Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Circular 1478

Version 1.1, March 2021

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
Front cover. A female Kodiak brown bear at the Kodiak National 

Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Photograph by Joshua Blouin, used 

with permission.

Inside front cover. Northern Pintail Drake at Colusa National 

Wildlife Refuge in north-central California. Photograph by 

Andrea Mott, U.S. Geological Survey. 

Back cover. Sibling Kodiak brown bear cubs at the Kodiak 

National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Photograph by Joshua Blouin, 

used with permission. 
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units 

Program—2020 Year in Review

By John D. Thompson, Donald E. Dennerline, Dawn E. Childs, and Patrick G.R. Jodice

Circular 1478

Version 1.1, March 2021

U.S. Department of the Interior

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

First release: 2021

Revised: March 2021 (ver. 1.1)

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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:

Thompson, J.D., Dennerline, D.E., Childs, D.E., and Jodice, P.G.R., 2021, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Units program—2020 Year in review (ver. 1.1, March 2021): U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1478, 22 p., 

https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1478.

ISSN 2330-5703 (online)
iii

Contents

Chief’s and Deputy Chief’s Message ..........................................................................................................v

About the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program ......................................................1

Performance of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program .....................................2

Budget and Staffing ..............................................................................................................................2

Productivity and Leveraging of Resources ......................................................................................3

Mission of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program ..............................................4

Graduate Education To Develop the Conservation Workforce .....................................................4

Graduate Student Spotlights ......................................................................................................5

Technical Assistance to Cooperators ...............................................................................................8

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

Advanced Technologies ...........................................................................................................10

Human Dimensions ....................................................................................................................11

Landscape Ecology ...................................................................................................................12

Species and Habitat Management .........................................................................................13

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee ..............................................................................................14

Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program .................................................................................15

Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Spotlights ......................................................................15

Cooperator Success Stories ......................................................................................................................17

Amphibian Disease Ecology .............................................................................................................17

State-Threatened, Riparian-Obligate Raptors in the Trans-Pecos Region ...............................17

Tracking Seabirds ...............................................................................................................................18

Awards and Accolades ..............................................................................................................................19

Professional Services, Leadership, and Editorial Positions .................................................................19

Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................................21
iv

Abbreviations

CRU program Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units program

CWD chronic wasting disease

DDCSP Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program

DEI diversity, equity, and inclusion

GDP gross domestic product

M.S. master of science degree

NASPS North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Society

Ph.D. doctor of philosophy degree

P.L. Public Law

SMART Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies

SSA species status assessment

USGS U.S. Geological Survey
v

Chief’s and Deputy Chief’s Message

Dear Cooperators:

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

you with the “2020 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 and every 

cooperative.

Fiscal year 2020 was an interesting and challenging year owing to the global pandemic that 

forced many of our host universities and State agencies to change the way they operate, and 

it also required all CRU program personnel to work from their homes for a significant portion 

of the year. Nevertheless, the program remained very productive and maintains a very bright 

future. One of the things contributing to that bright future is a $5.6 million increase in our most 

recent Congressional appropriations. This amount will help us meet longstanding programmatic 

needs, such as filling the vacancies in our scientific workforce and providing much-needed 

upgrades to our research equipment. Our Headquarters staff has been working diligently with 

collaborators to fill vacancies as quickly as possible. Jonathan Mawdsley, who many of you may 

already know through his work at the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and The Heinz 

Center, has been selected as the new permanent Chief of the CRU program, coming on board 

right at the end of the fiscal year. We look forward to working with you all to continue the great 

work of this program. The CRU program staff is composed of excellent scientists, dedicated 

leadership, and an outstanding administrative staff that all work together to meet the program’s 

mission. None of this work could be accomplished without the tremendous support from each 

cooperator. Thank you.

Jonathan R. Mawdsley, Chief

John D. Thompson, Deputy Chief

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units 

Program—2020 Year in Review

By John D. Thompson, Donald E. Dennerline, Dawn E. Childs, and Patrick G.R. Jodice

About the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program

Established in 1935, the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units program (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. 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 40 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units located on 

university campuses in 38 States. The partnerships that form 

each unit are some of the USGS’s strongest links to Federal 

and State land and natural resource agencies as mandated by 

the Cooperative Research and Training Units Act of 1960 

(P.L. 86–686).

Details about the program follow:

• Each unit is staffed by two to five Federal research scientists employed by the USGS.

• If fully staffed, the units would together be served by 119 

Federal employees. Unit scientists hold faculty rank at 

their host university, teach graduate-level courses, and 

conduct research on a wide variety of fish and wildlife 

issues.

• Research projects typically support graduate students and 

postdoctoral researchers.

• USGS employees in the units work with State fish and 

wildlife agencies and Federal natural resource agencies, 

providing them with the science used in management 

decisions to support sustainable fish and wildlife populations, thus helping to maintain biodiversity, encourage 

healthy ecosystems, and enhance wildlife watching and 

fishing and hunting.

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 40 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units in fiscal year 2020.
2 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Performance of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program

Budget and Staffing

Data about the budget and staffing of the CRU program 

are shown in the graph below. Congressional appropriations 

for fiscal year 2020 included a significant increase in funding, 

which will enable the CRU program to approach full staffing 

in fiscal year 2021.

Cooperators include the following:

State fish and wildlife agencies

Universities

Wildlife Management Institute

U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

80

90

100

110

120

Funding, in millions of dollars

Number of scientists

Fiscal year (October 1–September 30)

CRU budget, in millions of dollars

Full staffing level without vacancies

Actual staffing, in number of scientists at end of fiscal year

EXPLANATION

10.00

14.00

18.00

22.00

26.00

200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020

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

years 2003–2020. The significant increase in congressional appropriations (tan bars) will allow the CRU program to increase the number 

of scientists currently on staff (solid brown line). Owing to a delay in appropriations and the length of time it takes to hire employees 

and bring them onboard, however, the number of scientists in the CRU program did not increase in fiscal year 2020. The CRU program is 

likely to approach full staffing (dotted brown line) in fiscal year 2021.
Performance of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program 3

Productivity and Leveraging of Resources

The unique model of the CRU program enhances 

productivity by allowing all cooperators to benefit from 

each other’s strengths. By linking the research and training 

missions of all cooperators, the program provides each with 

enhanced scientific expertise while training students to enter 

the conservation workforce. Through these synergies, host 

universities receive two to five Ph.D. Federal scientists who 

teach classes, advise students, provide technical expertise, 

and bring in Federal and State research funding. State agency 

cooperators benefit from the Federal scientists’ expertise 

as well as the support the program provides for graduate 

student research projects. The USGS directly benefits from 

unique funding opportunities provided by State and Federal 

cooperators. Finally, Federal and State cooperators gain 

access to the expertise and research infrastructure of the host 

universities, which are invaluable for supporting research 

and the training of future State and Federal managers and 

scientists.

In addition, the model enables the program to leverage 

available resources for the benefit of all cooperators. Every 

Federally allocated dollar is matched on about a 1:3 basis by 

State and host university contributions and grant funds.

Unit scientists garner

$25 million to $40 million

in State and Federal research funding each year

Federal investment supports about

1,100 students and

university staff members

annually

Universities provide more than

$20 million

through in-kind support, tuition,

and reduced overhead

345

Publications

Presentations

685 31

Seminars

11

Workshops and

short courses

76

Courses taught
4 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Mission of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program

The mission of the CRU program has three parts: 

(1) develop the conservation workforce of the future through 

applied graduate education, (2) fulfill the training and technical assistance needs of the cooperators, and (3) deliver 

actionable science to cooperating agencies and organizations. 

Accomplishments during fiscal year 2020 for each of these 

parts of the mission are described in the following sections.

Graduate Education To Develop the 

Conservation Workforce

Part of the CRU program’s mission is to develop the 

workforce of the future through graduate education, and the 

program educates more than 470 graduate students annually 

in natural resource management and conservation. 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 receive cuttingedge 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; in 

fact, one of the greatest legacies of the program is the placement of students in natural resource agencies and organizations. Alumni hold important leadership positions in nearly 

every State and Federal fish and wildlife management agency. 

Federal

18%

State

30%

NGO

25%

University

27%

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 2012–2020. NGO, nongovernmental organization.

471

Active graduate students 

(299 M.S. and 

172 Ph.D. students)

68

Postdoctoral 

researchers

66

Graduate degrees 

awarded (16 M.S. and 

50 Ph.D. degrees)

61

Undergraduate 

students
Mission of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program 5

Graduate Student Spotlights

Ryan Gary

Master of Science Program

Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Born and raised near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, 

Ryan received his bachelor of science degree from Louisiana 

State University in Natural Resources Ecology and Management with a concentration in Fisheries Science. 

Ryan’s thesis research focuses on the 

importance of appropriate spawning substrate as a key driver of 

paddlefish restoration success 

in reservoirs of Oklahoma. 

Paddlefish, an important 

sportfish, have been stocked 

in reservoirs throughout the 

State, but these stocking 

efforts have had variable success. Using side-scan sonar, 

Ryan is mapping reservoir tributaries and quantifying the amount 

of suitable spawning substrates to 

help predict the potential success and 

efficacy of stocking efforts for establishing 

self-sustaining populations of paddlefish. Ryan was proud 

to obtain the In-Memorium Research Award from the North 

American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Society (NASPS). This 

award is given to a student who conducts 

sturgeon and paddlefish research, who 

demonstrates academic achievement 

and leadership ability, and whose 

professional goals support the 

mission of the NASPS. This 

award will help fund a paddlefish project to describe the 

spawning use of the two reservoir tributaries of Keystone 

Lake, which have differing 

hydrology and morphology. 

The Keystone system is notable 

because it has produced recordsize fish, including four State record 

and two world record paddlefish.

Amelia DuVall

Doctor of Philosophy Program

Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Amelia DuVall is a seabird ecologist and a member of the 

Quantitative Conversation Lab at the Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Working 

closely with the National Park Service, 

Amelia’s doctoral research project 

will include seabird population 

modeling and an assessment 

of anthropogenic threats at 

Channel Islands National 

Park. Specific threats include 

invasive rodents, which eat 

seabird eggs, and changing 

ocean conditions that affect 

the availability and distribution of prey. The research 

will provide park managers 

with a tool to help make informed 

management and conservation decisions, as well as refine 

monitoring methods to improve the accuracy and precision 

of seabird population trends in a cost-effective 

manner. Amelia achieved two noteworthy accomplishments to facilitate her 

research: receiving funding from 

the USGS-National Park Service 

Natural Resources Preservation 

Program and receiving her 

USGS Bird Banding Laboratory master banding permit. 

Amelia’s fondest memory as 

a seabird ecologist is of seeing a Scripps’ murrelet chick 

up close—a rare opportunity, 

because the chicks head out to sea 

within 24 to 48 hours of hatching.
6 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Graduate Student Spotlights

Emma Doden

Master of Science Program

Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Emma Doden is a second-year graduate student evaluating the efficacy of translocating beavers to desert 

restoration sites. Beavers are nature’s 

ecosystem engineers and may serve as 

a cost-effective, natural alternative 

to manmade water restoration 

projects, especially in arid 

Western ecosystems. Emma 

is translocating beavers, 

which are removed from 

human conflict situations, 

to the Price and San Rafael 

Rivers in eastern Utah to 

assist with restoration efforts in 

these degraded desert waterways. The research will facilitate 

the development of strategies that include beaverassisted restoration and improve understanding of complex issues associated with 

wildlife translocation. Emma has 

collaborated with multiple agencies and stakeholders to capture 

and translocate 30 beavers that 

would otherwise have been 

euthanized. Emma is pleased 

that she, along with the beavers, is assisting in conservation and restoration efforts in a 

sensitive arid system.

Ben Luukkonen

Master of Science Program

Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Ben Luukkonen grew up hunting, fishing, and spending time outdoors and dreams of having a career 

where he can promote and inform sciencebased wildlife management and 

conservation. Ben is particularly 

interested in waterfowl ecology and management, and his 

research focuses on movement and survival of Canada 

geese in urban and rural 

areas of Iowa. In cooperation 

with the Iowa Department 

of Natural Resources, Ben 

is marking geese with global 

positioning system transmitters and analyzing banding data 

to learn what role waterfowl hunters 

can play in helping to reduce increasing 

human-goose conflicts. The research will help to develop 

strategies to improve goose management in urban 

areas through a balance between maximizing 

recreational hunting opportunities and 

minimizing conflicts. Ben received 

funding awards through the 

Department of Natural Resource 

Ecology and Management at 

Iowa State University and the 

Washington Brant Foundation 

for his work. Ben is thankful for the partnership and 

commitment he had from the 

Iowa Department of Natural 

Resources, as their joint efforts 

will directly inform management to 

benefit Canada geese and humans alike.
Mission of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program 7

Graduate Student Spotlights

Josh Blouin

Master of Science Program

Vermont Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Josh Blouin is an avid wildlife photographer who loves 

to travel around the State to photograph Vermont’s 

wildlife and beautiful landscapes. Josh 

graduated with a bachelor of science 

degree in wildlife biology from 

the University of Vermont in 

2015. Since then, Josh has 

worked on various wildlife 

research projects, including 

studies of Kodiak brown 

bears in Alaska, wolves in 

Yellowstone National Park, 

wolverines and Canada lynx 

in northwestern Montana, bats 

in Yosemite National Park, and 

black bears in Minnesota. Josh 

recently returned to the University of 

Vermont to pursue his master of science 

degree and is assessing moose habitat suitability 

in Vermont and how seasonal habitat selection relates to 

population health. Moose populations in Vermont are 

in decline, and Josh’s research will provide 

insights into how habitat management 

can help reverse the decline and 

promote the wellbeing of Vermont’s landscape and wildlife. 

Josh’s passion for wildlife and 

photography have blended 

well, as his photographs have 

been published in various outlets and displayed at several 

galleries. Notably, one of his 

photographs was selected by a 

National Geographic editor as a 

“Top Photo” during the 2017 nature 

photographer of the year competition. 

Josh’s photography is on the front and back 

cover of this circular.

Lucas Schilder

Master of Science Program

Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Lucas Schilder is originally from Sacramento, California, but received his bachelor of science degree 

in Natural Resources Management with 

a concentration in Wildlife Biology from Texas Tech University. 

As an undergraduate, Lucas 

worked on a project quantifying landscape connectivity 

for lesser prairie-chickens 

on the Southern High Plains 

of Texas and New Mexico. 

Although still involved with 

that work, Lucas’s master’s 

degree project is focused on 

quantifying changes in avian and 

plant community composition and 

structure following prescribed thinning 

of pinyon-juniper woodlands. Climate and 

land use practices have significantly altered pinyon-juniper woodlands throughout the western United States. 

To mitigate the changes that have taken place, Federal and 

State agencies have embraced tree removal and thinning, 

with the goals of reducing fuel loads and restoring 

historic stand structure. However, the high 

proportion of avian pinyon-juniper 

specialists included on national and 

State lists of concern has created a 

need to balance thinning targets 

with conservation objectives of 

these woodland-obligate bird 

species. Lucas’s research will 

document avian and vegetation community response to 

thinning and inform conservation strategies designed to benefit multiple species. The project 

team is also banding juniper titmice 

to supplement the community analysis 

by examining the effects of thinning on the 

survival, site fidelity, and territoriality for this focal 

species of high conservation concern.
8 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Technical Assistance to Cooperators

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 provide 

assistance to partners and cooperators on a variety of issues 

and projects. Below are just a few examples of this important 

part of the CRU program’s mission.

• The Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

has been invited to participate in the National Academy of 

Sciences review of taxonomy for the red wolf.

• The Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Unit consulted with the Colorado Department of Public 

Health and Environment on ongoing management and 

implementation of temperature standards in Colorado 

streams and rivers.

• The Louisiana Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Unit represented the Department of the Interior on the 

Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group’s development 

of Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies (SMART) objectives for the use of Natural Resource 

Damage Assessment restoration funding for submerged 

aquatic vegetation and oyster resources.

• The Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Unit codeveloped and coinstructed an 8-hour workshop 

entitled “Creel Surveys: Designing Complex Solutions to 

Simple Questions” that was sponsored by Catfish 2020.

• The South Dakota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit helped South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks 

conduct a workshop for college students interested in 

learning about hunting.

• The Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research 

Unit cofacilitated the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Population Analysis and Monitoring information session at the 

Alaska Marine Science Symposium.

• The Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit 

provided training to Michigan Department of Natural 

Resources personnel on how to implant acoustic transmitters into lake sturgeon.

• The Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit 

is developing a robust modeling framework to understand spatiotemporal patterns in chronic wasting disease 

(CWD) prevalence and deer demographic rates to provide 

technical information to State natural resource managers 

regarding deer population dynamics in the CWD-endemic 

region of southwestern Wisconsin.
Advanced Technologies

Decision Science

Ecological Flows

Ecosystem Services

Energy

Fish and Wildlife Health and Disease

Human Dimensions

Invasive Species

Landscape Ecology

Species and Habitat Management

Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Threatened and Endangered Species

Climate Science

Mission of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program 9

Applied Research To Meet Cooperators’ Science Needs

The CRU program is in the forefront of fish and wildlife 

research that can provide objective science for the management needs of cooperators and inform decision making. 

Research conducted by unit scientists addresses the broad 

themes that are important to both State and Federal cooperators. In this report, just a few of these themes have been 

highlighted and are accompanied by a few selected examples 

of the many management-oriented research projects conducted 

with State and Federal cooperators. Many more examples are 

available online. Each of these examples demonstrates the 

importance of this cooperative effort and what it can yield.
10 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Advanced Technologies

The advanced technologies theme encompasses the 

development and adaptation of new technologies and tools 

that increase the effectiveness, efficiency, safety, accuracy, 

geographic extent, and (or) timeliness of data gathering, dissemination, and analysis, and the interpretation of natural 

resource phenomena. It also includes development of new 

tools that assist natural resource managers in decision making 

and adaptive management of fish and wildlife populations and

their habitats.

Snapshot USA

Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

As natural areas continue to be developed and fragmented, the need for baseline data regarding the abundance 

and distribution of wildlife populations continues to grow. 

Snapshot USA is a project that will facilitate the collaboration 

of cooperators to contribute to a national database of public 

wildlife data. These data will be used to examine nationwide 

trends in mammal community assembly rules associated with 

natural environmental and anthropogenic filters. Collaborators from all 50 States will contribute camera trap data from a 

standardized camera trap array, and the Smithsonian Institution will compile and lead efforts to analyze data. The results 

will provide information regarding the occupancy of predators, 

the activity patterns of animals nationwide, and the relative 

density of several common species of mammals. This database 

will be one of the largest repositories for images from camera 

traps and will provide the raw material for numerous largescale ecological examinations of mammal populations. Full 

project details can be found on the Snapshot USA website at 

https://emammal.si.edu/snapshot-usa.

Capture-Recapture Meets Big Data—Integrating 

Statistical Classification with Ecological Models of 

Species Abundance and Occurrence

New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and 

USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Advances in new technologies, such as remote cameras, 

noninvasive genetics, and bioacoustics, provide massive 

quantities of electronic data. This research is developing the 

concept of coupled classification in which statistical classification models are linked to ecological models of species 

abundance or occurrence. In this new framework, classification (for example, species identification) takes into account the 

local structure of populations, communities, and landscapes 

and, unlike current classification methods, does not assume 

that where a sample is collected is independent of the class 

structure of the population. The work has widespread application because it provides the possibility of fully automated 

data collection and processing systems, and a mechanism for 

directly integrating remotely sensed “big data” with ecological 

models while accounting for misclassification. 

Modeling Species at Risk To Support Species Status 

Assessments in the Southeast

Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Effective conservation planning requires reliable information on the geographic distribution of organisms. Unfortunately, this information is often incomplete for many species, 

especially for rare ones, because of limited observational data. 

Species distribution models can be highly valuable for identifying remaining and potential habitats of at-risk species for 

conservation planning. An important framework that would 

benefit from species distribution models is the Species Status 

Assessment (SSA) framework developed by the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service. The SSA considers multiple elements 

associated with species condition, including distributions, but 

there are no standard requirements to estimate species distributions. This research will find an optimal species distribution 

model approach for at-risk species that can be considered for 

SSA and similar species monitoring efforts. Results of this 

work will be extended in the Southeast to address other at-risk 

species and will incorporate models of future urbanization and 

climate change to predict future changes to distributions.
Mission of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program 11

Human Dimensions

The human dimensions theme encompasses the application of social sciences (for example, economics and sociology) 

to fish and wildlife conservation management issues. Integration of human dimensions and ecological science allows for 

greater insights into management solutions and, ultimately, 

more durable decisions.

Massachusetts Residents’ Attitudes Toward Black Bears 

and Black Bear Management

Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit

The black bear population in Massachusetts is growing 

and expanding in range, and bears are becoming increasingly more common in suburban areas of the State. A recent 

statewide human dimensions study of Massachusetts residents’ 

attitudes toward black bears and black bear management is 

helping the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife 

(MassWildlife) better understand the current challenges facing 

black bear management in the third most densely populated 

State in the country. Results of this study have provided a 

more detailed understanding of Massachusetts residents’ 

opinions about the bear population, experience with bears, 

and opinions on black bear management options. As a result, 

variations in public opinion based on geography, human 

demographic characteristics, and bear population dynamics 

along the urban-rural gradient in Massachusetts are being used 

by MassWildlife to tailor the agency’s management by region 

and make informed management decisions about black bears. 

This research was conducted in collaboration with MassWildlife, and results continue to be implemented and translated into 

management actions by the State agency.

Minnesota Residents’ Attitudes Toward Wolves and Wolf 

Management

Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Long-term survival of wolves in Minnesota has been 

guided by the Minnesota Wolf Management Plan published in 

February 2001. Recognizing the potential near-term removal 

of gray wolves from the Federal listing of endangered species, 

the Minnesota Division of Fish and Wildlife initiated a public 

process to update this Minnesota Wolf Management Plan. 

Public input and engagement were placed at the forefront of 

these efforts. Understanding the values, beliefs, attitudes, and 

behaviors of stakeholders can enhance the efficacy of agency 

decisions with respect to wolf management while helping to 

minimize conflict. Through a partnership with the Minnesota 

Department of Natural Resources, researchers assessed stakeholder attitudes toward wolves in Minnesota in general, their 

preferences for potential management priorities, their values 

toward wildlife, preferred options for funding wolf management, and tolerance of wolves on the landscape. This information is important for ensuring that the Minnesota Wolf Management Plan is effective and responsive to public interests.

Angler Behavior in Response to Management Actions on 

Nebraska Reservoirs

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Recreational fishing is a factor in structuring inland fish 

populations, so biologists typically develop lake-specific management plans based on lake-specific attributes of the fishery, 

including anglers. This study will evaluate the participation 

patterns of anglers at multiple spatial and temporal scales and 

determine how these patterns influence fish populations and 

associated communities and, in turn, influence angler groups. 

Study findings will be used to develop appropriate management strategies at both local and regional scales. This project 

is a collaboration of researchers across multiple agencies 

and includes the University of Nebraska—Lincoln and the 

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
12 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Landscape Ecology

The landscape ecology theme encompasses 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.

Bat Occupancy Patterns as a Function of Wildlife and 

Forest Restoration Activities

Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Wildfires are increasing in frequency and severity 

across the western United States, leading to changes in forest 

structure and wildlife habitats. Knowledge of how species, 

especially bats, respond to fire-driven habitat changes in these 

landscapes is limited and generally disconnected from our 

understanding of adaptations that underpin responses to fire. 

This research identified relationships between fire regime, 

physiographic and forest structure variables, and occupancy 

and functional traits of a diverse bat community to inform 

forest management in a fire-prone landscape. Bats with traits 

adapting them to foraging in open habitats, including emitting 

longer duration and more narrow bandwidth calls, were more 

likely to use areas that had burned with higher severity and 

more frequent fires, whereas bats with traits consistent with 

clutter tolerance were less likely to use those areas. Predicted 

increases in fire frequency and severity in the western United 

States are likely to shift dominance in the bat community to 

species adapted to open and edge environments and to those 

bats capable of exploiting post-fire resource pulses (brief but 

intense episodes of increased resource availability) in insect 

prey, such as aquatic insects and beetles. Identifying trait-fire 

regime relationships will help forest managers develop appropriate management interventions and focus limited resources 

to provide benefits for a broad range of species. 

Greater Sage-Grouse Response to Habitat Restoration 

Efforts in the Devils Garden Plateau of Northern 

California and Southern Oregon

Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Range-wide declines in greater sage-grouse populations 

have been attributed to habitat alteration and fragmentation. 

Landscape-scale modeling has shown that pinyon-juniper 

encroachment negatively affects sage-grouse, and recent 

research has positively linked sage-grouse demographics 

to pinyon-juniper removal activities. In 2005, the Klamath 

Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex, in collaboration 

with ranchers, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Bureau 

of Land Management, the Natural Resources Conservation 

Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, initiated a sagebrush 

restoration effort and a sage-grouse translocation program 

to augment sage-grouse numbers and prevent extirpation of 

the Devils Garden population on the Clear Lake National 

Wildlife Refuge. Anecdotal accounts suggest that greater 

sage-grouse are seasonally moving throughout restored areas; 

however, these earlier monitoring efforts were conducted 

opportunistically and without targeted objectives, resulting in 

limited quantitative data. This project will fill knowledge gaps 

regarding predator community composition, dispersal ecology, 

seasonal movement patterns, and demographics of sage-grouse 

relative to the landscape distribution of seasonal habitat and 

the habitat condition (structure and hydrology) in this area. 

Results will be used to develop a strategic and successful habitat restoration plan in Devils Garden that meets the seasonal 

habitat requirements of greater sage-grouse while promoting 

landscape connectivity and broader ecosystem benefits, including hydrologic efficiencies and habitat resiliency.

A Macrosystems Ecology Framework for ContinentalScale Prediction and Understanding of Lakes

Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Inland waters are significant hotspots for the storage and 

transformation of nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon and influence regional, continental, and global biogeochemical cycles. 

Most attempts to quantify continental or global fluxes or 

pools come with caveats regarding the often high—and often 

unknown—uncertainty associated with these estimates, however. To better understand the role of inland waters in nutrient 

cycling, new approaches are needed to reduce uncertainty 

in extrapolating site-level estimates to larger geographical 

scales. The overarching goal of this research is to understand 

and predict nutrient patterns for all continental United States 

lakes to inform estimates of lake contributions to continental 

and global cycles of nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon, while 

also providing locally valuable management information 

about conditions in unsampled lakes. This work will improve 

understanding of the role of inland waters in macroscale nutrient cycling. The project is a collaboration of researchers across 

multiple agencies and includes the USGS, Michigan State 

University, The Pennsylvania State University, the University 

of Wisconsin, and the University of Missouri.

“For decades the Tennessee Cooperative 

Fishery Research Unit has served an integral role in 

the management of aquatic resources in Tennessee. 

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency relies on the 

CRU program to quickly respond to our most challenging resource questions with science-based answers 

using the latest techniques. This partnership has allowed 

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to improve 

its management techniques and conserve aquatic 

resources.” —Bobby Wilson, Executive Director, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Mission of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program 13

Species and Habitat Management

The management of fish and wildlife populations for the 

benefit of current and future generations is the foundation of 

the United States’ conservation heritage. Through its focus on 

the theme of species and habitat management, the CRU program assists cooperators in achieving their fisheries and wildlife conservation missions through a variety of actions, ranging

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 provide scientific information needed to 

manage harvests of game and furbearer species sustainably.

Spawning Site Contribution and Movements of Lake 

Whitefish in Northwestern Lake Michigan

Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit

The lake whitefish fishery in northwestern Lake Michigan

is composed of multiple fish stocks, and the movements of fish

within those stocks is not well understood. Previous studies 

suggested that lake whitefish show relatively high spawning 

site fidelity, but determining whether stocks are functionally 

discrete remains an important question for fishery managers. 

Additionally, lake whitefish from multiple stocks now spawn 

in tributaries to Green Bay (primarily the Fox River and 

Menominee River) where spawning had not been observed 

for nearly a century; the movements of these fish are largely 

unknown. This project is using acoustic telemetry coupled 

with genomics to test current understanding of lake whitefish 

stock structure and describe stock-specific movements and 

spatial distribution relative to fishing efforts. Use of telemetry 

will also allow scientists to estimate mortality rates for these 

stocks, which are needed for determining safe harvest levels. 

This project is a collaboration between multiple agencies, 

including the USGS, the University of Wisconsin–Stevens 

Point, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the 

Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and Michigan 

State University.

“We consider the West Virginia Cooperative Fish 

and Wildlife Research Unit to be an invaluable conservation partner here in West Virginia and throughout 

the Nation. They consistently deliver sound scientific 

research, produce high quality graduate students, 

provide outstanding technical expertise, and effectively 

collaborate with us on a wide variety of fish and wildlife 

management projects. This strong partnership between 

our agency and the West Virginia Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Unit has afforded us the opportunity to 

move the conservation needle in a very positive direction.” —Paul R. Johansen, Chief, Wildlife Resources 

Section, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

Integrating Satellite and Field Measures for Improved 

Grazing Land Management at Ranch Scales

Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Monitoring of forage availability, use, and residual 

biomass is the primary basis for making livestock management decisions in grazing land systems. New technologies can 

improve field measures and provide new perspectives on the 

effects of grazing at the landscape-size scale. This research 

is assessing the effects of grazing at the ranch-size scale and 

integrating plot-based field use measurements with livestock 

global positioning system collar data and remotely sensed 

measures of grazing intensity. The resulting estimates of grazing intensity across pastures will improve our understanding of 

livestock effects on greater sage-grouse populations and will 

be integrated into the RangeSAT online tool to analyze and 

visualize forage availability and grazing intensity. The project 

is a collaborative effort of ranchers, the USGS, the University 

of Idaho, the National Resources Conservation Service, and 

The Nature Conservancy.

Changing Fish Communities in the Penobscot River After 

Dam Removal

Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Dam removals reestablish natural flow regimes and 

increase connectivity, affecting fish assemblages throughout 

the watershed. In Maine, the Penobscot River Restoration 

Project removed the two lowermost dams on the river and 

improved fish passage at other dams to help recover declining 

sea-run fishes and increase resilience of entire ecosystems. To 

quantify spatial and temporal changes associated with these 

river rehabilitation efforts, fish assemblages are being assessed 

using boat electrofishing surveys (3 years each, in spring and 

autumn) prior to dam removal, shortly after removal, and 

6 years post removal (currently in process). Together with the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The 

Nature Conservancy, researchers have described distinct fish 

assemblages present prior to dam removal and followed how 

these communities have changed to a more riverine assemblage. These changes and their timelines are important for 

understanding the management outcomes of dam removal.
14 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

In response to requests in 2019 from women in the CRU 

program, the CRU program’s leadership team created an 

ad hoc committee for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 

The DEI committee was charged with making recommendations to the leadership team to promote diversity in hiring and 

workplace inclusivity. The DEI committee is composed of unit 

scientists and one member of the leadership team. Committee members serve from 1 to 3 years. In the future, the DEI 

committee plans to make recommendations for developing 

a mentorship program for early career scientists and one for 

developing hiring and retention strategies to promote a diverse, 

equitable, and inclusive workforce.
Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program

The CRU program continued its participation in minority education through two programs that focus on groups 

underrepresented in the conservation workforce. The first 

program, which is being conducted in collaboration with 

the National Wildlife Refuge System of the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, is a program to develop and recruit 

Federal scientists and natural resource managers. Graduate 

and undergraduate students conduct research on topics of 

importance to the Refuge System. The first student participating in this program recently graduated with her master 

of science degree. In the second program, four units (Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts) are partnering with the 

Doris Duke Foundation’s Conservation Scholars Program. 

Through this program, undergraduate students attend leadership training programs, work with scientists and graduate 

students on selected research projects, and are mentored by 

unit-supported graduate students and research scientists. 

These “Duke Scholars” also complete paid internships with 

local, State, Federal, and tribal agencies or nongovernmental 

organizations.

“Each year, CRU program graduate students 

mentor undergraduates from the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP) who have a passion for 

fish and wildlife conservation and for increasing diversity 

in the conservation field. CRU program faculty, graduate 

students and agency partners provide unique opportunities for these young motivated scholars to gain valuable 

field experience by contributing to conservation projects, 

conducting independent research, and presenting scientific data to varied audiences. This two-year experiential 

training program empowers future conservation leaders, 

fosters professional development, and promotes diversity, 

equity and inclusion in the fish and wildlife sciences. 

The CRU program is proud to be a part of the DDCSP in 

mentoring this next generation of diverse conservation 

professionals.” —Anne Yen, graduate student, Idaho 

Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee 15

Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Spotlights

Keara Clancy

Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Keara Clancy is an alumna of the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program. She graduated cum laude from the 

University of Florida’s Wildlife Ecology and 

Conservation program in May 2020 and, in 

August, she began pursuing a master 

of science degree, also through the 

University of Florida. While a 

Duke scholar, Keara worked 

in four laboratories, assisted 

with three research projects, 

coauthored a paper looking 

at gender demographics in 

myrmecology, and carried 

out her own research project 

involving occupancy modeling 

across three species of woodpeckers. Keara’s master’s degree is 

focusing on invasion ecology. Keara 

is proud that through the Duke program 

she gained the experience necessary to design 

her own research—an independent project using occupancy 

modeling to determine how land management practices affect 

woodpecker species. She also was awarded a grant from 

the University of Florida’s University Scholars Program to 

research the historical presence of chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease of amphibians, 

within the State of Florida. Keara hopes 

to continue her work in ecology 

and that her research will better 

inform management practices 

and species survival plans in 

the future. Keara has been 

heavily involved with work 

in the areas of justice, equity, 

diversity, and inclusion, 

including as an officer for the 

Natural Resources Diversity 

Initiative, Youth Conservation 

Director for the Florida Wildlife 

Federation, and board member of the 

University of Florida Wildlife Ecology and 

Conservation Department’s Inclusion, Diversity, 

Equity and Access Committee. 
16 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Kassandra Townsend

Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Kassandra Townsend, a member of the Acoma Pueblo 

tribe, is an Ecology and Conservation Biology major at 

the University of Idaho College of Natural Resources. 

Through the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, Kassandra gained realworld employment experience in 

natural resources while balancing 

rigorous coursework at school 

and making contributions to 

her community. She works 

with the University of Idaho 

Experimental Forest as an 

administrative assistant 

and wildlife program lead. 

This summer, Kassandra 

was a crew member assisting Idaho Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Unit graduate 

student Matt Nelson in conducting 

black bear research in northern Idaho. This 

work involved trapping and collaring black bears, 

using trail cameras, and collecting genetic samples. During an 

internship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Keālia 

Pond National Wildlife Refuge in Maui, Hawai‘i, Kassandra 

reestablished a refuge nest monitoring program for endangered Hawaiian coots and Hawaiian stilts to determine 

occupancy and nest success and to conduct 

predator removal. Her presentation on this 

research earned her the Best Student 

Presentation award at The Wildlife 

Society—Idaho Chapter’s annual 

conference. Kassandra is proud 

to be an All Nations Louis 

Stokes Alliance for Minority 

Participation Program Scholar 

and a Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program alumna. 

Kassandra was awarded a 2019 

American Indian Services Scholarship and a 2019 Udall Foundation Scholarship Honorable Mention. 

Currently, Kassandra is in the process of 

applying for the “Bridge to Doctorate” graduate program and fellowship at the University of Idaho 

to continue her exciting journey as a wildlife professional and 

conservation leader.

Christopher Jenney

Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Christopher Jenney is a master of science degree student 

at the Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at 

the University of Arizona and a graduate mentor 

for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars 

Program. Prior to his time at the University of Arizona, he worked with 

the Oregon Department of Fish 

and Wildlife and completed 

his undergraduate degree at 

Oregon State University. 

Christopher’s research is 

focused on assessing native 

and nonnative fish habitat 

use on two “wild and scenic” 

rivers of central Arizona.

 Christopher’s proudest 

achievement has been presenting 

his research to a broader scientific 

audience. He has presented his research at both regional and 

national conferences of the American Fisheries Society, and 

the feedback he received has been overwhelmingly 

positive. Additionally, one of the Doris Duke 

Conservation Scholars that he mentored 

was awarded the Best Student Poster 

at the Arizona-New Mexico Joint 

Annual Meeting of The Wildlife Society and the American 

Fisheries Society. That 

student’s research focused on 

fish abundance in relation to 

travertine deposition in Fossil 

Creek. Christopher feels that 

being a part of that project and 

watching his mentee’s hard work 

and dedication pay off was truly a 

special experience.
Cooperator Success Stories 17

Cooperator Success Stories

The cooperator success stories that follow were supplied 

by members of State fish and wildlife agencies or universities.

Amphibian Disease Ecology

Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the 

University of Wyoming

Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to the health of 

people, domestic animals, and wildlife alike. A deeper understanding of how organisms respond to disease better equips us 

to improve human and animal health in the face of infectious 

onslaughts. Since 2015, the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and 

Wildlife Research Unit, in collaboration with the Wyoming 

Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Forest Service, has 

investigated amphibian responses to a pathogenic fungus. The 

chytrid fungus, which causes a skin disease in amphibians, 

is responsible for declines in hundreds of amphibian populations globally. Boreal toads, once common in high-elevation 

habitats across the Rocky Mountain West, have suffered severe 

declines as a result of chytrid fungus in recent decades. By 

evaluating the movement and infection status of boreal toads 

through time, Gabriel Barrile (Ph.D. candidate) and faculty 

advisors Anna Chalfoun and Annika Walters (assistant unit 

leaders) revealed a defensive strategy whereby individuals 

used moist, sheltered habitats when disease-free but moved to 

warmer, more open habitats when infected. Switching habitats in response to infection appeared to be advantageous, as 

increased warmth in open habitats was associated with the 

clearing of infection. These findings suggest that small-scale 

microhabitat manipulation to create warm patches may be 

an effective mitigation action against the chytrid fungus and 

possibly other amphibian diseases. The Wyoming Unit is also 

conducting an extensive mark-recapture project to examine 

how the chytrid fungus influences population dynamics of 

boreal toads, such as annual survival and recruitment rates. 

Results of these studies will be used by the Wyoming Game 

and Fish Department and other management agencies working 

to protect boreal toad populations. Further, by investigating 

the behavioral and demographic responses of wild animals to 

disease, this research advances our understanding of hostpathogen relationships and informs 

conservation efforts geared 

toward precluding further 

declines of populations challenged with 

infectious disease. 

Wendy 

Estes-Zumpf

Herpetological 

Coordinator 

Wyoming Game 

and Fish Department

State-Threatened, Riparian-Obligate Raptors in 

the Trans-Pecos Region

Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Texas 

Tech University

Desert riparian systems are distinct narrow drainages that 

provide environmental conditions for vegetation dependent on 

permanent or ephemeral surface and subsurface water. Desert 

riparian zones associated with these systems provide important 

nesting and foraging habitat in an otherwise highly arid landscape. These riparian systems have been identified as a priority 

for conservation throughout the southwestern United States. 

Within these riparian zones in the Chihuahua Desert Ecoregion of Texas are three State-threatened birds of prey—the 

common black hawk, the gray hawk, and the zone-tailed 

hawk. Only the most basic observed presence information has 

been available for these species in the region; thus, species 

assessments and management has been hampered by a lack 

of quantitative data. The Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit has partnered with the Texas Parks and Wildlife 

Department, Big Bend Ranch State and National Parks, and 

private conservation entities to assess the abundance, habitat 

characteristics, productivity, and community structure of these 

species in riparian zones of the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. 

Researchers anticipate that the results will provide the Texas 

Parks and Wildlife Department with data to make informed 

decisions for status assessment updates and identification of 

priority areas for conservation and restoration of these Statethreatened species. 

Russell Martin

Wildlife Diversity Biologist

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
18 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Tracking Seabirds

South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at 

Clemson University

Conservation efforts are challenging for species of 

wildlife that are highly transboundary in their movements. 

Seabirds epitomize this transboundary challenge, regularly 

occupying terrestrial and marine ecosystems and often traversing State, regional, and international boundaries on a regular 

basis while foraging. During the past 10+ years, the South 

Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit has 

been collaborating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as 

well as with other State, Federal, and international agencies, 

to enhance understanding of the daily and annual movement 

patterns of seabirds. The South Carolina Unit has undertaken 

two extensive projects focused on the spatial ecology of 

brown pelicans. In the Gulf of Mexico, Juliet Lamb (a former 

Ph.D. student; now a Marie Curie Fellow) used satellite tags 

to assess risk exposure of brown pelicans throughout their 

annual cycle, identifying temporal and spatial “hot-times and 

hot-spots.” In the South Atlantic Bight region, Ph.D. candidate Brad Wilkinson is using satellite tags to explore brown 

pelican daily movement patterns and to model how their 

migration patterns may be affected by climate change. The 

South Carolina Unit has also undertaken several efforts to 

track seabirds that breed in the Caribbean and southern Gulf of 

Mexico, but perhaps none is more important than their work 

on the endangered Black-capped Petrel. This research continues to substantially increase knowledge of this endemic and 

enigmatic seabird, thereby identifying threats that the species 

faces in United States waters as well as in international waters. 

Information learned from these studies is being used by the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other resource management 

decision makers to inform actions, such as management of 

marine and terrestrial systems, to provide key science information in species status assessments and to underpin science 

critical to oil spill planning and response.

William B. Uihlein, III

Assistant Regional Director,

Science Applications and Migratory Birds, 

South Atlantic-Gulf and Mississippi Basin 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Awards and Accolades 19

2020

Awards and Accolades 

Unit scientists and their students received approximately 58 awards in 2020 from universities, agencies, and societies, with recognition at the local, national, and international levels. The 

valuable work done by members of the CRU program is appreciated by many organizations. 

Some of the recent awards are summarized below.

Unit Scientists

2020 Outstanding Achievement Award for “Wild 

Migrations: Atlas of Wyoming’s Ungulates” 

Renewable Natural Resources Foundation

Matt Kauffman, Wyoming Unit

2020 Ralph W. Schreiber Conservation Award

American Ornithological Society

Jaime Collazo, North Carolina Unit

Recognition for Excellence in Research, Scholarship, 

or Creative Activity

Texas Tech University

Dave Haukos, Kansas Unit

W.L. McAtee and G.V. Burger Award for Outstanding 

Service as an Associate Editor 2020 for the two journals 

of The Wildlife Society: Journal of Wildlife Management 

and Wildlife Society Bulletin

The Wildlife Society

Clint Boal, Texas Unit

Gordon Kirkland Lifetime Achievement Award

Pennsylvania chapter of The Wildlife Society

Duane Diefenbach, Pennsylvania Unit

Director’s Award for Faculty Service

School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of 

Washington

Sarah Converse, Washington Unit

Graduate Students

Best Student Presentation

Arkansas chapter of The Wildlife Society

Lassiter Ellery, Arkansas Unit

Outstanding Graduate Service to Wildlife Ecology and 

Conservation Award

Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of 

Florida

Alexis Cardas, Florida Unit

Best Graduate Student Presentation

Minnesota chapter of The Wildlife Society

Katelin Goebel, Minnesota Unit

Noreen Clough Memorial Scholarship

Bass Anglers Sportsman’s Society

Hadley Boehm, Missouri Unit

Outstanding Graduate Student in Fisheries

Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, 

Oklahoma State University

Thomas Hafen, Oklahoma Unit

Robin’s Awards: Graduate Student Teacher of the Year

Utah State University

Jack McLaren, Utah Unit

2020 Outstanding Dissertation Award

Office of Graduate Education, University of Wyoming

Ellen Aikens, Wyoming Unit

Professional Services, Leadership, and Editorial Positions

Members of the CRU program serve widely on 

technical committees, working groups, and panels; 

hold leadership positions as officers, committee 

chairs, and appointed liaisons; and serve as editors 

for numerous publications. 

167 professional service positions 

 69 society leadership positions 

 71 editorial positions
20 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

Outdoor Recreation Economy Statistics

Research conducted by the CRU program helps to support the management of harvestable fish and wildlife populations by State and Federal agencies. In 2016—

• Consumer spending by hunters, anglers, and 

target shooters supported more than 1.6 million 

jobs in total.

• 13.3 million hunters and 32 million target 

shooters added $55.4 billion to the gross 

domestic product (GDP), providing for 

854,000 jobs.

• 45.8 million angers contributed $63.5 billion

to the Nation’s GDP, supporting 802,000 jobs.

• $93.7 billion was spent on gear, motorboat 

fuel, licenses, travel, clothing, and more.

Source: The Impact of Fishing, Hunting, and Target Shooting in America—

Driving the U.S. Economy (Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation fact sheet, 

available at http://congressionalsportsmen.org/reports/2018-sportsmenseconomic-impact)

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
Acknowledgments 21

Acknowledgments

The CRU program is a unique cooperative partnership 

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

Wildlife Service. The cooperating universities and State fish 

and wildlife agencies for each of the 40 units 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

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 

New Mexico

New Mexico State University

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

New York

Cornell University 

New York Department of Environmental Conservation
22 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program—2020 Year in Review

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 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

“The Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Unit is an integral part of our well-regarded 

fisheries and wildlife programs in the Warnell School 

of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of 

Georgia. Their timely and impactful research that finds 

management solutions to real-world problems involves 

our graduate students with learning opportunities that 

are invaluable. The CRU program model is an outstanding example of how to leverage resources through collaboration of Federal research agencies with strong university research programs.” —W. Dale Greene, Dean, 

Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, 

University of Georgia
Photograph credits

p. i, Yellow-legged frog. Photograph by Devin Edmonds, U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS).

p. iii, American alligator hatchlings. Photograph by Abigail Lawson, USGS.

p. v, Shovelnose sturgeon. Photograph by Zach Klein, USGS.

p. vi, Golden eagle with GPS backpack. Photograph from USGS.

p. 3, Green sea turtle. Photograph by Andrew Crowder, USGS.

p. 4, Canada geese. Photograph from USGS.

p. 5, Ryan Gary with paddlefish. Photograph by Phil Bettoli, USGS.

p. 5, Amelia Duvall. Photograph by Jim Howard.

p. 6, Emma Doden. Photograph from USGS.

p. 6, Ben Luukkonen. Photograph from USGS.

p. 7, Josh Blouin. Photograph from USGS.

p. 7, Lucas Schilder. Photograph from USGS.

p. 8, Red wolf. Photograph by B. McPhee, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

p. 8, Maryland oysters. Photograph by Will Parson, courtesy of the 

Chesapeake Bay Program.

p. 8, Beluga whale with calf. Photograph from NOAA Fisheries.

p. 8, White-tailed deer. Photograph by Scott Bauer, U.S. Department 

of Agriculture.

p. 10, Sandhill cranes. Photograph from eMammal, Montana Ranch 

Survey, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 4.0 International License.

p. 11, Louisiana black bear and cubs. Photograph by Clint Turnage, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture.

p. 11, Wolf eyes close up. Photograph by Paul Cross, USGS.

p. 13, Lake whitefish in Maine. Photograph from USGS. 

p. 14, Amelia DuVall. Photograph by Andrew Yamagiwa.

p. 15, Keara Clancy. Photograph from USGS.

p. 16, Kassandra Townsend. Photograph from USGS.

p. 16, Christopher Jenney. Photograph from USGS.

p. 17, Boreal toad on a burned log. Photograph by Blake Hossack, USGS.

p. 17, Zone-tailed hawk. Photograph by Clint Boal, USGS.

p. 18, Brown Pelicans. Photograph from USGS.

p. 18, Brown Pelicans in flight. Photograph by John J. Mosesso, USGS. 

p. 20, Hunting management. Photograph from USGS.

p. 20, Ecotourism. Photograph by Andrea Grosse, USGS.

p. 20, Panfish tournament. Photograph by Timothy Bishop, 

Baker County Tourism.

p. 22, American white pelicans. Photograph by Pat Jodice, USGS.

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/

Anne Kinsinger

USGS Associate Director for Ecosystems

akinsinger@usgs.gov

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

Mike Tome

Unit Supervisor (North), Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units

mtome@usgs.gov

Kevin Whalen

Unit Supervisor (West), Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units

kwhalen@usgs.gov

James (Barry) Grand

Unit Supervisor (South), Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units

barry_grand@usgs.gov

Shana Coulby

Administrative Officer, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units

scoulby@usgs.gov

Don Dennerline

Senior Program Biologist, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units

don_dennerline@usgs.gov

Dawn Childs

Information Specialist, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 

Research Units

dchilds@usgs.gov

Publishing support provided by the Reston and 

Pembroke Publishing Service Centers

Layout and Design by Susan L. Meacham
Thompson and others—Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program— 2020 Year in Review—Circular 1478, ver. 1.1

ISSN 2328-0328 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1478