Needs of the USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units

What Resources Will the CRUs Need to Meet These Challenges?

Provide Needed Capacity in the CRU Program

    In fiscal year 2018, restore the capacity of the current CRU program to address strategic research, training, and stakeholder needs by providing sufficient funding to fill all current scientist vacancies in the CRUs and restore operational funds for the CRUs and national program coordination (approximately $23.9 million/year).

     Within 5 years, secure sufficient federal and non-federal resources to enhance and expand the CRU system’s capacity to meet strategic research and training in critical areas where capacity is limited or nonexistent.

Establish New CRU High Priority Research and Training Program

    Establish a federal subprogram within the existing CRU program that eventually would make available up to $20 million annually beyond base operational costs to support research and graduate student stipends and training that address key future challenges and to increase the number of natural resource professionals.

    With the establishment of this new research funding subprogram, the CRU program would consist of 2 components: CRUs generally would compete for funds available in the high priority research and training program. A portion of the funding would be made available on a formula basis to ensure that each CRU has the opportunity to leverage resources for problems of sufficient spatial and temporal scales. All federal funding would be required to be matched by non-federal resources on a 1:1 basis. The non-federal share would be reduced when scientists from multiple CRUs collaborate on high regional or national priorities.

    CRUs generally would compete for funds available in the high priority research and training program. A portion of the funding would be made available on a formula basis to ensure that each CRU has the opportunity to leverage resources for problems of sufficient spatial and temporal scales. All federal funding would be required to be matched by non-federal resources on a 1:1 basis. The non-federal share would be reduced when scientists from multiple CRUs collaborate on high regional or national priorities.