General Outdoor Animal Research Facility

A private developer built the outdoor animal research facility. It is leased to NWRC through the federal government's General Services Administration (GSA). The research facilities are used by researchers to care for and house animals involved in various research studies. These facilities have a dual sanitary sewer system. When needed, waste material can be sent to the domestic sanitary sewer system or, if any type of experimental material is being tested, the waste from that building can be diverted into special holding tanks, which can then be treated to neutralize the material or pumped for proper disposal.

Specific Animal Research Facility Buildings

Mammal, Predator, and Raptor Pens

The 11 research buildings are metal-roofed structures with screened sides open to the weather. Each building contains animal pens that include a den box for each pen. The pens inside these buildings are designed to house small mammals from the size of a rabbit to the size of a coyote, as well as raptors such as hawks and owls.

Indoor Aviary

The indoor aviary is completely enclosed and is used for studies of birds in a situation where the environment is completely controllable. The aviary room contains pens that are designed to house groups of birds in a space large enough for them to fly. Examples of species that may be housed in the indoor aviary include blackbirds, starlings, and cowbirds.

Outdoor Aviary

The outdoor aviary is similar to the indoor aviary except that the building has a metal roof with screened sides open to the weather. It is used for the housing of birds in studies where the outdoor environment is required. The outdoor aviary contains pens that are designed to house groups of birds in a space large enough for them to fly. Blackbirds, starlings, and cowbirds might be housed in the outdoor aviary.

Rodent Building

The three rodent research buildings are partially below ground level. These buildings are designed to hold or conduct studies on burrowing rodents such as wild rats, groundsquirrels, voles, and gophers for breeding and research purposes.

Rodent Research Enclosure

The rodent research structure has below-ground exterior walls, above-ground metal sides and overhead netting. The interior is divided into several test plots. It is designed to conduct replicated field studies with burrowing rodents.

Waterfowl Pens

The waterfowl building contains pens that are designed to house waterfowl such as ducks, geese, cormorants, and other water birds

Small Bird Pens

The small bird pencontains small pens intended to house one or two birds each. There are 66 small pens in the building, each suspended 3' above the concrete floor. Typical birds to be studied in these pens would include blackbirds, starlings, cowbirds, and others of similar size.

Flight Pen

The flight pen is the only structure among the outdoor pens that does not have a roof. Instead, it has top netting. The interior floor of the flight pen is top soil with an irrigation/sprinkler system. The six study areas can be divided into subplots. Each of these subplots has surrounding vegetated areas to provide natural cover/foraging areas for birds. The subplots can be tilled and experimental crops planted in them. These plots can be designated as treated (e.g., with an experimental repellent) and controlled.

Birds can be introduced into the flight pen and their behavior observed through one of three blinds along the outside of the structure. The blinds contain one-way glass observation windows through which two of the subdivisions of the flight pen can be observed. Blackbird species are typical birds which could be studied in the flight pen.

Support Structures

Warehouse

The warehouse provides secure, long-term storage space for all research and support units of the NWRC.

Bulk Chemical Storage Facility (BCS)

The BCS is a prefabricated metal building that provides a self-contained, safe, secure structure for receiving and holding research chemicals.

Garage/Shop Building

The garage/shop is a one-story, brick- faced structure containing a number of special support functions for NWRC Headquarters. These include a metal shop, a wood shop, an office, restroom and shower, a four-bay garage, a storage room, a mechanical room, and three storage rooms for the purpose of storing shop-related materials.

Equipment Compound

The equipment compound is a fenced and paved security area to store vehicles, trailer houses, trailers, and other large, outdoor equipment.

Construction Update (Animal Research Building and Invasive Species Research Building)