About Us
The Cooperative Research Units Program is a unique collaborative relationship among federal and state agencies, universities, and a non-profit organization.
The tripartite mission of the Cooperative Research Units Program is:
- Train graduate students for professional careers in natural-resource research and management.
- Conduct research that will create new information useful for natural-resource management.
- Provide technical assistance on application and integration of new science.
The Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit embraces the mission of the Cooperative Research Units Program and contributes daily to the overall success of the Cooperative Research Units Program.
Featured Student
Featured Student
Our students are involved in a wide variety of research, including diversity in ecological functions, invasive species, and habitats of various animals.
Zachary Whaley's project is:
Influence of the Conservation Reserve Program on Population Structure, Demography, and Space Use by Greater Prairie-Chickens in Kansas and Nebraska
September 2028
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is considered the most effective large-scale conservation effort affecting wildlife species in the United States. In the Great Plains, 4.18 million acres of CRP occurs in Kansas and Nebraska, potentially affecting a large number of wildlife species, including many grassland species that may rely on these landscapes for persistence and resilience to dynamic environments. Few studies have assessed the response of the greater prairie-chicken to the establishment of CRP, a species which has lost much of its historical range and is in decline. Kansas and Nebraska support the majority of extant greater prairie-chickens, though populations face multiple threats which may limit movement among remnant populations. The project will hierarchically evaluate the influence of CRP on greater prairie-chicken populations thought the collection of movement, vegetation, and genomic data sets and produce science that will form management actions on CRP enrollment as well as the species in the region.
Zachary Whaley
M.S. Candidate, Wildlife
Featured Project
Effects of Woody Encroachment and Management on Grassland Birds in Nebraska's Sandhills
July 2028
Loss of grassland habitat to woody encroachment is widespread and ongoing in Nebraska’s Sandhills. Woody encroachment has been identified as the most severe threat affecting grassland-obligate breeding birds, as these species do not appear to use encroached areas. As grassland bird species are experiencing the sharpest declines of avifauna guilds, evaluations of tolerance levels to woody encroachment of grasslands will provide valuable information to guide conservation and restoration efforts.
