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Powering Progress

How Science Can Fuel the Energy Resources Life Cycle

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USGS Wildland Fire Science

USGS science helps understand the causes, consequences, and benefits of wildfire and helps prevent and manage larger, catastrophic events.

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USGS Drought Science

Helping managers understand the interactions that determine the magnitude and impact of drought on water availability and ecosystems across the Nation

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Ecosystems Science at USGS

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The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area

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EcoNews

A USGS Ecosystems Mission Area Newsletter

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Ecosystems Mission Area

The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides science that directly benefits the health, safety, and prosperity of the American people by providing trusted and timely information to help address the Nation’s toughest management and conservation issues impacting public lands and the surrounding communities that benefit from them. 

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USGS Science for Food & Water Security

A view of a farm field in Iowa

USGS Ecosystems Mission Area science helps ensure safe and abundant domestic food and water supplies, ensuring all Americans access to livelihoods and traditions that connect generations with each other and the outdoors and strengthen America’s self-reliance

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USGS Science for Public Safety & Security

Before and after pictures - Hurricane Rita and Holly Beach, Louisiana, USA

Science within the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides a critical advantage in addressing public safety, infrastructure, and security issues surrounding natural disasters and changing landscapes, strengthening America’s ability to be a hazard ready Nation. 

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USGS Science for Economic Growth

A pronghorn stands in front of oil and gas development infrastructure, Vernal, Utah

Science provided by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area helps boost America’s economy by providing practical tools to implement cost-effective management and development strategies that supports the Nation’s economic growth and protects our natural heritage.

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News

Living Dinosaurs of the Hudson: Shortnose Sturgeon Science and Recovery

Living Dinosaurs of the Hudson: Shortnose Sturgeon Science and Recovery

A New Framework to Minimize Costs and Maximize the Benefits of Biodiversity in Land Restoration

A New Framework to Minimize Costs and Maximize the Benefits of Biodiversity in Land Restoration

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Continues to Affect Wild Birds Across All Four U.S. Flyways

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Continues to Affect Wild Birds Across All Four U.S. Flyways

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Publications

Alternative future vegetation pathways reveal potential transformations of western US ecosystems Alternative future vegetation pathways reveal potential transformations of western US ecosystems

Managing ecosystems in an era of rapid change is inherently challenging not only because of uncertainty in future climate but also due to diverse responses of ecosystems to climate. Projections of ecological transformation alongside information about plausible vegetation trajectories can help land managers explore divergent scenarios and consider how modeled outcomes match their...
Authors
Tyler J. Hoecker, Kimberley T. Davis, Caitlin E. Littlefield, Jeffrey C Chandler, Sean A. Parks, Andy John Maguire, Kerry Kemp, Svetlana Yegorova, Solomon Dobrowski
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Monitoring nesting waterbirds for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project—2024 breeding season Monitoring nesting waterbirds for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project—2024 breeding season

The San Francisco Bay supports thousands of breeding waterbirds annually and hosts large populations of American avocets (Recurvirostra americana), black-necked stilts (Himantopus mexicanus), and Forster’s terns (Sterna forsteri). These three species have relied largely on former commercial salt ponds in south San Francisco Bay, which provide wetland foraging habitat and island nesting...
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, C. Alex Hartman, Mark P. Herzog
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Evaluation of pathogen risks and testing considerations for Chinook salmon egg movements between New Zealand and California Evaluation of pathogen risks and testing considerations for Chinook salmon egg movements between New Zealand and California

Executive Summary Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum in Artedi, 1792; Chinook salmon) were historically abundant in the McCloud River but are now extirpated from this tributary owing to dam construction and lack of passage. Planning efforts to restore populations above Shasta and Keswick Dams are currently underway, including an evaluation of potential source populations. One potential...
Authors
Claire E. Couch, David B. Powell, Jan Lovy
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center
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Science

Greater sage-grouse sunrise lek flight

Data Harmonization for Greater Sage-Grouse Populations

Long-term wildlife monitoring is imperative for understanding population changes that can inform managers. However, working with population data collected by different organizations across multiple jurisdictions and over long time periods can be challenging due to varying data management approaches and organizational priorities. Through this project, we aimed to collaborate with eleven state...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wildland Fire Science
Data Harmonization for Greater Sage-Grouse Populations

Data Harmonization for Greater Sage-Grouse Populations

Long-term wildlife monitoring is imperative for understanding population changes that can inform managers. However, working with population data collected by different organizations across multiple jurisdictions and over long time periods can be challenging due to varying data management approaches and organizational priorities. Through this project, we aimed to collaborate with eleven state...
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Image: Greater Sage Grouse

Greater Sage-Grouse Population Monitoring Framework

Greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus) are at the center of state and national land use policies largely because of their unique life-history traits and their role as an ecological indicator for the health of sagebrush ecosystems. Multiple science centers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in conjunction with Colorado State University (CSU) have developed the Greater Sage-Grouse...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wildland Fire Science
Greater Sage-Grouse Population Monitoring Framework

Greater Sage-Grouse Population Monitoring Framework

Greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus) are at the center of state and national land use policies largely because of their unique life-history traits and their role as an ecological indicator for the health of sagebrush ecosystems. Multiple science centers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in conjunction with Colorado State University (CSU) have developed the Greater Sage-Grouse...
Learn More
screenshot of an application containing app title, logos and an image of sage-grouse

A user-friendly decision support tool for monitoring and managing greater sage-grouse populations

Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Colorado State University (CSU) collaborated with the Bureau of Land Management and state wildlife agencies to develop a hierarchical population monitoring framework for managing greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus) populations and the sagebrush ecosystems they depend on for survival and reproduction. This greater sage-grouse...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wildland Fire Science
A user-friendly decision support tool for monitoring and managing greater sage-grouse populations

A user-friendly decision support tool for monitoring and managing greater sage-grouse populations

Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Colorado State University (CSU) collaborated with the Bureau of Land Management and state wildlife agencies to develop a hierarchical population monitoring framework for managing greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus) populations and the sagebrush ecosystems they depend on for survival and reproduction. This greater sage-grouse...
Learn More
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