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University of Wyoming

About Us

The Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit was authorized by the United States Congress in 1977 with four cooperators: (1) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (SFWS), (2) University of Wyoming (UW, (3) Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), and (4) Wildlife Management Institute. The primary Department of Interior cooperator was changed from the USFWS to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 1996. The Units are now housed in the Biological Resources Division of USGS. Under the cooperative agreement, the Unit is charged to provide research and technical assistance to the WGFD, other Federal and state agencies, and private institutions, and to train graduate students in fisheries and wildlife science at the University of Wyoming. Research assistance is provided by graduate student projects and through research conducted by full-time research scientists and technicians.

All projects conducted for the WGFD are initiated following collaborative planning with WGFD staff and approval of written project proposals by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. The Unit also conducts projects for Federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service. Research done for Federal agencies is coordinated with the WGFD and information is shared to facilitate management decisions.

Procedures for identifying research needs and priorities include identification of research needs through a collaborative process with WGFD staff, preparation of proposals for review by WGFD staff, development of work plans prior to funding, preparation of quarterly reports for all projects in progress, and submission of detailed project reports (often in the form of theses or dissertations) at the completion of a project.

The Unit also provides extensive research administration services for projects funded by WGFD and Federal agencies. These services include the preparation and monitoring of contracts and Research Work Orders with Federal agencies, monitoring of budgets and billings, and maintenance of necessary communications regarding projects such as the submission of progress and completion reports.

The Unit’s primary responsibility at the University of Wyoming is to enhance the training of graduate students. The Unit Leader and Assistant Leaders hold full faculty appointments in the Department of Zoology and Physiology. In this capacity they supervise graduate students in the Department and serve on graduate committees for students in several UW departments. Since the Unit was staffed in 1980, the three Unit faculty have supervised 140 graduate students in the Department of Zoology and Physiology. A total of 120 master’s and 20 Ph.D. students have graduated under the supervision of Unit staff. The Unit faculty also contribute to classroom teaching by offering graduate-level courses and seminars on a regular basis.