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Year in Review

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Budget, Staffing, How our Program Works

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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility

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Science

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Follow us on TUMBLR

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World's Longest Mule Deer Migration

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Beluga Whale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet

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Wildlife Management Institute Outdoors New Bulletin

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Stories from the Field

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All Research

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Michigan State University

This is the 42nd Unit in our Program

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University of Nevada, Reno

New Unit focuses on human dimensions and quality of life

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Cooperative Research Units

Established in 1935 at Iowa State University, our mission is our hallmark: work with university students to develop the conservation workforce, help decision-makers make complex conservation decisions, and to provide technical assistance between natural resource agencies and universities. There are 42 units in 40 states. We host a national program office at the USGS in Reston, Virginia.

Collection of Outdoors New Bulletins

Research at a Glance

American beachgrass planted near South Beach in Edgartown, MA (looking east) - sunrise

We have more than 1,000 research projects under way and generate 250-300 scientific publications annually.

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How our Program Works

Many elk of various ages, some with antlers, some without all face the same direction with a hazy background. Steam rises from all around them.

Our international research portfolio includes climate, wildlife disease, fire, and human dimensions.

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Where's our Science?

Ecosystems science centers and CRU

USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units are located on 41 universities campuses in 39 states.

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News

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Friday's Findings - April 21 2023

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USGS EcoNews - Vol. 4 | Issue 2

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Home for the Holidays: Follow One Mule Deer’s 242-Mile Journey Across the Changing American West

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Publications

Abiotic and biotic factors reduce the viability of a high-elevation salamander in its native range

Amphibian populations are undergoing worldwide declines, and high-elevation, range-restricted amphibian species may be particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors. In particular, future climate change may have disproportional impacts to these ecosystems. Evaluating the combined effects of abiotic changes and biotic interactions simultaneously is important for forecasting the range of future
Authors
Evan H. Campbell Grant, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo, Adrianne Brand
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Cooperative Research Units

Estimating northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) pair detection probabilities based on call-back surveys associated with long-term mark-recapture studies, 1993–2018

The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina; hereinafter NSO) was listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act in 1990 and population declines have continued since that listing. Given the species’ protected status, any proposed activities on Federal lands that might impact NSO require consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and part of that consultation often includes
Authors
Katie M. Dugger, Alan B. Franklin, Damon B. Lesmeister, Raymond J. Davis, J. David Wiens, Gary C. White, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Charles B. Yackulic, Carl J. Schwarz, Steven H. Ackers, L. Steven Andrews, Larissa L. Bailey, Robin Bown, Jesse Burgher, Kenneth P. Burnham, Peter C. Carlson, Tara Chestnut, Mary M Conner, Krista E. Dilione, Eric D. Forsman, Scott A. Gremel, Keith A. Hamm, Dale R. Herter, J. Mark Higley, Rob B. Horn, Julianna M Jenkins, William L. Kendall, David W Lamphear, Christopher McCafferty, Trent L. McDonald, Janice A Reid, Jeremy T. Rockweit, David C. Simon, Stan G Sovern, James K. Swingle, Heather Wise
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center

Book review: Beyond the North American model of wildlife conservation: From lethal to compassionate conservation. Anja Heister. 2022. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, Switzerland. 273 pp. $139.99 hardcover. ISBN: 978-3031141485

No abstract available.
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John F. Organ
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Cooperative Research Units
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Science

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Sunrise of blue and orange hues and clouds illuminated by the rising sun. Clear water reflects the sky and the leafless tree

Prairie Streams and Fishes Collaborative

The Prairie Streams and Fishes Collaborative (PSFC) is a geographically diverse group of fisheries professionals who share an interest in prairie streams and associated prairie stream fishes. Fisheries researchers and managers responsible for prairie stream fish conservation recognized the need for multi-State, multi-agency networking. Established in 2020, PSFC is a unique initiative that seeks to...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units
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Prairie Streams and Fishes Collaborative

The Prairie Streams and Fishes Collaborative (PSFC) is a geographically diverse group of fisheries professionals who share an interest in prairie streams and associated prairie stream fishes. Fisheries researchers and managers responsible for prairie stream fish conservation recognized the need for multi-State, multi-agency networking. Established in 2020, PSFC is a unique initiative that seeks to...
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A group of mule deer on a smoky morning

Wyoming Migration Initiative: Ungulate Migration in the West

Advancing the conservation and understanding of Wyoming's migratory hooved animals (mule deer, elk, pronghorn, etc.). The Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is led by USGS federal researchers. The Wyoming Migration Initiative is a University of Wyoming’s Zoology and Physiology Department-based collaborative of biologists, photographers, mapmakers, and writers working to research...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units
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Wyoming Migration Initiative: Ungulate Migration in the West

Advancing the conservation and understanding of Wyoming's migratory hooved animals (mule deer, elk, pronghorn, etc.). The Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is led by USGS federal researchers. The Wyoming Migration Initiative is a University of Wyoming’s Zoology and Physiology Department-based collaborative of biologists, photographers, mapmakers, and writers working to research...
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The USGS Coastal Change Hazards Portal shows a screenshot of Hurricane Zeta approaching the northern U.S. Gulf Coast

Hurricane Portfolio

Research conducted as part of the CRU program is determined, approved, and supported by each unit’s coordinating committee composed of representatives from the USGS, one or more of the respective State fish and wildlife agencies, the host university, the Wildlife Management Institute, and the USFWS. The stakeholder-driven nature of the program’s research portfolio is designed to ensure that the...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units
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Hurricane Portfolio

Research conducted as part of the CRU program is determined, approved, and supported by each unit’s coordinating committee composed of representatives from the USGS, one or more of the respective State fish and wildlife agencies, the host university, the Wildlife Management Institute, and the USFWS. The stakeholder-driven nature of the program’s research portfolio is designed to ensure that the...
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