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Kevin L. Pope, PhD

Kevin is currently the Acting Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Chief.

Research Interests

Complex Social-Ecological Systems, with emphasis on inland recreational fisheries

Professional Experience

  • Acting Chief, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Headquarters, 2024-

  • Unit Leader, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2019-2024

  • Assistant Unit Leader, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2005-2019

Education and Certifications

  • Ph D South Dakota State University 1996

  • MS Auburn University 1993

  • BS Texas A&M University 1991

Science and Products

Pollinators

Species We Study: Pollinators

Ecosystems—whether agricultural, urban, or natural—depend on pollinators, great and small. Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and even moths provide vital, but often invisible services, from contributing to biodiverse terrestrial wildlife and plant communities to supporting healthy watersheds. Pollinator declines worldwide have been noted as land-use and climate changes...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Species Management Research Program
Species We Study: Pollinators

Species We Study: Pollinators

Ecosystems—whether agricultural, urban, or natural—depend on pollinators, great and small. Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and even moths provide vital, but often invisible services, from contributing to biodiverse terrestrial wildlife and plant communities to supporting healthy watersheds. Pollinator declines worldwide have been noted as land-use and climate changes...
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 76

Best practices for understanding recreational fishers Best practices for understanding recreational fishers

In this closing chapter of our edited book, we summarize what we believe are best practices for understanding recreational fishers. Fishers are an integral part of the recreational fishery social-ecological system, and we emphasize the importance of placing them in that context. We begin with an overview of the process of developing a project and conclude with some broad suggestions for
Authors
Brett van Poorten, Len M. Hunt, E. Arlo Richardson, Abigail Lynch, Kevin L. Pope
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Complexity and integration of recreational fisheries Complexity and integration of recreational fisheries

Recreational fisheries are interconnected, complex, adaptive systems characterized by multiple direct and indirect interactions among ecological and human subsystems. This is important for many reasons, including that feedbacks between the social and ecological dimensions lead to difficult-to-predict, often entirely unexpected, outcomes and because many management and governance systems...
Authors
Abigail Lynch, Len M. Hunt, A. Ben Beardmore, Brett T. van Poorten, Kevin L. Pope, Robert Arlinghaus
By
Cooperative Research Units

Preface Preface

Despite more than 50 years of research into the human dimensions of recreational f isheries, there is no textbook to present the theoretical grounding, operationalisation, and interpretation of the most elemental social components involved in fisheries management – namely, outcomes and trade-offs, behaviours (and antecedents or predictors of it), and the relationships among actors...
Authors
Kevin L. Pope, Robert Arlinghaus, Len M. Hunt, Abigail Lynch, Brett T. van Poorten
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Valuing recreational fishing using creel survey statistics Valuing recreational fishing using creel survey statistics

Recreation demand analysis has relied on mail and internet surveys to collect information on individual recreators. However, conducting these surveys is costly and time-consuming. Alternative sources that report aggregate visitation may go unused due to a lack of information about trip starting points. We set up and solve a system of equations that predict reservoir visits and the home...
Authors
Luke Boehm, Richard T. Melstrom, Kevin L. Pope
By
Cooperative Research Units

U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units program U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units program

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.
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Tess M. McConnell, Donald E. Dennerline, Kevin L. Pope, Jonathan R. Mawdsley
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units

U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A hawk’s view of 2024 U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A hawk’s view of 2024

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (USGS CRU) program was established in 1935 and codified by Congress in 1960 to enhance graduate education in wildlife and fisheries sciences and to facilitate research and technical assistance among natural resource agencies and universities on fisheries and wildlife management topics of mutual concern...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Tess M. McConnell, Donald E. Dennerline, Kevin L. Pope, Jonathan R. Mawdsley
By
Ecosystems Mission Area

Warmwater fish in small standing waters Warmwater fish in small standing waters

No abstract available.
Authors
M.K. Flammang, D.E. Shoup, P.H. Michaletz, Kevin L. Pope
By
Cooperative Research Units

Waterbody size predicts bank- and boat-angler efforts Waterbody size predicts bank- and boat-angler efforts

Bank- and boat-angler efforts are logistically difficult and costly to estimate, preventing landscape-scale estimates that are required to address current and future challenges (e.g., climate change, invasive species) for inland recreational fisheries. Using a large Nebraska, USA, recreational fishery dataset (N = 67 waterbodies), we demonstrate that waterbody size can be used to predict...
Authors
D.S. Kanee, Kevin L. Pope, Keith D. Koupal, M.A. Pegg, C.J. Chizinski, M.A. Kaemingk
By
Cooperative Research Units

Using the gut microbiome to assess stocking efforts of the endangered Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus Using the gut microbiome to assess stocking efforts of the endangered Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus

The endangered Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus, has been actively managed to prevent population declines, including stocking of hatchery-raised fish. The gut microbiome plays an innate role in an organism’s absorption of nutrients by increasing nutrient availability and can provide new insights for Pallid Sturgeon management. In this study, the Pallid Sturgeon’s microbiome is...
Authors
Sarah Gaughan, John A. Kyndt, Justin D. Haas, Kirk D. Steffensen, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Kevin L. Pope
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units

Natural resource system size can be used for managing recreational use Natural resource system size can be used for managing recreational use

Outdoor recreation provides societal benefits that are often measured by the amount of use natural resource systems receive. Still, the amount of resource use natural resource systems receive is often unknown or unstudied. Monitoring and quantifying resource use is often logistically difficult and costly but is paramount to optimize societal benefits. Identifying a simple and readily...
Authors
Derek S. Kane, Kevin L. Pope, Keith D. Koupal, Mark A. Pegg, Christopher J. Chizinski, Mark A. Kaemingk
By
Cooperative Research Units

Valuing angling on reservoirs using benefit transfer Valuing angling on reservoirs using benefit transfer

Economic assessments are rarely applied to inland recreational fisheries for management purposes, especially when compared to fish, habitat, and creel assessments, yet economic assessments can provide critical information for management decisions. We provide a brief overview of economic value, key terminology, and existing economic techniques to address these issues. Benefit transfer, a...
Authors
Richard T. Melstrom, Mark A. Kaemingk, Nicholas W. Cole, John C. Whitehead, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
By
Cooperative Research Units

Asking nicely: Best practices for requesting data Asking nicely: Best practices for requesting data

Compiling disparate datasets into publicly available composite databases helps natural resource communities explore ecological trends and effectively manage across spatiotemporal scales. Though some studies have reported on the database construction phase, fewer have evaluated the data acquisition and distribution process. To facilitate future data sharing collaborations, Louisiana State
Authors
Steve R. Midway, Nicholas A. Sievert, Abigail Lynch, Joanna B. Whittier, Kevin L. Pope
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Cooperative Research Units
10-Year Overview of the CRU Program

10-Year Overview of the CRU Program

This fact sheet provides a 10-year overview of the U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units program. It highlights long term accomplishments...

Read Article
U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A Hawk’s View of 2024

U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A Hawk’s View of 2024

The U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units program was established in 1935 and codified by Congress in 1960 to enhance...

Read Article

Science and Products

Pollinators

Species We Study: Pollinators

Ecosystems—whether agricultural, urban, or natural—depend on pollinators, great and small. Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and even moths provide vital, but often invisible services, from contributing to biodiverse terrestrial wildlife and plant communities to supporting healthy watersheds. Pollinator declines worldwide have been noted as land-use and climate changes...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Species Management Research Program
Species We Study: Pollinators

Species We Study: Pollinators

Ecosystems—whether agricultural, urban, or natural—depend on pollinators, great and small. Pollinators in the form of bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and even moths provide vital, but often invisible services, from contributing to biodiverse terrestrial wildlife and plant communities to supporting healthy watersheds. Pollinator declines worldwide have been noted as land-use and climate changes...
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 76

Best practices for understanding recreational fishers Best practices for understanding recreational fishers

In this closing chapter of our edited book, we summarize what we believe are best practices for understanding recreational fishers. Fishers are an integral part of the recreational fishery social-ecological system, and we emphasize the importance of placing them in that context. We begin with an overview of the process of developing a project and conclude with some broad suggestions for
Authors
Brett van Poorten, Len M. Hunt, E. Arlo Richardson, Abigail Lynch, Kevin L. Pope
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Complexity and integration of recreational fisheries Complexity and integration of recreational fisheries

Recreational fisheries are interconnected, complex, adaptive systems characterized by multiple direct and indirect interactions among ecological and human subsystems. This is important for many reasons, including that feedbacks between the social and ecological dimensions lead to difficult-to-predict, often entirely unexpected, outcomes and because many management and governance systems...
Authors
Abigail Lynch, Len M. Hunt, A. Ben Beardmore, Brett T. van Poorten, Kevin L. Pope, Robert Arlinghaus
By
Cooperative Research Units

Preface Preface

Despite more than 50 years of research into the human dimensions of recreational f isheries, there is no textbook to present the theoretical grounding, operationalisation, and interpretation of the most elemental social components involved in fisheries management – namely, outcomes and trade-offs, behaviours (and antecedents or predictors of it), and the relationships among actors...
Authors
Kevin L. Pope, Robert Arlinghaus, Len M. Hunt, Abigail Lynch, Brett T. van Poorten
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Valuing recreational fishing using creel survey statistics Valuing recreational fishing using creel survey statistics

Recreation demand analysis has relied on mail and internet surveys to collect information on individual recreators. However, conducting these surveys is costly and time-consuming. Alternative sources that report aggregate visitation may go unused due to a lack of information about trip starting points. We set up and solve a system of equations that predict reservoir visits and the home...
Authors
Luke Boehm, Richard T. Melstrom, Kevin L. Pope
By
Cooperative Research Units

U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units program U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units program

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.
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Tess M. McConnell, Donald E. Dennerline, Kevin L. Pope, Jonathan R. Mawdsley
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units

U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A hawk’s view of 2024 U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A hawk’s view of 2024

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (USGS CRU) program was established in 1935 and codified by Congress in 1960 to enhance graduate education in wildlife and fisheries sciences and to facilitate research and technical assistance among natural resource agencies and universities on fisheries and wildlife management topics of mutual concern...
Authors
Elise R. Irwin, Tess M. McConnell, Donald E. Dennerline, Kevin L. Pope, Jonathan R. Mawdsley
By
Ecosystems Mission Area

Warmwater fish in small standing waters Warmwater fish in small standing waters

No abstract available.
Authors
M.K. Flammang, D.E. Shoup, P.H. Michaletz, Kevin L. Pope
By
Cooperative Research Units

Waterbody size predicts bank- and boat-angler efforts Waterbody size predicts bank- and boat-angler efforts

Bank- and boat-angler efforts are logistically difficult and costly to estimate, preventing landscape-scale estimates that are required to address current and future challenges (e.g., climate change, invasive species) for inland recreational fisheries. Using a large Nebraska, USA, recreational fishery dataset (N = 67 waterbodies), we demonstrate that waterbody size can be used to predict...
Authors
D.S. Kanee, Kevin L. Pope, Keith D. Koupal, M.A. Pegg, C.J. Chizinski, M.A. Kaemingk
By
Cooperative Research Units

Using the gut microbiome to assess stocking efforts of the endangered Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus Using the gut microbiome to assess stocking efforts of the endangered Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus

The endangered Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus, has been actively managed to prevent population declines, including stocking of hatchery-raised fish. The gut microbiome plays an innate role in an organism’s absorption of nutrients by increasing nutrient availability and can provide new insights for Pallid Sturgeon management. In this study, the Pallid Sturgeon’s microbiome is...
Authors
Sarah Gaughan, John A. Kyndt, Justin D. Haas, Kirk D. Steffensen, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Kevin L. Pope
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units

Natural resource system size can be used for managing recreational use Natural resource system size can be used for managing recreational use

Outdoor recreation provides societal benefits that are often measured by the amount of use natural resource systems receive. Still, the amount of resource use natural resource systems receive is often unknown or unstudied. Monitoring and quantifying resource use is often logistically difficult and costly but is paramount to optimize societal benefits. Identifying a simple and readily...
Authors
Derek S. Kane, Kevin L. Pope, Keith D. Koupal, Mark A. Pegg, Christopher J. Chizinski, Mark A. Kaemingk
By
Cooperative Research Units

Valuing angling on reservoirs using benefit transfer Valuing angling on reservoirs using benefit transfer

Economic assessments are rarely applied to inland recreational fisheries for management purposes, especially when compared to fish, habitat, and creel assessments, yet economic assessments can provide critical information for management decisions. We provide a brief overview of economic value, key terminology, and existing economic techniques to address these issues. Benefit transfer, a...
Authors
Richard T. Melstrom, Mark A. Kaemingk, Nicholas W. Cole, John C. Whitehead, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope
By
Cooperative Research Units

Asking nicely: Best practices for requesting data Asking nicely: Best practices for requesting data

Compiling disparate datasets into publicly available composite databases helps natural resource communities explore ecological trends and effectively manage across spatiotemporal scales. Though some studies have reported on the database construction phase, fewer have evaluated the data acquisition and distribution process. To facilitate future data sharing collaborations, Louisiana State
Authors
Steve R. Midway, Nicholas A. Sievert, Abigail Lynch, Joanna B. Whittier, Kevin L. Pope
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Cooperative Research Units
10-Year Overview of the CRU Program

10-Year Overview of the CRU Program

This fact sheet provides a 10-year overview of the U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units program. It highlights long term accomplishments...

Read Article
U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A Hawk’s View of 2024

U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Units Program—A Hawk’s View of 2024

The U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units program was established in 1935 and codified by Congress in 1960 to enhance...

Read Article
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