Thesis Topic: Feeding ecology of swans wintering in the lower Skagit River Valley, WA.

Advisor: Jeffrey Black, Ph.D.

Undergraduate Degree/Institution: B.S. Wildlife, Unity College

I grew up in New York luckily always knowing I wanted to pursue wildlife sciences. After completing my undergraduate degree in 2013 I worked on various research projects throughout the country studying waterfowl and seabird nesting ecology, raptor migration, and other sensitive bird species. In 2018 I began working as a consultant biologist in Humboldt County, where I specialized in environmental compliance projects, including northern spotted owl monitoring, nesting bird surveys, environmental impact reports, and biological resources assessments. My experience in research and regulatory worlds have made me interested in how humans work to manage wildlife populations, particularly bird species occupying areas converted to agricultural landscapes. Currently, I'm a biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife studying the contributions of public lands managed for waterfowl to non-game species like trumpeter and tundra swans in the lower Skagit River Valley.