The Baton Rouge Audubon Society will host our next program on Wednesday,
October 30th at the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library on Goodwood Blvd.
PROGRAM TITLE: Secretive marshbird trends across the Deltaic Plain of
Louisiana
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Secretive marshbirds (SMB) are an enigmatic group of waterbirds found
within fresh to saline marshes of Louisiana and are affected by both
natural and anthropogenic changes within their environment. The lack of
information regarding SMB distributions complicates planning, management,
and restoration of SMBs in coastal Louisiana, highlighted during the
aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill in 2010. To address this
information gap, we conducted three years of callback survey within five
basins around Coastal Reference Monitoring Stations (CRMS) scattered across
Louisiana wetlands of five key breeding SMBs across various coastal marsh
types within the deltaic plain of Louisiana. Ecological variables such as
water levels, vegetation community types and remote sensing results were
then used to quantify ecological trends and estimate the abundance of SMBs.
Additionally, deployment of GPS tags on rails and gallinules will help
better identify what factors may affect home range size and movements
across seasons. The development of species distribution models from
abundance across southeastern Louisiana will help biologists better
identify key restoration features for marshbird management and conservation.
PRESENTER: Leah Moran, PhD candidate, School of Renewable Natural Resource,
Louisiana State University
LOCATION: East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library on Goodwood Blvd; Room 102
(first floor)
DATE: Wednesday, October 30th
TIME: 7:00 - 8:00 PM (in-person social 6:30-7:00)
Although we encourage everyone to attend in person, we do still offer a
virtual option via Zoom. Zoom registration:
Thank you,
Katie Percy
BRAS Programs Committee
