Brine shrimp seen swimming in Lake Abert, one of many Saline Lakes in the Great Basin. These shrimp provide an important source of prey to shorebirds stopping in the area to rest and refuel on their long migration journeys.
Garth Herring
I am an Avian Ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center in Corvallis, Oregon. My research focuses on identifying and understanding environmental threats primarily to avian populations and providing sound scientific research to implement conservation solutions.
My work focuses on understanding the physiological responses of wildlife to environmental contaminants and landscape-scale stressors. I specialize in field-based ecological studies to assess the impacts of stressors (lead, mercury, prey availability, rodenticides) on the behavior and reproduction of avian species. Additionally, my laboratory-based studies examine the physiological responses of a variety of wildlife (birds, amphibians, and fishes) to a wide array of environmental contaminants.
Science and Products
Prey Availability
Migratory wildlife need to balance the benefits of migration and reproduction with the physiological costs. This is particularly challenging in dynamic environments like wetlands, where food levels can vary greatly from year to year. For shorebirds in the Great Basin region, saline or terminal lakes provide essential habitats during their annual life cycle. To understand how changes in hydrology...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment
Contaminant Ecology Research Team (FRESC)
The FRESC Contaminant Ecology research program evaluates the distribution, movement, and ecological effects of environmental contaminants across the landscape and strives to provide relevant science in support of natural resource conservation, management, and decision making.
Brine Shrimp Swimming
Brine shrimp seen swimming in Lake Abert, one of many Saline Lakes in the Great Basin. These shrimp provide an important source of prey to shorebirds stopping in the area to rest and refuel on their long migration journeys.
Golden eagle chick in nest with ground squirrel and raptor carcasses
Golden eagle chick in nest with ground squirrel and raptor carcasses
Golden eagle chick in nest with ground squirrel and raptor carcasses
Science and Products
Prey Availability
Migratory wildlife need to balance the benefits of migration and reproduction with the physiological costs. This is particularly challenging in dynamic environments like wetlands, where food levels can vary greatly from year to year. For shorebirds in the Great Basin region, saline or terminal lakes provide essential habitats during their annual life cycle. To understand how changes in hydrology...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Nevada Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Utah Water Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment
Contaminant Ecology Research Team (FRESC)
The FRESC Contaminant Ecology research program evaluates the distribution, movement, and ecological effects of environmental contaminants across the landscape and strives to provide relevant science in support of natural resource conservation, management, and decision making.
Brine Shrimp Swimming
Brine shrimp seen swimming in Lake Abert, one of many Saline Lakes in the Great Basin. These shrimp provide an important source of prey to shorebirds stopping in the area to rest and refuel on their long migration journeys.
Brine shrimp seen swimming in Lake Abert, one of many Saline Lakes in the Great Basin. These shrimp provide an important source of prey to shorebirds stopping in the area to rest and refuel on their long migration journeys.
Golden eagle chick in nest with ground squirrel and raptor carcasses
Golden eagle chick in nest with ground squirrel and raptor carcasses
Golden eagle chick in nest with ground squirrel and raptor carcasses
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government