Diana Humple

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 Point Blue Conservation Science (Point Blue; formerly PRBO), 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 Point Blue and the state of California to collect oiling data, species identification, and 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 Point Blue, to study songbirds in a variety of habitats and I currently oversee such projects in the San Francisco Bay area, including the Palomarin Field Station in Point Reyes National Seashore. Originally from Virginia, while growing up I also lived in Chile, Brazil, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), and Thailand, returning to get a bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia with majors in environmental science and psychology.