Below is a brief description of workshops I have helped design, organize or run.
Data Integration for Species Distribution Modeling (2019)
Role: Co-instructor & Organizer
Co-instructors: Brent Pease, David Miller, Krishna Pacifici
Audience: Participants of the 2019 National Wildlife Society Meeting
Overview: Species distribution models (SDMs) are frequently used to describe patterns and understand relationships between environmental characteristics and species occurrence records. As use and development of SDMs expands, coupled with a wealth of openly available species occurrence records, a new interest in combining multiple data sources to improve estimates of species distribution has resulted in the development of data integration methods for SDMs. This workshop introduced users to recently developed integrated SDMs and provided hands-on model fitting opportunities. We began by illustrating the progression from general SDMs to integrated SDMs and continued with describing method development and exploring focal models. We then transitioned to fitting a suite of integrated SDMs, naturally building in model complexity, while discussing applications of the models.
Role: Co-instructor & Organizer
Co-instructors: Brent Pease, David Miller, Krishna Pacifici
Audience: Participants of the 2019 National Wildlife Society Meeting
Overview: Species distribution models (SDMs) are frequently used to describe patterns and understand relationships between environmental characteristics and species occurrence records. As use and development of SDMs expands, coupled with a wealth of openly available species occurrence records, a new interest in combining multiple data sources to improve estimates of species distribution has resulted in the development of data integration methods for SDMs. This workshop introduced users to recently developed integrated SDMs and provided hands-on model fitting opportunities. We began by illustrating the progression from general SDMs to integrated SDMs and continued with describing method development and exploring focal models. We then transitioned to fitting a suite of integrated SDMs, naturally building in model complexity, while discussing applications of the models.
Vernal Pool Management (Structured Decision-Making, 2019)
Role: Invited expert on vernal pool hydrology and climate sensitivity.
Organized by: Rachel Katz, Biometrician for the Inventory and Monitoring Initiative of the National Wildlife Refuge System
Audience: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System
Overview: Participants from NWRS Refuges, DNRCP, and U.S. Geological Survey ARMI met in Hadley, MA to develop management objectives and strategies to protect and restore vernal pool amphibian communities at three NWRs: Eastern Mass NWR Complex (MA), Umbagog NWR (NH/ME), and Canaan Valley NWR (WV). This workshop was motivated by long-term declines of two vernal pool breeding species (spotted salamander and wood frog) and the need to develop biological objectives across NWRs. We used structured decision-making to clarify the management problem for each refuge.
Role: Invited expert on vernal pool hydrology and climate sensitivity.
Organized by: Rachel Katz, Biometrician for the Inventory and Monitoring Initiative of the National Wildlife Refuge System
Audience: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System
Overview: Participants from NWRS Refuges, DNRCP, and U.S. Geological Survey ARMI met in Hadley, MA to develop management objectives and strategies to protect and restore vernal pool amphibian communities at three NWRs: Eastern Mass NWR Complex (MA), Umbagog NWR (NH/ME), and Canaan Valley NWR (WV). This workshop was motivated by long-term declines of two vernal pool breeding species (spotted salamander and wood frog) and the need to develop biological objectives across NWRs. We used structured decision-making to clarify the management problem for each refuge.
Technologies for individual monitoring in fisheries and wildlife (2019)
Role: Co-instructor & Organizer
Co-instructors: Shannon White (lead), Laken Ganoe, Tess Gingery, Benjamen Kline
Audience: Participants of the 2019 Pennsylvania Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting
Overview: Tracking individual movement and behavior in fish and wildlife populations can provide improved understanding of resource use and survival, and can be used to identify potential threats to conservation. There is a myriad of technologies available to monitor individuals, ranging from computer software programs to advanced satellite telemetry, and understanding the benefits and limitations of each method is critical for project design and execution. This workshop explored common monitoring techniques used in fish and wildlife research, including molecular, PIT, VIE, telemetry, Floy, and biomonitoring technologies. Highlighting data from trout, deer, amphibians, and rodents, we compared technologies and discussed introductory quantitative methods to analyze individual monitoring data.
Role: Co-instructor & Organizer
Co-instructors: Shannon White (lead), Laken Ganoe, Tess Gingery, Benjamen Kline
Audience: Participants of the 2019 Pennsylvania Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting
Overview: Tracking individual movement and behavior in fish and wildlife populations can provide improved understanding of resource use and survival, and can be used to identify potential threats to conservation. There is a myriad of technologies available to monitor individuals, ranging from computer software programs to advanced satellite telemetry, and understanding the benefits and limitations of each method is critical for project design and execution. This workshop explored common monitoring techniques used in fish and wildlife research, including molecular, PIT, VIE, telemetry, Floy, and biomonitoring technologies. Highlighting data from trout, deer, amphibians, and rodents, we compared technologies and discussed introductory quantitative methods to analyze individual monitoring data.
Monitoring wetland ecosystems and wetland-breeding amphibian communities (2018)
Role: Instructor & Organizer
Co-instructors: Staci Amburgey
Audience: Participants of the 2018 Pennsylvania Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting
Overview: We explored a natural vernal pool ecosystem while discussing the methods that researchers can use to monitor and assess wetland-breeding amphibian populations. Specifically, we discussed the trapping and marking techniques we use to monitor a PA spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) population using a capture-mark-recapture methodology. We discussed issues associated with vernal pools and their management (e.g., abundance and distribution of vernal pools, threats posed by development and climate change). Lastly we will offer a short tutorial on some of the methods we use to mark (i.e., visual implant elastomer) and identify (i.e., individual identification software) spotted salamanders.
Useful Resources (from other sources):
Northeastern U.S. Larval Amphibian Field Guides
NEPARC Disinfection Protocol
Pennsylvania Guide to Vernal Pools
Role: Instructor & Organizer
Co-instructors: Staci Amburgey
Audience: Participants of the 2018 Pennsylvania Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting
Overview: We explored a natural vernal pool ecosystem while discussing the methods that researchers can use to monitor and assess wetland-breeding amphibian populations. Specifically, we discussed the trapping and marking techniques we use to monitor a PA spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) population using a capture-mark-recapture methodology. We discussed issues associated with vernal pools and their management (e.g., abundance and distribution of vernal pools, threats posed by development and climate change). Lastly we will offer a short tutorial on some of the methods we use to mark (i.e., visual implant elastomer) and identify (i.e., individual identification software) spotted salamanders.
Useful Resources (from other sources):
Northeastern U.S. Larval Amphibian Field Guides
NEPARC Disinfection Protocol
Pennsylvania Guide to Vernal Pools
Hierarchical Modeling Workshop: Site-occupancy and species distribution models for international ecologists (2016)
Role: Junior Co-instructor
Co-instructors: Marc Kéry, David Miller, Gonçalo Ferraz, Ulisses Camargo, Murilo Guimarães, Nicolas Strebel
Overview: This workshop is the third in a series of Porto Alegre Hierarchical Modeling Workshops for Ecologists, started in 2014. Each year we focus on a particular modeling topic and the theme for 2016 is site-occupancy modeling with particular emphasis on species distribution modeling. The workshop will open with a one-day introduction to linear, generalized linear and mixed models, and their implementation in the Bayesian and likelihood framework. From day two on, we turn our attention to the modeling of species distributions, focusing on the powerful site-occupancy models, which deal explicitly with measurement errors in species detection/non-detection data. We first study the basic MacKenzie et al. (2002) static model, and then develop a range of variations on the basic theme, with particular attention to dynamic occupancy models, mis-identification models, and spatial models of species distribution. A large part of the content will draw on three successful applied statistics books co-authored by Marc Kéry and published by Academic Press (2010, 2012, and 2016). Most models will be implemented in a Bayesian framework, but we will show likelihood implementations, too, especially in the user-friendly R package unmarked. Ample time will be given for solving exercises, which will require some experience in R.
Syllabus
Role: Junior Co-instructor
Co-instructors: Marc Kéry, David Miller, Gonçalo Ferraz, Ulisses Camargo, Murilo Guimarães, Nicolas Strebel
Overview: This workshop is the third in a series of Porto Alegre Hierarchical Modeling Workshops for Ecologists, started in 2014. Each year we focus on a particular modeling topic and the theme for 2016 is site-occupancy modeling with particular emphasis on species distribution modeling. The workshop will open with a one-day introduction to linear, generalized linear and mixed models, and their implementation in the Bayesian and likelihood framework. From day two on, we turn our attention to the modeling of species distributions, focusing on the powerful site-occupancy models, which deal explicitly with measurement errors in species detection/non-detection data. We first study the basic MacKenzie et al. (2002) static model, and then develop a range of variations on the basic theme, with particular attention to dynamic occupancy models, mis-identification models, and spatial models of species distribution. A large part of the content will draw on three successful applied statistics books co-authored by Marc Kéry and published by Academic Press (2010, 2012, and 2016). Most models will be implemented in a Bayesian framework, but we will show likelihood implementations, too, especially in the user-friendly R package unmarked. Ample time will be given for solving exercises, which will require some experience in R.
Syllabus