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c/e. USGS reorganized its ecosystem research facilities in 2021. The Patuxent research facility is now officially called "Eastern Ecological Science Center at the Patuxent Research Refuge" (Yes, that's a mouthful) with a new URL. In the infobox I labeled it as simply "EESC/Patuxent". (Note: the infobox photo shows the FWS visitor center, which is NOT the USGS research building.)
 
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{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Short description|Wildlife research center located at the Patuxent Research Refuge, Maryland, United States}}
{{Short description|Wildlife research center located at the Patuxent Research Refuge, Maryland, United States}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox protected area
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
| name = Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
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| map_width = 300
| map_width = 300
| photo = Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.jpg
| photo = Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.jpg
| photo_caption = National Wildlife Visitor Center
| photo_caption = National Wildlife Visitor Center (FWS)
10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop
10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop
Laurel, MD 20708
Laurel, MD 20708
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| visitation_year =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body = [[United States Geological Survey|U.S. Geological Survey]]
| governing_body = [[United States Geological Survey|U.S. Geological Survey]]
| website = [https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pwrch Patuxent Wildlife Research Center]
| website = [https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eesc EESC/Patuxent]
}}
}}


The '''Patuxent Wildlife Research Center''' is a [[biology|biological]] research center in [[Maryland]]. It is one of 17 research centers in the [[United States]] run by the [[U.S. Geological Survey]] (USGS). The center is located on the grounds of the {{convert|12841|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[Patuxent Research Refuge]], managed by the [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]]. This is the only [[National Wildlife Refuge]] with the purpose of supporting wildlife research.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] |url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Patuxent/ |title=Patuxent Research Refuge |access-date=March 31, 2012}}</ref>
The '''Patuxent Wildlife Research Center''' is a [[biology|biological]] research center in [[Laurel, Maryland]], part of the Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC) of the [[U.S. Geological Survey]] (USGS). The EESC is the largest of the 15 USGS research centers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Announcing the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center |url=https://www.usgs.gov/news/announcing-usgs-eastern-ecological-science-center |date=2021-03-11 |publisher=United States Geological Survey (USGS) |location=Kearneysville, WV |id=News release}}</ref> The Patuxent facility is located on the grounds of the {{convert|12841|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[Patuxent Research Refuge]], managed by the [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]] (FWS). This is the only [[National Wildlife Refuge]] in the United States initially established to support wildlife research.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=United States Fish and Wildlife Service |location=Laurel, MD |url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/patuxent-research |title=Patuxent Research Refuge |access-date=2024-06-25}}</ref>


== Mission ==
== Mission ==
⚫
Since its establishment in 1936 as the first wildlife experiment station<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patuxent Wildlife Research Center - Science |url=https://www.usgs.gov/centers/patuxent-wildlife-research-center/science |access-date=2024-06-25 |publisher=USGS}}</ref> in the United States, the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has been responsible for wildlife and applied environmental research, for transmitting research findings to those responsible for managing the United States [[natural resources]], and for providing technical assistance in implementing research findings to improve [[natural resource management]].
{{advert|date=April 2020}}
⚫
Since its establishment in 1936 as the first wildlife experiment station<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patuxent Wildlife Research Center - Science {{!}} U.S. Geological Survey |url=https://www.usgs.gov/centers/patuxent-wildlife-research-center/science#:~:text=Since%20its%20establishment%20in%201936,for%20managing%20our%20nation%27s%20natural |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=www.usgs.gov}}</ref> in the United States, the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has been a leading international research institute for wildlife and applied environmental research for transmitting research findings to those responsible for managing the United States' [[natural resources]], and for providing technical assistance in implementing research findings to improve natural resource management.


Patuxent's scientists have been responsible for many important advances in natural resource conservation, especially in such areas as [[migratory birds]], national monitoring programs for amphibians and birds, wildlife population analysis, [[waterfowl]] harvest, [[Habitat (ecology)|habitat]] management, [[wetland]]s, coastal zone and [[flood plain]] management, [[contaminant]]s, [[endangered species]], urban [[wildlife]], [[ecosystem management]] and management of [[national parks]] and national [[wildlife refuge]]s.
Patuxent's scientists have been responsible for advances in natural resource conservation, especially in such areas as [[migratory birds]], national monitoring programs for amphibians and birds, wildlife population analysis, [[waterfowl]] harvest, [[Habitat (ecology)|habitat]] management, [[wetland]]s, coastal zone and [[Flood management|flood plain management]], [[contaminant]]s, [[endangered species]], urban [[wildlife]], [[ecosystem management]], and management of [[national parks]] and national [[wildlife refuge]]s.


The Center develops and manages national inventory and monitoring programs<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) |url=https://www.landscapepartnership.org/cooperative/our-plan/section-2/patuxent-wildlife-research-center-pwrc |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=www.landscapepartnership.org |language=en}}</ref> and is responsible for the [[North American Bird Banding Program]] and leadership of other national [[bird ringing|bird monitoring programs]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) |url=https://www.landscapepartnership.org/cooperative/our-plan/section-2/patuxent-wildlife-research-center-pwrc |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=www.landscapepartnership.org |language=en}}</ref>. The Center's scientific and technical assistance publications, wildlife databases, and electronic media are used nationally and worldwide in managing biological resources.
The Center develops and manages national [[inventory]] and monitoring programs<ref name="pwrc">{{Cite web |title=Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) |url=https://www.landscapepartnership.org/cooperative/our-plan/section-2/patuxent-wildlife-research-center-pwrc |access-date=December 13, 2022 |website=Landscape Partnership |language=en}}</ref> and is responsible for the [[North American Bird Banding Program]] and the leadership of other national [[bird ringing|bird monitoring programs]].<ref name="pwrc" /> The Center's scientific and technical assistance publications, wildlife databases, and [[electronic media]] are used nationally and worldwide in managing biological resources.


[[Image:Patuxent preserve outside.jpg|thumb|left|The research center hosts a wide variety of [[wildlife]].]]
[[Image:Patuxent preserve outside.jpg|thumb|left|The research center hosts a wide variety of [[wildlife]].|224x224px]]
The focus of the Center's mission and vision for the future is to continue its international, national and regional leadership in wildlife research. The Center will enhance its accomplishments in generating, interpreting, evaluating, and transmitting the scientific information needed to address better the pressing problems of managing the United States' biological resources, especially those under the stewardship of the [[Department of the Interior]], as well as other Federal and non-Federal partners. Today's challenges in natural resource management involve new approaches such as [[adaptive management]], landscape and ecosystem scale management, partnerships among multiple [[Project stakeholder|stakeholders]], and transfer and use of the vast store of existing information using modern technology.


The Center is a Federal research facility which primarily supports programs in the Department of the Interior. The USGS Biological Resources Division, of which the Center is a part, works with others to provide the information needed to manage the United States' biological resources.
The center is a federal research facility that supports programs in the [[United States Department of the Interior]]. The USGS Biological Resources Division, of which the Center is a part, works with others to provide the information needed to manage the United States' biological resources.


The Center also receives funds directly from agencies benefiting from its research and from other partner organizations, such as those co-located at its Laurel headquarters. Such support provides critical resources that enhance the scope and value of the Center's activities, within the mission of the Division.
The center also receives funds directly from agencies benefiting from its research and from other partner organizations, such as those co-located at its Laurel headquarters.

Science conducted at the Center, like any scientific enterprise, ultimately, is driven by the pressing public natural resource needs coupled with the intellectual creativity and motivation of its scientists and technical staff. No research program will succeed unless it flows from the creative energies of its scientists. The research of Center scientists must be engaged at the cutting edge of scientific understanding to assure the long term success of natural resources management.

:''Note: much of this material was copied directly from the USGS web page on Patuxent, a [[public domain]] resource. Please edit to make more encyclopedic.''


== History ==
== History ==
[[File:Patuxent Refuge entrance sign 20210411 164251 1.jpg|thumb|Patuxent National Wildlife Visitor Center entrance sign]]
[[File:Patuxent Refuge entrance sign 20210411 164251 1.jpg|thumb|Patuxent National Wildlife Visitor Center entrance sign]]
⚫
The land that currently encompasses the {{convert|12841|acre|km2}} of Patuxent Research Refuge was primarily used for farming from the colonial period until at least World War I. Prominent landowners, such as the Snowden and Duvall families, owned significant portions of land during the colonial era and well into the 19th century. The legacy of the Snowden family<ref>{{Cite web |title=Snowden Hall |url=https://www.experienceprincegeorges.com/listing/snowden-hall/551/ |access-date=December 13, 2022 |website= Experience Prince George’s, MD |publisher=Prince George’s County, MD Conference & Visitors Bureau}}</ref> can still be found in two historic homes in the area, one of which ([[Snowden Hall (Laurel, Maryland)|Snowden Hall]]) is on Patuxent Research Refuge property. In addition to these dwellings, there still exist 19 cemeteries between the center and Fort Meade whose headstones bear the inscriptions of both the Snowdens and Duvalls, in addition to lesser-known surnames such as the Woodwards, Donaldsons, and Waters families.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=Marking History's Sentiment: Search Reveals Patuxent Graveyards |date=November 27, 1997 |first=Mary L. |last=Schumacher |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1997/11/27/marking-historys-sentiment/9f3d811d-67f5-4bf3-a009-b1c14fc8368f/}}</ref>
The land that now comprises the {{convert|12841|acre|km2}} of the Patuxent Research Refuge was mostly
⚫
farmland from the colonial period through at least World War I. Well-known landholders such as the Snowden and Duvall families owned substantial amounts of land during the colonial period and well through the 19th century. The legacy of the Snowden family<ref>{{Cite web |title=Snowden Hall {{!}} Laurel, MD 20708 |url=https://www.experienceprincegeorges.com/listing/snowden-hall/551/ |access-date=2022-12-13 |website=www.experienceprincegeorges.com |language=en-us}}</ref> can still be found in two historic homes of the area, one of which ([[Snowden Hall (Laurel, Maryland)|Snowden Hall]]) actually stands on Patuxent Research Refuge property. In addition to these dwellings, there still exists 19 cemeteries between the center and Fort Meade whose headstones bear the inscriptions of both the Snowdens and Duvalls, in addition to lesser-known surnames such as the Woodwards, Donaldsons, and Waters families.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |title=Marking History's Sentiment: Search Reveals Patuxent Graveyards |date=November 27, 1997 |first=Mary L. |last=Schumacher |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1997/11/27/marking-historys-sentiment/9f3d811d-67f5-4bf3-a009-b1c14fc8368f/}}</ref>


Almost all of the {{convert|8100|acre|km2}} that makes up what is now called the "North Tract" (the Patuxent River bisects the refuge into the North and Central/South Tracts) were transferred in 1991 from the Defense Department's Fort Meade landholdings. It is here that the history of Patuxent Research Refuge is most apparent to the everyday visitor. Prior to the Department of Defense's ownership of the land in 1917, many old roads that would eventually be incorporated into use for training exercises by the Army existed. Part of the DOD's Trainfire Road, now known as the Wildlife Loop, once linked the railroad town of Woodwardville with Laurel, Maryland. Long before the area became a densely wooded haven for wildlife amidst a heavily populated urban corridor, the [[Duvall Bridge (Laurel, Maryland)|old Duvall]] and Lemons Bridges transported people between Prince Georges and Anne Arundel Counties. The former still exists as a newer bridge rebuilt in the 1940s, whereas only cement posts along either side of the river offer any vestige of what was Lemon's Bridge. Perhaps the most historic old road of all, which utilized Duvall Bridge, was the old Telegraph Road. It once linked Baltimore and Washington, and today it is still possible to see century-old telegraph poles along the road in both the Central and South Tracts.
Almost all of the {{convert|8100|acre|km2}} that make up what is now called the "North Tract" area (the [[Patuxent River]] bisects the refuge into the North and Central/South Tracts) were transferred in 1991 from the Defense Department's Fort Meade landholdings. Long before the area became a densely wooded haven for wildlife amidst a heavily populated urban corridor, the [[Duvall Bridge (Laurel, Maryland)|old Duvall]] and Lemons Bridges linked Prince Georges and Anne Arundel Counties. The former still exists as a newer bridge rebuilt in the 1940s, whereas cement posts along either side of the river are the only vestiges of Lemon's Bridge. The old Telegraph Road, which utilized Duvall Bridge, once linked Baltimore and Washington, and today it is still possible to see century-old telegraph poles along the road in both the Central and South Tracts.


In 1946, scientists found that [[DDT]] tests were killing wildlife in tree canopies and causing significant fish kills in the [[Patuxent River]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|title=D. D. T. TESTS HARMING FISH: Cause Heavy Mortality Patuxent Refuge Area|date=June 25, 1946}}</ref>
In 1946, scientists found that [[DDT]] pesticide tests were killing wildlife in tree canopies and causing significant fish kills in the Patuxent River.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |title=D.D.T. Tests Harming Fish: Cause Heavy Mortality In Patuxent Refuge Area |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/542839907 |date=June 25, 1946 |id={{ProQuest|542839907}} |url-access=subscription}}</ref>


In 1996, three women were murdered near the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. One of the men involved, [[Dustin Higgs]], was executed for the crime.<ref>{{cite news |title=Trump administration executes its last death row inmate |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2021/01/16/Trump-administration-executes-its-last-death-row-inmate/3781610804928/ |access-date=January 16, 2021 |work=UPI.com |agency=[[United Press International]] |date=January 16, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
In 1996, three women were murdered near the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. One of the men involved, [[Dustin Higgs]], was executed for the crime.<ref>{{cite news |first=Danielle |last=Haynes |title=Trump administration executes its last death row inmate |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2021/01/16/Trump-administration-executes-its-last-death-row-inmate/3781610804928/ |work=United Press International |date=January 16, 2021}}</ref>


In 2017, the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center ended its 51-year effort to breed and train [[whooping cranes]] for release, due to budget cuts by the administration of President [[Donald Trump]]. The flock of 75 birds will move to the [[International Crane Foundation]] and the [[Calgary Zoo]] for continued breeding.<ref>{{cite news |first=Karin |last=Bulliard |title=A 50-year effort to raise endangered whooping cranes comes to an end |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/09/18/a-50-year-effort-to-raise-endangered-whooping-cranes-comes-to-an-end/ |work=The Washington Post |access-date=October 1, 2017 |date=September 18, 2017}}</ref>
In 2017, the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center ended its 51-year effort to breed and train [[whooping cranes]] for release due to budget cuts. The flock of 75 birds were moved to the [[International Crane Foundation]] and the [[Calgary Zoo]] for continued breeding.<ref>{{cite news |first=Karin |last=Bulliard |title=A 50-year effort to raise endangered whooping cranes comes to an end |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/09/18/a-50-year-effort-to-raise-endangered-whooping-cranes-comes-to-an-end/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=October 1, 2017 |date=September 18, 2017 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205213758/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/09/18/a-50-year-effort-to-raise-endangered-whooping-cranes-comes-to-an-end/ |archive-date=December 5, 2022}}</ref>


== Fort Meade ==
== Fort Meade ==
[[Fort George G. Meade]], an active Army base, is near the research center. In October 1991, {{convert|7600|acre|km2}} were transferred from the base to the Patuxent National Research Refuge; in January 1993, another 500 were transferred, as part of Defense Appropriation Bills for 1991 and 1992, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/MD9210020567.htm |title=Fort George G. Meade: Current Site Information |website=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] |access-date=January 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904235804/http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/MD9210020567.htm |archive-date=September 4, 2008}}</ref>
[[Fort George G. Meade]], an active Army base, is located near the research center. In October 1991, {{convert|7600|acre|km2}} were transferred from the base to the Patuxent National Research Refuge. In January 1993, another {{convert|500|acre|km2}} was transferred as part of the Defense Appropriation Bills for 1991 and 1992, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/MD9210020567.htm |title=Fort George G. Meade: Current Site Information |publisher=U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |location=Philadelphia, PA |access-date=January 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904235804/http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/MD9210020567.htm |archive-date=September 4, 2008}}</ref>


A September 2007 environmental impact report described the expansion of Fort Meade, and particularly the proposed two additional 18-hole golf courses, as a "significant threat to the biological and territorial integrity of the Patuxent Research Refuge, a unique national interest in the forefront of scientific research and protection." In response, the Army said that it was taking steps to limit the environmental damage but that the golf courses were needed for "maintaining the quality of life for soldiers and their families."<ref>{{cite news |first=Steve |last=Vogel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/21/AR2007092102124.html |title=U.S. Agency Assails Ft. Meade Plan: Impact Report Cites Concerns About Traffic and Environment |work=The Washington Post |date=September 22, 2007 |access-date=January 23, 2008}}</ref> However, the historic golf course that had served as the centerpiece of Fort Meade since 1950 closed on May 1, 2012, and as of June 2022, no new golf courses were under construction.<ref>{{cite news |first=Matthew|last=Brown|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/latest/bs-md-fort-meade-golf-20120301-story.html |title=Fort Meade to close golf course after more than six decades of play |work=The Baltimore Sun|date=Mar 1, 2012|access-date=June 7, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=|last=|url=https://www.army.mil/article/74915/fort_meades_historic_golf_course_set_to_close |title=Fort Meade's historic golf course set to close|work=Fort Meade Public Affairs Office|date=March 2, 2012|access-date=June 7, 2022}}</ref>
A September 2007 environmental impact report described the expansion of Fort Meade, and particularly the proposed two additional 18-hole golf courses, as a "significant threat to the biological and territorial integrity of the Patuxent Research Refuge, a unique national interest in the forefront of scientific research and protection." In response, the Army said that it was taking steps to limit the environmental damage but that the golf courses were needed for "maintaining the quality of life for soldiers and their families."<ref>{{cite news |first=Steve |last=Vogel |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/21/AR2007092102124.html |title=U.S. Agency Assails Ft. Meade Plan: Impact Report Cites Concerns About Traffic and Environment |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 22, 2007 |access-date=January 23, 2008}}</ref>
The historic golf course that had served as the centerpiece of Fort Meade since 1950 closed on May 1, 2012, and, as of June 2022, no new golf courses were under construction.<ref>{{cite news |first=Matthew |last=Brown |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/latest/bs-md-fort-meade-golf-20120301-story.html |title=Fort Meade to close golf course after more than six decades of play |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=March 1, 2012 |access-date=June 7, 2022 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625023153/https://www.baltimoresun.com/latest/bs-md-fort-meade-golf-20120301-story.html |archive-date=June 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.army.mil/article/74915/fort_meades_historic_golf_course_set_to_close |title=Fort Meade's historic golf course set to close |publisher=Fort Meade Public Affairs Office |date=March 2, 2012|access-date=June 7, 2022}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category|Patuxent Wildlife Research Center}}
{{commons category|Patuxent Wildlife Research Center}}
*[http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/ USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center]
*[https://www.fws.gov/refuge/patuxent-research USFWS Patuxent Research Refuge]
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*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hVyRBJZbz8 YouTube video of the Patuxent Refuge grounds (2013)]
*[http://www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/ USFWS Patuxent Research Refuge]
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*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hVyRBJZbz8 A Youtube video of the grounds]


{{Protected areas of Maryland}}
{{Protected areas of Maryland}}
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{{authority control}}
{{authority control}}


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[[Category:1936 establishments in Maryland]]
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[[Category:Biological research institutes in the United States]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Maryland]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Maryland]]
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[[Category:United States Geological Survey]]
[[Category:Nature conservation organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Nature conservation organizations based in the United States]]
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[[Category:Patuxent River]]
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[[Category:Protected areas established in 1936]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Prince George's County, Maryland]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Prince George's County, Maryland]]
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[[Category:Biological research institutes]]
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[[Category:Protected areas established in 1936]]
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[[Category:1936 establishments in Maryland]]
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[[Category:Patuxent River]]
[[Category:Research institutes in Maryland]]
[[Category:Research institutes in Maryland]]
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[[Category:United States Geological Survey]]

Latest revision as of 04:11, 26 June 2024

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
National Wildlife Visitor Center (FWS)

10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop

Laurel, MD 20708
Map showing the location of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Map showing the location of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Map of the United States
Map showing the location of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Map showing the location of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Map of Maryland
LocationPrince George's County, Maryland, United States
Nearest cityLaurel, Maryland
Coordinates39°01′35″N 76°47′56″W / 39.02639°N 76.79889°W / 39.02639; -76.79889
Governing bodyU.S. Geological Survey
WebsiteEESC/Patuxent

The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is a biological research center in Laurel, Maryland, part of the Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The EESC is the largest of the 15 USGS research centers.[1] The Patuxent facility is located on the grounds of the 12,841-acre (51.97 km2) Patuxent Research Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). This is the only National Wildlife Refuge in the United States initially established to support wildlife research.[2]

Mission

[edit]

Since its establishment in 1936 as the first wildlife experiment station[3] in the United States, the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has been responsible for wildlife and applied environmental research, for transmitting research findings to those responsible for managing the United States natural resources, and for providing technical assistance in implementing research findings to improve natural resource management.

Patuxent's scientists have been responsible for advances in natural resource conservation, especially in such areas as migratory birds, national monitoring programs for amphibians and birds, wildlife population analysis, waterfowl harvest, habitat management, wetlands, coastal zone and flood plain management, contaminants, endangered species, urban wildlife, ecosystem management, and management of national parks and national wildlife refuges.

The Center develops and manages national inventory and monitoring programs[4] and is responsible for the North American Bird Banding Program and the leadership of other national bird monitoring programs.[4] The Center's scientific and technical assistance publications, wildlife databases, and electronic media are used nationally and worldwide in managing biological resources.

The research center hosts a wide variety of wildlife.

The center is a federal research facility that supports programs in the United States Department of the Interior. The USGS Biological Resources Division, of which the Center is a part, works with others to provide the information needed to manage the United States' biological resources.

The center also receives funds directly from agencies benefiting from its research and from other partner organizations, such as those co-located at its Laurel headquarters.

History

[edit]
Patuxent National Wildlife Visitor Center entrance sign

The land that currently encompasses the 12,841 acres (51.97 km2) of Patuxent Research Refuge was primarily used for farming from the colonial period until at least World War I. Prominent landowners, such as the Snowden and Duvall families, owned significant portions of land during the colonial era and well into the 19th century. The legacy of the Snowden family[5] can still be found in two historic homes in the area, one of which (Snowden Hall) is on Patuxent Research Refuge property. In addition to these dwellings, there still exist 19 cemeteries between the center and Fort Meade whose headstones bear the inscriptions of both the Snowdens and Duvalls, in addition to lesser-known surnames such as the Woodwards, Donaldsons, and Waters families.[6]

Almost all of the 8,100 acres (33 km2) that make up what is now called the "North Tract" area (the Patuxent River bisects the refuge into the North and Central/South Tracts) were transferred in 1991 from the Defense Department's Fort Meade landholdings. Long before the area became a densely wooded haven for wildlife amidst a heavily populated urban corridor, the old Duvall and Lemons Bridges linked Prince Georges and Anne Arundel Counties. The former still exists as a newer bridge rebuilt in the 1940s, whereas cement posts along either side of the river are the only vestiges of Lemon's Bridge. The old Telegraph Road, which utilized Duvall Bridge, once linked Baltimore and Washington, and today it is still possible to see century-old telegraph poles along the road in both the Central and South Tracts.

In 1946, scientists found that DDT pesticide tests were killing wildlife in tree canopies and causing significant fish kills in the Patuxent River.[7]

In 1996, three women were murdered near the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. One of the men involved, Dustin Higgs, was executed for the crime.[8]

In 2017, the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center ended its 51-year effort to breed and train whooping cranes for release due to budget cuts. The flock of 75 birds were moved to the International Crane Foundation and the Calgary Zoo for continued breeding.[9]

Fort Meade

[edit]

Fort George G. Meade, an active Army base, is located near the research center. In October 1991, 7,600 acres (31 km2) were transferred from the base to the Patuxent National Research Refuge. In January 1993, another 500 acres (2.0 km2) was transferred as part of the Defense Appropriation Bills for 1991 and 1992, respectively.[10]

A September 2007 environmental impact report described the expansion of Fort Meade, and particularly the proposed two additional 18-hole golf courses, as a "significant threat to the biological and territorial integrity of the Patuxent Research Refuge, a unique national interest in the forefront of scientific research and protection." In response, the Army said that it was taking steps to limit the environmental damage but that the golf courses were needed for "maintaining the quality of life for soldiers and their families."[11]

The historic golf course that had served as the centerpiece of Fort Meade since 1950 closed on May 1, 2012, and, as of June 2022, no new golf courses were under construction.[12][13]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Announcing the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center". Kearneysville, WV: United States Geological Survey (USGS). March 11, 2021. News release.
  2. ^ "Patuxent Research Refuge". Laurel, MD: United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  3. ^ "Patuxent Wildlife Research Center - Science". USGS. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC)". Landscape Partnership. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  5. ^ "Snowden Hall". Experience Prince George’s, MD. Prince George’s County, MD Conference & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Schumacher, Mary L. (November 27, 1997). "Marking History's Sentiment: Search Reveals Patuxent Graveyards". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ "D.D.T. Tests Harming Fish: Cause Heavy Mortality In Patuxent Refuge Area". The Baltimore Sun. June 25, 1946. ProQuest 542839907.
  8. ^ Haynes, Danielle (January 16, 2021). "Trump administration executes its last death row inmate". United Press International.
  9. ^ Bulliard, Karin (September 18, 2017). "A 50-year effort to raise endangered whooping cranes comes to an end". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  10. ^ "Fort George G. Meade: Current Site Information". Philadelphia, PA: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on September 4, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
  11. ^ Vogel, Steve (September 22, 2007). "U.S. Agency Assails Ft. Meade Plan: Impact Report Cites Concerns About Traffic and Environment". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
  12. ^ Brown, Matthew (March 1, 2012). "Fort Meade to close golf course after more than six decades of play". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  13. ^ "Fort Meade's historic golf course set to close". Fort Meade Public Affairs Office. March 2, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
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