Amanda is a Wisconsin native where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point in 2012. She settled in the Gulf Coast upon relocating to Houston, Texas to earn her Master of Science in 2015, in which her graduate research focused on the reproductive and behavioral ecology of American Oystercatcher’s on the upper Texas Coast.
Amanda has managed field projects that monitored wildlife to inform conservation and management for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. Her primary research interests include coastal waterbirds and their habitats, in which she has seven years of experience implementing monitoring and conservation programs for sea/shorebirds in the Gulf of Mexico. Amanda currently works at the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana and manages the Whiskey Island Restoration Monitoring project. The project entails conducting avian surveys at Whiskey Island and interpreting survey results to assess the impact of barrier island restoration on species of conservation concern.
Science and Products
Seasonal Surveys of Shorebird and Coastal Waterbird Utilization of Dredged Material Islands in the Baptiste Collette Bayou, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New Orleans District, Louisiana
Understanding Avian Habitat Availability and Use After Barrier Island Restoration in Coastal Louisiana
Adapting to Climate Change: Trends and Severe Storm Responses by Migratory Landbirds and Their Habitats
Monitoring Effects of Barrier Island Restoration on Piping Plovers in Louisiana
Science and Products
- Science
Seasonal Surveys of Shorebird and Coastal Waterbird Utilization of Dredged Material Islands in the Baptiste Collette Bayou, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New Orleans District, Louisiana
To assess use of dredge material areas, avian ecologists from USGS WARC are conducting bird surveys across the annual life cycle.Understanding Avian Habitat Availability and Use After Barrier Island Restoration in Coastal Louisiana
Using ecological and geographical data, WARC researchers and their partners are analyzing avian and benthic sampling on Whiskey Island and Caminda Headland to compare pre- and post-restoration aspects of habitat occupancy, habitat availability, habitat use, and kernal density estimation.Adapting to Climate Change: Trends and Severe Storm Responses by Migratory Landbirds and Their Habitats
USGS scientists will be analyzing weather surveillance radar observations of birds departing stopover habitats to measure responses to climate change.Monitoring Effects of Barrier Island Restoration on Piping Plovers in Louisiana
The federally threatened piping plover relies on sand-beach habitat year-round for nesting, foraging, and roosting, habitat that is particularly vulnerable to loss and degradation from coastal development, recreation activities, erosion, and sea-level rise. - Data
- Multimedia