125th USGS Anniversary and Patuxent Anniversary Celebrations Commemorated on October 16th

The commemoration of the 125th USGS Anniversary on October 16, 2004 was celebrated along with the 65th Anniversary of the Patuxent Research Refuge and USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and the10th Anniversary of USFWS National Wildlife Visitor’s Center. The theme of the celebration was “Research for Conservation: Past, Present and Future”. Local, state and congressional officials were present to help celebrate. Congressman Steny Hoyer delivered the keynote address and short remarks were given by Jim Tate, Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Interior. The USGS was represented by Suzette M. Kimball, Eastern Regional Director and the USFWS was represented by Bill Hartwig, Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Many special exhibits displayed our history, scientific output, and efforts to support the environment and wildlife conservation. Despite a few showers, the event was well attended and many enjoyed the bus tours, display of raptors and the musical accompaniment under the gazebo.

Contact: John B. French, Laurel, Maryland, 301-497-5702

USGS Frog Call Quiz Website: Training and Teaching Tool

A new USGS product is available on-line for learning or refreshing frog call identification skills for the eastern United States . Frogs, like birds, make unique vocalizations that people can use to identify individual species. Identification by sound enables USGS and its partners to use frog call surveys to assess amphibian population change. This new resource provides frog call surveyors an opportunity to hone their skills prior to collecting data and others an opportunity to learn how to identify frogs by sound. Web address: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/frogquiz

Contact: Linda Weir, Laurel, Maryland, 301-497-5932

New Book Published: Species Conservation and Management

Oxford University Press; By H. Resit Akçakaya, Mark A. Burgman, Oskar Kindvall, Chris C. Wood, Per Sjögren-Gulve, Jeff S. Hatfield and Michael A. McCarthy. In addition to Jeff Hatfield being a co-editor, he is the first author on a chapter on the Houston toad, second author on a chapter on the golden-cheeked warbler, and the sole author on an overview chapter on modeling birds. This edited volume is a collection of population and metapopulation models for a wide variety of species, including plants, invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Each chapter of the book describes the application of RAMAS GIS 4.0 to one species, with the aim of demonstrating how various life history characteristics of the species are incorporated into the model, and how the results of the model has been or can be used in conservation and management of the species. The book comes with a CD that includes a demo version of the program, and the data files for each species.

Contact: Jeffrey Hatfield, Laurel, Maryland, 302-497-5633

HiLites Contact: Regina Lanning, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 301-497-5509

See Previous HiLites:

June 16, 2003
June 23, 2003
July 7, 2003
August 11, 2003
November 10, 2003
December 15, 2003
March 15, 2004
May 3, 2004
May 17, 2004
May 24, 2004
June 7, 2004
June 28, 2004
August 2, 2004
September 23, 2004