Auburn University

Environmental Dna (EDNA) Work Has the Potential to Considerably Improve Local Economies, Recreational Opportunities, and Conservation Outcomes. Recent Cooperative Projects Between U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Auburn University (AU) Have Placed Both Entities at the Forefront of Environmental Dna Work. This Project Aims to Build on Past Investments in Infrastructure for Environmental Dna Applied Research. Edna Work Funded by This Cooperative Agreement Will Include Making Technological Improvements to Edna Methodologies, Generating Reference Genomic Datasets for Edna Work via Public Dissemination, and Applied Edna-basedsurveillance for Rare and Invasive Species. All Work Will Be Done in Close Collaboration With Usfws Personnel. Therefore, the Cooperative Agreement Will Enhance a Long-term Partnership Between U.s. Fish and Wildlife and Auburn University. in Doing So, This Project With Establish a National Hub for Environmental Dna in Alabama. All Work Done as Part of This Cooperative Agreement Will Follow Best Practices to Ensure Data Are Reliable, Reproducible, and Actionable. the Cooperative Agreement Will Ensure That Alabama, and the Wider Southeastern United States, Will Be a Leader in the Edna Fields. We Also Anticipate That This Cooperative Agreement Will Result in Considerable Economicimpact by Supporting Jobs, Recreation, and Future Public-private Partnerships.