Dixon Field Station Active
WERC scientists at the Dixon Field Station conduct studies from the San Francisco Bay-Delta in California to the Great Basin spanning California and Nevada.
The Dixon Field Station is located near the center of the Central Valley of California. This region winters 60 percent of the Pacific Flyway waterfowl and 20 percent of the waterfowl in North America. Federal, state, and private natural resource managers are challenged with impacts from the loss of 95 percent of California's wetlands, rapid urbanization, and agricultural and industrial contamination.
Fieldwork is conducted in the Pacific Flyway states of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, with international work in the Pacific Rim countries of Canada, Mexico, and Russia. Specialized expertise in geographic information systems and global positioning systems provides critical support to the research program. The Dixon Field Station biologists are internationally recognized for standard and satellite telemetry applications in wildlife studies.
The principal investigators, biologists, and technical staff at the Dixon Field Station are currently conducting research to determine: ecological risk of contaminants on wildlife at the San Francisco Bay-Delta, Central Valley, coastal California, Alaska, Florida Everglades, and Great Salt Lake (Utah); specialized studies of the effects of mercury on avian reproduction or ecology; breeding and wintering ecology of waterfowl in the Suisun Marsh and Central Valley; movements and habitat use of shorebirds, seabirds, and waterfowl; predation effects on avian nesting ecology; and baseline and restoration potential of salt ponds at San Francisco Bay.
Among clients and partners are Department of the Interior agencies (including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Grassland Water District, Ducks Unlimited Inc., Grassland Resource Conservation District, California Waterfowl Association, University of California at Davis, Natomas Basin Conservancy, California Coastal Conservancy and California Bay Delta Authority.
Explore specific projects conducted at the Dixon Field Station:
Ecology and Conservation of Reptiles
Waterbird Breeding Ecology and Management
Mercury Bioaccumulation in Wetlands
Breeding and Wintering Ecology of Waterfowl
Contaminants in Waterbirds and Effects on Avian Reproduction
Bat Research in California
Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians in Northern California
Waterfowl Ecology in California and the Pacific Flyway
Ecology and Population Dynamics of Ridgway's Rails along the West Coast of the U.S.
Greater Sage-Grouse Population Ecology
Stressors to Greater Sage-Grouse
Reproductive Success of Black-Crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets on Alcatraz Island
- Overview
WERC scientists at the Dixon Field Station conduct studies from the San Francisco Bay-Delta in California to the Great Basin spanning California and Nevada.
The Dixon Field Station is located near the center of the Central Valley of California. This region winters 60 percent of the Pacific Flyway waterfowl and 20 percent of the waterfowl in North America. Federal, state, and private natural resource managers are challenged with impacts from the loss of 95 percent of California's wetlands, rapid urbanization, and agricultural and industrial contamination.
Fieldwork is conducted in the Pacific Flyway states of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, with international work in the Pacific Rim countries of Canada, Mexico, and Russia. Specialized expertise in geographic information systems and global positioning systems provides critical support to the research program. The Dixon Field Station biologists are internationally recognized for standard and satellite telemetry applications in wildlife studies.
The principal investigators, biologists, and technical staff at the Dixon Field Station are currently conducting research to determine: ecological risk of contaminants on wildlife at the San Francisco Bay-Delta, Central Valley, coastal California, Alaska, Florida Everglades, and Great Salt Lake (Utah); specialized studies of the effects of mercury on avian reproduction or ecology; breeding and wintering ecology of waterfowl in the Suisun Marsh and Central Valley; movements and habitat use of shorebirds, seabirds, and waterfowl; predation effects on avian nesting ecology; and baseline and restoration potential of salt ponds at San Francisco Bay.
Among clients and partners are Department of the Interior agencies (including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Grassland Water District, Ducks Unlimited Inc., Grassland Resource Conservation District, California Waterfowl Association, University of California at Davis, Natomas Basin Conservancy, California Coastal Conservancy and California Bay Delta Authority.
- Science
Explore specific projects conducted at the Dixon Field Station:
Ecology and Conservation of Reptiles
This project improves our understanding of the ecology of reptiles in California and evaluates methods of managing landscapes and these imperiled species. In particular, Dr. Brian Halstead examines the distribution and demography of reptiles to understand factors that affect where they are found and how populations change. He further explores the relationships of reptiles with their abiotic and...Waterbird Breeding Ecology and Management
The San Francisco Bay is designated as a site of hemispheric importance to shorebirds and annually supports over one million waterbirds. Within the USGS WERC waterbird breeding ecology program, Dr. Josh Ackerman and partners are studying habitat selection, movements, and factors influencing waterbird nest success and chick growth and survival.Mercury Bioaccumulation in Wetlands
Wetlands provide numerous ecosystem services, but also can be sources of methylmercury production and export. Click the next tab to learn how WERC's Dr. Josh Ackerman is evaluating the ecological factors that drive contaminant bioaccumulation in wetland-dependent fish and wildlife.Breeding and Wintering Ecology of Waterfowl
Western U.S. wetlands provide critical habitat for wintering and breeding waterfowl in California. WERC's Dr. Josh Ackerman is working toward collecting data to understand factors influencing duck nest success, to improve and restore breeding habitat for resident duck populations in California, and understand composition of predator communities. To learn more about how USGS WERC is implementing...Contaminants in Waterbirds and Effects on Avian Reproduction
California’s Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Estuary have a long history of mercury contamination from past mercury mining and gold extraction. Waterbirds are particularly susceptible to mercury because of their use of wetland habitats where methylmercury (the most toxic and biologically available form) is produced and relatively low methylmercury exposure can reduce reproductive success...Bat Research in California
The primary goal of this bat research program is to develop projects that increase our understanding of basic ecology and natural history of western bat species, while simultaneously providing needed data to inform conservation measures and management decisions in the West. Dr. Brian Halstead, together with Gabriel Reyes, studies the habitat and resource selection, movement ecology, demography...Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians in Northern California
This project improves our understanding of the ecology of amphibians in northern California and evaluates methods of managing landscapes and these imperiled species. In particular, Dr. Brian Halstead examines the distribution and demography of amphibians to understand factors that affect where amphibians are found and how populations change. He further explores the relationships of amphibians with...Waterfowl Ecology in California and the Pacific Flyway
The Suisun Marsh and Central Valley in California offer some of the world’s most important wetland habitats for waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway. Mike Casazza and USGS WERC biologists are providing the science to support and evaluate waterfowl populations and habitat management in North America.Ecology and Population Dynamics of Ridgway's Rails along the West Coast of the U.S.
The Ridgway’s rail is a federal and state listed endangered species that occurs in wetlands along the Pacific Coast and from the Lower Colorado River drainage to southern Baja California. Three subspecies of Ridgway’s rail are found within the United States: the California Ridgway’s Rail, Yuma Ridgway’s rail, and Light-footed Ridgway’s rail. All three subspecies have declined since 1900 as a...Greater Sage-Grouse Population Ecology
Greater Sage-grouse are iconic birds found only in the Great Basin of the western U.S. Known for their showy courting displays, sage-grouse rely on native sagebrush habitat to shelter their young. Dr. Pete Coates is providing resource managers with the tools and information they need to conserve sage-grouse as invasive plants, evolving wildfire patterns, and energy development change the Great...Stressors to Greater Sage-Grouse
The Greater Sage-grouse is a small bird found only in the sagebrush steppe of the Great Basin. Invasions of non-native grasses, evolving wildfire patterns, grazing from livestock, and human land uses are changing this unique ecosystem. WERC’s Dr. Pete Coates studies sage-grouse populations to determine how these influences could affect the bird and other wildlife in the future.Reproductive Success of Black-Crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets on Alcatraz Island
Years after the last inmate departed Alcatraz Island, waterbirds like Black-crowned Night Herons and Snowy Egrets still make the forbidding island their home. The National Park Service has requested the aid of WERC’s Dr. Pete Coates to inform efforts to expand visitor access to the Island, and simultaneously maintain healthy waterbird populations.