The USGS Does What!?

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.  

Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

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 USFWS decide whether a species needs federal protection through the Endangered Species Act, or if a species can be removed.

Sources/Usage: Public Domain.