This fact sheet provides a 10-year overview of the U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units program. It highlights long term accomplishments for the program's mission of applied research, graduate education and technical assistance to the partners.
The Cooperative Research Units program was established in 1935 and codified by Congress in 1960 to enhance graduate education in fisheries and wildlife sciences, to facilitate applied research for fish and wildlife resources, and to transfer technical knowledge to natural resource agencies. Today, there are 43 units located in 41 States, at 44 host universities, with a national program office located at the U.S. Geological Survey headquarters in Reston, Virginia (fig. 1). The program’s success stems from a collaborative focus on solving problems faced by State and Federal wildlife and fisheries managers. Each unit is a unique partnership among the U.S. Geological Survey, a host university, one or more State agencies, the Wildlife Management Institute, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The units are staffed by 2 to 5 U.S. Geological Survey research scientists and are grouped into three regions, each with a U.S. Geological Survey supervisor.
Mission
- Support the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation through disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transboundary applied research of natural systems and related socioecological processes.
- Develop future natural resource managers and researchers through graduate education in wildlife and fisheries sciences.
- Enhance cooperator capabilities through technical assistance in the use and application of state-of-the-art science practices.