Work Plan for the Wildlife Component

Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) National Assessment

NEXRAD Doppler radar studies

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the field of migratory bird and wetland science.  NWRC scientists are currently involved in using emerging Doppler weather radar technology to estimate migratory bird habitat use and density patterns.  They are also involved in a collaborative national effort with others to foster radar-related wildlife research and software development across the country.  The USGS-NWRC is recognized as a leader in scientific discovery and applied use of study findings in the fields of restoration ecology, bird migration, and wetland science by the scientific and wildlife management communities.

Through its Agricultural Wildlife Conservation Center, NRCS has entered into an interagency agreement with USGS-NWRC to gather data and conduct analyses of USDA program wetlands by migratory birds, with an initial focus on the Central Valley of California where the potential to analyze archived National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Doppler weather radar data and Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) restored wetlands is high. 

This project will also result in the development of tools that aid in restoration planning within a landscape context, assessment of use of WRP sites by migratory birds (e.g., use during pre- and post- restoration phases, if data are available), and advancement of technology for using Doppler weather radar data to understand bird-WRP habitat relations.  Output from this effort will also be used to inform the CEAP Wetlands Component.

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