Duda, J.J., and A.J. Krzysik. 1998. Radiotelemetry study of a desert tortoise population: Sand Hill Training Area, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories Technical Report 98/39. 75 p.
Jeffrey Duda
Biography
Education:
M.S. 1998. Biology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
B.S. 1993. Biology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Research Interests:
I am a Research Ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Fisheries Research Center, stationed in Seattle, Washington. My research assignment is to develop and execute a research program focused upon priorities of the USGS Ecosystems mission area, in particular those projects that address complex natural resource issues related to land use, habitat restoration, and species recovery. I have had the pleasure to work in diverse ecosystems and ecoregions throughout the United States, on lands and waters contained in both National Parks and military installations. I have also worked across a range of biological scales, from single species to entire communities.
Over the past decade, I have focused much attention on studying the ecological outcomes of dam removal, especially the historic project on the Elwha River. This involved removal of two long-standing dams, with a major goal of restoring the ecosystem and the native anadromous fish populations that once thrived in the river. Working with a multidisciplinary team within the USGS, as well as strong collaborations with partners like NPS, NOAA, FWS, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, we have developed a portfolio of long-term data sets on physical and biological attributes of the Elwha River before and after dam removal.
Recently I was a member of a dam removal science working group at the USGS John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis. We worked to understand patterns of dam removal science, and to synthesize what is known scientifically about this emerging field. This led to development of the USGS Dam Removal Information Portal, an interactive online tool for visualizing and storing scientific studies associated with dam removals nationwide.
Experience:
2004 to Present – Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA
1998-2004 – Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA
1993-1995 – Biological Technician, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
Honors, Awards, Recognition, Elected Memberships:
2014 – NOAA Restoration Center, Excellence in Restoration Award
2013 – Northwest Scientific Association, Honorary Lifetime Membership Award
2011 – U.S. Department of the Interior, Superior Service Award
Academic and Professional Service:
2015 to Present – Scientific Advisory Board, Mactaquac Aquatic Ecosystem Study
2012 to Present – Science Liaison, Board of Directors, Nature Bridge at Olympic National Park
Professional Societies:
1998 to Present – Ecological Society of America
2008 to Present – Northwest Scientific Association
2010 to Present – American Fisheries Society
Science and Products
Date published: November 4, 2020
Status: Active USGS science supporting the Elwha River Restoration Project
The Elwha River Restoration Project has reconnected the water, salmon, and sediment of a pristine river and coast of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Coordinated by the National Park Service, restoration of the Elwha River included the removal of two large dams that had blocked salmon and sediment passage for almost 100 years. The largest dam removal in U.S. history began in...
Date published: April 7, 2015
Status: Active National Dam Removal Database: A living database for information on dying dams
The United States has over 2 million dams on rivers and streams (Graf, 1999), and more than 84,000 of the larger dams are documented in the congressionally mandated National Inventory of Dams (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2015). The average age of these National Inventory of Dams is 52 years; by the year 2030, over 80 percent will be at least 50 years old (American Society of Civil Engineers...
Attribution: Community for Data Integration (CDI)
Date published: October 25, 2013
Status: Active Dam removal: synthesis of ecological and physical responses
Dam decommissioning is rapidly emerging as an important river restoration strategy in the U.S., with several major removals recently completed or in progress. But few studies have evaluated the far-reaching consequences of these significant environmental perturbations, especially those resulting from removals of large (>10-15 m tall) structures during the last decade. In particular,...
Attribution: John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
Date published: January 1, 2019
USGS Dam Removal Science Database v3.0
This database is the result of an extensive literature search aimed at identifying documents relevant to the emerging field of dam removal science. In total the database contains 263 citations that contain empirical monitoring information associated with 196 different dam removals across the United States and abroad. Data includes publications through 2018 and supplemented with the U.S. Army...
Date published: October 12, 2018
2015 environmental DNA surveys for lampreys in Chehalis River tributaries, Washington
Columns of data representing Chehalis River tributary, sample reach locations, dates of water sampling, quantitative PCR results, and whether lamprey were sampled by electrofishing in each sample reach.
Date published: January 1, 2018
USGS Dam Removal Science Database v2.0
This database is the result of an extensive literature search aimed at identifying documents relevant to the emerging field of dam removal science. In total the database contains 214 citations that contain empirical monitoring information associated with 181 different dam removals across the United States and abroad. Data includes publications through 2016 and supplemented with the U.S. Army...
Date published: January 1, 2018
Concentrations of environmental DNA (eDNA) during sockeye salmon spawning in 2016, Hansen Creek, Alaska, USA
This dataset contains environmental DNA (eDNA) concentrations and spawning adult abundances for sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Hansen Creek, a small tributary in the Wood River watershed, southeast Alaska, USA. We took temporally- and spatially-replicated eDNA samples during the spawning period (mid-July through August), along with fish counts (live, naturally dead
Date published: January 1, 2018
Distribution and seasonal differences in Pacific Lamprey and Lampetra spp eDNA across 18 Puget Sound watersheds, 2014 and 2015
These data contain all the raw results needed to support the conclusions for the final product. These data are water sampling locations (latitude and longitude), date of water sampling, quantitative PCR values for each water sample, and stream flow at USGS stream gauging stations on sampling day.
Date published: November 28, 2017
Data collected in 2008-2014 to assess nearshore subtidal community responses to increased sediment load during removal of the Elwha River dams, Washington State, USA
Data are time series of substrate grain size, remotely sensed water column turbidity, and measures of abundance (e.g., density, percent cover) of the nearshore subtidal (3-17 m depth) benthic community (vegetation, invertebrates, and fish) collected before (2008-2011) and during dam removal (2012-2014).
Date published: October 31, 2016
Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP)
The Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP) is a web application where partners, scientists, and practitioners can find information on dam removals and associated scientific studies. It is a visualization tool, including a map and interactive charts, of a dam-removal literature review designed and developed by a working group at the USGS John...
Year Published: 2021
Environmental DNA is an effective tool to track recolonizing migratory fish following large‐scale dam removal
Environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a potentially powerful tool for use in conservation and resource management, including for tracking the recolonization dynamics of fish populations. We used eDNA to assess the effectiveness of dam removal to restore fish passage on the Elwha River in Washington State (USA). Using a suite of 11 species‐...
Duda, Jeffrey J.; Hoy, Marshal; Chase, Dorothy M.; Pess, George R.; Brenkman, Samuel J.; McHenry, Michael M; Ostberg, Carl
Year Published: 2020
Shifting food web structure during dam removal—Disturbance and recovery during a major restoration action
We measured food availability and diet composition of juvenile salmonids over multiple years and seasons before and during the world’s largest dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington State. We conducted these measurements over three sediment-impacted sections (the estuary and two sections of the river downstream of each dam) and compared these...
Morley, Sarah A.; Foley, Melissa M; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Beirne, Mathew M; Paradis, Rebecca L; Johnson, Rachelle Carina; McHenry, Michael L.; Elofson, Mel; Sampson, Earnest M; McCoy, Randall E; Stapleton, Justin; Pess, George R.
Year Published: 2020
Use of environmental DNA to detect the invasive aquatic plants Myriophyllum spicatum and Egeria densa in lakes
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis offers a promising tool for rapid and early detection of aquatic plant invasive species, but currently suffers from substantial unknowns that limit its widespread use in monitoring programs. We conducted the first study to test the factors related to eDNA-based detectability of 2 invasive aquatic plants, ...
Kuehne, Lauren M; Ostberg, Carl; Chase, Dorothy M.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Olden, Julian D.
Year Published: 2019
Evaluation of environmental DNA surveys for identifying occupancy and spatial distribution of Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) and Lampetra spp. in a Washington coast watershed
Surveys of environmental DNA (eDNA) have become an important and multifaceted tool for monitoring and identifying distributions and occupancy of aquatic species. This tool is attractive because it is powerful, easy to apply, and provides an alternative to traditional field survey methods. However, validating eDNA survey methods against traditional...
Ostberg, Carl; Chase, Dorothy Murphy; Hoy, Marshal; Duda, Jeff; Hayes, Michael; Jolley, Jeffrey; Silver, Gregory S; Cook-Tabor, Carrie
Year Published: 2019
Complexities, context, and new information about the Elwha River
Recently, Hand et al. (2018) discussed the socio- ecological complexities surround-ing natural resource policy, science, and management in the Columbia River Basin, using a case study of dam removal on the Elwha River in Washington State (WebFigure 1a). We feel compelled to provide additional historical context and correct some of the information...
Duda, Jeff; Anderson, Joseph H; Beirne, Matt M.; Brenkman, S.J.; Crain, Patrick; Mahan, John; McHenry, Michael; Pess, George ; Peters, Roger; Winter, Brian
Year Published: 2019
Conceptualizing ecological responses to dam removal: If you remove it, what's to come?
One of the desired outcomes of dam decommissioning and removal is the recovery of aquatic and riparian ecosystems. To investigate this common objective, we synthesized information from empirical studies and ecological theory into conceptual models that depict key physical and biological links driving ecological responses to removing dams. We...
Bellmore, J. Ryan; Pess, George R.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; O'Connor, Jim E.; East, Amy E.; Foley, Melissa M.; Wilcox, Andrew C.; Major, Jon J.; Shafroth, Patrick B.; Morley, Sarah A.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Anderson, Chauncey W.; Evans, James E.; Torgersen, Christian E.; Craig, Laura S.Attribution: Arizona Water Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Oregon Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Ecosystems, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Fisheries Program
Year Published: 2019
A Bayesian life-cycle model to estimate escapement at maximum sustained yield in salmon based on limited information
Life-cycle models combine several strengths for estimating population parameters and biological reference points of harvested species and are particularly useful for those exhibiting distinct habitat shifts and experiencing contrasting environments. Unfortunately, time series data are often limited to counts of adult abundance and harvest. By...
Ohlberger, Jan; Brinkman, Samuel J.; Crain, Patrick; Pess, George R.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Buehrens, Thomas W.; Quinn, Thomas P.; Hilborn , Ray
Year Published: 2018
Morphodynamic evolution following sediment release from the world’s largest dam removal
Sediment pulses can cause widespread, complex changes to rivers and coastal regions. Quantifying landscape response to sediment-supply changes is a long-standing problem in geomorphology, but the unanticipated nature of most sediment pulses rarely allows for detailed measurement of associated landscape processes and evolution. The intentional...
Ritchie, Andrew C.; Warrick, Jonathan; East, Amy E.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Stevens, Andrew W.; Bountry, Jennifer A.; Randle, Timothy J.; Curran, Christopher A.; Hilldale, Robert C.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Miller, Ian M.; Pess, George R.; Eidam, Emily; Foley, Melissa M.; McCoy, Randall; Ogston, Andrea S.
Year Published: 2018
Natural resource condition assessment: Olympic National Park
The Natural Resource Assessment Program aims to document condition and trends of selected park resources while identifying emerging issues and information needs. This information is intended to serve as a platform for natural resource managers to use in developing future resource stewardship priorities and planning.Olympic National Park (OLYM) on...
McCaffery, Rebecca; Jenkins, Kurt J.
Year Published: 2018
Science partnership between U.S. Geological Survey and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe—Understanding the Elwha River Dam Removal Project
After nearly a century of producing power, two large hydroelectric dams on the Elwha River in Washington State were removed during 2011 to 2014 to restore the river ecosystem and recover imperiled salmon populations. Roughly two-thirds of the 21 million cubic meters of sediment—enough to fill nearly 2 million dump trucks—contained behind the dams...
Duda, Jeffrey J.; Beirne, Matt M.; Warrick, Jonathan A.; Magirl, Christopher S.View Citation
Duda, J.J., Beirne, M.M., Warrick, J.A., and Magirl, C.S., 2018, Science partnership between U.S. Geological Survey and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe—Understanding the Elwha River Dam Removal Project: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2018–3025, 4 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20183025.
Year Published: 2018
Distribution and seasonal differences in Pacific Lamprey and Lampetra spp eDNA across 18 Puget Sound watersheds
Lampreys have a worldwide distribution, are functionally important to ecological communities and serve significant roles in many cultures. In Pacific coast drainages of North America, lamprey populations have suffered large declines. However, lamprey population status and trends within many areas of this region are unknown and such information is...
Ostberg, Carl O.; Chase, Dorothy M.; Hayes, Michael C.; Duda, Jeffrey J.View Citation
Ostberg, C.O., D.M. Chase, M.C. Hayes, and J.J. Duda. 2018. Distribution and seasonal differences in Pacific Lamprey and Lampetra spp eDNA across 18 Puget Sound watersheds. Peer J 6:e4496.
Year Published: 2018
Concentrations of environmental DNA (eDNA) reflect spawning salmon abundance at fine spatial and temporal scales
Developing fast, cost-effective assessments of wild animal abundance is an important goal for many researchers, and environmental DNA (eDNA) holds much promise for this purpose. However, the quantitative relationship between species abundance and the amount of DNA present in the environment is likely to vary substantially among taxa and with...
Tillotson, Michael D.; Kelly, Ryan P.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Hoy, Marshal S.; Kralj, James; Quinn, Thomas P.View Citation
Tillotson, M.D., R.P. Kelly, J.J. Duda, M. Hoy, J. Kralj, and T.P. Quinn. 2018. Concentrations of environmental DNA (eDNA) reflect spawning salmon abundance at fine spatial and temporal scales. Biol. Conserv. 220:1-11.
Pre-USGS Publications
Home range, burrow use, and activity patterns of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the south-central Mojave Desert
Duda, J.J. 1998. Home range, burrow use, and activity patterns of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the south-central Mojave Desert. M.S. Thesis. Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 60 p.
Date published: May 24, 2018
USGS partnership with Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe featured in new fact sheet on Elwha River dam removals
The USGS has published a new Fact Sheet, “Science Partnership between U.S. Geological Survey and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe: Understanding the Elwha River Dam Removal Project.”
Date published: September 13, 2016
International Recognition for Historic Elwha River Restoration
NEW DELHI, INDIA – The collaborative work of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe to restore the Elwha River of Washington, USA was recognized as a world-renowned restoration project during the awarding of the 2016 Thiess International Riverprize.
Date published: May 1, 2015
Dam Removal Study Reveals River Resiliency
SEATTLE, Wash. — More than 1,000 dams have been removed across the United States because of safety concerns, sediment buildup, inefficiency or having otherwise outlived usefulness. A paper published today in Science finds that rivers are resilient and respond relatively quickly after a dam is removed.