Circular 1491

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Units Program—

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Year in Review 2021
Front cover. Kaitlyn Gahl, graduate student at Arizona Cooperative 

Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (sitting), and Elizabeth EbadiRad, 

undergraduate student at the University of Arizona, implant transmitter 

into smallmouth bass-redeye bass hybrid to identify habitat use and 

movement patterns of fish in Arizona.

Inside front cover. Fire monitoring during wildfires helps 

researchers understand the complex relationships among fuels, fire 

behavior, and fire effects. 

Back cover. Tom Kwak (1958–2021), Unit Leader at the North 

Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Ambar 

Torres Molinari, a master of science graduate student at the 

North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, in 

Puerto Rico.
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units 

Program—2021 Year in Review

By Dawn E. Childs

Circular 1491

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2022

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Suggested citation:

Childs, D.E., 2022, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units program—2021 year in review: 

U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1491, 25 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1491.

ISSN 2330-5703 (online)
iii

Contents

Abbreviations.................................................................................................................................................iv

Leadership Message.....................................................................................................................................v

Special Appreciation....................................................................................................................................vi

Exciting News!...............................................................................................................................................1

About................................................................................................................................................................2

Budget and Staffing.......................................................................................................................................4

Mission ............................................................................................................................................................5

Productivity and Leveraging Resources....................................................................................................6

Graduate Education To Develop the Conservation Workforce ..............................................................7

Applied Research To Meet Cooperators’ Science Needs ......................................................................9

Technical Assistance to Cooperators ......................................................................................................17

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility.........................................................................................18

Stories From the Field..................................................................................................................................20

Awards...........................................................................................................................................................23

Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................................24
iv

Abbreviations

AFS American Fisheries Society 

AZGFD Arizona Game and Fish Department

CRU Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units

CWD chronic wasting disease

DDCSP Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program 

DOI U.S. Department of the Interior

ESA Endangered Species Act

MDC Missouri Department of Conservation 

M.S. master of science degree

NABat North American Bat Monitoring Program 

NYSDEC New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

NGO nongovernmental organization

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Ph.D. doctor of philosophy degree

RWO Research Work Order

SSA Species Status Assessment

SWAP State Wildlife Action Plan

USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

USGS U.S. Geological Survey
v

Leadership Message

The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (CRU) program is pleased to provide you with 

our “2021 Year in Review” report. Inside you will find brief descriptions of just a few highlighted 

activities of unit scientists, students, and cooperators in support of our joint mission. Although 

space precludes us from highlighting every single activity from every unit and State, that in no 

way diminishes our appreciation of the excellent work that is conducted by each of our collaborators and partners and the value that this program places on each cooperative.

Fiscal year 2021 has been an exciting year at the CRU program. In September, we officially 

signed the Cooperative Agreement creating our first new Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit in 15 years at the University of Nevada, Reno. We appreciate the hard work of 

all our partners, including the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(USFWS); University of Nevada, Reno; Nevada Department of Wildlife; and the Wildlife Management Institute, who helped bring this new unit into existence.

We also had the pleasure and privilege this year of welcoming many new scientists into our CRU 

program. We are excited about this influx of new talent. Our new team members look forward to 

working with our cooperators to address your most pressing scientific and technical assistance 

needs, while at the same time training the next generation of fisheries and wildlife scientists.

At the CRU program, we take our mission of helping to train new scientists and conservation 

leaders very seriously. I am especially pleased with the work of our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, 

and Accessibility Committee and our entire management staff for implementing meaningful 

steps to increase diversity across our entire program. We continue to prioritize and support 

these efforts at all levels of our program.

The coming year will undoubtedly bring new challenges and opportunities for the CRU program. 

We are already seeing increased interest in climate science and climate adaptation projects 

across the Federal Government, as well as increased attention to topics such as fish and wildlife disease, landscape-scale conservation, species of greatest conservation need, and State 

Wildlife Action Plans among our State and Federal partners. There is also strong interest among 

State, Federal, and nongovernmental partners for continued development and expansion of CRU 

efforts to map migration corridors for large ungulates and other species across all the western 

States. We welcome opportunities to bring cutting-edge science to these new challenges, while 

continuing to build on our longstanding strengths in support of the wildlife and fisheries management programs at the State agencies and the USFWS.

The CRU program staff is composed of excellent scientists, an outstanding administrative staff, 

and very dedicated leadership that all work together to meet our mission. However, none of this 

could be accomplished without the tremendous support from each cooperator.

Thank you.

Jonathan R. Mawdsley, Chief
Northern spotted owl.

Special Appreciation

To the Wildlife Management Institute, a partner from the very beginning of the CRU 

program in 1935. We very much appreciate the Institute’s leadership and staff for their ongoing 

support of the CRU program, and we look forward to many more years of productive collaboration and partnership together.
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units 

Program—2021 Year in Review

By Dawn E. Childs

Cyndy Loftin canoes near shrubby cinquefoil and clayton’s copper 

butterflies in Maine. 

Exciting News! 1

Welcome Cyndy Loftin to the CRU Program’s 

Leadership Team

The CRU program selected Dr. Cyndy Loftin as the 

next CRU Unit Supervisor (East) to replace Mike Tome, who 

retired from the position in December 2021. Cyndy has a 

long and extensive association with the CRU program. She is 

currently the Unit Leader at the Maine Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Unit, a position she has held since 2011. 

Previously, she was the Assistant Unit Leader at the Maine 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, being selected 

for that position in 1999. Cyndy’s association with the CRU 

program began as a graduate student, as she was a CRUprogram-affiliated student at both Auburn University and the 

University of Florida. Cyndy brings a wealth of experience in 

program leadership from her leadership positions at the Maine 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and from having been a Fellow of Cohort 13 at the National Conservation 

Leadership Institute.

Nevada Becomes 39th State to Create 

Multiagency Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit

Congress must approve the creation of all new Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units, and there must be 

resources in the program budget to support startup and ongoing costs (P. L. 86–686).

The newly formed Nevada Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit brings State and Federal wildlife-management resources together, providing a cooperative partnership that ensures resources are best serving Nevada’s fish, 

wildlife, and wild places.

Exciting News!

“Nevada is facing unprecedented 

environmental change. Native plant 

communities and their associated fish and 

wildlife species are challenged by invasive weeds, increased fire frequency and 

intensity, water quantity and quality, and 

development associated with a growing 

human population. Establishing a Cooperative Research Unit at the University of 

Nevada, Reno will significantly enhance 

the efforts of the University, the Nevada 

Department of Wildlife and other partners 

to address these natural resource management priorities.”

—Mridul Gautam, Vice President 

for Research and Innovation, University of 

Nevada, Reno 
2 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

About

Established in 1935, the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units (CRU) program is a unique cooperative partnership among State fish and wildlife agencies, universities, 

the Wildlife Management Institute, the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 

Designed to meet the scientific needs of natural resource 

management agencies and the necessity for trained professionals in the growing field of wildlife management, the program 

has grown from the original 9 wildlife-only units to a program 

that today includes 41 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Units located on university campuses in 39 States.

WASHINGTON

OREGON

CALIFORNIA

ALASKA

NEVADA

NEW

MEXICO

ARIZONA

UTAH COLORADO

WYOMING

MONTANA

TEXAS

NEBRASKA

KANSAS

OKLAHOMA

MINNESOTA

MISSOURI

LOUISIANA

FLORIDA

GEORGIA

SOUTH

CAROLINA

SOUTH

DAKOTA

IDAHO

TENNESSEE

KENTUCKY

NEW 

YORK

OHIO

ARKANSAS

IOWA

WISCONSIN

ILLINOIS

MICHIGAN INDIANA

ALABAMA

MISSISSIPPI

MAINE

NEW HAMPSHIRE

VERMONT

HAWAII

NORTH

DAKOTA

NORTH

CAROLINA

Unit location

VIRGINIA

WEST

VIRGINIA

PENNSYLVANIA

NEW JERSEY

RHODE ISLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

DELAWARE

MARYLAND

CONNECTICUT

Locations of the 41 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units in fiscal year 2021.

State fish and wildlife agencies

Universities

Wildlife Management Institute

U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Details about the program follow:

• If fully staffed, the CRU program would be served by 

122 research scientists and a headquarters’ administrative and management staff of 18.

• The research scientists hold faculty ranks at their universities and teach graduate-level courses.

• Research projects typically support graduate students 

and postdoctoral researchers.

• Some of the USGS’s strongest links to Federal and State 

land and natural resource management agencies as mandated by the Cooperative Research and Training Units 

Act of 1960 are the partnerships that form each unit.
Science Themes

About 3

\

Advanced Technologies

Decision Science

Ecological Flows

Ecosystem Services

Endangered Species

Energy and Wildlife

Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Invasive Species

Landscape Ecology

Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Species Population, Habitat, and Harvest Management

Wildlife Health and Disease

Climate Adaptation
4 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

Budget and Staffing

Greater scaup on the Arctic Coastal Plain.

Funding, in millions of dollars

Number of scientists

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

20192020

2021

10

14

18

22

26

30

75

85

95

105

115

125

Funding, in millions of dollars

Number of scientists, without vacancies

Number of scientists at end of fiscal year

EXPLANATION

Graph showing budget and staffing data for the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (CRU) program during fiscal years 

2003–2021. The increase in congressional appropriations allows the CRU program to fill vacancies.
Mission 5

Mission

The mission of the CRU program has three parts:

1. conduct research to deliver actionable science 

to cooperating agencies and organizations,

2. develop the natural resource conservation 

workforce of the future through graduate education, and

3. fulfill the training and technical assistance 

needs of cooperators.

Research Priorities

All research priorities are set locally in response to identified cooperators’ applied science needs. Significant controls are 

in place to ensure projects align with the USGS mission and 

the priors including invasive carp and pythons; and several 

units (Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Wyoming) have coordinated 

with the USGS National Wildlife Health Center on chronic 

wasting disease.

Project Selection

In keeping with the original legislation that created the CRU 

program (P.L. 86–686), the research priorities for a particular unit 

are set locally in consultation with Federal and State cooperators. Unit scientists and unit supervisors work with cooperators 

to help them identify their needs, and unit supervisors ensure that 

all research conducted is aligned with the USGS mission. Final 

approval for each project is made by CRU headquarters management (Chief or Deputy Chief) to ensure that projects meet the 

USGS mission and DOI priorities.

Project Controls

Research Work Orders (RWOs) are the mechanism 

through which host universities receive Federal financial support to conduct research as provided for in the 1978 amendment to P.L. 86–686. RWOs are an extension of the Cooperative Agreement establishing each unit. Funds from the USGS, 

other DOI bureaus, or other Federal agencies are obligated via 

Financial Assistance into an RWO and awarded to the University for a specific research project.

The Deputy Chief assures that the project meets the 

requirements for an RWO, including the following: (1) 

the project must be novel research; (2) the project must be 

consistent with the mission of the USGS and DOI priorities; 

(3) the project must have an educational component; (4) the 

budget is complete and appropriate; and (5) no apparent conflicts of interest exist.

Regional Engagement and Coordination

CRU Headquarters staff and regional leadership participate in regular quarterly meetings between USGS Center 

Directors, USGS Regional Directors, and USGS Ecosystems 

Mission Area leadership. The CRU program’s regional leadership regularly discuss points of shared interest with USGS 

Center Directors and other regional USGS staff.

The Chief of the CRU program maintains regular communications with USGS Center Directors and USGS Regional 

Directors on topics of mutual interest, including most recently 

the development of an interagency pollinator science partnership that engages regional staff, center scientists, as well as 

external partners (for example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Smithsonian 

Institution) in research to inform pollinator conservation.

There are numerous examples of close collaboration on critically important research projects 

between CRU scientists and regional scientists. For 

example, the Washington Unit has been working 

with the USGS Alaska Science Center and others on 

projects modelling the demographics of polar bears; 

the Missouri Unit has worked with multiple USGS 

Ecosystems and Water Science Centers (Climate 

Adaptation Science Centers, Eastern Ecological 

Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science 

Center, and Wisconsin Water Science Center) to investigate climate effects on North American fish populations; the Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee Units have 

been working with multiple USGS Science Centers 

(Great Lakes Science Center, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Wetlands and Aquatic Research 

Center) on invasive species issues including invasive carp and pythons; and several units (Wisconsin, 

Pennsylvania, Wyoming) have coordinated with the 

USGS National Wildlife Health Center on chronic 

wasting disease.
6 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

Productivity and Leveraging Resources

The CRU program model enables leveraging of all 

available resources such that every Federally allocated dollar 

is matched on about a 1:3 basis by State and host university 

contributions and grant funds. In fiscal year 2021, $25 million 

was allocated Federally.

Despite the global pandemic, the CRU program remained 

highly productive, publishing more than 370 scientific papers 

in fiscal year 2021 and more than 400 in fiscal year 2020. 

Many courses were taught remotely owing to the pandemic, 

requiring reformatting of materials for that platform of 

delivery. This enabled the graduate education part of the CRU 

program’s mission to continue to be met while most staff 

worked remotely.

Unit scientists publish in both free open-access journals 

and in journals requiring a fee to access. Below is a snapshot 

of the scientific journals that published results of CRU program research in fiscal year 2021.

• Biodiversity and Conservation

• Ecological Indicators

• Ecology and Evolution

• Ecosphere

• Fisheries Research

• Forest Ecology and Management

• Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

• Global Ecology and Conservation

• Journal of Mammalogy

• Journal of Threatened Taxa

• Journal of Urban Ecology

• Journal of Wildlife Management

• Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research

• North American Journal of Fisheries Management

• Science

• Science of the Total Environment

Publishing in journals by USGS scientists allows the 

research—including its scientific and practical contributions—

to be disseminated to others in a particular field. This makes 

scientific researchers and practitioners with similar interests 

aware of new knowledge in their field, and it helps to advance 

knowledge and its application.

An adult female polar bear and her two cubs travel across the sea 

ice of the Arctic Ocean.
Graduate Education To Develop the Conservation Workforce 7

Unit scientists garner

$25 million to $40 million

in State and Federal research funding each year

Universities provide more than

$20 million

through in-kind support, tuition,

and reduced overhead

Federal investment supports about

1,100 students and

university staff members

annually

Graduate Education To Develop the Conservation Workforce

One of the greatest legacies of the CRU program is the 

placement of students advised by unit scientists into jobs in 

natural resource agencies and organizations after graduation. 

A pillar of the program’s mission is to develop the workforce 

of the future through graduate education. Alumni hold important leadership positions in nearly every State and Federal fish 

and wildlife management agency.

The CRU program educates more than 450 graduate students annually in natural resource management and conservation.

Graduate Student Spotlights

Students are advised by unit scientists and conduct 

applied research projects that directly address current natural 

resource concerns of the State and Federal cooperators. Students also receive cutting-edge academic training from university cooperators and develop expertise on the issues of State 

and Federal natural resource management and protection agencies. Students graduate from the experience uniquely prepared 

to be effective members of the natural resource workforce.

Presentations

401

49

Seminars

376

Publications

5

Workshops and

short courses

67

Courses taught

Federal

17%

State

University 30%

26%

NGO

25%

Pie chart showing the types of professional positions obtained by 

recent graduates who participated in the Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Units program. Data are averaged for fiscal 

years 2012–2021. NGO, nongovernmental organization.

495

Active graduate 

students (318 M.S. 

and 177 Ph.D. students)

66

Graduate degrees 

awarded (54 M.S. and 

12 Ph.D. degrees)

57

Undergraduate 

students

75

Postdoctoral 

researchers
8 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

Kearstin Findley

University of Arkansas

Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit

Research Project: Conservation 

and ecology of the critically endangered, Arkansas endemic yellowcheek darter.

Kearstin Findley obtained 

a bachelor of science degree 

in ecology and evolution from 

Rockford University in her hometown of Rockford, Illinois. During her 

undergraduate studies, Kearstin was first exposed to working 

with freshwater fishes during a research experience at Ohio 

State University. This experience working with the USGS on 

lake trout research led Kearstin to pursue her master 

of science degree at Southeastern Louisiana 

University. Kearstin’s thesis was focused 

on using niche modeling to evaluate the 

distribution of imperiled freshwater 

fishes in Louisiana, and she used field 

surveys to ground truth the models she 

created. Kearstin’s previous work and 

interests in freshwater fish conservation 

led her to pursue a doctor of philosophy 

degree at the University of Arkansas with 

the Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit. Her dissertation research is 

focused on conservation and ecology of the critically 

endangered, Arkansas endemic yellowcheek darter. Kearstin’s 

work is in collaboration with the USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and the 

Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.

Joshua Vine

University of Florida

Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit

Research Project: Gulf sturgeon 

monitoring in the Choctawhatchee River 

Basin, Florida.

Josh Vine is a Ph.D. student participating in a 4-year monitoring project of Gulf 

sturgeon populations, focusing on data collection from the Choctawhatchee River Basin. He 

received his bachelor of science and master 

of science degrees in wildlife and fisheries 

biology from Clemson University. Josh 

is tracking movement of juvenile Gulf 

sturgeon with acoustic telemetry, where 

strategically placed stationary telemetry receivers 

detect fish with implanted sonic tags as they swim 

past. This passive technique is yielding tens of 

thousands of detections with minimal effort, 

and it enables Josh to monitor the spatial and 

temporal movement of the juveniles in the 

estuary and river. This research is part of a 

larger project done in conjunction with the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the USFWS in Panama 

City, Florida. The Choctawhatchee River is one 

of seven freshwater systems, stretching from 

the Pearl River in Louisiana to the Suwannee 

River in Florida, under examination in this 

multistate study. Assessing river-specific 

population trends with these data may 

inform restoration strategies.

Nikola Rodriguez

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

Hawaiʻi Cooperative Fishery 

Research Unit

Research Project:

How factors related to 

climate change and 

overfishing affect the 

prevalence of ciguatoxic fishes on Hawaiian 

coral reefs.

Nikola Rodriguez is 

an M.S. student with the Hawaiʻi 

Cooperative Fishery Research Unit and the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science graduate program 

at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. She is studying how 

factors related to climate change and overfishing 

affect the prevalence of ciguatoxic fishes 

on Hawaiian coral reefs. Ciguatera fish 

poisoning is caused by consumption of 

reef fishes containing toxins produced 

by dinoflagellates in the genus Gambierdiscus. Gambierdiscus attach to 

turf algae where herbivorous fishes 

incidentally consume it while grazing, and the toxins are biomagnified 

through the food chain. Climate change 

and alteration of reef fish assemblages 

through overfishing have the potential to affect 

the abundance of Gambierdiscus. The project results will 

help managers protect local communities from ciguatera fish 

poisoning and allow fishers to adapt their resource use patterns 

to changing reefscapes.

Nikola Rodriguez

exits the water after a 

successful sampling effort along 

the west coast of Hawai’i Island 

in September 2021. The fish will be 

processed and tested for the 

presence of ciguatoxins.

Kearstin Findley

photographs a rosyside dace 

to quantify morphological differences 

among populations.

Graduate 

students track the 

movement of juvenile Gulf 

sturgeon with acoustic 

telemetry. 
Deer with chronic wasting disease.

Applied Research To Meet Cooperators’ Science Needs 9

Applied Research To Meet Cooperators’ Science Needs

The economic, environmental, and health-related costs of 

invasive species exceed those of all other natural disasters 

combined. Biological invasions may affect the resilience of 

complex systems and can cause sudden and essentially irreversible changes.

Chronic Wasting Disease Management in 

the Midwest

Wildlife management agencies have historically applied 

a variety of disease control strategies to slow the spread of 

chronic wasting disease (CWD), but manipulation of harvest 

regulations has been the primary tool used to reduce density and presumably slow the spread of CWD. Despite the 

widespread use of harvest as a CWD management tool, it is 

difficult to measure the effects of harvest approaches within 

a single jurisdiction, and rigorous evaluations of how harvest regulations reduce CWD risk have not been conducted. 

The CRU program is a leader in applied research to provide objective science for the management needs of cooperators and to inform decision making. The research priorities for 

each unit are identified locally in consultation with Federal 

and State cooperators.

In this report, we highlight just a few of the many management-oriented research projects conducted with our State, 

Federal, and university cooperators. Many more examples 

are available online. Each of these examples demonstrates 

the importance of this cooperative effort and the invaluable 

decision-based science that it can yield.

Section 1: Disease, Invasive Species, and Other 

Biological Threats

Biological threats and invasive species of plants, animals, 

and microorganisms pose significant risks to native species, 

ecosystems, and the health of humans, fish, and wildlife. 
10 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

Therefore, the researchers will examine the effects of harvest 

regulations on hunting and CWD dynamics.

Partners: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 

Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Issue: CWD is a fatal disease of deer, elk, and moose for 

which there is no treatment. CWD is increasing in prevalence 

in areas where the disease already is established. In heavily 

affected areas of Wyoming, Colorado, and Wisconsin, more 

than 40 percent of free-ranging cervids are infected.

Societal Impact: While there is not current evidence for 

CWD occurrence in humans, it does have potential population 

effects on deer, thus deer hunters.

Benefits to States: A critical examination of the effect 

of harvest regulations on hunting and CWD dynamics can be 

used to guide a regional application of adaptive management 

strategies for wildlife agencies so they may coordinate disease 

mitigation efforts.

Invasive Carp Throughout the Upper Mississippi 

River Basin

Like many invasive species, invasive carp have negative 

economic and ecological effects. Despite the lack of habitat for 

invasive carp within the Upper Mississippi River Basin, tributaries of the basin such as the Des Moines and Skunk Rivers 

Distribution of chronic wasting disease in North America.
Silver carp.

Applied Research To Meet Cooperators’ Science Needs 11

Issue: Invasive carp (bighead, black, grass, and silver) 

were imported to the United States from China in the mid1960s to control nuisance algae, snails, and vegetation in 

aquaculture facilities in the southeastern United States.

Societal Impact: These invasive carp threaten local 

economies, contribute to dead zones and algae blooms, reduce 

recreational opportunities, and can be hazardous to boaters 

and anglers.

Benefits to States: Results can be used to inform management plans for these invasive species.

contain stretches of free-flowing sections where reproduction 

has been documented. Unit researchers are evaluating stockrecruitment trends present within the Upper Mississippi River 

(Des Moines, Skunk, and Iowa Rivers) where adult stock and 

recruits have been sampled. The objective is to also assess 

the accuracy of models that identify fish species based on the 

analysis of egg size and shape within the Upper Mississippi 

River Basin.

Partners: Iowa Department of Natural Resources, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit at Iowa State University.
12 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

Using Acoustic Data from the North American 

Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) to Evaluate 

Bats in White-Nose Syndrome-Free Areas

White-nose syndrome has led to substantial declines 

in populations of hibernating bats across North America. 

NABat was established to assess the ecological effects of these 

unprecedented declines, providing standardized monitoring 

protocols and a continental-scale collaborative framework to 

evaluate the status and distributions of bat species. Maps of 

distribution and status of bat populations to date can provide 

a baseline for evaluating further encroachment by white-nose 

syndrome and other threats.

Partners: National Park Service Upper Columbia 

Basin Network, numerous partners throughout the range 

of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat, 

https://www.nabatmonitoring.org/), Colorado Cooperative 

Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Colorado State University, 

USGS Fort Collins Science Center.

Issue: White-nose syndrome is an emergent disease 

of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern 

United States to the central United States at an alarming rate. 

Since the winter of 2007–8, more than six million insecteating bats in at least 37 States and 7 Canadian Provinces have 

died from this devastating disease.

Societal Impact: USGS research indicates that bats 

likely save U.S. farmers billions of dollars each year in pest 

suppression simply by doing what they naturally do—eating insects. Bats, the only mammal capable of true flight, eat 

mind-boggling quantities of insects, including those that damage crops and forests (corn earworm moth, emerald ash borer 

beetle) and those that carry diseases (mosquitoes).

Benefits to States: Evaluating the survey methods and 

data can inform refinement of NABat. Federal and State agencies and other wildlife partners work together to help identify 

management actions that maximize bat persistence and reduce 

the spread of white-nose syndrome.

Section 2: Fire

We focus on priority ecosystems (such as the Arctic, 

coastal zones, wetlands, forests, deserts) and their response 

to both devastating natural events (including wildfires) and 

changing land management practices (such as fire control). 

Our scientists provide the information, data, and tools that 

resource managers need to manage priority ecosystems and 

their resources efficiently.

Boreal Aquatic Ecosystem Vulnerability to Fire 

and Climate Change 

Research will combine detailed field experiments and 

measurements with an integrated suite of spatially and temporally explicit climate, terrestrial, and aquatic habitat models 

to better understand the effects of fire and climate change on 

aquatic communities in boreal ecosystems of interior Alaska.

Partners: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska 

Fire Science Consortium, U.S. Department of Defense, 

USFWS, Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Issue: Fire size, frequency, and severity are increasing in 

Alaska. Interactions among fire, climate, permafrost, vegetation, and hydrologic and watershed processes are poorly 

understood, yet critical for conservation and management of 

boreal aquatic habitats in a changing environment.

Hibernating little brown bat.
Applied Research To Meet Cooperators’ Science Needs 13

Societal Impact: It costs an average of $5 billion per year

to respond to wildfires nationwide, and the net economic 

impact is about $72 billion per year.

Benefits to States: Results could support a science 

decision making approach to refine management objectives, 

decision options, and management scenarios, to conduct costbenefit analyses, and to create a web-based decision-support 

tool for State agencies.

Response by Female Lesser Prairie-Chickens to 

Patch-Burn Grazing

The lesser prairie‐chicken is a declining species of 

prairie‐grouse that requires a diversity of grassland plant species varying in composition and structure. Natural fire, which 

historically maintained these grasslands, has been removed 

from much of its range. Patch‐burn grazing is a management 

strategy that reestablishes the fire‐grazing interaction to a 

grassland system, increasing heterogeneity in vegetation structure and composition. Understanding the response of lesser 

prairie-chickens to a variety of grazing and prescribed fire 

practices, which are tools for managing landscapes to support 

the species, is important for conservation planning.

Partners: Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Natural Resources Conservation Service Lesser Prairie-Chicken 

Initiative, Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Unit at Kansas State University.

Issue: The lesser prairie-chicken has been considered for 

listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species 

Act (ESA). Lesser prairie-chickens are sensitive to disturbances on the landscape, especially grazing and fire. The 

occurrence of widespread, intensive wildfires is expanding the 

range of the lesser prairie-chicken.

Societal Impact: Landowners may use grazing and 

prescribed fire practices for management of lesser prairiechicken populations.

Benefits to States: Development of conservation strategies by State and Federal agencies for lesser prairie-chickens 

would benefit from inclusion of grazing and prescribed fire 

practices that mimic ecological drivers of grassland systems.

Ground Squirrels and Forest Restoration in Idaho

Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the 

University of Idaho

Northern Idaho ground squirrels are listed as threatened 

and have a very small range in central Idaho. Ground squirrels hibernate for approximately 8 months per year. Research 

suggests that recovery efforts for northern Idaho ground 

squirrels should include protection and management for the 

full range of habitat conditions throughout summer and winter. 

More broadly, researchers emphasize the need to identify and 

protect habitat during all seasons because habitat requirements 

can differ substantially during different periods in an animal’s 

annual cycle and effective conservation will require management of year-round habitat needs.

Partners: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Department of Fish and 

Game, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at 

the University of Idaho.

Issue: Fire suppression over the past century has caused 

widespread changes to the distribution and composition of 

coniferous (trees that bear their seeds in cones) forests in the 

western United States.

A male lesser prairie-chicken.
14 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

Societal Impact: Forest management actions that reduce 

fire risk benefit society by protecting life and property, as well 

as ensuring that those actions are compatible with endangered 

species recovery efforts.

Benefits to States: The results will help land management agencies implement forest management practices that 

benefit an ESA-listed species such as the threatened northern 

Idaho ground squirrel. Recovery and delisting will help reduce 

ESA-imposed restrictions on activities within the species 

range, which will assist agencies in accomplishing their conservation objectives.

Section 3: Climate

The effects of projected climate trends on humans, fish 

and wildlife populations, and habitats are a major concern. 

Unit scientists work with cooperators to better understand 

potential implications and to reduce uncertainty so that 

managers can better evaluate future scenarios and management options.

Wyoming Migration Initiative

The Wyoming Migration Initiative was created with the 

broad goals of understanding and conserving ungulate migration routes through migration research, developing conservation tools, and sharing information through public outreach 

and education. Current research is focused on mapping 

undocumented corridors and studying the benefits and challenges of long-distance migration.

Partners: Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Wyoming, other State and Federal agency partners, 

conservation groups.

Issue: Migratory species and the corridors they travel 

face new and ongoing threats, and their conservation is 

constrained by an incomplete understanding of migration 

ecology and by misconceptions among public stakeholders. 

Understanding the ability of different species to accommodate 

changing conditions is a critical component of identifying 

which species are most vulnerable to climate change and can 

ultimately inform the prioritization of conservation efforts.

Societal Impact: Wyoming’s ungulate migrations, like 

the vast landscapes on which they take place, are a vital part 

of the State’s cultural heritage. However, migration corridors 

are facing new and ongoing threats, and their conservation is 

constrained by a still-incomplete understanding of migration 

ecology and by misconceptions among public stakeholders.

Benefits to States: Creating a powerful archive of 

corridor data and tools to analyze those data can inform 

on-the-ground conservation and policy. Outreach and education programs continue to tell the story of migration to 

a broad audience, focusing on “live” tracking of migrations, compelling new videos, storytelling, and resources for 

K–12 instructors.

Matt Kauffman, Unit Leader at the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 

second from left, works with Wyoming Game and Fish Department and University of Wyoming 

collaborators to release an elk fitted with a global positioning system tracking collar.
Applied Research To Meet Cooperators’ Science Needs 15

Managing Coastal Wetlands for Wildlife and 

Sustainability in the Face of Sea-Level Rise

Coastal marshes are critical habitat for a wide variety of 

wildlife and fisheries species. To keep up with sea-level rise, 

marsh growth rates must exceed decomposition rates. Common marsh management practices, such as fire, flooding, and 

drawdowns, affect decomposition and accretion and have 

led to elevation declines of several feet in many waterfowl 

management units. The purpose of this project is to study the 

effects of selected management practices on marsh growth 

rates and decomposition processes in waterfowl management 

units at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area near 

Port Arthur, Texas.

Partners: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Louisiana Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Louisiana 

State University.

Issue: Marsh loss in ecosystems is common along the 

Gulf coast and may increase with sea-level rise. Coastal 

marshes are critical habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and 

fisheries species.

Societal Impact: Wetlands are valuable to humans for 

flood protection, shoreline erosion control, recreation, and 

water quality improvement, and they provide important habitat 

for fish and wildlife.

Benefits to States: This research could be used to 

develop waterfowl management practices that benefit waterfowl and allow marshes to adjust to increasing sea levels.

Conservation Planning for Amphibians in a 

Changing Landscape

Amphibians are a bellwether of environmental change. 

Maintaining year-long habitat connectivity can be critical to their persistence in both undeveloped and developed 

landscapes. Understanding relationships between their 

distributions, habitat conditions, wetland landscape context, 

and how amphibians adapt to changing environments can 

reveal how human-caused alterations in landscape composition and arrangement may affect amphibian populations. 

This information can be used to develop conservation planning guidance that contributes to long-term persistence of 

amphibian populations.

Partners: University of Maine, Clark University, Maine 

Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Tennessee State 

University, Clemson University, Maine Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Maine.

Issue: Worldwide declines in amphibians are attributed to disease, collection, and loss of habitat. Landscape 

change potentially affects population connectivity by disrupting movements across the landscape and reducing access to 

quality habitat.

Societal Impact: Amphibians provide important linkages 

between terrestrial and aquatic systems, providing food for 

numerous wildlife species in diverse ecosystems, while also 

contributing to control of insect agricultural pests and pests 

that transmit diseases to humans.

Benefits to States: Consideration of the vulnerability of 

quality amphibian habitat to mid-21st century land use and 

climate change can increase effectiveness of conservation 

planning for amphibian populations. This research characterizes how threats to amphibians, including disease, climate 

change, exposure to contaminants, invasive species, and habitat loss, are impacting populations and are working with other 

agencies to avert further losses.

Section 4: Species of Greatest Conservaton Need

State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs, https://www1.usgs.gov/

csas/swap/), are required by Congress to obtain funding under 

the State Wildlife Grants Program. SWAPs contain a list of 

species of greatest conservation need and identify the information needs, threats, and conservation actions pertinent to them. 

CRU scientists work with State cooperators to develop the 

science needed to inform conservation actions.

Species Status Assessment for the Eastern 

Black Rail To Support an Endangered Species 

Listing Decision

Unit researchers assisted with development of the Species Status Assessment (SSA) framework to support USFWS 

decision making processes under the ESA and applied the 

framework to the determination of the eastern black rail as a 

threatened species. Listing decisions are an important step in 

conservation of rare, declining, or at-risk species, but listing 

and protecting species that do not require protections uses limited resources unnecessarily. Our work on eastern black rails 

determined that the species has exhibited steep declines and 

range contractions in recent decades, is currently rare, and we 

predicted that it will continue to decline and likely go extinct 

in the coming decades. As a result of this work, the USFWS 

decided to list the species as threatened thus providing the species with the protection it needs to prevent extinction.

Partners: Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission, 

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Florida 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University 

of Florida, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Unit at Auburn University, USFWS.

Issue: Sea-level rise and changes in precipitation patterns 

owing to climate change are likely to eliminate black rail habitat, which indicates that wetlands overall are at risk from these 

large systemic forces.

Societal Impact: Listing the eastern black rail as threatened opens opportunities and resources for protecting wetland 

habitats and mitigating the effects of climate change in these 

sensitive wetland ecosystems.

Benefits to States: The black rail is a sentinel species 

for coastal and interior wetlands, meaning that its status is an 

early indicator of the health of these important ecosystems.
Chinook salmon.

16 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

Research, Education, and Training in the Proper 

Application of Species Distribution and Habitat 

Models to the Management and Conservation of 

Plant and Animal Species

Modeling animal movement through landscapes is a key 

component to understanding population ecology, how populations can be managed, how human actions impact the population, and how the population could respond to anthropogenic 

change factors such as climate and urbanization. This research 

is relevant to species of concern in the United States.

Partners: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, USFWS National 

Conservation Training Center, Utah State University, 

Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Utah 

State University.

Issue: Many (not all) species distribution models do not 

provide adequate spatial resolution.

Societal Impact: Species distribution models can simulate the Earth’s climate system. The output from these modeling efforts can be used to understand and predict changes 

in natural systems, and the implications of these changes on 

wildlife, land, and water management decisions.

Benefits to States: Species distribution modeling is 

integral to State Wildlife Action Plans and management agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, National Park 

Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. 

States and the USFWS, along with land management agencies, have both data and a need for species distribution models 

(SDMs). Training and education are key components and 

relies heavily on partnerships. The Association of Fish and 

Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) provides scientific information 

to States: they are engaged in updating existing or creating 

new distribution models of species of specific concern. The 

USFWS has significant roles in transferring science to cooperators, especially States, through established means such as 

the National Conservation Training Center.

Recovery of Salmon and Steelhead in the 

Columbia River

Recovery goals of Chinook salmon have not been 

achieved despite substantial efforts. There is a need to better 

understand the effects of various threats and ecosystem drivers 

on population dynamics. Three factors are of particularly high 

interest: (1) the effect of the quality of freshwater habitats used 

for egg incubation and juvenile rearing, (2) the effect of broadscale ocean conditions on marine survival, and (3) the effect of 

predation by marine mammals. The goal of this project is the 

development of an integrated population modeling framework 

for spring-summer Chinook salmon, built by combining count 

and mark-recapture data, and designed to evaluate the effects 

of management and threats on the fish.

Partners: University of Washington, NOAA Fisheries 

Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Yakama Nation, Washington 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Washington.

Issue: Much of the historical abundance and diversity 

of Chinook salmon and steelhead trout have been lost owing 

to logging, dams, weather, and overfishing in the Columbia 

River Basin.

Societal Impact: Estimated benefits from some fisheries 

exceeds hundreds of thousands of dollars per day.

Benefits to States: The resulting population model will 

facilitate evaluation of the benefits of past habitat restoration 

actions, support decisions about future actions, and provide an 

assessment of population viability.
Technical Assistance to Cooperators 17

Technical assistance to cooperators is an integral part of 

the mission of the CRU program, and both State and Federal 

cooperators rely on the scientific and technical expertise of 

unit personnel. CRU program scientists and graduate students 

use their expertise in natural resource management, experimental design, data analysis, and leadership to assist partners. 

Below are just a few examples of this important part of the 

CRU program’s mission.

• The USFWS appointed the Alabama Cooperative Fish 

and Wildlife Research Unit as a member of the 

Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint 

Adaptive Management Technical Team 

to provide technical expertise on 

adaptive management implementation for five threatened 

and endangered species 

in the ApalachicolaChattahoochee-Flint Basin, including the fat threeridge, 

Chipola slabshell, purple bankclimber, and oval pigtoe 

freshwater mussels, as well as Atlantic sturgeon.

• The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is working 

with the Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Unit on avian monitoring data collection at various Wildlife Management Areas in Arkansas.

• The Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

is working with State wildlife agencies and conservation 

partners in the 11 western States to share technology and 

data related to the mapping of migration corridors for large 

ungulate species (mule deer, elk, and pronghorn). 

These data are helping to inform 

conservation and management 

strategies for these species.

Technical Assistance to Cooperators

Two elk test and develop 

their abilities.
18 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

• Managers at the Sutter Bypass in California’s Central Valley are working with the California Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Unit on an anadromous fish passage 

project using structured decision making.

• The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and 

Bureau of Land Management are collaborating with the 

Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit on 

estimating the abundance and distribution of endangered 

Umpqua chub.

• The Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit is 

working with partners to improve estimates of total inland 

fish capture to support the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

• The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and 

USGS biologists are working with the West Virginia 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit to assess 

potential effects of supersaturation of oxygen on fish kills.

The CRU program supports White House Executive 

Orders 14035, 13985, 13988, 14020. CRU leadership established a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee in fiscal year 2020 to develop strategic goals, tactics, 

and define measures of success. These efforts emphasize the 

importance of recruitment, retention, and reactivation of a 

diverse science workforce. The examples below demonstrate 

our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Ambar Torres Molinari and Clayton Lynch

North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit

Location: North Carolina State University

Ambar Torres Molinari is an M.S. student at the North 

Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 

advised by Unit Leader Tom Kwak (1958–2021). Ambar is 

Puerto Rican, English is her second language, and coming to 

graduate school at the North Carolina Unit was her first residential venture away from her island home. She is researching 

American eel biology and ecology in Puerto Rico rivers for 

her thesis. Her study includes dissecting eels to identify sex, 

parasites, and other anomalies.

Ambar produced an instructional video (https://www.

youtube.com/watch?v=OPImEwgyFLU) with the help of 

research technician Clayton Lynch, who joined her for field 

sampling in Puerto Rico. Clayton is Native American, a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe in North Carolina. The video 

is targeted at middle- and high-school students, as a substitute 

for in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic, for 

Ambar Torres Molinari is a current master of science graduate 

student at the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit. She is researching American eel biology and 

ecology in Puerto Rico rivers for her thesis research.

Atlantic sturgeon. 
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility 19

and sustainability projects. Through the DDCSP, Phoenix 

gained a broad array of professional skills in the wildlife field. 

During her first summer with the DDCSP, she worked with 

a field crew and a graduate student mentor in Bear, Idaho, 

studying the northern Idaho ground squirrel, a threatened 

mammalian species endemic to only two counties in the State. 

She researched whether food preferences of northern Idaho 

ground squirrels were based on availability or nutrient quality 

within their environment, and she presented her poster at the 

annual Ecological Society of America conference. This past 

summer, she completed an internship at the Hatfield Marine 

Science Center at Oregon State University as an Oregon Sea 

Grant Summer Scholar. This academic year, Phoenix serves as 

a College of Natural Resources Student Ambassador engaging 

current, incoming, and prospective students to the college and 

all it has to offer. Phoenix was also elected President of the 

Conservation and Environment Club at the University of Idaho 

and plays an instrumental role connecting fellow students to 

environmental conservation through service and learning.

Collaboration to Support Native American 

Graduate Students in Wildlife Biology

Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit

Location: University of Montana

The University of Montana is one of seven universities in the United States that are part of the Sloan Indigenous 

a popular North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences 

environmental educational program. Ambar and Clayton bring 

cultural diversity, novel ideas, and talent to the CRU program. 

The benefits to the program, students, and science are mutual 

and valuable.

Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program 

Collaborative

The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP) 

Collaborative is a 2-year undergraduate conservation, diversity, 

equity, and inclusion field program. The Arizona, Florida, Idaho, 

and Massachusetts Units are members of the collaborative. The 

students attend leadership training, work with scientists and 

graduate students on research projects, and are mentored by 

current CRU program graduate students and Federal scientists. 

These “Doris Duke Scholars” participate in paid summer internships with local, State, Federal, and Tribal agencies, or nongovernmental organizations.

Phoenix Aguilar McFarlane

Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Location: University of Idaho

Phoenix Aguilar McFarlane is a sophomore majoring 

in environmental science at the University of Idaho College 

of Natural Resources. She entered the DDCSP with a can-do 

attitude and a passion for volunteering in community service 

Clayton Lynch, research technician at the North Carolina 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, with a common 

snook in Puerto Rico.

Phoenix Aguilar McFarlane, graduate student with the Idaho 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University 

of Idaho, researches the food preferences of the northern Idaho 

ground squirrel.
20 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

Graduate Partnership. The purpose of the Sloan Indigenous 

Graduate Partnership is to expand university initiatives to 

recruit, train, and graduate American Indian and Alaska Native 

students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

(STEM) graduate programs.

The Wildlife Biology Program at University of Montana is 

committed to enhancing diversity through partnerships with American Indian Tribes and other partners to expand graduate education 

opportunities. In 2019, the University of Montana admitted 

three new American Indian students into its graduate program.

• Sattie Whitefoot Fisher from the Confederated Tribes 

and Bands of the Yakama Nation

• Plan: Initiate a conversation with the Yakama 

Tribe to identify a graduate project that would 

simultaneously meet species conservation needs 

of the USFWS, Yakama Tribe, and potentially the 

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

• Research Focus: Changing migration and 

movements of wild horses, deer, elk.

• Location: USFWS Region 1, Pacific (DOI 

Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region).

• Xavier Lovato from Cochiti and Santo Domingo Pueblo

• Plan: Collaborate with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and other potential partners 

to identify a project that would meet Federal, 

Tribal, and (or) State species conservation needs.

• Research Focus: Mexican spotted owl (this 

project also has a comparative component with 

northern spotted owls in USFWS Region 1).

• Location: USFWS Region 2, Southwest 

(DOI Lower Colorado Basin, Upper Colorado Basin, and Arkansas-Rio Grande-TexasGulf Regions).

• Kenneth Edmo from the Confederated Salish and 

Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation

• Plan: Work with the Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribal Wildlife Management Program to 

identify a project in Montana that would meet 

USFWS species conservation priorities.

• Research Focus: Human conflict and human 

safety related to grizzly bears.

• Location: USFWS Region 6, Mountain-Prairie 

(DOI Missouri Basin, Upper Colorado Basin, 

and Lower Colorado Basin Regions).

Project Benefits:

• This experience may lead to careers in natural resources.

• The students may return to their communities to help 

manage natural resources.

• This project strengthens research and partnerships with 

local Tribes.

Stories From the Field

Standardizing Sampling of North American 

Fish Populations

Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit

Location: University of Arizona

Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

M.S. students Joshua Grant and Steven Ingram, in collaboration with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), 

are calibrating gear and testing new fish sampling techniques 

(hydroacoustics and electrofishing boat operation) in western 

canyon-bound reservoirs. This research compares current 

AZGFD sampling protocols with American Fisheries Society 

(AFS) standard methods; facilitates AZGFD’s adoption of 

AFS standard sampling techniques they are not already using; 

and will help inform the next edition of the AFS’ “Standard 

Methods for Sampling North American Freshwater Fishes” 

(AFS Standard Methods), a sampling guide used by fisheries 

biologists across North America. Standardization of fisheries 

sampling across North America has many positive benefits. 

These include the ability to measure large-scale effects of 

climate change and increasing water demand; larger sample 

sizes to test effects of regulations, habitat improvements or other 

management techniques; reliable means to check for species 

presence; easier communication among fisheries professionals and the public; and simpler data sharing across State and 

Provincial boundaries. With these and other needs increasing, 

reasons for wide-scale standardization are more compelling than 

ever. The AZGFD has consistently supported this multiagency 

effort from the beginning. The AZGFD, along with nine other 

sponsors, helped support development of the first edition of AFS 

Standard Methods, released in 2009, which is widely used in 

the United States and elsewhere. Since then, State agencies and 

others have aggressively requested an update to include new 

methods, gears, data, and expanded web-based tools to support 

data analysis and comparison. Additionally, the AZGFD, as 

part of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, strongly 

supported the development of a second edition of AFS Standard 

Methods. To date, more than 400 biologists from the United 

States, Canada, and Mexico have been involved in this project, 
Stories From the Field 21

cultivated annually for production of agricultural crops, food 

plots, and cover for wildlife. Many of these public lands have 

historically used neonicotinoid seed treatments on crops such 

as corn, soybean, and sunflowers. Because of their relatively 

long half-lives in soil, high water solubility, and the potential 

for exposure to nontarget insects, a priority information need 

of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) was 

determining if these chemicals persisted in concentrations 

detrimental to insect communities on public conservation 

areas. During 2016–2020, the Missouri Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Unit, in collaboration with the MDC, quantified neonicotinoid concentrations in soils (fields and margins), vegetation (field crop and margin flowers), and wetlands 

on public lands to evaluate the effects of annual neonicotinoid 

seed-treatment use on native bees and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. Anson Main (postdoctoral research associate at the Missouri Unit) and advisors Lisa Webb (Missouri 

Unit) and Keith Goyne (professor, University of Missouri) 

found widespread and persistent presence of neonicotinoids in 

soils of agricultural fields and field margins on public lands, 

with some measured concentrations exceeding those known 

along with many Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Units. This collaboration is resulting in advances in fisheries 

management that extend far beyond the boundaries of Arizona. Julie Meka Carter, Aquatic Wildlife Branch Chief, 

and Andy Clark, Statewide Sportfish Program Supervisor, 

Arizona Game and Fish Department

Neonicotinoid Use on Missouri Public Lands: To 

Be or Not To Be?

Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit

Location: University of Missouri Columbia 

Neonicotinoids are systemic, chemical insecticides 

widely used as preplanting treatments on crop seeds to control 

insect agricultural pests. Neonicotinoids are a controversial 

class of insecticides given their ability to be acutely toxic to 

nontarget insects as well as insect pests. Across the midwestern United States, thousands of hectares of public land are 

A female longhorn bee that specializes on ironweed collects pollen 

from flowers near a neonicotinoid-treated soybean field in Missouri. 
22 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

to have sublethal effects on ground-nesting bees. The experimental study provides evidence over two seasons that annual 

use of neonicotinoid seed treatments can result in reduced 

abundance and richness of ground-nesting bees living in or 

near agricultural fields. In a concurrent project, Kyle Kuechle 

(M.S. student) found widespread and persistent presence of 

neonicotinoids in water and sediments of public wetlands 

across Missouri. Mean aquatic neonicotinoid concentrations 

met or exceeded the chronic exposure threshold for aquatic 

life established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

for 75 percent of sampling events. The outcomes of these collaborative research projects contributed toward a decision by 

MDC to phase out use of neonicotinoid seed treatments on all 

lands owned or managed by the MDC. Joel Porath, Wildlife 

Section Chief, Missouri Department of Conservation

Fisheries Management in Lake Ontario

New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit

Location: Cornell University

Great Lakes fisheries generate substantial revenues and 

livelihoods and contribute to the cultural identity of lake 

communities. However, the long-term sustainability of these 

fisheries requires that managers regularly evaluate stocking and harvest strategies in response to shifting ecological, environmental, and social factors. The New York State 

Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and 

the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

are collaborating to develop cutting-edge quantitative tools 

to help inform fisheries management in Lake Ontario. Chinook salmon is the most popular recreational fishery in Lake 

Ontario and contributes to the $2 billion recreational fishing 

industry in New York; however, the continued success of 

this fishery is dependent on the availability of a key prey fish 

population, alewife. In collaboration with NYSDEC and other 

United States and Canadian regional partners, Kimberly Fitzpatrick (Ph.D. student) and Dr. Suresh Sethi (Assistant Unit 

Leader) designed a multispecies stock assessment model to 

jointly estimate the population dynamics of Chinook salmon 

and alewife in Lake Ontario. By including both predator and 

prey dynamics, this novel modeling framework provides an 

assessment of both the status of the fishery and the risk of 

future population instability. This stock assessment is generating information for joint United States–Canada management 

of this hallmark Great Lakes fishery. Chris Legard, Lake 

Ontario Unit Leader, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Juvenile Chinook salmon.
Awards 23

Awards

Graduate Students and Postdoctoral 

Researchers

Small Grant Award

Arizona/New Mexico American Fisheries Society

Chris Jenny, Arizona Unit

Fishery Worker of the Year

Oregon American Fisheries Society

Christina Murphy, Maine Unit

Outstanding Teaching Assistant

University of Georgia

Abhishek Kumar, Massachusetts Unit

Best Student Paper (Oral Presentation)

American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting

Aaron L. Coons, Tennessee Unit

Unit Scientists

Clarence W. Watson Award

Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, the 

Southeastern Section of The Wildlife Society, and the Southeastern 

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Leandro “Steve” Miranda, Mississippi Unit

Driver to Distinction

University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and 

Natural Resources

Craig Paukert, Missouri Unit

John Pearce Memorial Award

Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society

Duane R. Diefenbach, Pennsylvania Unit

Wings Up Research Achievement

Tennessee Tech University

Amanda Rosenberger, Tennessee Unit

Leandro “Steve” Miranda, Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, receiving the Clarence W. Watson Award. From left 

to right: Larry Pugh, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks; Miranda; Curtis Hopkins, Southeastern Association of Fish 

and Wildlife Agencies.
24 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2021 Year in Review

Acknowledgments

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

Montana State University

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks

Montana—Wildlife

University of Montana

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks

Nebraska

University of Nebraska Lincoln

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Nevada

University of Nevada, Reno

Nevada Department of Wildlife

The CRU program is a unique cooperative partnership 

among State fish and wildlife agencies, universities, the Wildlife Management Institute, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

and the U.S. Geological Survey. The cooperating universities 

and State fish and wildlife agencies are listed below.

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 Commission

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

Hawaiʻi—Fishery

University of Hawaiʻi

Hawaiʻi 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
Acknowledgments 25

New Mexico

New Mexico State University

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

New York

Cornell University

New York State Department of Environmental 

Conservation

North Carolina

North Carolina State University

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Oregon

Oregon State University

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania State University

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

Pennsylvania Game Commission

South Carolina

Clemson University

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

South Dakota

South Dakota State University

South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks

Tennessee—Fishery

Tennessee Tech 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

Washington State University

University of Washington

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

University of Wisconsin Stevens Point

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Wisconsin—Wildlife

University of Wisconsin Madison

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Wyoming

University of Wyoming

Wyoming Game and Fish Commission
Photograph Credits

All photographs featured in this publication were taken by the 

U.S. Geological Survey except those for which credits are indicated in the list below.

Front cover, Graduate students implanting a transmitter into 

smallmouth bass-redeye bass.

Front inside cover, Researchers monitoring a wildfire.

p. i, Two bull elk fighting in a lake.

p. iii. A Pacific chorus frog.

p. v, A USGS climate change collage.

p. vi , Northern spotted owl by Emily Brouwer, Mount Rainier 

National Park.

p. 1, Cyndy Loftin canoeing in Maine.

p. 3, Animal collages.

p. 4, Greater scaup on the Arctic Coastal Plain.

p. 6, A female polar bear and two cubs walking across an 

Alaska glacier.

p. 8, Nikola Rodriguez sampling fish in Hawaiʻi.

p. 8, Kearstin Findley photographing a rosyside dace.

p. 8, Graduate students tracking Gulf sturgeon with 

acoustic telemetry.

p. 9, Deer with chronic wasting disease by Terry Kreeger, Wyoming Game and Fish and Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance.

p. 10, Chronic wasting disease distribution map of North America.

p. 11, Silver carp jumping out of the water by Ryan Hagerty, USFWS.

p. 12, A hibernating little brown bat by Ann Froschauer, USFWS.

p. 13, A male lesser prairie-chicken.

p. 14, Elk fitted with a global positioning system tracking collar.

p. 16, A chinook salmon by Michael Humling, USFWS.

p. 17, Two elk jumping.

p. 18, Atlantic sturgeon swimming by NOAA Fisheries.

p. 18, Ambar Torres Molinari holding an American eel in Puerto Rico.

p. 19, Clayton Lynch holding a common snook in Puerto Rico.

p. 19, Phoenix Aguilar McFarlane releasing a northern Idaho 

ground squirrel.

p. 20, A female longhorn bee.

p. 22, Juvenile Chinook salmon.

p. 23, Leandro “Steve” Miranda, receiving the Clarence W. 

Watson Award by Ian Munn, Mississippi State University, used 

with permission.

Back cover, Tom Kwak (1958–2021) and Ambar Torres Molinari 

by Michelle Ann Jewell, North Carolina State University, used 

with permission.

For more information about this report, contact:

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program

U.S. Geological Survey 

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Mail Stop 303 

Reston, VA 20192

Telephone: 703–648–4260

https://www1.usgs.gov/coopunits/

Jonathan Mawdsley

Chief, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units

jmawdsley@usgs.gov

John Thompson

Deputy Chief, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units

jthompson@usgs.gov

Cyndy Loftin

Unit Supervisor (East), Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units

cyndy_loftin@usgs.gov

James (Barry) Grand

Unit Supervisor (South), Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units

barry_grand@usgs.gov

Kevin Whalen

Unit Supervisor (West), Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units

kwhalen@usgs.gov 

Don Dennerline

Senior Program Biologist, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units

ddennerline@usgs.gov

Dawn Childs

Information Specialist, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife

Research Units

dchilds@usgs.gov

Shana Coulby

Administrative Officer, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units

scoulby@usgs.gov

Publishing support provided by the Reston Publishing Service Center

Layout and Design by Ethan Whitecotton
Childs—Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program— 2021 Year in Review—Circular 1491

ISSN 2328-0328 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1491