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Laura McDuffie

Laura is a data scientists and biologist who specializes in data management and the movement and breeding ecology of migratory shorebirds.

My duties include assisting staff with the creation, modification, and publishing of data release, digitally archiving legacy data for public use, producing data visualizations to engage the public in research produced by Alaska Science Center scientists, and providing field assistance to research biologists.

Professional Experience

  • 2021-Present: Biologist (Data Scientist), USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK

  • 2021: Communication Specialist, Great Basin Institute and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, External Affairs, Anchorage, AK

  • 2016-2021: Fish and Wildlife Technician (Avian), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management, Anchorage, AK

  • 2016: Marine Mammal Technician (Weddell Seal), Montana State University, Erebus Bay, Antarctica

  • 2014-2016: Seasonal Technician (Non-Game), Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Threatened, Endangered, and Diversity Program, Anchorage, AK

  • 2012-2014: Zookeeper (Large Ungulates), Alaska Zoo, Anchorage, AK

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. 2021, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, Biological Sciences

  • B.S. 2015, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, Biological Science, Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • American Ornithological Society

  • International Wader Study Group

  • The Waterbird Society

  • The Wildlife Society

  • Alaska Shorebird Group

  • Alaska Boreal Partners in Flight

  • Western Bat Working Group

Honors and Awards

  • USFWS Data Champion Award (2020)

  • Churchill Northern Studies Centre Northern Research Fund, recipient (2019)

  • USFWS Candidate Conservation Species Fund, recipient (2019)

Abstracts and Presentations

  • BirdsCaribbean, A Year in the Life of the Lesser Yellowlegs (2021)

  • Tanana Valley Crane Festival, The Trials and Tribulations of a Declining Shorebird Species (2021)

  • Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, Harvest Exposure Risk of Lesser Yellowlegs (2021)

Science and Products

Flyway-scale GPS tracking reveals migratory routes and key stopover and non-breeding locations of lesser yellowlegs

Many populations of long-distance migrant shorebirds are declining rapidly. Since the 1970s, the lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) has experienced a pronounced reduction in abundance of ~63%. The potential causes of the species' decline are complex and interrelated. Understanding the timing of migration, seasonal routes, and important stopover and non-breeding locations used by this species will
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Revealing migratory path, important stopovers and non-breeding areas of a boreal songbird in steep decline

The Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) is a steeply declining aerial insectivore with one of the longest migrations of any North American passerine. We deployed light-level geolocators and archival GPS tags on breeders in boreal Alaska to determine migratory routes, important stopovers and non-breeding locations. Data from 16 individuals revealed a median 23,555 km annual journey (range: 19
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Juvenile Shorebird Morphological Data Collected in Alaska and Canada

This dataset consists of shorebird chick measurements (wing, primary feather 10, diagonal tarsus, and bill length) and body mass for various shorebird species captured in Alaska and Canada during 1978-2022. Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey - Alaska Science Center, and collaborators from many government agencies and research institutions have studied shorebirds at numerous sites across N
By
Alaska Science Center
Map with study site locations for waterbird and Arctic lake ecosystem research on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska.
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A Spectacled Eider with radio transmitter wire on its back.
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Surface pools on North Slope of Alaska formed by melting permafrost during the summer.
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Buff-breasted Sandpiper chick with wing spread in the hand of a scientist. They are examining the body condition of the chick
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A flock of waterfowl flying over Izembek Lagoon on the outskirts of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge on the Alaska Peninsula.
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Science and Products

*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