KANSAS COOPERATIVE FISH AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH UNIT

History

The Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is jointly sponsored and financed by the U.S. Geological Survey-Biological Resources Division, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Kansas State University, and the Wildlife Management Institute.

In 1960, Congress gave statutory recognition to the Cooperative Research Unit program by enactment of Public Law 86-686. The act reads:
 

"To facilitate cooperation between the Federal Government, colleges and universities, the States, and private organizations for cooperative unit programs of research and education relating to fish and wildlife, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, for the purpose of developing adequate, coordinated, cooperative research and training programs for fish and wildlife resources, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to continue to enter into cooperative agreements with colleges and universities, with game and fish departments of the several States, and with nonprofit organizations relating to cooperative research units: Provided, That Federal participation in the conduct of such cooperative unit programs shall be limited to the assignment of the Department of the Interior technical personnel by the Secretary to serve at the respective units, to supply for the use of the particular unit's operations such equipment as may be available to the Secretary for such purposes, and the payment of incidental expenses of Federal personnel and employees of cooperating agencies assigned to the units. There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act."

The Kansas Unit opened in October 1991 at Manhattan.  Dr. Timothy R. Modde was appointed as the first Unit Leader.  Ms. Joyce Brite was hired as support staff.  In May 1992, Dr. Modde left the Unit to take a position with the Colorado River Fisheries Project, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Vernal, Utah.  Dr. Michael R. Vaughan of the Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit was assigned to the Kansas Unit as Acting Unit Leader for a six-week period.

Dr. Philip S. Gipson was selected as the Unit Leader in May 1993.  Dr. Christopher S. Guy and Dr. Jack F. Cully, Jr. were hired as Assistant Leader-Fisheries and Assistant Leader-Wildlife, respectively.

Dr. Guy left in 2002 to become Assistant Leader-Fisheries at the Montana Cooperative Fisheries Unit in Bozeman.  In November 2003, Dr. Craig P. Paukert joined the Kansas Unit as Assistant Leader-Fisheries.

The Unit Leader and the Assistant Unit Leaders are faculty members in the Division of Biology at Kansas State University.  Graduate students associated with the Unit are part of the Division of Biology and graduate degrees are awarded through the Division.  Unit staff and students often work on partnership projects that involve specialists from the University and other cooperating groups.