A Welcome from Anne Kinsinger, USGS Associate Director - Ecosystems

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Our quarterly newsletter, EcoNews, will highlight our premier studies and research findings, as well as opportunities to learn more about our scientists and research collaborations.  In our recent issue we feature:

• Cooperative Research Units program
• Wildland Fire science portfolio
• The 100^th anniversary of the USGS Bird Banding Lab
• Restoration Assessment & Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS)
• Ecological Forecasting Workshop
• Upcoming session at the 110th Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies Virtual 2020 Annual Meeting
• New education series, “I Am A…”, that artfully illustrates careers in ecosystems science. 

And, as always, we will include our monthly Friday’s Findings webinar series and a link to where you can follow us on social media, including our USGS Wild Instagram account that displays the best of the best imagery associated with our science. Follow us as we go where the wild things are!

EcoNews is part of our ongoing efforts to highlight topics associated with our priority science that align with the USGS Director’s promise of advanced science for the 21^st Century and the priories of the U.S. Department of Interior and its Bureaus: 

• Science to Assure Sustainable Fish and Wildlife Populations 
• Science for Hard Decisions on At-Risk Species
• Science to Help Battle Biological Threats to Wildlife and Humans
• Science for Managing Risks and Responding to Extreme Events
• Science to Preserve and Restore Iconic Landscapes
• Science to Support Adaptation and Address Impacts from Climate and Land Change

To receive our newsletter and other notifications, please subscribe to our email list by clicking HERE or sending a request to ssoileau@usgs.gov.  

This year EMA has welcomed new faces as we were able to fill vital positions in our organization that will ensure our science is shared, strengthened, and enhanced through existing and new partnerships across government, academia, and within the NGO community. 

• Mark Wimer has joined EMA as the Wildlife Program Manager. Mark has 19 years' experience at a USGS Center, seven as Deputy Center Director, and has an understanding that our best science ideas come from the field. He has a strong interest in building support for, and greater collaboration around, the range of science activities that represent USGS science leadership.
   
• Linda Weir has taken the role of Chief of Staff.  Linda has 12 years’ experience as a wildlife biologist with a focus on amphibians and seven as a research manager. Linda’s strong organizational and coordinating skills were developed while managing a national program.
   
• Dave Hu is the new Fisheries Program Manager. Dave has 17 years’ experience in building Federal agency fisheries programs in 4 different agencies and work cultures (including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,  U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Bureau of Land Management) from field to national levels. Dave brings a unique business leadership style to EMA and is able to quickly establish and develop highly productive teams and relationships.
   
• Dr. Jonathan Mawdsley will be arriving in late September to serve as the new Cooperative Research Units Chief. Jonathan most recently served as the Science Advisor to the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. In that position, he provided scientific expertise and support to the Association’s leadership, including the Directors of the 50 U. S. State fish and wildlife agencies and senior leadership of the U. S. and Canadian federal wildlife and natural resource management agencies. He brings an essential skill to the job:  the ability to sustain and develop new key partnerships and coalitions. 
   
• Lief Wiechman is the new Sagebrush Ecosystem Specialist, joining EMA from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mountain-Prairie Region where we worked on sagebrush-related conservation issues. Lief brings with him a background that includes working for State Wildlife Agencies and the Bureau of Land Management. His 15 years of experience in the sagebrush biome, aids in building strong partnerships to address shared priorities and advancing collaborative, applicable solutions to inform management.
   
• Roberta Chaves comes to the Cooperative Research Units (CRU) with over 25 years of experience in the administrative assistant field, working in various business environments. Earlier in her career, she worked with GSA, DoD, and had a stint of 2 years in the Army Reserves. After working in the private sector for several years, in 2016 she accepted a Federal Government Secretary position with USGS Natural Hazards Mission Area and brings many customer service skills to CRU.  Roberta is looking forward to being a strong contributor to the mission. Personally, she just recently joined the USGS Toastmasters Club.

We are looking forward to this coming year as we continue to build our science capacity and partnerships. 

We hope you are part of that journey.

Sincerely,

Anne Kinsinger, Associate Director, Ecosystems Mission Area