USGS Ecosystems Science in Support of Economic Growth
Science provided by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area helps boost America’s economy by providing practical tools to implement cost-effective management and development strategies that supports the Nation’s economic growth and protects our natural heritage.
USGS Ecosystems Science for Food and Water Security
USGS science developed by the Ecosystems Mission Area helps ensure safe and abundant domestic food and water supplies, ensuring all Americans access to livelihoods and traditions that connect generations with each other and the outdoors and strengthen America’s self-reliance.
USGS Ecosystems Science in Support of Public Safety & Security
Science within the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides a critical advantage in addressing public safety, infrastructure, and security issues surrounding natural disasters and changing landscapes, strengthening America’s ability to be a hazard ready Nation.
Energy Independence
USGS science helps reduce regulatory burden and accelerate the production of American energy and mineral resources by providing managers and industry with the latest information to locate, plan, permit, build, and operate projects and facilities. Working with managers and industry, USGS scientist develop innovative tools needed for planning and project analyses that can easily be incorporated into environmental reviews, reducing the time needed to complete the planning and permitting cycle, and reduced costs associated with litigation risk. After development and at decommissioned energy and mineral projects, USGS science is used to improve the effectiveness and success of reclamation efforts, providing cost-effective approaches to reduce erosion, promote the establishment of native vegetation, and minimize the establishment and spread of invasive grasses that increase wildfire risk.
Reducing Energy Development Impacts on Wildlife
USGS integrates science on the nation’s land, minerals, waters, plants, and animals to develop tools that resource managers and industry can use to reduce energy development impacts. A number of these solutions are being used by the industry and regulatory agencies today. In Alaska, distribution of polar bear maternal denning in northern Alaska coincides with petroleum exploration and construction, creating a need for industry to know where dens might occur. The USGS worked with the petroleum industry to quantify the effectiveness of aerial infrared surveys that are used regularly by energy companies to locate polar bear maternal dens during the winter. The USGS also determined how the timing of spring snow melt and vegetation growth effects the current and potential future migratory patterns of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, which shifts its distributions across the U.S.– Canadian border each year. These findings can assist the planning and placement of future industrial developments in the coastal plain of Alaska.
Avoiding Costly Remediation
USGS research at petroleum spill sites across the Nation has documented the effectiveness of passive remediation, bioremediation, and natural attenuation at affected sites. This work has reduced the need for expensive cleanups at contaminated sites which has saved the oil and gas industry and taxpayers millions of dollars over the years. For example, USGS science has allowed industry to avoid costly remediation approaches while meeting Minnesota statutes and state goals to protect human health and the environment.
Informing Geothermal Site Development
With advances in exploration and drilling technologies, geothermal resources provide a significant potential source for baseload electric power for the entire country. This “next generation” geothermal energy has the potential to expand in the next 25 years and employ 300,000 Americans with existing oil and gas industry skills. The USGS is working to identify areas favorable to development of these enhanced geothermal systems on a national scale and is researching opportunities to recover critical minerals (e.g. lithium) from geothermal brines. Ongoing efforts include assessing geothermal energy resources in the Great Basin. The USGS is providing integrated science on the hydrological, biological, and geological resources at potential geothermal energy development sites to help streamline and expedite the permitting and development process for expanding geothermal energy in the U.S.
Critical Mineral Initiatives
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area works with the Energy and Minerals Mission Area on new initiatives related to mine material research and reclamation, particularly for critical minerals essential to the Nation’s security. Specific USGS capacity includes 1) evaluation the bioconcentration of elements in reclamation planting, aeolian transport, and root sequestration of mining-related metals by vegetation, 2) prioritization of management action for reclamation or potential resource recovery efforts at legacy mine sites, 3) investigating the potential use of synoptic sampling results from the East Mancos River to locate deposits of rare earth elements, 4) tracing metal transport and groundwater flow paths in the Upper Animas River watershed using rare earth elements and stable isotopes, 5) developing a multi-disciplinary framework that considers occurrence, geochemistry, bioavailability, and toxicity to prioritize Critical Minerals for research, and 6) developing a simple and cost-effective approach to identifying environmental health risks at abandoned mine sites is being developed to ensure potential risk isn't overestimated by using solely screening levels.
Water Quality
Establishing Safe Discharge Levels
The oil and gas industry contributes over \$1.2 billion in annual revenue and supports 116,000 jobs in Louisiana. USGS provided the science for the State of Louisiana to establish safe discharge levels for chemicals associated with energy development. USGS science enabled the development of some of the nation’s first guidelines for oil and gas extraction that provided robust support for informed decision-making for the oil and gas industry.
Water Quality Assessments
In 2019, the Pennsylvania oil and gas industry contributes over \$78.4 billion in annual revenue and supports 480,300 jobs. USGS science in Pennsylvania State Forests demonstrated that oil and gas development in Pennsylvania did not have an adverse effect on water quality, and that; additional regulation and associated industry expenditures on compliance were not necessary.
Produced Water Treatment and Reuse
Industry has asked for USGS participation in their development of treatment technologies to re-use oil and gas wastewaters (i.e., produced water). In the United States, over 20 billion barrels of produced water are generated annually, and in 2022, industry spent over \$40 billion to manage oil and gas wastewaters. Produced water treatment and reuse is a promising cost-saving approach for managing these fluids. Reuse can also provide an alternative water source for new well development thereby lowering operating costs for the oil and gas industry.
Reducing Regulatory Burden
In fiscal year 2020, federal and state agencies spent over \$1.26 billion on ESA-related species protection efforts. USGS science is critical in wildlife managers’ efforts to avoid costly federal listing of species or reverse when a species has recovered, avoid regulatory and permitting delays which can streamline management decisions, and mitigate litigation risks, resulting in significant cost savings for agencies and stakeholders. USGS science also enables industries and infrastructure projects to proceed more efficiently, saving taxpayers millions of dollars per species in regulatory and recovery costs.
Structured Science Synthesis
Science information is fundamental to understanding how proposed actions on public lands may impact the environment. However, agencies often have limited time to compile and synthesize existing science. We are working with land management agencies to develop a new type of science product—structured science syntheses—for facilitating the use of science information in public lands decisions.
Collaborative Species Conservation
By identifying threats early and supporting habitat conservation efforts using innovative approaches, USGS research helps reduce the financial burdens associated with ESA-related species protection efforts. The USGS provides managers the tools they need to sustain species before they reach critical levels of decline, preventing the need of Federal protections or reversing when a species has recovered. Long-term USGS research and monitoring has informed collaborative species conservation for several animals across the Nation.
AVOIDING LISTING | Pacific Walrus
AVOIDING LISTING | Freshwater Mussels
AVOIDING LISTING | Sage Grouse
AVOIDING LISTING | Columbia Spotted Frog
DELISTING | Okaloosa Darter
DELISTING | Louisiana Black Bear
DOWNLISTING | Humpback Chub
DOWNLISTING | West Indian Manatee
Infrastructure
USGS is developing practical and cost-effective technological and management solutions aimed at reducing risks due to wildlife interactions with energy generation facilities while maintaining energy generation, a number of these solutions are being used by the industry and regulatory agencies today.
Informing Infrastructure Planning
Many of Alaska’s buildings, roads, and bridges are built on permanently frozen soil known as permafrost that is thawing and threatening the structural integrity of roads, buildings, and bridges built upon the softening soil and contributing to rapid coastal erosion. USGS scientists identify areas where the ground will no longer completely refreeze during winter, priming the landscape for a transition. These maps will help decision-makers from the State of Alaska Division of Natural Resources, Department of the Interior, and private industry identify areas of the state where infrastructure will need to be planned and engineered to withstand these changes in the landscape.
Mitigating Damage to Infrastructure by Invasive Species
Reducing Risk of Brown Treesnake Spread
Every year, invasive brown treesnake cause ground faults and short circuits that cause power outages costing Guam’s economy about \$4.5 million. USGS and the Guam Power Authority partnered to reduce and mitigate snake caused damages to infrastructure to reduce costs. The USDA estimates the spread of brown treesnake to Hawai’i could result in \$456 million to \$761 million in annual costs of power systems. USGS brown treesnake control research and rapid response interdiction support is key to reducing the risk of spread to the Hawaiian Islands and other vulnerable areas in the Pacific.
Innovative Fish Passage Technology
For hydropower, USGS is innovating fish passage technologies to increase the populations of commercially valuable fish and prevent the spread of invasive fish and mussels that could cost significant damage to energy generating infrastructure and fisheries. USGS also developed the Dam Removal Cost Databases and Drivers tool that serves as a new resource for dam owners that are planning to remove dams that have reached the end of their lifespan.
Inhibiting Invasive Mussel Population Growth
Invasive biofouling organisms, like zebra and quagga mussels, threaten U.S. hydroelectric and water delivery infrastructure, require preventative measures like watercraft inspection and decontamination, increased operational and maintenance expenses, costs associated with monitoring, and unplanned outages (costs vary but have been estimated to be about \$464,000 annually for increased maintenance). USGS works with states, the Bureau of Reclamation, and industry to develop tools to inhibit the settling of larval mussels and to reduce populations of adults.
Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
USGS science plays a key role in supporting the economic benefits of healthy ecosystems and the outdoor recreation economy, which depends on productive lands and waters abundant with fish and wildlife. The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages more than 480 million acres of public lands across the Nation that provide substantial benefit to the American people and include national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other public lands. DOI-managed lands – largely located in rural America – attract more than 565 million visitors each year and visitation to DOI sites supports billions of dollars in economic impact to communities. USGS science directly helps DOI maintain its responsibilities to manage fish and wildlife; promote productive landscapes; address devastating wildfires; manage energy resource development on lands and offshore areas; preventing and mitigating costly impacts of invasive species and wildlife disease; and increases access to outdoor recreation opportunities.
Identifying Value
USGS data and research informs a wide range of decision related to outdoor recreation management, including what people value most from participating in outdoor recreation and where and how much value people gain from their outdoor experiences. This information helps DOI and its Bureaus make the best decisions to improve visitor satisfaction thus increasing the potential for increased visitation revenues and beneficial impacts on surrounding communities. USGS economists are providing wildlife managers tools to guide planning and address their identified issues, including information to better understand what the public value and rely on in terms of hunting, angling, wildlife viewing, and other recreational activities.
Informing Effective Bird Management
People who appreciate birds contribute more than \$100 billion in related purchases to the U.S. economy annually, helping to support 1.4 million jobs and \$90 billion in labor-related income. Across the Nation, the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) and Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) are critical to the functions of Federal and State wildlife agencies, Migratory Bird Flyway Councils, and non-governmental organizations. Data supplied by the BBL and the BBS help resource managers meet their mandates to reduce conflicts between birds and people, identify species of greatest conservation need, and set healthy harvest levels. Industries in the private sector have adopted science based, sustainable practices driven by data from the BBL and the BBS that benefit their own operations and birds. Without sufficient support for the BBL and the BBS, groups with varying interests that depend on these data to reach effective management decisions and achieve collaborative outcomes for bird-related challenges are adversely impacted.
Facilitating Economic Output of National Parks
USGS science helps facilitate the economic output generated by the National Park Service by helping to improve the quality of natural resource decisions by park managers. In 2023, the economic output of National Park Service lands across the country was estimated to be \$55.6 billion annually, with 325 million park visitors spending an estimated \$26.4 billion in local economies. Park visitor spending supported more than 415,000 jobs, \$19.4 billion in labor income, and \$32 billion in value added.
- USGS economists work with the National Park Service to estimate recreation demand and values for trips to the various parks. The work provides insights on how both visitor and site characteristics influence the value people gain from their recreation experiences.
- USGS economists examined if increased conservation of wide-ranging wildlife could affect trip demand and values for visitors to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks. They estimated the benefits generated by wildlife viewing in protected areas, including bear viewing in Yellowstone National Park to provide quantitative estimates of the streams of viewing benefits that individual wild animals generate over time.
Effective Restoration
For every \$1 million spent on restoration projects, between 13 and 32 jobs are supported and between \$1.2 million and \$1.8 million of gross domestic product is added to the economy.
Effective, science-based reclamation supports local and regional economies by maintaining healthy lands and waters that are the foundation for other economically important land uses including ranching, farming, and recreation. USGS research has shown that restoration activities provide jobs and a return on restoration expenditures for local economies. For every \$1 million spent on restoration projects, between 13 and 32 jobs are supported and between \$1.2 million and \$1.8 million of gross domestic product is added to the economy. USGS science provides resource managers with information and decision support tools to inform where, when, and how to implement effective restoration and rehabilitation for the greatest economic and ecosystem benefits. USGS provides science and tools to assist engineers and land managers in designing and implementing cost-effective infrastructure projects that meet society’s needs while restoring landscape functions and reducing risks from flooding, drought, or wildfires.
Gulf of America
The Gulf of America is a major economic region for the U.S. supporting fisheries and oil and gas activities, both onshore and offshore. In 2021, the Gulf marine economy supported more than 25,000 businesses and contributed \$133 billion gross domestic product (GDP), ranking it the greatest contributor to GDP of all 8 coastal regions. USGS researchers are working with the Gulf States to guide restoration activities to ensure the wetlands, barrier islands, and estuaries are healthy and sustainable, so they are able to protect the coastal communities and infrastructure from hurricanes and storm-related flooding. USGS science also helps ensure that coastal restoration is cost-efficient and effective, protecting the region's natural resources to ensure continued contributions from the marine economy. In Louisiana, USGS works with the State to implement the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS), a long-term monitoring program that collects data essential to Louisiana restoration efforts used to plan, implement, and evaluate large-scale restoration across the Louisiana coast.
Great Lakes
USGS science across the Great Lakes region supports this \\$5.1 billion fishery. This includes efforts associated with Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and USGS expertise is relied upon from improvement of populations of economically valued fish species, water quality, and restoration of various sites throughout the Great Lakes. It has been estimated that every dollar of federal spending on projects funded under the GLRI from 2010–2016 will produce a total of \$3.35 of additional economic output in the Great Lakes region through 2036. Additional tourism activity generated by the GLRI in the Great Lakes region will increase regional economic output by \$1.62 from 2010–2036 for every \$1.00 in federal government spending, nearly half of the total increase estimated. USGS science is helping managers throughout the Great Lakes respond to existing invasives species such as phragmites. USGS leadership of the highly successful Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative brings managers together across the Great Lakes region moving toward the common goal of effective management of invasive phragmites, a wetland grass that impairs recreational use of wetlands and shorelines, increases fire risk, and decreases property values, in addition to reducing biodiversity and impairing valuable fish and wildlife habitats.
The Everglades
A comprehensive economic study found that for every dollar invested in Everglades restoration, $4 in economic benefits will be generated. This includes water quality (lowers costs for water purification methods as water becomes more available), recreation (fishing and hunting), and real estate (property values expected to increase due to increased quality of lands and waters). USGS researchers closely work with managers and restoration practitioners in southern Florida to ensure that restoration is cost-efficient. USGS develops a suite of decision support tools that is used by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other partners to help them determine which restoration activities are most effective.
Chesapeake Bay
Eighteen million people live and work in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the largest estuary in the U.S. The Chesapeake is home to more than 3,000 species of plants and animals, including 348 species of finfish, 173 species of shellfish, and roughly 30 species of waterfowl. Yet, poor water and habitat loss still negatively impacts the economy. The USGS has a pivotal role as a science provider for assessing ecosystem condition and response in the Chesapeake watershed. USGS Chesapeake studies are increasing efforts to provide integrated science and are engaging stakeholders to inform the multi-faceted restoration and conservation decisions to improve habitat for fish and waterfowl, and socio-economic benefits to the 18 million people living in the watershed, contributing to thriving industries and jobs. For example, income generated by the 62,000 workers in seafood industries in Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware exceeds \$8 billion each year. In 2009, before the Bay Restoration Blueprint, the lands and waters of the Chesapeake Bay region provided economic benefits of \$107.2 billion annually from air and water filtration, agricultural and seafood production, property valuation, and flood and hurricane protection. However, if the Restoration Blueprint is fully implemented, the value of these same benefits will increase by \$22.5 billion annually.
Cape Cod National Seashore
USGS researchers worked with stakeholders to develop a decision framework to understand the complex tradeoffs surrounding an effort to restore the Herring River estuary within Cape Cod National Seashore. This analysis helped decision makers identify cost-effective solutions that met community use and environmental goals, which were put into practice when the Herring River Restoration Project began in 2023.
Providing Unbiased Actionable Science & Information to Support Natural Resource Management Needs of the U.S. & Department of Interior Priorities
Powering Progress: How Science Can Fuel the Energy Resources Life Cycle
Developing structured science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decision making in the Bureau of Land Management
Supporting energy and mineral development through successful reclamation
Deep Dive: Supporting Recreational Fishing in the Midwest
Environmental Health: Science to Support Natural Resource Use
Deep Dive: Sustaining the Rich Economic and Recreational Benefits of the Prairie Pothole Region
Deep Dive: Protecting Critical Infrastructure
Deep Dive: Supporting the Outdoor Recreation Economy
Science provided by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area helps boost America’s economy by providing practical tools to implement cost-effective management and development strategies that supports the Nation’s economic growth and protects our natural heritage.
USGS Ecosystems Science for Food and Water Security
USGS science developed by the Ecosystems Mission Area helps ensure safe and abundant domestic food and water supplies, ensuring all Americans access to livelihoods and traditions that connect generations with each other and the outdoors and strengthen America’s self-reliance.
USGS Ecosystems Science in Support of Public Safety & Security
Science within the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides a critical advantage in addressing public safety, infrastructure, and security issues surrounding natural disasters and changing landscapes, strengthening America’s ability to be a hazard ready Nation.
Energy Independence
USGS science helps reduce regulatory burden and accelerate the production of American energy and mineral resources by providing managers and industry with the latest information to locate, plan, permit, build, and operate projects and facilities. Working with managers and industry, USGS scientist develop innovative tools needed for planning and project analyses that can easily be incorporated into environmental reviews, reducing the time needed to complete the planning and permitting cycle, and reduced costs associated with litigation risk. After development and at decommissioned energy and mineral projects, USGS science is used to improve the effectiveness and success of reclamation efforts, providing cost-effective approaches to reduce erosion, promote the establishment of native vegetation, and minimize the establishment and spread of invasive grasses that increase wildfire risk.
Reducing Energy Development Impacts on Wildlife
USGS integrates science on the nation’s land, minerals, waters, plants, and animals to develop tools that resource managers and industry can use to reduce energy development impacts. A number of these solutions are being used by the industry and regulatory agencies today. In Alaska, distribution of polar bear maternal denning in northern Alaska coincides with petroleum exploration and construction, creating a need for industry to know where dens might occur. The USGS worked with the petroleum industry to quantify the effectiveness of aerial infrared surveys that are used regularly by energy companies to locate polar bear maternal dens during the winter. The USGS also determined how the timing of spring snow melt and vegetation growth effects the current and potential future migratory patterns of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, which shifts its distributions across the U.S.– Canadian border each year. These findings can assist the planning and placement of future industrial developments in the coastal plain of Alaska.
Avoiding Costly Remediation
USGS research at petroleum spill sites across the Nation has documented the effectiveness of passive remediation, bioremediation, and natural attenuation at affected sites. This work has reduced the need for expensive cleanups at contaminated sites which has saved the oil and gas industry and taxpayers millions of dollars over the years. For example, USGS science has allowed industry to avoid costly remediation approaches while meeting Minnesota statutes and state goals to protect human health and the environment.
Informing Geothermal Site Development
With advances in exploration and drilling technologies, geothermal resources provide a significant potential source for baseload electric power for the entire country. This “next generation” geothermal energy has the potential to expand in the next 25 years and employ 300,000 Americans with existing oil and gas industry skills. The USGS is working to identify areas favorable to development of these enhanced geothermal systems on a national scale and is researching opportunities to recover critical minerals (e.g. lithium) from geothermal brines. Ongoing efforts include assessing geothermal energy resources in the Great Basin. The USGS is providing integrated science on the hydrological, biological, and geological resources at potential geothermal energy development sites to help streamline and expedite the permitting and development process for expanding geothermal energy in the U.S.
Critical Mineral Initiatives
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area works with the Energy and Minerals Mission Area on new initiatives related to mine material research and reclamation, particularly for critical minerals essential to the Nation’s security. Specific USGS capacity includes 1) evaluation the bioconcentration of elements in reclamation planting, aeolian transport, and root sequestration of mining-related metals by vegetation, 2) prioritization of management action for reclamation or potential resource recovery efforts at legacy mine sites, 3) investigating the potential use of synoptic sampling results from the East Mancos River to locate deposits of rare earth elements, 4) tracing metal transport and groundwater flow paths in the Upper Animas River watershed using rare earth elements and stable isotopes, 5) developing a multi-disciplinary framework that considers occurrence, geochemistry, bioavailability, and toxicity to prioritize Critical Minerals for research, and 6) developing a simple and cost-effective approach to identifying environmental health risks at abandoned mine sites is being developed to ensure potential risk isn't overestimated by using solely screening levels.
Water Quality
Establishing Safe Discharge Levels
The oil and gas industry contributes over \$1.2 billion in annual revenue and supports 116,000 jobs in Louisiana. USGS provided the science for the State of Louisiana to establish safe discharge levels for chemicals associated with energy development. USGS science enabled the development of some of the nation’s first guidelines for oil and gas extraction that provided robust support for informed decision-making for the oil and gas industry.
Water Quality Assessments
In 2019, the Pennsylvania oil and gas industry contributes over \$78.4 billion in annual revenue and supports 480,300 jobs. USGS science in Pennsylvania State Forests demonstrated that oil and gas development in Pennsylvania did not have an adverse effect on water quality, and that; additional regulation and associated industry expenditures on compliance were not necessary.
Produced Water Treatment and Reuse
Industry has asked for USGS participation in their development of treatment technologies to re-use oil and gas wastewaters (i.e., produced water). In the United States, over 20 billion barrels of produced water are generated annually, and in 2022, industry spent over \$40 billion to manage oil and gas wastewaters. Produced water treatment and reuse is a promising cost-saving approach for managing these fluids. Reuse can also provide an alternative water source for new well development thereby lowering operating costs for the oil and gas industry.
Reducing Regulatory Burden
In fiscal year 2020, federal and state agencies spent over \$1.26 billion on ESA-related species protection efforts. USGS science is critical in wildlife managers’ efforts to avoid costly federal listing of species or reverse when a species has recovered, avoid regulatory and permitting delays which can streamline management decisions, and mitigate litigation risks, resulting in significant cost savings for agencies and stakeholders. USGS science also enables industries and infrastructure projects to proceed more efficiently, saving taxpayers millions of dollars per species in regulatory and recovery costs.
Structured Science Synthesis
Science information is fundamental to understanding how proposed actions on public lands may impact the environment. However, agencies often have limited time to compile and synthesize existing science. We are working with land management agencies to develop a new type of science product—structured science syntheses—for facilitating the use of science information in public lands decisions.
Collaborative Species Conservation
By identifying threats early and supporting habitat conservation efforts using innovative approaches, USGS research helps reduce the financial burdens associated with ESA-related species protection efforts. The USGS provides managers the tools they need to sustain species before they reach critical levels of decline, preventing the need of Federal protections or reversing when a species has recovered. Long-term USGS research and monitoring has informed collaborative species conservation for several animals across the Nation.
AVOIDING LISTING | Pacific Walrus
AVOIDING LISTING | Freshwater Mussels
AVOIDING LISTING | Sage Grouse
AVOIDING LISTING | Columbia Spotted Frog
DELISTING | Okaloosa Darter
DELISTING | Louisiana Black Bear
DOWNLISTING | Humpback Chub
DOWNLISTING | West Indian Manatee
Infrastructure
USGS is developing practical and cost-effective technological and management solutions aimed at reducing risks due to wildlife interactions with energy generation facilities while maintaining energy generation, a number of these solutions are being used by the industry and regulatory agencies today.
Informing Infrastructure Planning
Many of Alaska’s buildings, roads, and bridges are built on permanently frozen soil known as permafrost that is thawing and threatening the structural integrity of roads, buildings, and bridges built upon the softening soil and contributing to rapid coastal erosion. USGS scientists identify areas where the ground will no longer completely refreeze during winter, priming the landscape for a transition. These maps will help decision-makers from the State of Alaska Division of Natural Resources, Department of the Interior, and private industry identify areas of the state where infrastructure will need to be planned and engineered to withstand these changes in the landscape.
Mitigating Damage to Infrastructure by Invasive Species
Reducing Risk of Brown Treesnake Spread
Every year, invasive brown treesnake cause ground faults and short circuits that cause power outages costing Guam’s economy about \$4.5 million. USGS and the Guam Power Authority partnered to reduce and mitigate snake caused damages to infrastructure to reduce costs. The USDA estimates the spread of brown treesnake to Hawai’i could result in \$456 million to \$761 million in annual costs of power systems. USGS brown treesnake control research and rapid response interdiction support is key to reducing the risk of spread to the Hawaiian Islands and other vulnerable areas in the Pacific.
Innovative Fish Passage Technology
For hydropower, USGS is innovating fish passage technologies to increase the populations of commercially valuable fish and prevent the spread of invasive fish and mussels that could cost significant damage to energy generating infrastructure and fisheries. USGS also developed the Dam Removal Cost Databases and Drivers tool that serves as a new resource for dam owners that are planning to remove dams that have reached the end of their lifespan.
Inhibiting Invasive Mussel Population Growth
Invasive biofouling organisms, like zebra and quagga mussels, threaten U.S. hydroelectric and water delivery infrastructure, require preventative measures like watercraft inspection and decontamination, increased operational and maintenance expenses, costs associated with monitoring, and unplanned outages (costs vary but have been estimated to be about \$464,000 annually for increased maintenance). USGS works with states, the Bureau of Reclamation, and industry to develop tools to inhibit the settling of larval mussels and to reduce populations of adults.
Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
USGS science plays a key role in supporting the economic benefits of healthy ecosystems and the outdoor recreation economy, which depends on productive lands and waters abundant with fish and wildlife. The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages more than 480 million acres of public lands across the Nation that provide substantial benefit to the American people and include national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other public lands. DOI-managed lands – largely located in rural America – attract more than 565 million visitors each year and visitation to DOI sites supports billions of dollars in economic impact to communities. USGS science directly helps DOI maintain its responsibilities to manage fish and wildlife; promote productive landscapes; address devastating wildfires; manage energy resource development on lands and offshore areas; preventing and mitigating costly impacts of invasive species and wildlife disease; and increases access to outdoor recreation opportunities.
Identifying Value
USGS data and research informs a wide range of decision related to outdoor recreation management, including what people value most from participating in outdoor recreation and where and how much value people gain from their outdoor experiences. This information helps DOI and its Bureaus make the best decisions to improve visitor satisfaction thus increasing the potential for increased visitation revenues and beneficial impacts on surrounding communities. USGS economists are providing wildlife managers tools to guide planning and address their identified issues, including information to better understand what the public value and rely on in terms of hunting, angling, wildlife viewing, and other recreational activities.
Informing Effective Bird Management
People who appreciate birds contribute more than \$100 billion in related purchases to the U.S. economy annually, helping to support 1.4 million jobs and \$90 billion in labor-related income. Across the Nation, the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) and Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) are critical to the functions of Federal and State wildlife agencies, Migratory Bird Flyway Councils, and non-governmental organizations. Data supplied by the BBL and the BBS help resource managers meet their mandates to reduce conflicts between birds and people, identify species of greatest conservation need, and set healthy harvest levels. Industries in the private sector have adopted science based, sustainable practices driven by data from the BBL and the BBS that benefit their own operations and birds. Without sufficient support for the BBL and the BBS, groups with varying interests that depend on these data to reach effective management decisions and achieve collaborative outcomes for bird-related challenges are adversely impacted.
Facilitating Economic Output of National Parks
USGS science helps facilitate the economic output generated by the National Park Service by helping to improve the quality of natural resource decisions by park managers. In 2023, the economic output of National Park Service lands across the country was estimated to be \$55.6 billion annually, with 325 million park visitors spending an estimated \$26.4 billion in local economies. Park visitor spending supported more than 415,000 jobs, \$19.4 billion in labor income, and \$32 billion in value added.
- USGS economists work with the National Park Service to estimate recreation demand and values for trips to the various parks. The work provides insights on how both visitor and site characteristics influence the value people gain from their recreation experiences.
- USGS economists examined if increased conservation of wide-ranging wildlife could affect trip demand and values for visitors to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks. They estimated the benefits generated by wildlife viewing in protected areas, including bear viewing in Yellowstone National Park to provide quantitative estimates of the streams of viewing benefits that individual wild animals generate over time.
Effective Restoration
For every \$1 million spent on restoration projects, between 13 and 32 jobs are supported and between \$1.2 million and \$1.8 million of gross domestic product is added to the economy.
Effective, science-based reclamation supports local and regional economies by maintaining healthy lands and waters that are the foundation for other economically important land uses including ranching, farming, and recreation. USGS research has shown that restoration activities provide jobs and a return on restoration expenditures for local economies. For every \$1 million spent on restoration projects, between 13 and 32 jobs are supported and between \$1.2 million and \$1.8 million of gross domestic product is added to the economy. USGS science provides resource managers with information and decision support tools to inform where, when, and how to implement effective restoration and rehabilitation for the greatest economic and ecosystem benefits. USGS provides science and tools to assist engineers and land managers in designing and implementing cost-effective infrastructure projects that meet society’s needs while restoring landscape functions and reducing risks from flooding, drought, or wildfires.
Gulf of America
The Gulf of America is a major economic region for the U.S. supporting fisheries and oil and gas activities, both onshore and offshore. In 2021, the Gulf marine economy supported more than 25,000 businesses and contributed \$133 billion gross domestic product (GDP), ranking it the greatest contributor to GDP of all 8 coastal regions. USGS researchers are working with the Gulf States to guide restoration activities to ensure the wetlands, barrier islands, and estuaries are healthy and sustainable, so they are able to protect the coastal communities and infrastructure from hurricanes and storm-related flooding. USGS science also helps ensure that coastal restoration is cost-efficient and effective, protecting the region's natural resources to ensure continued contributions from the marine economy. In Louisiana, USGS works with the State to implement the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS), a long-term monitoring program that collects data essential to Louisiana restoration efforts used to plan, implement, and evaluate large-scale restoration across the Louisiana coast.
Great Lakes
USGS science across the Great Lakes region supports this \\$5.1 billion fishery. This includes efforts associated with Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and USGS expertise is relied upon from improvement of populations of economically valued fish species, water quality, and restoration of various sites throughout the Great Lakes. It has been estimated that every dollar of federal spending on projects funded under the GLRI from 2010–2016 will produce a total of \$3.35 of additional economic output in the Great Lakes region through 2036. Additional tourism activity generated by the GLRI in the Great Lakes region will increase regional economic output by \$1.62 from 2010–2036 for every \$1.00 in federal government spending, nearly half of the total increase estimated. USGS science is helping managers throughout the Great Lakes respond to existing invasives species such as phragmites. USGS leadership of the highly successful Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative brings managers together across the Great Lakes region moving toward the common goal of effective management of invasive phragmites, a wetland grass that impairs recreational use of wetlands and shorelines, increases fire risk, and decreases property values, in addition to reducing biodiversity and impairing valuable fish and wildlife habitats.
The Everglades
A comprehensive economic study found that for every dollar invested in Everglades restoration, $4 in economic benefits will be generated. This includes water quality (lowers costs for water purification methods as water becomes more available), recreation (fishing and hunting), and real estate (property values expected to increase due to increased quality of lands and waters). USGS researchers closely work with managers and restoration practitioners in southern Florida to ensure that restoration is cost-efficient. USGS develops a suite of decision support tools that is used by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other partners to help them determine which restoration activities are most effective.
Chesapeake Bay
Eighteen million people live and work in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the largest estuary in the U.S. The Chesapeake is home to more than 3,000 species of plants and animals, including 348 species of finfish, 173 species of shellfish, and roughly 30 species of waterfowl. Yet, poor water and habitat loss still negatively impacts the economy. The USGS has a pivotal role as a science provider for assessing ecosystem condition and response in the Chesapeake watershed. USGS Chesapeake studies are increasing efforts to provide integrated science and are engaging stakeholders to inform the multi-faceted restoration and conservation decisions to improve habitat for fish and waterfowl, and socio-economic benefits to the 18 million people living in the watershed, contributing to thriving industries and jobs. For example, income generated by the 62,000 workers in seafood industries in Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware exceeds \$8 billion each year. In 2009, before the Bay Restoration Blueprint, the lands and waters of the Chesapeake Bay region provided economic benefits of \$107.2 billion annually from air and water filtration, agricultural and seafood production, property valuation, and flood and hurricane protection. However, if the Restoration Blueprint is fully implemented, the value of these same benefits will increase by \$22.5 billion annually.
Cape Cod National Seashore
USGS researchers worked with stakeholders to develop a decision framework to understand the complex tradeoffs surrounding an effort to restore the Herring River estuary within Cape Cod National Seashore. This analysis helped decision makers identify cost-effective solutions that met community use and environmental goals, which were put into practice when the Herring River Restoration Project began in 2023.
Providing Unbiased Actionable Science & Information to Support Natural Resource Management Needs of the U.S. & Department of Interior Priorities
Powering Progress: How Science Can Fuel the Energy Resources Life Cycle
Developing structured science syntheses for use in NEPA analyses and decision making in the Bureau of Land Management
Supporting energy and mineral development through successful reclamation
Deep Dive: Supporting Recreational Fishing in the Midwest
Environmental Health: Science to Support Natural Resource Use
Deep Dive: Sustaining the Rich Economic and Recreational Benefits of the Prairie Pothole Region
Deep Dive: Protecting Critical Infrastructure