USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center

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Happy World Dinosaur Day from the Eastern Ecological Science Center! Each winter, researchers from the Rio Grande Bird R...
06/01/2026

Happy World Dinosaur Day from the Eastern Ecological Science Center!

Each winter, researchers from the Rio Grande Bird Research, Inc, band and study rosy‑finches high in the mountains of New Mexico. These hardy birds endure some of the most extreme alpine conditions in North America—but they’re remarkable for another reason too: Rosy‑finches are living dinosaurs.

All modern birds evolved from small, feathered theropods—the same dinosaur group that included Velociraptor and other agile, fast‑moving predators. Many traits we study in rosy‑finches today, from their lightweight hollow bones to their advanced respiratory system, are inherited from these ancient ancestors.

Long‑term banding efforts help us track survival, migration, and population changes in these rare alpine species. On World Dinosaur Day, this research highlights how one lineage of dinosaurs not only survived the mass extinction 66 million years ago but continues to adapt and thrive in some of the harshest environments on Earth.

Learn more about the Rosy-Finch banding project in the most recent Notes from the Field. https://ow.ly/VWPi50Z4qg7

All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Laboratory.

📷: Rosy-finches banded at the long-term Sanda Crest banding site. Photo courtesy of Jason Kitting. Permission granted to EESC and BBL.

In honor of National Creativity Day, we’re spotlighting one of the craftiest birds in North America: the American Crow.T...
05/30/2026

In honor of National Creativity Day, we’re spotlighting one of the craftiest birds in North America: the American Crow.

These all‑black geniuses are familiar across much of the continent—perching in treetops, striding through fields, or calling loudly from city parks. Crows are famously resourceful foragers, eating everything from insects and fruit to fish, pet food, and even the occasional shiny snack they swipe from an unwatched spot. They’ve been documented using simple tools, shaping objects, and even teaming up to distract other animals so they can swipe a meal. Creativity isn’t just an art form—it’s survival.

And their resilience is just as impressive. The USGS Bird Banding Laboratory records show the oldest wild American Crow reported is at least 18 years and 4 months in Washington. Longevity like that offers scientists incredible insight into crow behavior, ecology, and adaptability.

Learn more about the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory: https://ow.ly/8UvV50Z1fR6

📸: American crow, Warren Bielenberg/NPS, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Public Domain.

✨ Throwback Thursday meets Whooping Crane Day! ✨Today we’re looking back at one of the most inspiring conservation stori...
05/28/2026

✨ Throwback Thursday meets Whooping Crane Day! ✨

Today we’re looking back at one of the most inspiring conservation stories in North America — the decades‑long dedication to restoring the endangered Whooping Crane.

At the Eastern Ecological Science Center, scientists played a pivotal role in bringing this iconic species back from the brink. From innovative captive breeding techniques to careful migration training and long‑term monitoring, the work at the Patuxent Research Refuge laid the scientific foundation for Whooping Crane recovery efforts still used today.

This Throwback Thursday, we celebrate the commitment, creativity, and collaboration that helped rewrite the future for a species that once dwindled to just 15 birds. Their recovery journey reminds us how powerful science‑driven conservation can be — and why this work continues to matter.

Learn more about the history and impact of EESC’s Whooping Crane restoration efforts here:
https://ow.ly/5nNM50Z2JRH



📷: An adolescent chick, hatched and raised by scientists at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Credit: Jane Chandler/USGS

We’re taking a moment to highlight the important work happening at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center’s (EESC) S...
05/27/2026

We’re taking a moment to highlight the important work happening at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center’s (EESC) S.O. Conte Research Laboratory, where we are helping migratory fish move safely through our rivers. 🐟

The United States has more than 92,000 dams and millions of culverts. While some structures provide benefits like renewable hydropower, they can also block fish migrations and fragment habitat. Improvement of current passage and protection technologies can be accomplished via systematic and integrative research, development, and evaluation; this is EESC’s research approach.

At the S.O. Conte Research Lab, our unique full‑scale research facilities allow us to design and test innovative solutions that guide fish safely past dams and other barriers. From new fish ladder designs to technologies that use flow, bubbles, or electrical cues to steer fish, we’re working to make rivers more connected and ecosystems more resilient.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/e2zS50Z1Nlt

📸1: Two 4-foot-wide baffled chute fishways are tested side-by-side in the S.O. Conte Research Lab's Fish Passage Complex's east flume. Credit: Brett Towler, USGS.

📸2: Alewife, also known as river herring, swim along a rocky bottom. The fish are silvery and shiny. Credit: USGS.

🐢 Happy World Turtle Day! (And Species Saturday!) 🐢Meet the Spotted Turtle — one of the rarest turtles you might encount...
05/23/2026

🐢 Happy World Turtle Day! (And Species Saturday!) 🐢

Meet the Spotted Turtle — one of the rarest turtles you might encounter right here in Maryland's piedmont, and honestly one of the most stunning little reptiles on the planet. That jet-black shell covered in bright yellow spots? Unmistakable.

They call wetlands home, bogs, marshes, vernal pools, and pop up crossing roads in spring while they're out basking and foraging before the summer heat drives them back into the mud.

Here's what makes their survival so precarious: females only lay 2–7 eggs at a time, young turtles take up to 15 years to reach breeding age, and they can live well over 65 years. A slow, beautiful life, but one that means populations simply can't recover quickly when things go wrong.

And things have gone wrong. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists Spotted Turtles as endangered, with populations down more than 50% over just three generations. Habitat loss and illegal collection are the biggest culprits — law enforcement has intercepted hundreds to thousands of these turtles in recent years.

Here's what you can do to help:

🐢 Slow down on rural roads in spring
🐢 Never take a wild turtle home
🐢 Support local wetland protection

When you protect Spotted Turtle habitat, you protect the whole ecosystem. This World Turtle Day, take a moment to appreciate one of the most beautiful, and vulnerable, creatures in our own backyard.

📷 1: Spotted Turtle on Patuxent Research Refuge, Kyra Harvey/USGS
📷 2: Spotted Turtle, Andy Royle/USGS
📷 3: Spotted Turtle, Andy Royle/USGS

Making advancements in the world of conservation planning. A new open‑access research article in the Wildlife Society Bu...
05/21/2026

Making advancements in the world of conservation planning.

A new open‑access research article in the Wildlife Society Bulletin introduces a powerful Regional Conservation Planning (RCP) Tool designed to help biologists, managers, and conservation partners make smarter, data‑driven decisions at regional and local scales.

This spreadsheet‑based tool lets users:
🔸Select their geographic scale.
🔸Choose biological and social conservation objectives.
🔸Assign weights based on local priorities.
🔸Quickly generate spatial prioritization scores.
🔸Export results into GIS for mapping and analysis.

Conservation work often happens with limited resources—and the RCP Tool provides a transparent, flexible way to decide where efforts can have the greatest impact. Whether you’re managing wetlands, supporting waterfowl habitat, or balancing ecological and social objectives, this tool bridges the gap between continental‑level planning and on‑the‑ground action.

The article also demonstrates how conservation priorities shift depending on the scale chosen—national, regional, or local—highlighting why adaptable tools like this are so valuable.

Check it out here: https://ow.ly/px7150YZ7zP

📸: Mallards. John J. Mosesso, USGS.

Earth Day 2026 at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC) was a celebration of science, discovery and communit...
05/21/2026

Earth Day 2026 at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC) was a celebration of science, discovery and community connection. 🌎🔬

EESC hosted a free, family‑friendly Earth Day open house at their Kearneysville, West Virginia campus on Saturday, April 26.

More than 345 attendees explored 23 research-driven exhibits and connected through two welcome tables, supported by 70 dedicated USGS volunteers who helped translate ecological science into hands‑on discovery.

Families learned about bugs, birds, and fish, saw live animals, participated in crafts, and engaged directly with scientists studying the ecosystems of the eastern United States.

USGS also hosted three external exhibitors at the event, each contributing specialized scientific expertise:
🐻 US Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center
🌱 US Department of Agriculture
🐟 West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Mobile Aquarium

Together, these partners helped visitors explore the science behind species conservation, watershed health, and ecosystem resilience. Lauren Privette, an Upper Midwest Water Science Center Geographer from the Web Informatics and Mapping (WIM) team, volunteered at the event.

📸1: USGS scientists Shonte Jenkins and Julien Martin greet Earth Day event attendees at the USGS booth.
📸2: USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center Geographer Lauren Privette from the Web Informatics and Mapping (WIM) team runs the Bird Bingo activity at Earth Day.
📸3: USGS scientists (L to R) Blake Miller, Tammy Miller and Julie Murray, run a craft session on making recycled art.
📸4: Young Earth Day attendee watches a Lesser Scaup diving in a mobile tank. EESC uses Lesser Scaup and other diving ducks to conduct hearing studies.
📸5: An Earth Day attendee gets an up-close look at bee specimens from the USGS Bee Lab.

Did you know there are more than 4,000 species of native bees in North America? Right here at the Patuxent Research Refu...
05/20/2026

Did you know there are more than 4,000 species of native bees in North America? Right here at the Patuxent Research Refuge, our Bee Lab is working to understand, document, and protect them — from the endangered Rusty Patched Bumblebee to hundreds of species most people have never heard of.

The Bee Lab is one of only a handful of groups in the Department of the Interior with the expertise to identify native bees to species. That means developing identification tools, photographing bees in stunning hi-res detail, designing survey techniques, and documenting which bees depend on which plants. All of that knowledge helps researchers and land managers across all 50 states do their work better.

This World Bee Day, take a moment to look at the wildflowers near you. Within a mile of your home, more than 100 bee species may be looking for just the right plants.

🔗 Learn more about the USGS Bee Lab: https://ow.ly/SV8850YZvgj

📷: Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis), USGS Bee Lab

Big news from the Boquet River in New York! 🐟🌊 Atlantic salmon rely on clear upstream access to reach their spawning gr...
05/19/2026

Big news from the Boquet River in New York! 🐟🌊

Atlantic salmon rely on clear upstream access to reach their spawning grounds, but even small obstacles can dramatically influence their journey. When a small dam was removed in 2015, it opened the door for improved passage, at least in theory.

To understand how the fish responded to this change, researchers at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center’s S.O. Conte Research Laboratory studied how landlocked Atlantic salmon moved through the remaining natural cascade. Using radio telemetry in 2020 and 2022, the team tracked salmon as they attempted to swim upstream.

Their findings revealed a challenge: although more than half of the males tried to move upstream, females showed little movement, and overall passage success was very low. A key barrier appears to be shallow water created by an artificially widened channel, which prevents many fish from making progress. Even when salmon were manually transported upstream, some slid back downstream—particularly larger individuals or those with lower energy reserves.

These results underscore that removing a dam isn’t always enough to restore natural migration. Persistent natural barriers can still hinder fish movement and increase their vulnerability while they wait for favorable conditions. Continued monitoring after restoration helps identify these lingering challenges, and highlights when additional habitat modifications may be needed to truly support salmon on their upstream journey.

Read more here: https://ow.ly/vl1c50YYeei

📷: Atlantic salmon, Ryan Hagerty/USFWS

Species Saturday is brought to you by the glistening cobalt-blue above and warm tawny below, the Barn Swallow, one of th...
05/16/2026

Species Saturday is brought to you by the glistening cobalt-blue above and warm tawny below, the Barn Swallow, one of the most graceful sights of spring and summer—darting low over fields, farms, and ponds in search of flying insects. With their unmistakable long, deeply forked tails, these agile travelers now rely almost entirely on human-made structures for nesting, crafting their mud cups under eaves, bridges, and barns across North America.

As we wrap up our week‑long celebration of World Migratory Bird Day, we’re giving a special nod to the role science plays in helping us understand these incredible migrants. Data from the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory has helped track Barn Swallow longevity and movement—including one that lived at least 10 years right here in Maryland. And thanks to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, we gain essential insights into how Barn Swallow populations are doing across the continent.

Together, these programs help us support bird conservation through data, awareness, migration, trends and population dynamics.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/jQSo50YWFaE

📸: Barn swallow, Tom Koerner/USFWS, Public Domain

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