FWS Submissions

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and USFWS conducted a pilot project to test two types of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) as platforms to monitor seabird colonies within the Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex (WMNWRC).  Surveys of these remote, off-shore islands in Washington State are expensive and carry an inherent safety risk, but with refuges supporting over 90% of breeding seabirds on the outer coast of Washington, annual survey data are key to assessing population indices.  This project provided the opportunity to conduct comparative surveys

In conjunction with the Yellow Crazy Ant eradication project being conducted on Johnston Atoll, located approximately 800 miles west of Honolulu, Hawaii, team members took the opportunity to develop and conduct a vegetation mapping project. This project will develop future refuge management decisions for this remote atoll.