Michael Casazza
Mike Casazza's research program at the Dixon Field Station focuses on the ecology of waterfowl and wetland management in the Pacific Flyway.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Mike and his team are experts in wildlife telemetry and apply cutting edge tools to answer complex ecological questions. In addition, Mike’s program also focuses on threatened and endangered species in a variety of ecosystems including primary ecological research on the endangered California Ridgway's Rail in SF Bay, the endangered San Francisco Gartersnake, the threatened Giant Gartersnake in the Central Valley of California, the California state-listed Greater Sandhill Crane, and the Greater Sage-Grouse. Mike Casazza's research has targeted studies which provide critical species information to land managers responsible for maintaining diverse and healthy wildlife populations while trying to help recover special status species. Understanding key life history traits of special status species can lead to management options promoting species recovery.
EDUCATION
- 1995 M.S. California State University, Sacramento Thesis: Habitat use and movement of Northern Pintails wintering in Suisun Marsh, CA
- 1988 B.S. Wildlife Biology, U.C. Davis
Science and Products
A taping method for external transmitter attachment on aquatic snakes
Demography of the San Francisco gartersnake in coastal San Mateo County, California
Bayesian adaptive survey protocols for resource management
Evaluation of the genetic distinctiveness of Greater Sage-grouse in the Bi-State Planning Area
Using avian radar to examine relationships among avian activity, bird strikes, and meteorological factors
Avian communities in tidal salt marshes of San Francisco Bay: A review of functional groups by foraging guild and habitat association
Rapid assessment of rice seed availability for wildlife in harvested fields
Science in the Public Sphere: Greater Sage-grouse Conservation Planning from a Transdisciplinary Perspective
Habitat suitability and conservation of the Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley of California
Habitat suitability and conservation of the giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley of California
Population structure and relatedness among female Northern Pintails in three California wintering regions
Scale-dependent associations of Band-tailed Pigeon counts at mineral sites
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A taping method for external transmitter attachment on aquatic snakes
Radio telemetry is extremely useful for studying habitat use and movements of free ranging snakes. Surgically implanting radio transmitters into the body cavity of snakes is standard practice in most studies (e.g., Reinert and Cundall 1982; Weatherhead and Blouin-Demers 2004), but this implanting method has its drawbacks. Surgery itself is risky for individual snakes because of the potential for iAuthorsG.D. Wylie, J.J. Smith, M. Amarello, Michael L. CasazzaDemography of the San Francisco gartersnake in coastal San Mateo County, California
The San Francisco gartersnake Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia has been federally listed as endangered since 1967, but little demographic information exists for this species. We examined the demography of a San Francisco gartersnake population on approximately 213 ha of California coastal prairie in San Mateo County, California, from 2007 to 2010. The best-supported mark–recapture model indicated aAuthorsBrian J. Halstead, Glenn D. Wylie, Melissa Amarello, Jeffrey J. Smith, Michelle E. Thompson, Eric J. Routman, Michael L. CasazzaBayesian adaptive survey protocols for resource management
Transparency in resource management decisions requires a proper accounting of uncertainty at multiple stages of the decision‐making process. As information becomes available, periodic review and updating of resource management protocols reduces uncertainty and improves management decisions. One of the most basic steps to mitigating anthropogenic effects on populations is determining if a populatioAuthorsBrian J. Halstead, Glenn D. Wylie, Peter S. Coates, Michael L. CasazzaEvaluation of the genetic distinctiveness of Greater Sage-grouse in the Bi-State Planning Area
The purpose of this study was to further characterize a distinct population of Greater Sage-grouse: the population located along the border between Nevada and California (Bi-State Planning Area) and centered around the Mono Basin. This population was previously determined to be genetically distinct from other Greater Sage-grouse populations across their range. Previous genetic work focused on charAuthorsSara J. Oyler-McCance, Michael L. CasazzaUsing avian radar to examine relationships among avian activity, bird strikes, and meteorological factors
Radar systems designed to detect avian activity at airfields are useful in understanding factors that influence the risk of bird and aircraft collisions (bird strikes). We used an avian radar system to measure avian activity at Beale Air Force Base, California, USA, during 2008 and 2009. We conducted a 2-part analysis to examine relationships among avian activity, bird strikes, and meteorologicalAuthorsPeter S. Coates, Michael L. Casazza, Brian J. Halstead, Joseph P. Fleskes, James A. LaughlinAvian communities in tidal salt marshes of San Francisco Bay: A review of functional groups by foraging guild and habitat association
The San Francisco Bay estuary is highly urbanized, but it supports the largest remaining extent of tidal salt marshes on the west coast of North America as well as a diverse native bird community. San Francisco Bay tidal marshes are occupied by more than 113 bird species that represent 31 families, including five subspecies from three families that we denote as tidal-marsh obligates. To better ideAuthorsJohn Y. Takekawa, Isa Woo, Rachel J. Gardiner, Michael L. Casazza, Joshua T. Ackerman, Nadav Nur, Leonard Liu, Hildie SpautzRapid assessment of rice seed availability for wildlife in harvested fields
Rice seed remaining in commercial fields after harvest (waste rice) is a critical food resource for wintering waterfowl in rice-growing regions of North America. Accurate and precise estimates of the seed mass density of waste rice are essential for planning waterfowl wintering habitat extents and management. In the Sacramento Valley of California, USA, the existing method for obtaining estimatesAuthorsB.J. Halstead, M. R. Miller, Michael L. Casazza, P.S. Coates, M.A. Farinha, K. Benjamin Gustafson, J.L. Yee, J. P. FleskesScience in the Public Sphere: Greater Sage-grouse Conservation Planning from a Transdisciplinary Perspective
Integration of scientific data and adaptive management techniques is critical to the success of species conservation, however, there are uncertainties about effective methods of knowledge exchange between scientists and decisionmakers. The conservation planning and implementation process for Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; ) in the Mono Basin, Calif. region, was used as a case studAuthorsAlicia Torregrosa, Michael L. Casazza, Margaret R. Caldwell, Teresa A. Mathiasmeier, Peter M. Morgan, Cory T. OvertonHabitat suitability and conservation of the Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley of California
Resource managers often have little information regarding the habitat requirements and distribution of rare species. Factor analysis-based habitat suitability models describe the ecological niche of a species and identify locations where these conditions occur on the landscape using existing occurrence data. We used factor analyses to assess the suitability of habitats for Thamnophis gigas (GiantAuthorsB.J. Halstead, G.D. Wylie, Michael L. CasazzaHabitat suitability and conservation of the giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) in the Sacramento Valley of California
Resource managers often have little information regarding the habitat requirements and distribution of rare species. Factor analysis-based habitat suitability models describe the ecological niche of a species and identify locations where these conditions occur on the landscape using existing occurrence data.We used factor analyses to assess the suitability of habitats for Thamnophis gigas (Giant GAuthorsBrian J. Halstead, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. CasazzaPopulation structure and relatedness among female Northern Pintails in three California wintering regions
Female Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) were sampled in California's three main Central Valley wintering regions (Sacramento Valley, Suisun Marsh, San Joaquin Valley) during September–October before most regional movements occur and microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA were analyzed to examine population structure and relatedness. Despite reportedly high rates of early-fall pairing and regional fideAuthorsJoseph P. Fleskes, Ada C. Fowler, Michael L. Casazza, John M. EadieScale-dependent associations of Band-tailed Pigeon counts at mineral sites
The abundance of Band-tailed Pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata monilis) has declined substantially from historic numbers along the Pacific Coast. Identification of patterns and causative factors of this decline are hampered because habitat use data are limited, and temporal and spatial variability patterns associated with population indices are not known. Furthermore, counts are influenced not only byAuthorsCory T. Overton, Michael L. Casazza, Peter S. Coates - Web Tools
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