Fishery Unit is identifying mechanisms behind recruitment failures 

to help inform the rehabilitation of walleye 

populations.

The Missouri Unit is:

• Investigating the life history and thermal 

ecology of freshwater crayfish to inform 

future climate models.

• Researching how climate change might affect 

inland fish globally.

The Maine Unit is leading research 

on amphibian and reptile habitat loss 

throughout North America.

The Pennsylvania Unit is focusing 

on an economically and socially 

important species—brook trout—

to determine how the interactive 

effects of genetics and behavior 

influence differential survival of 

fish populations under a changing 

climate.
0 100 200 MILES

0 100 200 KILOMETERS

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22°

21°

20°

19°

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0 500 1,000 KILOMETERS

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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

54 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Climate Science—Continued

The California Unit 

is investigating the 

semipalmated sandpiper to predict how 

future climate changes 

may affect their habitats and population.

The Idaho Unit is using National Gap Analysis Program 

(GAP) data to explain elevational patterns in bird species richness in the United States.

The Montana Fishery Unit is analyzing georeferenced 

data to assess how changes in climate and other factors 

have influenced the distributions of native and nonnative 

fishes through time.
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 55

The Kansas Unit is:

• Developing a human-landscape model that 

incorporates atmospheric, terrestrial, aquatic, 

and social processes to predict the potential 

effect of climate variability, climate change, 

land use, and human activity on water 

resources.

• Studying the sand shinnery oak and mixedgrass prairie regions of the Great Plains to 

inform management efforts for lesser prairiechicken.

The Vermont Unit 

is investigating how 

dams relate to the 

survival of Atlantic 

salmon smolts.

The Louisiana Unit is: 

• Leading research on submerged aquatic vegetation 

communities in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

• Examining the fishery community use and value of 

submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) habitats of varying size and location across the landscape.
0 100 200 MILES

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Hilo 0 500 1,000 MILES

0 500 1,000 KILOMETERS

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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

56 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Advanced Technologies

Advanced technologies include the development and adaptation of new technologies 

and tools that increase the effectiveness, efficiency, safety, accuracy, geographic extent, 

or timeliness of gathering, disseminating, analyzing, and interpreting natural resource 

information. It also includes development of new tools that can assist natural resource 

managers. 

The Oregon Unit is using stateof-the-art aerial photography 

and visual count methods to 

monitor Leach’s storm-petrel, a 

burrow nesting seabird.

The California Unit is using environmental 

DNA (eDNA) in water samples to monitor the 

endangered tidewater goby. eDNA is a cost 

effective technique that has been successfully 

used to monitor a broad range of taxonomic 

groups, including fishes.

The Montana Wildlife Unit is testing cutting 

edge camera-based methods to gather data 

on abundance and occupancy of ungulates.

The Texas Unit is assessing the 

feasibility of using acoustic monitoring for burbot conservation, 

management, and production.
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 57

The New York Unit is:

• Developing case studies 

using bird monitoring data 

provided by the National 

Park Service, after which 

the team plans to release 

new tools for the R package for statistical modeling 

and analysis.

• Creating the iSeeMammals 

app, which allows users to 

collect and submit information about bear sightings in 

New York.

The Oklahoma Unit is using eDNA to verify 

the presence of cavefish and crayfish populations in caves of the Ozark Highlands.

The South Carolina Unit is evaluating a 

new tool to monitor the effectiveness of 

Farm Bill incentive programs related to 

avian species of conservation concern.
0 100 200 MILES

0 100 200 KILOMETERS

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22°

21°

20°

19°

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0 500 1,000 KILOMETERS

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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

58 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Advanced Technologies—Continued

The Washington Unit is leading work 

on the Elwha River dam removal 

project, including comparing the 

results generated from visual biodiversity surveys of the seafloor with those 

generated from eDNA extracted from 

water samples.

The Wyoming Unit is evaluating the use of 

remote cameras to monitor population dynamics and migration patterns of elk in northwest 

Wyoming.

The Alaska Unit is developing an Integrated Ecosystem Modeling (IEM) project designed to meet the needs of land managers 

in understanding the nature and rate of landscape change, which 

can provide a framework for specific scenarios of changes in landscape structure and function.
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 59

The Wisconsin Fishery 

Unit is using a portable 

ultrasound to determine 

the sex and maturation 

status of lake sturgeon 

by combining passive 

integrated transponder 

(PIT) technology data 

with the ultrasound data 

in the Menominee River.

The Florida Unit is:

• Providing the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) with high-resolution 

vegetation imagery and metadata collection 

capabilities by building and delivering a pair 

of external sensor pods (ESPs) for use in 

aerial surveys.

• Tasked with integrating a light detection and 

ranging (lidar) sensor to a rotary-wing small 

unmanned aircraft system (sUAS). Using 

lidar technology, the generation of highaccuracy terrain mapping and other valuable 

three-dimensional (3D) products are possible. 

The systematic integration of lidar into the 

available sensor options for sUAS is a landmark step in the utility of sUAS as a tool for 

scientific data collection.

The Pennsylvania Unit is developing statistical support for the USGS 

Amphibian Research and Monitoring 

Initiative.
60 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Where Are They Now?

One of the greatest legacies of the Coop Unit program is 

the placement of our students in natural resource agencies and 

organizations. Key to the concept of an organizational brand is 

the notion that a hiring official will recognize added value in 

an applicant who received their graduate education at a Coop 

Unit. The sheer volume of Coop Unit graduates that are hired 

at natural resource agencies and the proportion of those graduates who fill leadership positions is a tribute to the value of a 

Coop Unit education.

A pillar of the Coop Unit mission is to develop the 

workforce of the future through graduate education. This 

table 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 2 4 0

Alaska 1 3 2 6

Arkansas 9 6 8 8

Arizona 6 5 2 7

California 3 8 3 0

Colorado 7 6 2 4

Florida 1 4 4 1

Georgia 1 0 0 0

Idaho 6 0 12 5

Iowa 4 5 4 1

Kansas 10 7 5 6

Louisiana 4 6 3 0

Maine 7 4 5 2

Massachusetts 4 9 10 3

Minnesota 5 5 2 3

Mississippi 3 5 14 3

Missouri 3 3 8 1

Montana Fishery Unit 2 2 4 3

Montana Wildlife Unit 3 4 5 0

Nebraska 7 16 10 0

New Mexico 2 1 7 3

New York 4 0 2 0

North Carolina 8 4 5 6

Oklahoma 4 2 6 6

Oregon 2 1 2 2

Pennsylvania 4 6 5 1

South Carolina 2 3 2 3

South Dakota 3 4 3 3

Tennessee Fishery Unit 3 1 8 2

Texas 3 13 3 2

Utah 2 4 5 3

Vermont 2 3 1 1

Virginia 5 3 1 0

Washington 2 2 3 2

West Virginia 4 1 1 8

Wisconsin Fishery Unit 0 0 4 6

Wisconsin Wildlife Unit 5 3 2 3

Wyoming 8 1 6 4

Total* 153 155 173 108

*Not all Units are listed.
Accolades 61

Accolades

Coop Unit scientists and 

their students received approximately 80 awards in 2017 from 

universities, agencies, and societies with recognition at the local, 

national, and international levels. 

Highlights include the following: 

• Best Paper of the Wildlife

Technical Session, Southeastern Association of Fish and

Wildlife Agencies (David Krementz, Arkansas)

• Career Contribution Award, Georgia Chapter of the

American Fisheries Society (Cecil Jennings, Georgia)

• Conservation Award, Minnesota Chapter of the Wildlife Society (Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife

Research Unit)

• Athena Woman of the Year—Faculty (Christine Moffitt,

Idaho)

• The Wildlife Society Fellows Award, The Wildlife Society

(David Andersen, Minnesota)

• Outstanding Faculty Award, Fish and Wildlife Graduate

Student Organization, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri (Amanda Rosenberger, Tennessee)

80

awards

received

Elisa Baebler, Missouri Cooperative Research Unit, wins the Fenske Award 

as outstanding fisheries student at a 13-State Midwest fish conference.

Dr. Mevin Hooten, Assistant Unit Leader, Colorado 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, named 

fellow of the American Statistical Association.

• Recovery Champion, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(James “Barry” Grand, Unit Supervisor, South)

• Promotion to Full Professor, University of Idaho

(Courtney Conway, Idaho)

• Harry R. Painton Award for Best Publication in The Condor

(Katie Dugger, Oregon)

• Rising Star Honoree by Equal Opportunity Section and

Student Subunit, American Fisheries Society (Shannon K.

Brewer, Oklahoma)

• College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Outstanding Researcher Award, Texas Tech University

(Reynaldo Patiño, Texas)

• Faculty Research Award, College of Agriculture Sciences

and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University (Clint Boal,

Texas)

• Honoree for “Ladies Night,” Equal Opportunity Section

and the Student Subsection of the American Fisheries Society, American Fisheries Society (Phaedra Budy, Utah)

• The Wildlife Society Fellow (Angela Fuller, New York)

• Leadership Institute Class of 2017, The Wildlife Society

(Beth Ross, South Carolina)

• Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Award (Daniel Roby,

Oregon)

• Unit award for excellence of service, Department of the

Interior (Dave McGuire, Alaska)
62 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

Professional Services

Coop Unit scientists held approximately 177 professional 

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

73 editorial positions in 2017.

177

professional 

service 

positions

73

editorial 

positions

2017 North American 

Wildlife and Natural 

Resources Conference

Bridging Science and Management Workshop

The Coop Unit Program co-sponsored a workshop at the 

2017 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: Maintaining Relevancy Through Organization 

Transformation and Professional Development.” The workshop built upon the 2016 workshop, “Barriers and Bridges in 

Reconnecting Natural Resources Science and Management.”

The 2017 workshop focused on the demands for expertise 

in team building, communication, organizational leadership, 

conflict resolution, scientific management approaches, and 

other issues. The focused “action learning” approach stressed 

the importance of relationship building, peer-to-peer experiences, and expanded networks. The participants identified key 

challenges in sustaining conservation relevance along with 

approaches to meet these challenges through professional 

development and training.

Conservation in the Face of a Changing Energy 

Development Landscape Special Session

Dr. Tom Edwards of the Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit presented a paper at this special session 

titled “Using Models to Inform Decision Making Processes 

Associated with Energy Development and Rare Plants Conservation in the Colorado Plateau of Western North America.” 

The special session was organized and chaired by Dr. Mona 

Khalil, mkhalil@usgs.gov, Energy and Wildlife Specialist 

with the U.S. Geological Survey Ecosystem Mission Area. 

Dr. Edwards’ presentation detailed how he modeled the distributions of 21 plant species currently listed under the Endangered Species Act, or under consideration as sensitive species 

by management agencies, with an objective of minimizing the 

spatial conflict between energy extraction and plant-specific 

distributions.

National Cooperators’ Coalition 

Update

The National Cooperators’ Coalition (NCC) comprises 

the non-Federal cooperators in the Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Unit program. The NCC is chaired by John 

Kennedy, Deputy Director of the Wyoming Game and Fish 

Department, and is led by a Steering Committee that includes 

Ken Williams (The Wildlife Society), Jonathan Mawdsley 

(Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies [AFWA]), Chad 

Bishop (University of Montana and National Association of 

University Fish and Wildlife Programs [NAUFWP]), and 

Steve Williams (Wildlife Management Institute).

The NCC, under the leadership of Chairman Kennedy, 

focused its efforts in 2017 on gaining congressional support for full funding of the Coop Units. Chairman Kennedy 

engaged with key Congressional leaders during a spring visit 

to the Nation’s capital to raise awareness and build support 

for the Coop Units. University leaders, through communications from NAUFWP, have been encouraged to raise awareness among their State leaders of the need to fill vacant Coop 

Unit 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 

Coop Units. The AFWA has worked diligently in encouraging 

the support of all State fish and wildlife agency directors to 

urge Congress to fully fund the Coop Units. This coordinated 

effort by NCC is essential in addressing the record number of 

vacant scientist positions that currently exists in the program.
List of Cooperators 63

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 Department of Environmental Conservation

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina State University 

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
64 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 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 

Department

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 65

List of Species

Common name Scientific name

Adélie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae

American alligator Alligator mississippiensis

American eel Anguilla rostrata

American paddlefish Polyodon spathula

American pronghorn Antilocapra americana

Andean bear Tremarctos ornatus

Apache trout Oncorhynchus apache

Asian carp Hypophthalmichthys spp.

Asian swamp eel Monopterus albus

Atlantic salmon Salmo salar

bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis

black abalone Haliotis cracherodii

black bear Ursus americanus

black-footed albatross Phoebastria nigripes

black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

bluegill Lepomis macrochirus

bluehead sucker Catostomus discobolus

bobcat Lynx rufus

Bonneville cutthroat trout Oncorhyncus clarkii utah

broad-winged hawk Buteo platypterus brunnescens

brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis

brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis

burbot Lota lota

Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Chiricahua leopard frog Lithobates chiricahuensis

cisco Coregonus artedi

coldwater crayfish Orconectes eupunctus

Cooper’s hawk Accipiter cooperii

cougar Puma concolor

cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii

Dall’s sheep Ovis dalli

diamond darter Crystallaria cincotta

eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica

eastern wild turkey Meleagris gallopavo silvestris

elk Cervus canadensis

fisher Martes pennanti

flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris

golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos

grizzly bear Ursus arctos

Guadalupe bass Micropterus treculii

harbor seal Phoca vitulina

headwater chub Gila nigra

Common name Scientific name

honey bee Apis mellifera

hornyhead chub Nocomis biguttatus

horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus

humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae

Kirtland’s warbler Setophaga kirtlandii

lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens

lake trout Salvelinus namaycush

largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides

Laysan albatross Phoebastria immutabilis

Leach’s storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa

lesser prairie-chicken Tympanuchus pallidicinctus

loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta

longleaf pine Pinus palustris

marten Martes americana

Micronesian kingfisher Todiramphus cinnamominus

Micronesian starling Aplonis opaca

moose Alces alces

mountain lion Puma concolor

mule deer Odocoileus hemionus

muskellunge Esox masquinongy

New Zealand mud snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum

northern Idaho ground squirrel Urocitellus brunneus

northern pike Esox lucius

Pacific geoduck Panopea generosa

pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus

plains topminnow Fundulus sciadicus

purple cat’s paw pearly mussel Epioblasma obliquata obliquata

rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

red knot Calidris canutus

river otter Lontra canadensis

robust redhorse Moxostoma robustum

roundtail chub Gila robusta

sandhill crane Grus canadensis

sharp-shinned hawk Accipiter striatus venator

shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus

silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix

smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu

snowshoe hare Lepus americanus

snowy plover Charadrius nivosus

snuffbox Epioblasma triquetra

Sonoran desert tortoise Gopherus morafkai

southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma

spectacled eider Somateria fischeri

spotted bass Micropterus punctulatus
66 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review

List of Species—Continued

Common name Scientific name

spruce-fir moss spider Microhexura montivaga

steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss

Steller sea lion Eumetopias jubatus

Steller’s eider Polysticta stelleri

Stone’s sheep Ovis dalli stonei

swift fox Vulpes velox

tidewater goby Eucyclogobius newberryi

Topeka shiner Notropis topeka

walleye Sander vitreus

white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus

whooping crane Grus americana

winged mapleleaf mussel Quadrula fragosa

wolf Canis lupus

wolverine Gulo gulo

wood turtle Glyptemys insculpta

yellow perch Perca flavescens

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

http://www.coopunits.org/

Anne Kinsinger, Associate Director, Ecosystems

John Organ, Chief

John Thompson, Deputy Chief

Mike Tome, Unit Supervisor, North

Kevin Whalen, Unit Supervisor, West

Barry Grand, Unit Supervisor, South

Shana Coulby, Administrative Officer

Don Dennerline, Biologist

Dawn Childs, Information Specialist
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program 67

Photograph Credits

All photographs featured in this publication were taken by USGS/Coop Unit 

scientists and students with the following exceptions:

Pages 5 and 7: Infographic icons from Flaticon, www.flaticon.com. 

Licensed under Creative Commons 3.0.

Page 6: Mule deer by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 12: Rainbow trout by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 14: Hen pheasant by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 16: Northern harrier by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 18: Harbor seal by National Park Service.

Page 19: Snowshoe hare by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 20: Wolverine by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 20: Rio Grande cutthroat trout by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 21: Wood turtle by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 22: Lesser prairie-chicken by Mark Watson, used with 

permission.

Page 23: Wind energy by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 26: Mule deer. Original art by Ryan Van Vierssen, USGS student intern at South Lakes High School 

Secondary Transitions to Employment Program 

(STEP), used with permission.

Page 28: DIDSON imaging system by California 

Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Page 28: Mexican wolf by U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service.

Page 29: Diamond darter by S. Welsh, used with 

permission.

Page 31: Shovelnose sturgeon by U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service.

Page 31: Spruce-fir moss spider by U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service. 

Page 33: Flathead catfish by Garold Sneegas, used with 

permission.

Page 33: Asian carp by Tennessee Tech University, used with 

permission.

Page 44: Great Plains toad by National Park Service.

Page 46: Moose with calves by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 48: Mississippi alluvial valley map by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 51: Wild turkey by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 51: White-tailed deer by Scott Bower, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Page 51: Moose by New York Department of Environmental Conservation, used 

with permission.

Page 52: Alaska mountain range by National Park Service.

Page 53: Walleye by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 54: Semipalmated sandpiper by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 55: Salmon life cycle by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Page 57: Cave crayfish by Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Page 64: Wood thrush. Original art by Ryan Van Vierssen, USGS student intern at South Lakes 

High School Secondary Transitions to Employment Program (STEP), used with permission.


Organ and others—Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2017 Year in Review—Circular 1438 Version 2.0, February 2018

ISSN 1067-084X (print)

ISSN 2330-5703 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1438