Fred Johnson, Ph.D.
Fred Johnson is a Scientist Emeritus at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 2010
M.S., Wildlife and Fisheries Science, Texas A&M University, 1981
B.S., Wildlife Resources (Magna Cum Laude), West Virginia University, 1978
RESEARCH
Fred Johnson's principal interest is in the application of decision science to problems in natural resource management. Such applications require a multi-disciplinary approach to engage stakeholders in the decision-making process, to predict the responses of ecological systems to controlled and uncontrolled drivers, to elicit societal values regarding the consequences of management policy, and to develop monitoring programs to compare predicted and realized system behaviors. Johnson is particularly active in migratory bird management, with experience in problems of recreational and subsistence harvest, pest control, and habitat management. His scientific expertise is mostly in the areas of population ecology, statistical inference, dynamic systems modeling, and optimal decision making.
BACKGROUND
1989 – 2007: Wildlife Biologist (Management), Division of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Laurel, Maryland - responsible for evaluating, designing, and conducting resource monitoring and assessment programs to improve conservation programs; functioned as an agency representative on technical matters at state, national, and international meetings and conferences where migratory bird management and research were planned, coordinated, and reviewed.
1981-1989: Waterfowl Management Program Coordinator, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Okeechobee, Florida - responsible for planning, implementing, and overseeing waterfowl conservation activities for the State of Florida.
Science and Products
Informing Conservation Management Decision-Making at Coastal National Wildlife Refuges
Optimal spatial allocation of control effort to manage invasives in the face of imperfect detection and misclassification
Designing a protected area to safeguard imperiled species from urbanization
Science alive and well in North American wildlife management
Value of sample information in dynamic, structurally uncertain resource systems
Dynamic minimum set problem for reserve design: Heuristic solutions for large problems
An interim harvest strategy for Taiga Bean geese
Taiga bean goose: Harvest assessment for the Central Management Unit: 2018
Adaptive harvest management for the Svalbard population of pink-footed geese: 2018 progress summary
Strengthening links between waterfowl research and management
Implementing the 2012 North American Waterfowl Management Plan revision: Populations, habitat, and people
Making do with less: Must sparse data preclude informed harvest strategies for European waterbirds?
Optimal control of an invasive species using a reaction-diffusion model and linear programming
Science and Products
- Science
Filter Total Items: 13
Informing Conservation Management Decision-Making at Coastal National Wildlife Refuges
Coastal National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) provide a myriad of beneficial services, including buffering storm surge, improving water quality, supporting commercial fisheries, and providing habitat for imperiled wildlife and plants. Yet in the last century, coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S. have been severely altered by human development activities as well as sea-level rise and more frequent ext - Data
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 72
Optimal spatial allocation of control effort to manage invasives in the face of imperfect detection and misclassification
Imperfect detection and misclassification errors are often ignored in the context of invasive species management. Here we present an approach that combines spatially explicit models and an optimization technique to design optimal search and destroy strategies based on noisy monitoring observations. We focus on two invasive plants, melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia) and Old World climbing fern (LyAuthorsMathieu Bonneau, Julien Martin, Nathalie Peyrard, LeRoy Rodgers, Christina M. Romagosa, Fred A. JohnsonDesigning a protected area to safeguard imperiled species from urbanization
Reserve design is a process that can address ecological, social, and political factors to identify parcels of land needed to sustain wildlife populations and other natural resources. Acquisition of parcels for a large terrestrial reserve is difficult because it typically occurs over a long timeframe and thus invokes consideration of future conditions such as climate and urbanization changes. In ceAuthorsStephanie S. Romañach, Bradley Stith, Fred A. JohnsonScience alive and well in North American wildlife management
Artelle et al. (1) entitled a recent article with the provocative claim: “Hallmarks of science missing from North American wildlife management”. Although we agree with some of the concerns and recommendations of Artelle et al. (1), we believe that the article is misleading about the distinction between science and management, the role of science in wise management, and the degree to which scienceAuthorsJames D. Nichols, Fred A. Johnson, Byron K. Williams, G. Scott BoomerValue of sample information in dynamic, structurally uncertain resource systems
Few if any natural resource systems are completely understood and fully observed. Instead, there almost always is uncertainty about the way a system works and its status at any given time, which can limit effective management. A natural approach to uncertainty is to allocate time and effort to the collection of additional data, on the reasonable assumption that more information will facilitate betAuthorsByron K. Williams, Fred A. JohnsonDynamic minimum set problem for reserve design: Heuristic solutions for large problems
Conversion of wild habitats to human dominated landscape is a major cause of biodiversity loss. An approach to mitigate the impact of habitat loss consists of designating reserves where habitat is preserved and managed. Determining the most valuable areas to preserve in a landscape is called the reserve design problem. There exists several possible formulations of the reserve design problem, depenAuthorsMathieu Bonneau, Regis Sabbadin, Fred A. Johnson, Bradley StithAn interim harvest strategy for Taiga Bean geese
In 2016 the AEWA European Goose Management International Working Group (EGM IWG) adopted document AEWA/EGM IWG 1.8 (Johnson et al. 2016), which contained initial elements of an Adaptive Harvest Management programme for Taiga Bean Geese. This report addresses a number of limitations with the population model presented in that document, and provides up-to-date population projections for the CentralAuthorsFred A. Johnson, Mikko Alhainen, Anthony D. Fox, Jesper MadsenTaiga bean goose: Harvest assessment for the Central Management Unit: 2018
In 2016 the European Goose Management International Working Group (EGM IWG) began development of an adaptive harvest management program for Taiga Bean Geese (TBG). In 2017, the EGM IWG adopted an interim harvest strategy consisting of a constant harvest rate (on adults) of 3% for the Central Management of Taiga Bean Geese. The interim strategy is intended to provide limited hunting opportunity whiAuthorsFred A. Johnson, Gitte Høj Jensen, Mikko Alhainen, Anthony D. Fox, Jesper MadsenAdaptive harvest management for the Svalbard population of pink-footed geese: 2018 progress summary
This report describes progress on development and implementation of an adaptive harvest management program for maintaining the Svalbard population of Pink-footed Geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) near their target level (60,000) by providing sustainable harvests in Norway and Denmark. Specifically, this report provides an assessment of recent monitoring information and its implications for hunting seasAuthorsFred A. Johnson, Gitte Høj Jensen, Kevin K. Clausen, Jesper MadsenStrengthening links between waterfowl research and management
Waterfowl monitoring, research, regulation, and adaptive planning are leading the way in supporting science-informed wildlife management. However, increasing societal demands on natural resources have created a greater need for adaptable and successful linkages between waterfowl science and management. We presented a special session at the 2016 North American Duck Symposium, Annapolis, Maryland, UAuthorsAnthony J. Roberts, John M. Eadie, David Howerter, Fred A. Johnson, James D. Nichols, Michael C. Runge, Mark Vrtiska, Byron K. WilliamsImplementing the 2012 North American Waterfowl Management Plan revision: Populations, habitat, and people
The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) has established a model for wildlife conservation planning over the last 3 decades. Management at a continental scale, leveraged funding, regional partnerships, and a strong science basis have been notable features. Periodic updates to the NAWMP occurred since implementation in 1986; however, a fundamental revision was accomplished in 2012 afterAuthorsDale D. Humburg, Michael G. Anderson, Michael G. Brasher, Michael F. Carter, John M. Eadie, David C. Fulton, Fred A. Johnson, Michael C. Runge, Mark P. VrtiskaMaking do with less: Must sparse data preclude informed harvest strategies for European waterbirds?
The demography of many European waterbirds is not well understood because most countries have conducted little monitoring and assessment, and coordination among countries on waterbird management has little precedent. Yet intergovernmental treaties now mandate the use of sustainable, adaptive harvest strategies, whose development is challenged by a paucity of demographic information. In this study,AuthorsFred A. Johnson, Mikko Alhainen, Anthony D. Fox, Jesper Madsen, Matthieu GuillemainOptimal control of an invasive species using a reaction-diffusion model and linear programming
Managing an invasive species is particularly challenging as little is generally known about the species’ biological characteristics in its new habitat. In practice, removal of individuals often starts before the species is studied to provide the information that will later improve control. Therefore, the locations and the amount of control have to be determined in the face of great uncertainty aboAuthorsMathieu Bonneau, Fred A. Johnson, Brian J. Smith, Christina M. Romagosa, Julien Martin, Frank J. Mazzotti