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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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EESC at the S.O. Conte Research Laboratory - Open House

Image of a frog, a man standing the a river and a fish inside bubbles with a Rain or Shine message.

When: Saturday, October 14, 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. EST

Where: Eastern Ecological Science Center at the S.O. Conte Research Laboratory
One Migratory Way, Turner Falls, MA 01376

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EESC Quick Links

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

News

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USGS research helps American shad find their way

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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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Publications

Relating absolute abundance of an estuarine fish to habitat area in an urbanizing environment

Organisms that rely on salt marsh habitat are an important trophic link, helping to maintain estuarine ecosystem productivity. We used GIS to quantify intertidal (assumed salt marsh) area from aerial photographs taken in 1939 and from software-supplied satellite imagery taken in 2021 for tidal creeks in North Carolina (USA) that have experienced minor (<20%), moderate (20-60%), or substantial (>60
Authors
Paul J. Rudershausen, Steven M. Lombardo, George R. Stilson, Matthew J. O'Donnell
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Eastern Ecological Science Center

Spatial distribution of elevation change monitoring in coastal wetlands across protected lands of the lower 48 United States

IntroductionTidally influenced coastal wetlands, both saline and fresh, appear where terrestrial and marine environments meet and are considered important ecosystems for identifying the impacts of climate change. Coastal wetlands provide valuable benefits to society and the environment in the form of flood protection, water-quality improvements, and shoreline erosion reduction, making them one of
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Justine Annaliese Neville, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Strategic monitoring to minimize misclassification errors from conservation status assessments

Classifying species into risk categories is a ubiquitous process in conservation decision-making affecting regulatory procedures, conservation actions, and guiding resource allocation at global, national, and regional scales. However, monitoring programs often do not provide data required for accurate species classification decisions. Misclassification can lead to otherwise preventable species ext
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Kylee Denise Dunham, Patrick K. Devers, Abigail Jean Lawson, James E. Lyons, Conor P. McGowan, Andy Royle
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Science

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Researcher works at microscope

AquaDePTH-Aquatic Disease and Pathogen Repository

The Aquatic Disease and Pathogen Repository (AquaDePTH) is a public-facing national repository to support biosurveillance of aquatic animal diseases and pathogens. By collating historically published data, plus new aquatic pathogen and disease information, stakeholders can monitor fish kill and aquatic pathogen trends spatially and temporally in freshwater and marine environments.
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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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AquaDePTH-Aquatic Disease and Pathogen Repository

The Aquatic Disease and Pathogen Repository (AquaDePTH) is a public-facing national repository to support biosurveillance of aquatic animal diseases and pathogens. By collating historically published data, plus new aquatic pathogen and disease information, stakeholders can monitor fish kill and aquatic pathogen trends spatially and temporally in freshwater and marine environments.
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Close up of an orange coral polyp

Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities: Coral Propagation Technique (CPT) Development Project

Through a collaborative effort with other federal agencies and academic and research institutions, the USGS is working to inform and enhance the protection and management of coral communities in mesophotic and deep benthic areas of the Gulf of Mexico.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities: Coral Propagation Technique (CPT) Development Project

Through a collaborative effort with other federal agencies and academic and research institutions, the USGS is working to inform and enhance the protection and management of coral communities in mesophotic and deep benthic areas of the Gulf of Mexico.
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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...
Learn More
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