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Bird and Terrestrial Species Conservation

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Fish and Aquatic Species Conservation

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Pollinator Conservation

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Fish and Wildlife Disease Investigation and Surveillance

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Freshwater and Coastal Ecology

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Eastern Ecological Science Center

In 2020, the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and Leetown Science Center merged to create the Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC). Our goals are to align our scientific capabilities with the most pressing conservation and management challenges; establish an engaged workforce that fosters high relationship trust with employees, partners and the public.

EESC Cooperative Science with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Image: Eastern Shore of Maryland Coastal Wetland

From “blue water” rivers and streams to “green water” marine environments and brackish estuaries in between, EESC and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission are collaborating to bring together local, regional, and national expertise to provide the science that modern fisheries management demands.

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Meet our Team

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EESC Quick Links

Enjoy these quick links to the most requested information about EESC!

News

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USGS scientists contribute to independent study evaluating why progress in achieving Bay water quality goals is lagging

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New insight on sea duck hearing could help protect them from fishing nets

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From Analog to Digital: Eight Decades of Tracking Box Turtles on Patuxent Research Refuge

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Publications

Effects of lead exposure on birds breeding in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District

Lead mining in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District began in the 1700s and continued for nearly 300 years; the waste piles associated with smelting, mining, and milling of lead ores have released metal residues that have contaminated soil and water in the region. Previous studies in the district have indicated potential harm to wildlife, including birds, because of elevated lead concentrati
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Rebecka Brasso, Danielle Cleveland, Frank R. Thompson, David E. Mosby, Kathy Hixson, Melissa Roach, Barnett A. Rattner, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Julia S. Lankton
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Multimodal invasive carp deterrent study at Barkley Lock and Dam—Status update through 2022

Invasive carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis [Bighead Carp], Mylopharyngodon piceus [Black Carp], Ctenopharyngodon idella [Grass Carp], and H. molitrix [Silver Carp]) continue to spread in the United States and deterrents at river navigation locks are one emerging control strategy for slowing the spread. High-head navigation dams on large rivers serve as impediments to the upstream spread of these po
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Andrea K. Fritts, Daniel Gibson-Reinemer, Jessica C. Stanton, Kyle Mosel, Marybeth K. Brey, Jonathan M. Vallazza, Douglas Appel, Jacob Faulkner, Joshua Tompkins, Theodore Castro-Santos, Matthew Sholtis, Andy Turnpenny, Peter Sorensen, Rob Simmonds
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Waterfowl show spatiotemporal trends in influenza A H5 and H7 infections but limited taxonomic variation

Influenza A viruses in wild birds pose threats to the poultry industry, wild birds, and human health under certain conditions. Of particular importance are wild waterfowl, which are the primary reservoir of low pathogenicity influenza viruses that ultimately cause high pathogenicity outbreaks in poultry farms. Despite much work on the drivers of influenza A virus prevalence, the underlying viral s
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Cody M. Kent, Sarah N. Bevins, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Diann Prosser
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Science

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ABiKiS Burst Flume

Fish Passage Design and Analysis at the S.O. Conte Research Laboratory

There are more than 92,000 dams in the United States, of which at least 3% of these produce hydropower. Hydropower projects create renewable energy but also can alter habitats, restrict upstream and downstream movements of fishes and other aquatic organisms, and may stress, injure or kill migrant fishes and other aquatic organisms. In addition, there are more than 5 million culverts and other road...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Fish Passage Design and Analysis at the S.O. Conte Research Laboratory

There are more than 92,000 dams in the United States, of which at least 3% of these produce hydropower. Hydropower projects create renewable energy but also can alter habitats, restrict upstream and downstream movements of fishes and other aquatic organisms, and may stress, injure or kill migrant fishes and other aquatic organisms. In addition, there are more than 5 million culverts and other road...
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Bumblebee on Phacelia flower

Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands

Scientists from six USGS science centers are collaborating with USDA, university, and Tribal partners, and Department of the Interior land managers, to assess the status of pollinator communities and the distribution of species of conservation concern using environmental DNA. These methods will be used to improve assessments of habitat quality and pollinator responses to restoration, including...
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Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Pacific Northwest Environmental DNA Laboratory
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Using Pollinator Environmental DNA to Assess the Ecological Resilience of America’s Grasslands

Scientists from six USGS science centers are collaborating with USDA, university, and Tribal partners, and Department of the Interior land managers, to assess the status of pollinator communities and the distribution of species of conservation concern using environmental DNA. These methods will be used to improve assessments of habitat quality and pollinator responses to restoration, including...
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Gulf Sturgeon

Sturgeon Occurrence and Behavior in the Outer Continental Shelf

A new study aims to collect information on sturgeon temporal and spatial distribution to inform offshore wind energy and sand leasing operations.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Sturgeon Occurrence and Behavior in the Outer Continental Shelf

A new study aims to collect information on sturgeon temporal and spatial distribution to inform offshore wind energy and sand leasing operations.
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