Department of Environmental Conservation

PhD, Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation

Contact:

kmccarthy

Position:

Research Assistant

Support:

USGS Cooperative Research Unit
USFWS Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge

Faculty Advisor:

Stephen DeStefano

Project abstract:

Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge (LUNWR) is located in Coos County, New Hampshire and spans the New Hampshire-Maine border into Oxford County, Maine. The refuge was established in 1992 with the primary purpose of protecting wetlands, wetland associated wildlife, and migratory birds (USFWS 2006). The refuge includes more than 8,200 ha (20,500 acres) and incorporates extensive wetland complexes that are highly productive for waterfowl and breeding common loons. LUNWR is also a popular site for wildlife-oriented recreation such as fishing, hunting, photography, and wildlife observation. Recent concern has been expressed by refuge staff, biologists, visitors, and other stakeholders about biophysical and anthropogenic factors that may be affecting the status (numbers of breeding pairs) and fitness (reproductive output and fledgling success) of loons. The purpose of our study is to identify factors that may be affecting the breeding success and fledgling success of common loons at LUNWR, assess the potential impacts disturbances may have on loon territory fidelity, breeding success, and fledgling success, and determine management options that might eliminate or ameliorate disturbances to loons at LUNWR. Through repetition of our research at the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts and Aziscohos Lake in Maine, we can make inference and recommendations over a broader range of habitats and levels of human use.

Publications:

McCarthy, K. P., Fuller, T. K., Ming, M., McCarthy, T., Waits, L., Jumabaev, K. 2008. Assessing Estimators of Snow Leopard Abundance. Journal of Wildlife Management. 72(8)

McCarthy, T., Kahn, J., Ud-Din, J., McCarthy, K. 2007. First Study of Snow Leopards Using GPS-Satellite Collars Underway in Pakistan. Cat News. 46: 22-23

McCarthy, K. 2007. Evaluating snow leopard populations in the Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan and China. M.S. Thesis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 106pp.