Restoration and Gopher Tortoise Research Internship - Archbold Bio. Station, Florida, 2020
I conducted restoration field work monitoring wetlands and managing invasive plants with chemical and mechanical means. I tracked Gopher Tortoises with radio telemetry, conducted burrow surveys and scoped them to determine occupancy. I also conducted a research project on the burrow site selection of immature Gopher Tortoises in restored sandhill, specifically the importance of fire history and plant communities on site selection.
Visit Archbold's website to learn more!: https://www.archbold-station.org Read a blog on Gopher Tortoise Research I helped write: https://archboldedublog.org/2020/08/17/new-tortoise-royalty-on-red-hill/ Watch my presentation of my research project on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvppgcwBFz8 |
My Field Work with western Yellow-billed Cuckoos - Arizona and California, Summer 2019
I conducted surveys for the federally threatened western Yellow-billed Cuckoo (YBCU) along the Lower Colorado River (LCR). The surveys required using call-playbacks, resighting color bands, and searched for cuckoo nests. I also resighted riparian focal birds, and helped mist net cuckoos to attach satellite tags for tracking their migration. Visit Southern Sierra Research Station's website to learn more!
https://www.southernsierraresearch.org/Research/WesternYellowBilledCuckoo/ |
My Field Work with Habitat Monitoring of Northern Bobwhite - Tennessee, Summer 2018
I conducted vegetative habitat surveys and breeding bird point counts of potential Northern Bobwhite quail habitat with an amazing field partner. I measured habitat types by vegetative structure, drew protective cover maps and organized datasets. This job was the west Tennessee section of the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative’s (NBCI) 10-year study to measure Bobwhite recovery across 25 states.
Visit NBCI's website to learn more! https://bringbackbobwhites.org |
My Field Work with Beach-nesting Shorebirds - Alabama and Mississippi, Summer 2017
I surveyed the beaches and barrier islands of Alabama and Mississippi for beach-nesting shorebirds as part of a study for Conservian/Coast Bird Conservation. The study species included Snowy Plovers, Wilson Plovers, Least Terns, American Oystercatchers, and Black Skimmers.
Visit Coastal Bird Conservation/CBC's website to learn more! https://www.coastalbird.org |
Research Interests
I want to study biodiversity and conservation, specifically plant-animal interactions and the importance of diverse and endemic plant communities. I want to learn more about unique plant-animal relationships and their differing habitats. I also have a strong interest in museum collections, especially herpetology. Collections are invaluable resources for further study and education, and I want to preserve and strengthen them for future use. Finally, I love community science and outreach and believe in their ability to help people to learn more about life around them.