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Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Breeding Site and Territory Summary (2006)

The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) is an endangered bird that breeds only in dense riparian habitats in six southwestern states (southern California, extreme southern Nevada, southern Utah, southwestern Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico). This report synthesizes information on all known Southwestern Willow Flycatcher More...

  • Willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii)

Sea Otter Mortality

Recent increases in the frequency and variety of infectious diseases in the southern sea otter may jeopardize the population recovery of this threatened species. This information sheet includes a list of selected publications.

  • sea otter with its head poking out of the ocean

Salvaging Injured, Recently Dead, Ill, and Dying Wild, Free-Roaming Desert Tortoises (Gopherus Agassizii)

Salvage of injured, recently dead, ill, and dying desert tortoises is a very important part of recovery programs for these reptiles. Salvaged desert tortoises can provide a wealth of information about such subjects as health, disease, presence of heavy metals and other toxicants, and causes of mortality in populations. When tortoises are salvaged More...

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Sea Otter Studies at WERC

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are keystone predators in the nearshore environment of the eastern Pacific Ocean, in a food web composed of sea otter, sea urchin, and kelp forest. Without sea otters, the kelp forest can be overgrazed by sea urchins, which in turn can affect other species that depend on this ecosystem. This resource provides links to More...

  • A sea otter floats on its back while grooming

U.S.- Mexico Border Environmental Health Initiative

This interactive GIS search tool provides a portal for accessing extant information along the U.S.- Mexico Border. The tool allows the user to search the database by place name, boundaries, transportation features, weather, hydrography, biology, geology, infectious disease, orthoimagery, land cover, and elevation.

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Reducing Pesticide Pollution of Aquatic Ecosystems

In an attempt to decrease pesticide pollution of aquatic ecosystems, we have begun a project to develop biological control agents to protect plants against fungal diseases. This study has three objectives: (1) understanding how fungi cause disease; (2) understanding how plants that are symbiotic with certain fungi are resistant to fungal diseases; More...

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Anthropogenic Degradation of the Southern California Desert Ecosystem and Prospects for Natural Recovery and Restoration

This project started to conduct an extensive review of the literature pertaining to restoring degraded desert tortoise habitat, with emphasis on the Mojave Desert. Recovery to pre-disturbance plant cover and biomass may take from 50-300 years while complete ecosystem recovery may require over 3,000 years. Restoration can be used to enhance the More...

  • Scarred hillside near Palm Springs, California

Discovery For Recovery: An International Pintail Recovery Initiative

International Pintail females are tracked in the spring using satellite telemetry in the Central Valley of California. A team of waterfowl biologists with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Ducks Unlimited's Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research, and the California Waterfowl Association have received private grants from the More...

  • Photo of northern pintails (Anas acuta)

Conservation Genetics at the San Diego Field Station

Conservation Genetics researchers at the USGS San Diego Field Station are currently using genetic techniques to investigate the population structure of several species of concern and to investigate links between Southern California geography and patterns of genetic diversity across different species groups. This resource also links to other More...

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Contaminant Exposure and Effects-Terrestrial Vertebrates database (CEE-TV)

Information about ecotoxicological exposure and its effects on terrestrial vertebrates residing in estuarine and coastal habitats like the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Coasts, Alaska and Hawaii, as well as the Great Lakes. These vertebrates include birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles. The data is a compilation of results from computerized More...

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Transmission of Renibacterium Salmoninarum in Pacific Salmonids

Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) is caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum and is considered to be the most difficult salmonid bacterial disease to control, in part because of its dual modes of transmission. This bacterium, unlike most other fish pathogens, is transmitted vertically from parent fish to progeny in association with the eggs, as well as More...

  • Juvenile chinook salmon with bacterial kidney disease (BKD)

Brown Treesnake on Guam: How the arrival of one invasive species damaged the ecology, commerce, electrical systems, and human health on Guam: A comprehensive information source

This resource has been developed to provide source materials on the history of the invasion, continuing threats, research results, and containment and management of the brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis) in Guam and its relevance to other islands and mild continental environments. Users can report snake sightings on this website, get information More...

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