Prairie grassland flowers on the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center campus in La Crosse Wisconsin, with USGS silos pictured in the background. Photo by Anna Hess, USGS, image in public domain.

Responding to Science Funding Cuts in the Federal Budget

Usually at Wisconsin’s Green Fire, we focus on responding to state-level issues in conservation policy and natural resources management. However, we keep our eyes on the bigger picture. That includes navigating the roaring river of changes at the federal level. After all, much of the scientific research and management that happens in Wisconsin (at universities, state agencies, Tribal agencies, and other organizations) has connections with federal funding sources. Importantly, much of this critical scientific work happens in collaboration with federal agencies and their staff in Wisconsin.

Just one example in the federal budget that affects science and conservation in Wisconsin is the funding and staffing for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA).

In the budget bill before the United States Congress, funding for the USGS EMA and its workforce has been eliminated. In response to this troubling funding cut, we prepared a letter reminding Congressional leaders why the USGS EMA matters for science and the future of Wisconsin’s natural resources, environmental health, and public health. WGF subject matter experts and leaders like Robert Rolley, Bill Fisher, Don Behm, and Meleesa Johnson contributed to this letter, with editing support from Carolyn Pralle. In the letter, we urge full restoration of funding for the USGS EMA and its federal workforce.

As a voice for conservation, you have the power to influence decisions about our state and nation.

If you value scientific research and science jobs that matter for wildlife, fish, and human health, consider reaching out to your elected officials and sharing your views. We welcome you to use our letter as inspiration. But, we encourage you to present the topics from your own perspective in your own words. If you decide to make those calls or emails, let us know how it goes!

Remember that this letter about the USGS EMA is just one example of the many changes affecting science and conservation today. We encourage you to contact your senators and representatives about this and other issues that matter to you. Phone calls and letters from constituents make a difference. Oftentimes, you can have even greater influence at the state and local levels, too.

WGF plans to share more examples and stories as we navigate the threats and impacts of these changes and what they mean for Wisconsin. We invite you to join us in this work as a supporter, as a volunteer, or in forming partnerships with organizations that share our values.

>> Read WGF’s full letter on the USGS EMA funding below.

RE: Support for USGS Ecosystems Mission Area and its Federal Workforce

Dear Chairman Lee and Ranking Member Heinrich:

On behalf of my organization, Wisconsin’s Green Fire, I am writing to urge the Senate’s full support and oversight of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Ecosystems Mission Area (EMA) and its federal workforce in Wisconsin and across the nation. Wisconsin’s Green Fire: Voices for Conservation was founded in 2017 to advance science-based decision-making to protect our communities and natural resources in Wisconsin and beyond. Funding for the USGS EMA is eliminated in the current budget before the Senate. We urge you to restore funding for the USGS EMA and its federal workforce.

Why is funding and staffing the USGS EMA so important?

The EMA conducts the critical work of maintaining our nation’s natural resources, ensuring environmental health, and protecting public health. The EMA plays a unique role within the Department of the Interior, conducting research across a broad array of scientific disciplines and providing data that inform responses to many of the nation’s greatest challenges. The EMA is a leader in practical scientific research and tool development to support decisions on natural resources to the benefit of the public good.

EMA’s science and tools are used by other federal agencies and states to inform management of commercially and recreationally important fish, wildlife, and land. This helps states and other partners assess and mitigate risks such as harmful invasive species, wildlife diseases, contaminants, and ecosystem change. The USGS EMA safeguards communities and people. Americans need it for economically important natural resources and infrastructure.

Here in Wisconsin, the EMA operates several important research centers:

• National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) – Professionals at NWHC conduct investigations and disease ecology studies of emerging and recurring priority wildlife diseases. They provide critical response and management consultation for federal, state, and tribal partners. They study dangerous diseases like avian influenza (a viral disease affecting wildlife, agriculture, and human health), chronic wasting disease (a prion disease affecting free-ranging and captive deer and elk), and toxic algal blooms (harmful to fish and wildlife, domestic animals, livestock, and humans).
• Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) – UMESC is one of the leading research centers conducting ecological research to support local, state, and federal agencies managing fish and wildlife resources. Just a few examples of their work are the restoration of Common Loon populations in the Upper Midwest, control of invasive carp in the Mississippi River watershed, and the recovery of the eastern migratory monarch butterfly population.
• Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) – GLSC scientists work in the Great Lakes region and other parts of the country to meet the nation’s need for information used by resource managers to restore, enhance, manage, and protect the living resources and habitats in the Great Lakes basin. Specifically, their research is important for controlling sea lampreys and restoration of Lake Sturgeon populations.
• Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit (WCWRU) – WCWRU conducts research related to wildlife and their habitats, guides the training of graduate students, provides in-service training for agency employees, and supplies technical advice and assistance to federal, state, and private conservation agencies in the management of wildlife resources. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been a major focus of the unit in recent years. This disease is having long-term adverse effects on deer populations in Wisconsin and beyond. Scientific understanding of the transmission of CWD in free-ranging wildlife is critical for managing CWD.
• Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit (WCFRU) – WCFRU conducts world-class fisheries and aquatic science research and trains graduate students. Unit science focuses on iconic fish species, such as declining walleye populations in northern Wisconsin and lake whitefish stocks in Lake Michigan, as well as muskellunge, smallmouth bass, and brook trout. This science supports fisheries that are critical to local and regional economies. Unit research provides information so Wisconsin, Michigan and Tribal natural resource management agencies can make management decisions for fish populations. Those decisions include changes to harvest regulations and stocking strategies.

The EMA is critical to Wisconsin and the nation. It contributes to the capacity of the USGS to deploy interdisciplinary teams of experts to provide services to the nation to gather data, conduct research, and develop integrated decision support tools that improve ecosystem management, ensure accurate assessments of our water quality and quantity, and reduce risks from natural and human-induced hazards. The EMA is essential for providing the science needed to support hunting and fishing while informing species conservation and preventing the need for federal protections.

Respectfully, we request full support and oversight of the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area by fully restoring funding for the EMA in the budget. We appreciate your leadership to steward our lands and resources for the betterment of the nation.

Sincerely,

Meleesa Johnson

Executive Director,

Wisconsin’s Green Fire