For 75 years, Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s wildlife research program — founded in 1950 as the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory and now known as the Center for Wildlife Sustainability Research (CWSR) — has stood at the forefront of science, conservation and education.
Launched under SIU President Delyte Morris and zoology professor Willard D. Klimstra, the program — also known on campus simply as “the Lab”— gained national recognition for its leadership in applied research, graduate training and sustainability innovation. That tradition continues today under its new name, reflecting an expanded mission to integrate wildlife and human needs in a changing world.
This fall, SIU will mark the milestone and transition to the CWSR with a two-day celebration, Sept. 26-27, at the Helleny Pavilion in the Banterra Center on SIU’s Carbondale campus. The free, public event will feature keynote talks, student and faculty poster sessions, alumni reunions, interactive exhibits and behind-the-scenes tours that showcase both the center’s rich history and its cutting-edge research. To learn more or register, visit the event’s webpage. The registration deadline is Sept. 17.
“This anniversary is both a celebration and a call to action,” said Michael Eichholz, professor of zoology and CWSR director. “It’s an opportunity to honor those who built this program while reaffirming our commitment to today’s conservation challenges.”
Legacy of impact
Over the decades, researchers at CWSR have partnered with state and federal agencies to study species ranging from bobwhite quail and white-tailed deer to bobcats and the endangered Florida Key deer. Today, the center brings in more than $1 million in annual research funding, underscoring its role as a trusted leader in the field. In 2000, The Wildlife Society honored the program with its Group Achievement Award — an international distinction also bestowed on major organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited.
Student training has been at the heart of the center’s mission from the very beginning. More than 2,500 undergraduates have gained hands-on research experience, while about 450 graduate students have earned advanced degrees. The center’s impact is especially visible close to home in Southern Illinois, where early faculty pioneered mined-land reclamation techniques that transformed abandoned coal mine sites into vibrant ecosystems.
“The region’s restored natural areas are the direct result of those early leaders recognizing that retired surface mines could be reborn as productive landscapes for fish and wildlife,” said Eichholz.
From species counts to ecosystem thinking
Wildlife research has shifted dramatically since the center’s founding. In the 1950s, the focus was on managing individual species. By the 1980s, attention had broadened to ecosystems and predator-prey dynamics. Today, conservation faces an even greater challenge: balancing the needs of wildlife with those of a growing human population under the pressures of climate change.
“Wildlife management has gone from managing individual populations, to ecosystem-level dynamics, to today’s challenge of sustaining both natural systems and social well-being,” Eichholz explained.
Today, CWSR works not only with scientists and agencies, but also with landowners, industry and communities.
Science on the front lines
Faculty and students are working on projects that span conservation, public health, energy and recreation, including:
- Inspiring future scientists: At SIU’s Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center and the Green Earth Pyles Fork Nature Preserve, faculty and graduate students are developing camps and mentorship programs to spark interest in environmental careers. The goal: help rural and underrepresented middle schoolers envision themselves as future conservation professionals.
- Public health and landscapes: In Southern Illinois, where four eco-regions converge, researchers study how habitat management can reduce the spread of tickborne diseases. With climate change and rising outdoor recreation increasing human exposure, this work has direct implications for both conservation and public health.
- Recreation and wildlife: By fitting white-tailed deer with GPS collars, researchers are examining how the animals respond to newly built mountain biking trails. The findings will help land managers strike a balance between recreational access and conservation needs.
Graduate students at the core
Graduate students are central to CWSR. “We try to instill a culture of collaboration and cooperation,” CWSR Director Eichholz said. “Students learn more from one another and from working across multiple projects.”
For Ph.D. student Ellen Audia, that collaborative model has shaped both her research and her career path. Her dissertation focuses on bobcats recolonizing north central Illinois — landscapes once lost to intensive agriculture. By studying how these animals adapt to fragmented habitats, her work will help guide conservation not just for bobcats, but for other midsized predators facing similar pressures.
She credits CWSR with providing the mentorship and training needed to take on such a complex project. “I’ve learned so much about project management, study design, analysis and writing from faculty and fellow graduate students,” she said. “My experience here has given me a lot of confidence as a researcher and made me excited to apply what I’ve learned as I continue my career as a research scientist. I feel proud to be part of the CWSR community and legacy, and to be surrounded by so many bright and accomplished scientists.”
Looking ahead
As CWSR celebrates its diamond anniversary, its leaders are candid about the challenges ahead. Climate change and invasive species pose significant threats, and keeping the public engaged with wildlife will be critical to ensuring that resources remain available to address them.
“Our new emphasis on sustainability, and our attempts to work more with private landowners and industry to integrate both the needs of wildlife and the needs of a modern society, make us different from other wildlife programs,” Eichholz said.
Associate Professor of Zoology Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau noted that SIU’s inclusion on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions for Higher Education’s lists for Research 1 and Opportunity Colleges and Universities underscores the center’s unique role. “CWSR really embodies that,” he said.
He added that the center’s reputation extends well beyond Carbondale. “In conversations with collaborators, it often feels like being connected to the center comes with a kind of trust — that we get the job done.” As an example, Bastille-Rousseau pointed to his leadership over the past five years of a 48-year Illinois Department of Natural Resources project, a partnership that reflects the center’s continuity and reliability across decades.
That spirit of trust and endurance is central to this year’s milestone. With its strong foundation and commitment to collaboration, the Center for Wildlife Sustainability Research is poised to continue shaping conservation for generations to come.
