| The
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) combines research
scientists and support staff originating from the Bureau of Land Management,
National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Oregon,
Washington, and Idaho. The result is an integrated facility focused
on providing biological information to land managers in the Department
of the Interior and others with natural resource concerns in the western
U.S. and adjacent states and Canadian provinces. From our headquarters
in Corvallis, Oregon, we coordinate work in the coastal forests, lowlands,
and wetlands of the Olympic Peninsula and the Coast Range of Oregon,
Washington and parts of northern California; the forests, lakes, subalpine,
and alpine habitats of the Cascade Mountains; the shrub- and grasslands
of the North/Central Basin and Range of Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and
Utah including the Columbia Plateau, Snake River Plain, and Great
Basin of the Intermountain West; and the arid lands of the Colorado
Plateau and Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Our work addresses at times
all issues in terrestrial and inland aquatic western ecosystems.
We use modern biological science (genetics, physiology,
modeling, landscape ecology), and modern research tools (geographic
information systems, remote sensing, DNA analysis, biotelemetry,
contaminants analysis) to study the life histories, habitat requirements,
population ecology, and species interactions of trust species such
as migratory birds and anadromous fish; species of special concern
such as endangered and threatened species; indicators of ecosystem
health such as amphibians and reptiles; and means to manage whole
systems such as Northwest forests, the flora and fauna of National
Parks and National Wildlife Refuges, and rangelands throughout the
West. Our partners and collaborators in these efforts are other
federal agencies, state agencies, nongovernmental organizations,
tribal governments, and private landowners.
Our efforts focus on integration of science with most
pressing natural resource issues. Information management and transfer
are large concerns. This web site is but one example of the means
we use to get information quickly into the hands of users. We invite
your perusal of our site, welcome your comments, and encourage your
collaboration with our efforts. In the web pages that follow, contacts
are listed and our products are highlighted. We and our fellow scientists
in U.S. Geological Survey (Biology, National Mapping, Water Resources,
Geology) remain committed to our motto: "Science for a Changing
World," and appreciate this opportunity to inform, to stimulate
your interest, and to initiate communication.
Carol Schuler, FRESC Center
Director
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