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Wildlife & Terrestrial Species

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Species Management Research Program

The Species Management Research Program provides science that is used by managers, policy makers, and others for decisions that protect, conserve, and enhance healthy fish and wildlife populations across the United States and beyond.  

Species We Study

Image: Louisiana Black Bear and Cubs

From tiny insects to whales, check out the diversity of plants and animals our scientists study across the world.

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Animal Welfare Assurance

Photo of a hen pintail with a GPS transmitter.

The USGS promotes animal welfare and human and animal safety in research, teaching, and training activities.

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News

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USGS Friday's Findings—December 1, 2023

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Why we have better maps of Mars than of the seafloor—and what USGS is doing to change that

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USGS and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory release database and interactive map of all large-scale solar energy facilities in the U.S.

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Publications

Evaluating management alternatives for Wyoming elk feedgrounds in consideration of chronic wasting disease

Executive SummaryThe authors used decision and modeling analyses to evaluate management alternatives for a decision on whether to permit Cervus canadensis (elk) feeding on two sites on Bridger-Teton National Forest, Dell Creek and Forest Park. Supplemental feeding of elk could increase the transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) locally and disease spread regionally, potentially impacting el
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Jonathan D. Cook, Paul C. Cross, Emily M. Tomaszewski, Eric K. Cole, Evan H. Campbell Grant, James M. Wilder, Michael C. Runge
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Geomorphic classification framework for assessing reproductive ecology of Scaphirhynchus albus (pallid sturgeon), Fort Peck segment, Upper Missouri River, Montana and North Dakota

The segment of the Upper Missouri River between Fort Peck Dam and the headwaters of Lake Sakakawea is home to a population of the endangered Scaphirhynchus albus (pallid sturgeon). Lack of population growth (recruitment failure) has been attributed to inadequate dispersal distance of larvae between spawning locations and the headwaters of Lake Sakakawea, where conventional wisdom holds that anoxic
Authors
Robert B. Jacobson, Caroline M. Elliott, Edward Bulliner
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Species management research program [postcard]

Executive SummaryOur nation’s fish and wildlife species face increasingly complex threats and challenges. Ensuring a healthy future for these species benefits all Americans, contributing to the abundance of our food supply, the well-being of diverse cultures and communities, and the future of biodiverse ecosystems. The U.S. Geological Survey Species Management Research Program (SMRP) plays a criti
Authors
Mona Khalil, Sally House, Melanie J. Steinkamp, Mark Wimer, David H. Hu, Michael J. Adams
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program
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Science

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Drill rig in the distance off a dirt road in a semi-aid system.

Southwest Energy Exploration, Development, and Reclamation (SWEDR)

Approximately 35% of the US and approximately 82% of DOI lands are “drylands” found throughout the western US. These lands contain oil, gas, oil shale, shale oil, and tar sand deposits and the exploration for and extraction of these resources has resulted in hundreds of thousands of operating and abandoned wells across the West. These arid and semi-arid lands have unique soil and plant communities...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Fort Collins Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center
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Southwest Energy Exploration, Development, and Reclamation (SWEDR)

Approximately 35% of the US and approximately 82% of DOI lands are “drylands” found throughout the western US. These lands contain oil, gas, oil shale, shale oil, and tar sand deposits and the exploration for and extraction of these resources has resulted in hundreds of thousands of operating and abandoned wells across the West. These arid and semi-arid lands have unique soil and plant communities...
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Spawing sockeye salmon in a Matanuska River side channel, Alaska

Fish and Aquatic Ecology

Fish and aquatic habitats in Alaska support important commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries and provide forage fish that support wildlife populations. The USGS Alaska Science Center conducts interdisciplinary research to inform local, state, federal, and international policy makers regarding conservation of fish, aquatic species, and their habitats. We work collaboratively with hydrologists...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
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Fish and Aquatic Ecology

Fish and aquatic habitats in Alaska support important commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries and provide forage fish that support wildlife populations. The USGS Alaska Science Center conducts interdisciplinary research to inform local, state, federal, and international policy makers regarding conservation of fish, aquatic species, and their habitats. We work collaboratively with hydrologists...
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Caribou roaming the Arctic Coastal Plain

Terrestrial Mammal Ecology Research

Understanding the population dynamics, predator/prey relationships and habitat ecology of terrestrial mammals, such as caribou and muskoxen, is critical for the management of these species and their habitats in Alaska.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
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Terrestrial Mammal Ecology Research

Understanding the population dynamics, predator/prey relationships and habitat ecology of terrestrial mammals, such as caribou and muskoxen, is critical for the management of these species and their habitats in Alaska.
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