Project Highlights

• Project Highlight: North Coast and Cascades Network Bat Population Monitoring and White-Nose Syndrome Surveillance - Led by USGS and the National Park Service, this project tracks the spread of white-nose syndrome while building long-term understanding of bat populations across the Pacific Northwest. Through acoustic monitoring, disease surveillance, and genetic studies, the team is improving early detection and guiding conservation strategies to protect the region's bats. Read more
• Project Highlight: Pygmy Rabbits in Idaho – Using Genetic Analyses to Estimate Occupancy - Led by the University of Idaho in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this project uses genetic tools and large-scale field surveys to understand pygmy rabbit distribution across Idaho and Montana. With over 100 biologists involved, findings are informing habitat management and climate resilience planning for this elusive sagebrush steppe species. Read more
• Project Highlight: Balancing Fuels Reduction and Wildlife Conservation – Monitoring of Fisher and NSO Response to Fuels Management in Northern California Forests - Led by Oregon State University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this long-term research examines how fuels reduction treatments affect sensitive species like the Pacific fisher and Northern Spotted Owl. Drawing on two decades of monitoring in the Klamath-Siskiyou region, the project demonstrates how federal, private, and tribal partners are balancing wildfire resilience with wildlife conservation. Read more
• Project Highlight: Digital Asset Management and Community Engagement to Enhance Understanding of Park Resources - This project spotlights a collaboration between the National Park Service and Washington State University to build a digital infrastructure for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Through virtual tours, oral histories, and student-driven story maps, the effort broadens access to underrepresented histories and physically restricted sites—a strong example of what CESU partnerships make possible. Read more
• Project Highlight: Underground Cultural Landscape Report and Monitoring Plan - Led by researchers at the University of Oregon in partnership with the National Park Service, this study documents and proposes management strategies for the underground cultural landscape of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The work integrates historical preservation, accessibility planning, and environmental stewardship within a uniquely complex subterranean setting. Read more
• Project Highlight: Comparison of Wolf Densities and Diets Across the Prince of Wales Island Complex - Researchers from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Oregon State University are using genetic techniques, non-invasive sampling, and scent detection dogs to study how coastal wolves adapt to shifting prey availability—including reliance on marine mammals. The project is also improving population estimates across remote island landscapes. Read more
• Project Highlight: Western Snowy Plover Nest Monitoring and Protection - This article highlights the decades-long effort to recover the western snowy plover along Oregon's coast. Through predator control, invasive species management, and flexible stewardship strategies, ongoing coordination has helped snowy plovers make a remarkable comeback—while underscoring the continued need for conservation along the West Coast. Read more
• Project Highlight: Collaborative Native Seeds and Plants Propagation Program through a National Parks and Protected Areas Cooperative Studies Program - The East Cascades Native Plant Hub brings together federal agencies, tribal nations, universities, and private landowners to restore ecosystems and build workforce capacity. Notable successes include training undergraduate and tribal youth in native seed collection and restoration practices, advancing efforts aligned with the National Seed Strategy and driving meaningful ecosystem resilience. Read more
• Project Highlight: Willamette Valley Prairie Pollinator Studies - Since 2019, the Institute for Applied Ecology and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have partnered to restore pollinator communities critical to endangered plant species in Oregon's Willamette Valley prairies. Findings reveal the essential role of bees, flies, and butterflies in supporting plants like the Willamette daisy and Kincaid's lupine, helping refine prairie restoration practices. Read more
• Project Highlight: Modeling Brown Treesnake Management Strategies - Led by the University of Washington and funded by USGS, this project develops a computer model to test eradication strategies for the invasive Brown Treesnake in Guam. By simulating population dynamics and applying different control methods, researchers aim to protect native wildlife—including the endangered Guam Rail—from further harm. Read more
• Project Highlight: Assessment of Pacific marten status in Olympic National Park: Are they headed to extirpation? - Researchers from the University of Washington, National Park Service, Woodland Park Zoo, and U.S. Forest Service are investigating the critically low Pacific marten population in Olympic National Park. Using innovative monitoring technologies and genetic analysis, the team aims to evaluate the population's status and genetic health to inform future conservation strategies. Read more
• Student Project Highlight: Remote Sensing Assessments of Social Trails Fragmenting Subalpine Paradise Meadows - Researchers from the University of Washington are collaborating with the National Park Service to map and mitigate social trail impacts in the fragile subalpine meadows of Mount Rainier's Paradise area. Using aerial imagery and machine learning, they are detecting and predicting social trails with over 80% accuracy to protect these ecosystems from human activity and climate change. Read more