Laboratory Information:
National Wetlands Research Center
700 Cajundome Blvd.
Lafeyette, LA 70506
Website: http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/
Agency/Department: Dept. of Interior
Region: Southeast
FLC Laboratory Representative:
Mr. Pat O'Neil
Phone: 337-266-8699
Fax: 337-266-8513
Email: pat_oneil@usgs.gov
Background/History of the Laboratory:
The National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) has a talented
staff of about 150 persons with a mix of
scientific and technical skills, ranging from plant, wetland, and animal ecology to mapping, remote
sensing,
geographic information systems, computer and electronic technologies, information technologies, and
water
quality analysis. Its headquarters is located in Lafayette, La., where it is in a relatively new federal
facility nestled
within the research park of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. It also has field stations located
in Corpus
Christi, Tex.; Baton Rouge, La.; and Gulf Breeze, Fla. Initially NWRC research activities served the
needs of the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other Federal and State agencies with issues within the coastal zone
of the
United States. NWRC continues that research activity to address the enormous losses of wetlands in coastal
systems, the changes in fresh and estuarine systems because of changes in water quality, and the resulting
effects on birds. In the last few years, NWRC has expanded its client base to include specifically the
needs of
the National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and Minerals Management Service, all bureaus within
the
Department of the Interior. As a result, it has also expanded its research to address inland issues
such as
bottomland hardwoods and neotropical birds. Additionally, NWRC provides research and technical assistance
support to the implementation of specific laws such as the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and
Restoration Act, or the Coastal Barriers Resources Act. Many of the center's products and services are
being
used by other Federal and State agencies in the development and execution of plans to restore coastal
systems.
Mission of the Laboratory:
The mission of the NWRC is to develop and disseminate scientific information needed
for understanding the
ecology and values of our nation's wetlands and for managing and restoring wetland habitats and associated
plant and animal communities.
Technology Transfer Mechanisms:
- Technical Assistance
- Partnerships
Technology Areas of Expertise:
- Engineering
- Remote sensing
- Submerged Aquatic
- Systems GIS
- Vegetation
- Reforestation/Restoration
- Invasive Species
- Accretion, Subsidence, and Sea-level Rise
- Aquatic Ecosystem Stressors
- Assessment and Modeling
- Coastal Marsh Dieback (Brown Marsh)
- Coastal Prairie Management and Restoration
- Computer Modeling
- Conservation and Restoration Genetics
- Dendroecology
- Ecosystem Analysis
- Education, Outreach, and Training
- Environmental Electronics
- Fire Science
- Functions and Processes
- Geographic Information
- GIS-based Ecosystem
- Global Climate Change
- Hurricanes
- Information Resource
- Management
- Marsh Management and Restoration
- Nutrient Dynamics and Biogeochemical Cycling
- Photointerpretation and Cartography
- Plant Community Dynamics
- Population Ecology
