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Western Region
Science Centers
Alaska Science Center
The
Alaska Science Center ( ASC)
provides biological information and research findings to resource managers, policy makers,
and the public to support sound management of biological resources and ecosystems in
Alaska. The center plays a pivotal role in conducting research on wildlife and
their vast habitats in Alaska. Nearly 88% of all National Wildlife Refuges and 65%
of all National Park lands are in Alaska. As the lead biological science agency for
the Department of the Interior (DOI) in Alaska, the ASC is
responsible for research on DOI trust lands and water (including those of the National
Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Minerals Management
Service) and DOI trust species (including migratory birds, marine mammals, and
anadromous
fish). The ASC provides scientific information
essential for resource management decisions.
Western Fisheries Research Center
The
Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC)
conducts research and provides technical assistance to support the best possible
stewardship of the Nation's natural resources, emphasizing fish populations and aquatic
ecosystems of the west. For more than 50 years, the WFRC has provided critical research findings to managers of fish and
aquatic
resources in the West. Technologies and methods developed by WFRC scientists are in wide use at hatcheries and are applied to conservation
of imperiled wild fish populations. Research programs include: fish health,
fish ecology and aquatic ecosystems.
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
The
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science
Center (FRESC) provides scientific understanding and the technology needed to support sound
management and conservation of our nation's natural resources, with an emphasis on western
ecosystems. The Center supports natural resource managers providing needed
science-based monitoring systems and reputable research to assist in
management of forest,
arid, and semi-arid ecosystems. The Center addresses issues associated with
ecosystems of not only the Pacific Northwest, but also the interior Columbia Basin, Great
Basin, and Colorado Plateau. The center also conducts research in support of
wildlife ecology, landscape dynamics and resource management, population viability and
conservation genetics, restoration ecology and management of exotic species,
contaminants and anthropogenic pollution, and human dimensions in resource
management.
Western Ecological Research Center
The
Western Ecological Research Center (WERC) works
with its partners to ensure the availability of the scientific information and
technologies needed to manage ecological resources in California, Nevada, Arizona, and
Utah. Research is conducted within a number of important ecological systems in the
Pacific Southwest, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, San Francisco Bay and
Delta, Pacific Flyway, Klamath Basin, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Mojave and Sonoran Deserts,
Coastal Southern California Floristic Province, near-shore marine and coastal areas,
Channel Islands, Modoc Plateau, and basin ranges of California and Nevada. The
Center develops strategies to assess the status and trends of biota and predict the
ecological consequences of management actions. The WERC is a leader in the development and use of information technologies to synthesize,
analyze, and disseminate biological and ecological information. The center emphasize
partnerships with agencies, academia, businesses, and other private sector and
international organizations.
Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center
The
Pacific Island Ecosystems Research
Center (PIERC) works with federal, state and local agencies and private organizations to
provide objective research, baseline information, and technical assistance relating to
conservation of indigenous biological resources within the cultural, sociological, and
political contexts of the state of Hawaii and island territories of Guam, Truk, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and others under U. S.
jurisdiction in the Pacific Basin. The center provides research for the National
Park Service and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Research results are used to
develop management, propagation, and recovery strategies for endangered native species and
to preserve their ecosystems. The PIERC is a
member of the Hawaiian Conservation Forum and aids the funding of Office of the
Secretariat of Conservation Biology. The Center relies heavily on volunteers for
much of its environmental field work. Students often volunteer to serve as a means
of learning about conservation issues in Hawaii and make career decisions.
Southwest
Biological Science Center
The
Southwest Biological Science Center
(SBSC) studies the effects of the operation of Glen Canyon Dam on
downstream resources within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand
Canyon National Park. The SBSC's scientific activities contribute to meeting
the statutory requirements placed on the Secretary of the Interior by Congress
via the 1992 Grand Canyon Protection Act, the 1995 Glen Canyon Dam
Environmental Impact Statement, and the 1996 Record of Decision. The
Scientific activities are performed by both in-house and external research
experts, often in collaborative effort. The SBSC annually extends a formal
Solicitation for Cooperative Agreement Proposals (see below) to solicit
additional research. Research results are used to refine the Conceptual
Model of the impacts of differing dam operations on the Colorado riverine
ecosystem. The SBSC present The State of Natural and Cultural Resource in
the Colorado River Ecosystem Report (SCORE report) on a semi-annual basis.
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