The USGS Does What!?
The USGS is known around the world for our science on earthquakes, volcanoes, and other hazards. You might also use our website to check out flow conditions at your favorite fishing hole. But the story of the USGS doesn’t end there. Our biological and ecological science portfolio is one of the largest in in the world, rounding out USGS expertise in all aspects of Earth.
The word root ‘geo’ comes from the Greek word ge, which means “Earth” and the USGS studies all aspects of the Earth’s system--including plants, wildlife, and ecosystems.
The Road to Biological Science
When the USGS was established in 1879, it was charged with surveying and mapping the United States and studying its geologic structure and economic resources, like minerals. But that mission evolved over time, as the science needs of the Nation grew. Initially, biological sciences were spread across the different Department of the Interior (DOI) bureaus. Demand grew for independent and non-regulatory science in its application to decision making. This led to the establishment of the National Biological Survey in 1993. Just a few years later, these responsibilities were transferred to the USGS, which is a non-management, non-regulatory agency. Today, the majority of USGS’s biological research is carried out by the Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA). However, biological science often requires expertise from diverse disciplines, and biological research is carried out in many other USGS Mission Areas.
Serving People and the Stewards of Public Lands
The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages more than 480 million acres of public lands across the country. These lands, which include national parks, national wildlife refuges, and national wild and scenic rivers, are of great value to the American people and provide habitat to our Nation’s plants and animals. As the steward of these public lands, DOI is responsible for the conservation and management of fish and wildlife; promoting productive landscapes; addressing devastating wildfires; managing energy resource development on lands and offshore areas; mitigating costly impacts of invasive species and wildlife disease; and promoting outdoor recreation.
Since 1996, the USGS has served as the biological research arm of the DOI, providing non-regulatory and unbiased science to support the conservation of public lands and their resources. In this role, USGS studies living things – plants, animals, bacteria, and more – and their interactions with each other, humans, and the landscape.
The bottom line: the USGS delivers impartial science to natural resource managers, with particular focus on the science needs of the DOI and its bureaus, supporting efforts to effectively manage species, lands, and ecosystems. USGS biological science ultimately 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 challenges impacting our lands and the communities that benefit from them.
Why it Matters
- As part of the National Wastewater Surveillance System, the USGS designed and implemented sampling of wastewater across six states in September 2021, to support tracking of potential increases in COVID-19 infections in communities. Scientists determined COVID-19 viral loads for each sample and provided results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- To help address growing wildfire-related challenges in America, the USGS provides timely and relevant information for land managers to tackle fire risks before they occur, during wildfire response, and after the flames go out.
- USGS scientists helped confirm the presence of an invasive zebra mussel in an aquarium moss package in a pet store, prompting nationwide alerts that led to the discovery of the destructive shellfish in pet stores in at least 21 states from Alaska to Florida.
- The USGS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s primary partner for wild bird cause-of-death investigations that include avian influenza surveillance. USGS research with avian influenza surveillance led to the first 2022 live wild bird HPAI detection in the U.S.
- The USGS is partnering with Tribes in the Great Lakes region to project future changes in vegetation and water flow that will affect wild rice, a sacred species for Indigenous peoples in the region.
- USGS science helps the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decide whether a species needs federal protection through the Endangered Species Act, or if a species can be removed, avoiding regulatory costs and permitting delays for agencies and stakeholders.
America’s diverse ecosystems are an asset to current and future generations by supporting economically and recreationally important fish, wildlife, and lands. Healthy ecosystems support people and nature, fostering prosperity and enjoyment for all.
\$262.7 BILLION
Economic output of Bureau of Land Management public lands and water in Fiscal Year 2022, supporting 1 million jobs across the country.1
\$55.6 BILLION
Estimated economic output of the National Park Service in 2023, with 378 million visits estimating \$32 billion in value added supported by about 415,000 jobs.2
\$394.8 BILLION
Total expenditures on wildlife-related recreation, including wildlife watching, fishing, and hunting in 2021.3
\$1.22 TRILLION
The recorded total costs of invasive species in the U.S. between 1960 and 2020.4
\$34 BILLION
The economic value insect pollination adds to U.S. agricultural crops annually.5
\$82 MILLION +
Annual economic loss caused by harmful algal blooms in the U.S.6
$8 BILLION +
Annual costs of wildlife vehicle collisions in the U.S. due to ongoing urbanization and habitat fragmentation.7
\$3.7 BILLION
Annual savings insect eating bats provide the agriculture industry that could be lost with continued bat declines due to white-nose syndrome and wind-power development. 8
\$87 BILLION +
The economic burden of wildfire-induced damages and losses as well as the management costs to suppress and mitigate ignitions and fire spread.9
\$170 BILLION
The total estimated cost of billion-dollar drought events in the U.S. that have occurred between 2004 and 2023.10
\$603.1 BILLION
The total cost of separate billion-dollar climate and weather disasters in the U.S. from 2019 to 2023.11
\$16.45 BILLION
Revenues generated in fiscal year 2024 from energy production on Federal and Tribal onshore lands, and Federal offshore areas.12
The USGS is known around the world for our science on earthquakes, volcanoes, and other hazards. You might also use our website to check out flow conditions at your favorite fishing hole. But the story of the USGS doesn’t end there. Our biological and ecological science portfolio is one of the largest in in the world, rounding out USGS expertise in all aspects of Earth.
The word root ‘geo’ comes from the Greek word ge, which means “Earth” and the USGS studies all aspects of the Earth’s system--including plants, wildlife, and ecosystems.
The Road to Biological Science
When the USGS was established in 1879, it was charged with surveying and mapping the United States and studying its geologic structure and economic resources, like minerals. But that mission evolved over time, as the science needs of the Nation grew. Initially, biological sciences were spread across the different Department of the Interior (DOI) bureaus. Demand grew for independent and non-regulatory science in its application to decision making. This led to the establishment of the National Biological Survey in 1993. Just a few years later, these responsibilities were transferred to the USGS, which is a non-management, non-regulatory agency. Today, the majority of USGS’s biological research is carried out by the Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA). However, biological science often requires expertise from diverse disciplines, and biological research is carried out in many other USGS Mission Areas.
Serving People and the Stewards of Public Lands
The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages more than 480 million acres of public lands across the country. These lands, which include national parks, national wildlife refuges, and national wild and scenic rivers, are of great value to the American people and provide habitat to our Nation’s plants and animals. As the steward of these public lands, DOI is responsible for the conservation and management of fish and wildlife; promoting productive landscapes; addressing devastating wildfires; managing energy resource development on lands and offshore areas; mitigating costly impacts of invasive species and wildlife disease; and promoting outdoor recreation.
Since 1996, the USGS has served as the biological research arm of the DOI, providing non-regulatory and unbiased science to support the conservation of public lands and their resources. In this role, USGS studies living things – plants, animals, bacteria, and more – and their interactions with each other, humans, and the landscape.
The bottom line: the USGS delivers impartial science to natural resource managers, with particular focus on the science needs of the DOI and its bureaus, supporting efforts to effectively manage species, lands, and ecosystems. USGS biological science ultimately 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 challenges impacting our lands and the communities that benefit from them.
Why it Matters
- As part of the National Wastewater Surveillance System, the USGS designed and implemented sampling of wastewater across six states in September 2021, to support tracking of potential increases in COVID-19 infections in communities. Scientists determined COVID-19 viral loads for each sample and provided results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- To help address growing wildfire-related challenges in America, the USGS provides timely and relevant information for land managers to tackle fire risks before they occur, during wildfire response, and after the flames go out.
- USGS scientists helped confirm the presence of an invasive zebra mussel in an aquarium moss package in a pet store, prompting nationwide alerts that led to the discovery of the destructive shellfish in pet stores in at least 21 states from Alaska to Florida.
- The USGS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s primary partner for wild bird cause-of-death investigations that include avian influenza surveillance. USGS research with avian influenza surveillance led to the first 2022 live wild bird HPAI detection in the U.S.
- The USGS is partnering with Tribes in the Great Lakes region to project future changes in vegetation and water flow that will affect wild rice, a sacred species for Indigenous peoples in the region.
- USGS science helps the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decide whether a species needs federal protection through the Endangered Species Act, or if a species can be removed, avoiding regulatory costs and permitting delays for agencies and stakeholders.
America’s diverse ecosystems are an asset to current and future generations by supporting economically and recreationally important fish, wildlife, and lands. Healthy ecosystems support people and nature, fostering prosperity and enjoyment for all.
\$262.7 BILLION
Economic output of Bureau of Land Management public lands and water in Fiscal Year 2022, supporting 1 million jobs across the country.1
\$55.6 BILLION
Estimated economic output of the National Park Service in 2023, with 378 million visits estimating \$32 billion in value added supported by about 415,000 jobs.2
\$394.8 BILLION
Total expenditures on wildlife-related recreation, including wildlife watching, fishing, and hunting in 2021.3
\$1.22 TRILLION
The recorded total costs of invasive species in the U.S. between 1960 and 2020.4
\$34 BILLION
The economic value insect pollination adds to U.S. agricultural crops annually.5
\$82 MILLION +
Annual economic loss caused by harmful algal blooms in the U.S.6
$8 BILLION +
Annual costs of wildlife vehicle collisions in the U.S. due to ongoing urbanization and habitat fragmentation.7
\$3.7 BILLION
Annual savings insect eating bats provide the agriculture industry that could be lost with continued bat declines due to white-nose syndrome and wind-power development. 8
\$87 BILLION +
The economic burden of wildfire-induced damages and losses as well as the management costs to suppress and mitigate ignitions and fire spread.9
\$170 BILLION
The total estimated cost of billion-dollar drought events in the U.S. that have occurred between 2004 and 2023.10
\$603.1 BILLION
The total cost of separate billion-dollar climate and weather disasters in the U.S. from 2019 to 2023.11
\$16.45 BILLION
Revenues generated in fiscal year 2024 from energy production on Federal and Tribal onshore lands, and Federal offshore areas.12