Threatened and Endangered Species

The Golden-winged Warbler ( Vermivora chrysoptera), a small chickadee-like bird with a distinctive golden-colored cap and wing bars, is a species of considerable conservation concern in North America, primarily due to widespread population declines attributable to habitat loss and hybridization with the Blue-winged Warbler ( V. cyanoptera) in areas of sympatry. Recent concerns extend to the...

The Obed Wild and Scenic River, located on the Cumberland Plateau, is in a region where major declines and mass mortality of mussels have been observed. The Wild and Scenic River contains designated critical habitat for the federally endangered endemic Tennessee Bean ( Venustaconcha trabalis; aka Purple Bean). Water quality and habitat conditions in the Obed are critical factors for recovery of...

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN) is one of the best remaining refuges for declining populations of native unionid mussels in the United States and supports the only known self-sustaining population of the federally endangered Winged Mapleleaf ( Quadrula fragosa) in the Upper Mississippi River basin. Mussel fauna are important to the river ecosystem, providing important ecological...

The Winged Mapleleaf mussel ( Quadrula fragosa) is only known to inhabit five locations in the U.S., and the population in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway is isolated both physically and genetically from the other populations. In 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued Reasonable and Prudent Measures, which required the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to establish...

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN) is one of the last refuges for rapidly declining populations of native unionid mussels in the United States and supports the only known self-sustaining population of the federally endangered Winged Mapleleaf mussel ( Quadrula fragosa) in the upper Mississippi River basin. The Channel Catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus) is the only known host for Winged...

Along the Santa Clara River in California, populations of the federally and state-listed Least Bell's Vireo ( Vireo bellii pusillus) are recovering from near extirpation. Habitat protection and restoration, as well as reducing brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds ( Molothrus ater), are thought to be the primary drivers of this recovery. The challenge going forward is to find the right balance...

Native freshwater mussels play a critical role in aquatic environments and are considered “ecosystem engineers” and indicators of water quality by constantly filtering water. Populations of native freshwater mussels have declined in recent years, and this decline has been attributed to factors such as habitat degradation, pollution, and invasive species, among others. The importance of these...

Assessing Impacts of Emerging and Established Diseases to Aquatic Ecosystems The role of disease in freshwater mussel declines has been largely ignored due to the lack of appropriate diagnostic tools. Furthermore, health assessment of mussels in conjunction with restoration and propagation has not been considered during stocking and augmentation activities. This project will develop standard...

Assessing Impacts of Emerging and Established Diseases to Aquatic Ecosystems The decline of native freshwater mussels has the potential to devastate aquatic communities. Although factors such as habitat degradation, pollution, and invasive species have been linked to this decline, these potential causes cannot fully explain the large-scale mussel die-offs that have occurred in the past 20 years...

As invasive zebra and quagga mussels ( Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensis, respectively), known as dreissenid mussels, continue their expansion throughout North America, the need to develop selective control tools has become critical for resource managers. Registered molluscicides for dreissenid control are limited, and often must be applied within or under a barrier to achieve...

White-nose syndrome (WNS) caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) has decimated hibernating bat populations across North America since it emerged 10 years ago in New York. As Pd has spread across North America, infection dynamics and mortality from WNS have varied among species and across sites. The mechanisms behind vulnerability of species across the current and expanding...

Bat Research Research collaboration: Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Theodore Weller (U.S. Forest Service), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Craig Willis (University of Winnipeg), and Brian Reichert (FORT) White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has caused severe declines in bat populations over the past 10 years and colony sizes at winter hibernacula have decreased on average by >90% for three...