NCWRC Research Initiatives

RFP: Investigating Tricolored Bat Winter Roosting Ecology within the North Carolina Coastal Plain

Deadline for submission has been extended to December 1, 2024.

Open Call for Research Ideas

NCWRC hosted an annual open call for research ideas from September 15 through October 15, 2024. The process for receiving NCWRC funding for open call research ideas will proceed in four steps.

Step I

To be considered, an applicant’s research idea must secure support from a NCWRC Research Committee member.  Applicants should contact the appropriate Research Committee member to discuss the idea and gain support before submitting a formal research idea.

Research Committee Members:

• Education – Sandi Bridges
• Fisheries (fish, mussels, crayfish, aquatic snails) – Corey Oakley
• Genetics – Heather Evans
• Habitat – Vann Stancil
• Land Management – Ben Solomon
• Social Research, Policy, and Programming – Cristina Watkins
• Wildlife ecology and management – Sara Schweitzer

Step II

Research ideas supported by a Research Committee member will be submitted.  Research ideas may be submitted annually from September 15  through October 15 using the idea submission form to research@ncwildlife.org. Acceptance of a research idea does not constitute a commitment of funding. If a research idea matches an internal proposal, the NCWRC proposal will be used moving forward.  

Step III

Proposals fitting within the scope of NCWRC objectives, priorities, and funding availability will be invited to submit a full proposal for consideration.  

Step IV

Applicants selected for funding will be notified by the Research Committee member who was contacted during Step 1. Award recipients must register in North Carolina’s e-procurement system to receive funds. The full process from Step I through Step IV is expected to take a minimum of 9 months. Awardees may not receive funding for one to two fiscal year cycles, depending on program.

Some examples of current research:

• Restoration of habitat at Kings Bridge Tract
• White-nose syndrome surveillance and management in NC
• Mountain bog habitat management and restoration at bog turtle sites in western NC
• Identifying SGCN habitat use across multiple scales throughout the eastern U.S. using MOTUS WTS
• Designing and assessing a regional acoustic monitoring program for the endangered Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel
• Urban black bears: diet, movement, reproduction, and Bearwise program

• Multi-scale assessment of wild turkey ecology in North Carolina 

  
• Conservation status and management of Henslow's sparrow at the VOA game land and eastern NC
• Development of a Breeding Bird Atlas using the functionality of eBird 

• Deer ecology across an urban-rural continuum

  
• Comparative population genetics of small mammals in the spruce-fir ecosystem of western NC
• Interspecific competition, population genetics, hybridization zones, and management of Appalachian Cottontails in western NC
• American alligator ecology in North Carolina
• Black bear abundance and density in the NC Coastal Bear Management Unit
• Allegheny Woodrat Camera Surveys
• Canine distemper virus (CDV)
• Neuse River waterdog genomics
• Movements of black bears (Ursus americanus) along Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge in North Carolina 

• Wild turkey health: analysis of pathogen data with demographic and spatial-temporal data 

  
• Conservation genomics of the Buxton Woods white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus buxtoni) on the Outer Banks, North Carolina
• DNA fingerprinting of sea turtles nesting in North Carolina
• Rabies and Canine Distemper Virus rapid test use on wildlife in field environments

Recently Completed:

Emily Nastase - “Status Assessment of Henslow’s Sparrows in North Carolina: a Multidisciplinary Framework for Conservation” 

The Henslow’s Sparrow (Centronyx henslowii) is a grassland specialist songbird species that has sustained extensive population declines since the mid 1900’s due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation throughout its range. At present, there are only two known breeding sites for the Henslow’s Sparrow in North Carolina. As such, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission sought to assess the status of the Henslow’s Sparrow in the state. However, there were no data available to assess the viability of these populations, prompting the state to seek foundational information on the Henslow’s Sparrow’s demography, distribution, habitat use, and genetic structure in North Carolina. These components are essential to quantitatively gauge the vulnerability and status of the Henslow’s Sparrow, and if needed, formulate conservation measures to ensure its viability and persistence. This project consisted of four separate studies, which together provide baseline information for the development of a comprehensive conservation strategy for the Henslow’s Sparrow populations in North Carolina. Read her thesis.

Ashley Lynn – “Estimating Densities of White-tailed Deer along an Urban-Rural Gradient in Durham County, North Carolina” 

As urbanization increases across the globe, once continuous landscapes have shifted to gradients of human dominated and fragmented habitat. Urban-rural gradients have varying degrees of change, which creates novel habitats for species. As species adapt to these transitional areas, understanding populations becomes difficult with smaller parcel sizes and private land. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is a commonly recognized species that use landscapes across gradients. The overall aim of this study was to estimate deer densities and how deer density changes across an urban-rural gradient around a metropolitan area in Durham County, North Carolina. Read her thesis.

Archived NCWRC publications may be accessed through the state library.

If you would like to request NCWRC assistance in collecting samples for a research project, please complete the sample request form and submit to research@ncwildlife.org. Responses will be returned within 60 days. 

Entities requesting NCWRC data on human subjects, or collaborating with the agency to collect data on human subjects must enter into a data sharing agreement with the agency. Human subjects data are those obtained through intervention or interaction with individuals as well as any identifiable personal information supplied by the agency or collected from individuals. The human subjects data sharing agreement requires that the requestor take steps to remove personally identifiable data, only use data for specific purposes and time periods, and safely store data. An agreement must be executed prior to the release of any agency data on human subjects to the requestor.

For permit requests, visit GoOutDoorsNorthCarolina.com