Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Fellowship Year: 2008

Academic Background: Sonoma State University - MS 2009- (Biology)

Current Position: Avian Ecologist and Banding Coordinator , PRBO Conservation Science

I received a Master’s Degree in biology at Sonoma State University with an emphasis in conservation genetics. I am especially interested in songbird conservation, population dynamics and migration; training interns in field techniques and conservation science; and the impact of oil spills on seabird populations. I have pursued and expanded all of these areas of interest at PRBO Conservation Science, where I have worked as a biologist since 1996. Oil spill response has been a component of my job since 1997, where I help lead efforts for PRBO and the state of California to collect oiling data, conduct species identification, and collect evidence from birds during California spills. My master’s thesis focused on Western Grebes, one of the species most impacted by spills on the California coast. I developed genetic markers to use to try to connect migratory populations of grebes so that we could know which breeding populations are affected when oil spills cause mortality to wintering populations, and examined demographic impacts of a few recent spills. My professional interests relating to songbird ecology and conservation have brought me, also through PRBO, to study songbirds in a variety of habitats and I am currently involved with projects in the northern Sierras and in the San Francisco Bay area, and especially the Palomarin Field Station in Point Reyes National Seashore. Originally from Virginia, while growing up I also lived in Chile, Brazil, Zaire, and Thailand, returning to get a bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia with majors in environmental science and psychology.

Expertise: Conservation Science & Biology