Threats to Federal Bird Science Funding

According to the journal Science, the administration has targeted the Ecosystems Mission Area at the U.S. Geological Survey for elimination in its upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 budget request. The Ecosystems Mission Area, with its $307 million annual budget, supports critical biological research on endangered species, climate change, disease, and wildlife conservation. The Office of Management and Budget has directed USGS to gradually shutdown the program, affecting about 1,200 USGS scientists and staff.

The Bird Banding Laboratory and the Breeding Bird Survey are both housed by the Ecosystems Mission Area and are critical to the functions of Federal and State wildlife agencies, Migratory Bird Flyway Councils, and non-governmental organizations.

Scientific societies are rallying behind the Ecosystems Mission Area, weighing in with both the administration and with Members of Congress. Over 70 scientific and conservation organizations have written to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, expressing strong support for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Ecosystems Mission Area and urging the Department to maintain the program area’s funding at the FY25 level in the FY26 federal budget. Information recently obtained by the journal Science indicates that the administration intends to eliminate the entire program area.

The letter highlights the Ecosystems Mission Area program area’s crucial role in providing scientific research and decision-support tools that benefit public safety, environmental health, natural resource management, and public health, and emphasizes that the program’s interdisciplinary science underpins national strategies to respond to environmental and ecological challenges