National Hunting and Fishing Day isn’t just a date on the calendar at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC). Researchers here are recognized as world leaders in quantitative methods and decision support. Our team’s expertise helps Department of the Interior (DOI) agencies and other partners make informed, science-based natural resource management decisions on some of the most challenging issues in the country. 

So, in honor of National Hunting and Fishing Day this September 26, here are just three of countless examples of how the USGS’s research is advancing Administration priorities and more effective management of game species, like waterfowl and deer.

EESC researchers frequently use surveys as a tool to monitor bird populations. Center scientists consult with agencies all over the world in survey design and use statistical principles to make sure that the inferences drawn from the data will be valuable to decision makers. Our team designed and launched the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) in 1966, which—six decades later—remains the definitive resource for information about status and trends of more than 500 bird species across the continent. 

Each spring, thousands of volunteers follow standardized 24.5-mile roadside routes, counting every bird they see or hear. The consistency of this survey design gives federal agencies, states, and researchers a stable and scientifically rigorous foundation for decision making. BBS data are integral for monitoring populations and managing the harvest of wood ducks, one of the most popular species for hunters in the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways. BBS data have also been used in more than 1,200 publications and have provided the foundation for recent scientific discoveries related to the extent of bird population declines, both in North America and globally.

In 1994, a particularly contentious regulation cycle highlighted the need for an improved process for setting annual duck harvest regulations. In response, the USGS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) worked together to develop a formal decision-analytical framework for setting duck harvest regulations using data from the USGS Bird Banding Lab and the BBS, along with aerial surveys conducted by USFWS. Implemented in 1995, this adaptive approach to harvest management has provided steady guidance to the waterfowl management community ever since. Adaptive harvest management integrates survey design, statistical analysis, population modeling, and techniques from operations research to find the optimal harvest strategy. EESC continues to support USFWS in this effort, helping natural resource managers implement decisions that maximize hunting opportunities today and into the future. To further improve waterfowl management decisions, the USGS and USFWS recently introduced a new framework for modeling the dynamics of hunter populations and behavior alongside those of waterfowl populations.

Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal, transmissible disease of deer species. This disease is spreading in wild deer across North America, including as far east as Pennsylvania. Wildlife agencies in the Northeast are concerned about when Chronic Wasting Disease will arrive to them and how to prepare. EESC has been working with managers in Vermont to help develop a proactive response plan for Chronic Wasting Disease using the principles of decision analysis and developing appropriate scientific evaluations to support them. 

The USGS and the University of Vermont recently released the results of work with agencies in Vermont including Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, and Vermont Department of Health to prepare for the possible arrival of CWD in the state. Using a structured decision‑making process, the team evaluated more than 256 possible management strategies with computer-based models that assessed deer populations, disease spread, hunter behavior, forest health, economic effects, and agriculture. With the insights generated by the structured decision-making process and the results of the analyses, the participating agencies are working to formalize a state-drafted plan including proactive, reactive, and surveillance elements to be implemented in the coming years.

These are just three cases of many throughout the bureau. They show that our science enables effective wildlife monitoring, which directly supports responsible recreation across the country. When hunters take to the field each season, the regulations governing the hunts, the animal populations they pursue, and the land they depend on are shaped by USGS science. On National Hunting and Fishing Day, we celebrate not just a cherished American tradition, but the decades of rigorous, applied science that ensures it endures.