U.S Fish & Wildlife Service Alaska Habitat Restoration Program
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As the lead of the Southeast Alaska Habitat Restoration Program, I work with partners to conserve and restore priority species and their habitats across Southeast Alaska. We do this through strategic delivery of our Habitat Restoration programs and by helping facilitate quality partnerships and extending technical assistance.
(in development) Learn more about our Southeast Alaska Habitat Restoration Program Check out our Fish of the Week Podcast! Articles Featuring our work: https://www.fishalaskamagazine.com/tribal-restoration-workforce/ https://www.fws.gov/story/back-school |
U.S Fish & Wildlife Service Fish Passage Program: Barrier Prioritization in the Lake Superior Basin
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With the U.S. Fish Passage Program and Ted Koehler, I am worked to rank and prioritize all road crossings in the Lake Superior basin from the lens of Brook Trout. Our team has been assessing road crossings and conducting stream surveys to verify population models and individually score and rank crossings across the landscape. With Wisconsin completed and Michigan and Minnesota on the horizon, we hope to have a list of priority barriers to shape restoration goals in the future.
We also work with partners to identify collaborative projects which will contribute towards aquatic connectivity and stream restoration. |
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Variability in Mercury among Lake Michigan’s White Suckers: Pathological and Consumption Implications
Co-Authors: Dr. James Hurley, Ryan Lepak, Dr. Evan Childress, Dan Oele, Dr. Vicki Blazer, Ellen Hamman and Dr. Peter McIntyre White suckers are excellent biosentinels for contaminants given their wide distribution, slow growth and long life histories. As a benthic omnivore, they are exposed to contaminants in sediments and can bioaccumulate large quantities based on exposure. Across Lake Michigan, we investigated mercury concentrations and residency within and near Areas of Concern to attempt to model spatial and individual variation in concentrations among white suckers. Overall, these fish are experiencing deleterious conditions as indicated by high occurrence of tumors and high contaminant burdens. Understanding the variation in mercury across sites and among individual fish may give finer insight to other contaminant stressors on not only suckers but other species as well. |
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Differential Mercury Exposure among Angling Groups in Madison, Wisconsin: the intersection between consumption rates and species preferences
Co-Authors: Dr. Peter McIntyre and Dr. Ian Baird I also have been investigating risk exposure to mercury among minority angler groups in the Madison area. Mercury (Hg) is a widespread contaminant in fish, and exposure varies widely among anglers based on consumption preferences. We quantified species-specific consumption rates, considered fish advisory awareness, and estimated Hg exposure among three racial angler groups in Madison, Wisconsin. Fish consumption by African Americans (80.7 ± 40.4 g day-1) exceeded that of Hmong Americans (44.5 ± 50.6) and Whites (26.3 ± 38.2), yet preferences for high-Hg species resulted in similar estimated Hg ingestion between Hmong Americans and African Americans. Few anglers exceeded Hg health protection values, but the majority provided fish to more sensitive family members. Misconceptions about Hg existed across groups, but knowledge of fish consumption advisories was particularly low among African Americans. Our findings indicate a need to enhance awareness of consumption advisories among minority anglers, and we provide suggestions for achieving informed consumption including improved use of bait shops, signs, and interpersonal communication. |
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Nine Springs Creek Habitat Restoration: Adding Ecosystem Benefits to an Impaired Waterway Adviser: Dr. Ken Potter The Nine Springs Creek, pictured left, is located within the Rock River basin and runs into Upper Mud Lake, part of the Yahara Lake chain. Historically, this creek was channelized for agriculture drainage and currently is listed on the impaired waters list despite being largely spring fed. For this project, our cohort of 12 graduate students combined in depth field and lab testing, water quality monitoring, modeling, public outreach, mapping and collaboration with state agencies, town officials and consultants to produce a final design which created a suite of ecological and community benefits to improve the current status of this system. Two major components of this project included a re-meander of the current stream to promote wetland inundation and a northern pike spawning restoration site which has been my major area of focus. While pike have been spotted swimming up this reach, given its impaired status they are not likely finding suitable substrate for spawning. Our project designed a spawning channel that maximized the temperature, vegetation and depth conditions favored for pike spawning. Thank you to fellow colleagues: Daniel Aragon, Anna Brown, Justin Chenevert, Christian Dewey, Korin Franklin, Aaron Lamb, Andrew Mangham, Cynthia J. Novak-Krebs, Caitlyn Soley, Luke Wynn, and Hangjian Zhao |
My Earth Carbon Saving Diary - Mobile App
Adviser: Dr. Nancy Wong
We launched this mobile app on Earth Day (April 22, 2015). This app allows the user to track a selected suite of activities through out their daily routine that provide "green" alternatives to current choices. This may include reducing electricity household use, water use, choosing to bike to work versus driving, recycling and a variety of user specified activities.
Unique to this app, the user will be able to track progress in carbon metrics that will relate to the amount of carbon they saved and how many trees it would have taken to sequester that same amount. Additionally, their total progress will be tracked towards saving this polar bear from plunging into the ocean by increasing the size of the ice underneath him via their carbon savings.
Future development will contain a social media component to allow competition between users and promote carbon saving competitions in environments like the workplace.
Adviser: Dr. Nancy Wong
We launched this mobile app on Earth Day (April 22, 2015). This app allows the user to track a selected suite of activities through out their daily routine that provide "green" alternatives to current choices. This may include reducing electricity household use, water use, choosing to bike to work versus driving, recycling and a variety of user specified activities.
Unique to this app, the user will be able to track progress in carbon metrics that will relate to the amount of carbon they saved and how many trees it would have taken to sequester that same amount. Additionally, their total progress will be tracked towards saving this polar bear from plunging into the ocean by increasing the size of the ice underneath him via their carbon savings.
Future development will contain a social media component to allow competition between users and promote carbon saving competitions in environments like the workplace.