Kurt P Kowalski, PhD

Can we find innovative control approaches for Phragmites australis (Common Reed) and other invasive plant species of concern to resource managers?

What is the role of hydrologic connectivity in the rehabilitation and adaptive management of diked and coastal wetland ecosystems in the Laurentian Great Lakes and throughout the nation?

What is the landscape-scale potential for coastal wetland habitat rehabilitation throughout the Great Lakes basin?

These are a few of the research questions that I have been working on during my 30+ years at the Great Lakes Science Center. My master’s work in GIS and remote sensing at EMU and doctoral studies at U-M provided a solid foundation for extensive work with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges (Detroit River, Ottawa, Seney, Shiawassee), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Ohio DNR, Michigan DNR, The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, and many other partners. I studied the diked and coastal marshes of western Lake Erie for many years and continue to work with managers to apply site specific results at regional scales. My research program also focuses on the ecology and management of invasive plants (e.g., Phragmites australis), including efforts to develop a non-toxic bioherbicide and find species-specific treatments that target the plant at the molecular level. Leadership experiences at the National Conservation Leadership Institute and within USGS have helped me produce some innovative science and push research teams in new directions.

Select Research Projects:

Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Restoration Assessment: overview, geonarrative, and mappers (See Web Tools tab below)

Collaborative coastal wetland restoration planning and monitoring for over 1,000 acres (400 hectares) at the USFWS Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge

Implementation of the binational Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program