Partners and Collaborators

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

The Cornell Wildlife Health Lab partners with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) as part of the New York State Wildlife Health Program (WHP). With two laboratories working in tandem to safeguard the health of free-ranging wildlife populations across New York State and beyond through a comprehensive “One Health” approach.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The WHP is supported by a Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration grant (W-178-R) through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These funds are collected through federal excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment and then apportioned to states for wildlife conservation.

Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

The Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA) partnered with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) to hire a Northeast Regional Fish and Wildlife Health Coordinator, Dr. Melanie Kunkel, to encourage and support the network of free-ranging fish and wildlife health practitioners in the Northeast US. In collaboration with Cornell University, Dr. Kunkel is a visiting scientist at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

DJ Case & Associates

The Cornell Wildlife Health Lab partners with DJ Case & Associates to enhance wildlife health online communication, information sharing, and data analysis. DJ Case supports CWHL in the development of the SOP4CWD effort, which provides standardized operating procedures for addressing chronic wasting disease. The DJ Case team also developed the Corvus Wildlife Health Information System, a platform for reporting and tracking wildlife health events.

Surveillance Optimization Project for Chronic Wasting Disease

The Surveillance Optimization Project for Chronic Wasting Disease (SOP4CWD) project was created to provide wildlife agencies with quantitative tools to address these types of questions. The project partners have developed mathematical methods to address the challenges of disease surveillance. The CWD Data Warehouse, an online platform for CWD surveillance planning and data management, is part of SOP4CWD and is available at no cost to state (US and Mexico), tribal, and provincial wildlife agencies in North America.

White-tailed buck close up against a blue blurred background

Specific lab activities and research are further supported by a variety of external sources, including private foundations and organizations, contracts, and competitive grants at both the state and federal levels.

Interested in Learning More?

The CWHL works with wildlife agencies across the United States and internationally to develop real-world solutions to wildlife health challenges. Get in touch if you are interested in working with us.