We know that wetlands around the world face big challenges: fragmentation, pollution, conversion, climate change, etc. But we also know that there are ways to combat these issues, and some of those options give us the chance to get directly involved in wetlands conservation. If you are looking for a way to participate, you’ve got […]
Archive for the ‘barrier islands’ Tag
Combating the swamp of sadness
Posted June 25, 2016 by Mirka Zapletal in Amphibians, Birds, Global Climate Change, Habitat Loss and Fragmentation, Legislation, Plant Communities
Tagged with barrier islands, climate change, conservation, get involved, habitat fragmentation, habitat loss, restoration projects, salt marsh, wetlands
We otter pay attention?
I’m currently in the middle of analyzing some of my data from studying carnivore distribution in Louisiana, and one of things I’m looking at is which environmental characteristics carnivores respond to- for example, is the number of mice and rats in an area a predictor that coyotes will hang out there? One of the species […]
Posted May 4, 2016 by Mirka Zapletal in Carnivores, Mammals, Mustelids
Tagged with aquatic systems, barrier islands, conservation, mustelid, otters
Removing obstacles for colonial seabirds
In my post last week I talked about three of the big challenges facing colonial seabirds: habitat loss, invasive species, and changing food resources. I spent the last few days reading about ways to combat these problems, plus gaining insight on other issues related to seabird survival. The good news is that we are continually […]
Posted January 17, 2016 by Mirka Zapletal in Birds, Global Climate Change, Habitat Loss and Fragmentation, Invasive Species
Tagged with aquatic systems, barrier islands, birds, climate change, conservation, endangered species, fisheries, habitat fragmentation, habitat loss, invasive species, restoration projects
Drama on the seas and islands and beaches
Over the last week I’ve gotten something of an around-the-world tour of seabird conservation- some of the papers have been reviews, which means that they combine information from as many studies as they can and provide a broad view of trends, while others were targeted at specific species. No matter which way you look at […]
Posted January 10, 2016 by Mirka Zapletal in Birds, Habitat Loss and Fragmentation, Marine Ecosystems
Tagged with aquatic systems, barrier islands, birds, climate change, conservation, endangered species, habitat loss, invasive species
Waiting for time and tide
In my last post I described some of the techniques used in salt marsh and barrier island restoration, a pretty important topic here in Louisiana where we wait for the wave of each new storm to break, but it’s also important in many other areas around the world, especially since a large percentage of the […]
Posted March 18, 2013 by Mirka Zapletal in Marine Ecosystems
Tagged with barrier islands, conservation, fisheries, restoration, salt marsh, snail parasites
Are we sinking or is the water rising?
When I started looking into coastal marsh and barrier island restoration, I had assumed that there would be a veritable ocean of information to wade through- what I hadn’t expected was the diverse nature of coastal issues depending on where you were. A lot of the information I came across focused on coastal areas in […]
Posted March 11, 2013 by Mirka Zapletal in Marine Ecosystems
Tagged with barrier islands, coastal restoration, fisheries, Louisiana, salt marsh
A messy topic
Where I am in Louisiana, when it rains there are standing puddles for a few days- the terrain is pretty flat and a short drive will take me to the coast. Consequently, flooding from extreme weather (such as hurricanes) is always a concern. At the same time this is a very productive environment- we’re currently […]
Posted March 3, 2013 by Mirka Zapletal in Marine Ecosystems, Plant Communities
Tagged with barrier islands, conservation, restoration projects, salt marsh