Assessment & Monitoring of Tidal Marsh Bird Populations in the Face of Global Change

Research at the Reserve Series

Assessment & Monitoring of Tidal Marsh Bird Populations in the Face of Global Change

Tuesday, March 5 – Virtual Only Presentation
6:30PM – 7:30PM

Learn about the efforts of SHARP (Saltmarsh Habitat and Avian Research Program) What is SHARP and what does it have to do with the marshes of Waquoit Bay? Come hear about this program which is working from Maine to Virginia to answer the questions needed to prevent tidal marsh birds and their wetland habitats from disappearing. Find out the results of their surveys at Waquoit Bay NERR and how community members can contribute to these studies.

SHARP is being used to assess tidal marsh bird populations in the face of sea-level rise.  Since 2010, SHARP has united partners from Maine to Virginia in surveying tidal marsh birds, particularly the Saltmarsh Sparrow. Their work has yielded insight about tidal marsh bird populations that is now being used to direct marsh restoration.

Kate Ruskin Ph.D., Senior Lecturer and Undergraduate Coordinator in Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Maine.  Kate studies conservation in the face of global change, and she uses this topic to broadly work at the intersection of education, research, and outreach. She studies the demographics of tidal marsh birds, which are threatened by habitat loss and sea level rise, human development and resource use on public lands such as Acadia National Park, and the efficacy of experiential learning on improving STEM learning and retention. Her work on coastal ecology has led her to capture Saltmarsh Sparrows throughout the Northeast, find a couple of ground-nesting osprey pairs, and dodge cormorant guano on islands in New York City, among other adventures.

Sophie Barno, Adjunct Professor, Baruch College of Natural Sciences and Queens College Department of Biology. Sophie spent the spring and summer of 2023 collecting bird abundance and distribution data for the Saltmarsh Habitat and Avian Research Program (SHARP). She is currently working as an adjunct professor of ecology and biostatistics at the City University of New York.

A Zoom link will be emailed to you prior to the start of this webinar.