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Abigail Lawson, PhD

Assistant Unit Leader - New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Her research background includes Bayesian hierarchical modeling, demographic parameter estimation, movement ecology, structured decision making, and monitoring program optimization. Her work focuses on developing tools to reduce uncertainty in the estimation of abundance or demographic parameters, particularly for wildlife species that are difficult to monitor, and how uncertainties influence management, conservation, and monitoring decisions. She is currently developing an adaptive management framework to inform conservation efforts for the recovery of eastern Black Rail populations on the Atlantic Coast.

Education

  • Ph.D. Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, Clemson University. Clemson, SC. 2019. Dissertation: Reducing uncertainties in conservation decision-making for American alligators.
  • M.S. Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno. Reno, NV. 2012. Thesis: Life history patterns and population dynamics of Common Goldeneyes in the
    northern boreal forest.
  • B.S. Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis. Davis, CA. 2007.

 

Professional Experience

  • Postdoctoral Research Ecologist, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD. December 2019–present
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL. March–December 2019 
  • Ph.D. Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant, Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC. January 2013 – February 2019.
  • M.S. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV. January 2010 – September 2012.

Affiliations:

  • The Wildlife Society, Biometrics Working Group

Professional Experience

  • Assistant Unit Leader, New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2021-

Education and Certifications

  • PhD, Clemson University, 2013

  • MS, University of Nevada, Reno, 2010

  • BS, University of California, Davis, 2003

Science and Products

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Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Creating a Decision Support Tool for Setting Sustainable Raptor Take Limits in a Changing Climate

Raptor populations are already seeing the effects of climate change through impacts on migration biology and vital rates (i.e. changes in the size and composition of a population). However, the decision framework used by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) to estimate population trends and set allowable take limits from commercial and recreational activities does not take into account how birds
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

Creating a Decision Support Tool for Setting Sustainable Raptor Take Limits in a Changing Climate

Raptor populations are already seeing the effects of climate change through impacts on migration biology and vital rates (i.e. changes in the size and composition of a population). However, the decision framework used by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) to estimate population trends and set allowable take limits from commercial and recreational activities does not take into account how birds
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Elicited qualitative value of information scores for eastern black rail uncertainties on the Atlantic Coast from a 2020 adaptive management workshop

The eastern black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis; hereafter rail) is a small, cryptic marshbird that was recently listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We organized a rapid prototyping workshop to initiate development of an adaptive management for rails on the Atlantic Coast. The in-person workshop spanned 2.5 days and was held in Titusville, Florida in January 2020
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center

American alligator demographic and harvest data from Georgetown County, South Carolina, 1979-2017

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is a species of ecological and economic importance in the southeastern United States. Within South Carolina, alligators are subject to private and public harvest programs, as well as nuisance removal. These management activities can have different impacts across alligator size classes that may not be apparent through widely-used monitoring techni
By
Cooperative Research Units

Qualitative value of information provides a transparent and repeatable method for identifying critical uncertainty

Conservation decisions are often made in the face of uncertainty because the urgency to act can preclude delaying management while uncertainty is resolved. In this context, adaptive management is attractive, allowing simultaneous management and learning. An adaptive program design requires the identification of critical uncertainties that impede the choice of management action. Quantitative evalua
Authors
Michelle L Stantial, Abigail Jean Lawson, Auriel M.V. Fournier, Peter J. Kappes, Chelsea S. Kross, Michael C. Runge, Mark S. Woodrey, James E. Lyons
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Decision context as an essential component of population viability analysis

Population viability analysis (PVA) is a widely used tool that applies demographic data in simulation frameworks to assess extinction risk for species or populations. It is used in diverse conservation applications, including evaluating management effectiveness, relative risk of threats, and potential changes to protective status (Beissinger & McCullough, 2002), and can be a critical tool for maki
Authors
Abigail Jean Lawson, Brian Folt, Anna Maureen Tucker, Francesca T. Erickson, Conor P. McGowan
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

American alligator growth simulation and integrated population model

The software consists of three scripts to be run in the R statistical program: 1) Alligator growth simulation; 2) alligator integrated population model file; and 3) data visualization script. Script #1 produces growth transition probabilities that are used in script #2. The second script uses the outputs from #1 as well as other data files to run an integrated population model. The last script (#
By
Cooperative Research Units

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