Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc.

Graduate Students 2008- 2009

Feliciano Heredia , PhD Student. Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
Karen Leavelle , Msc Student (graduated 2008). University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Luis Enrique Ramirez , PhD Student University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Ben Skipper, MSc. Student (graduated 2008) University of Nebraska-Kearney
Ingrid Barcelo , Phd Student University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Maren Bzdek, MSc Student Colorado State University

Technicians

Kelly Corman University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Katharine Becker State University NY - Cobleskill

Interns

Tyler Hallman Pitzer College
Travis Rusch University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Jenny Aleman-Zomaeta Pitzer College
Allysin Gillet Rutger’s University
Karine Becker University of Minnesota - Crookston
Rebecca Rhodes University of West Virginia
Jason Damm University of Nebraska-Kearney
Mary-Beth Pendley University of Montana
Justin Anderson Emporia State University
Hector Weir Texas A&M University
Kathy Texas A&M University
Jorge Lozano Insitituto Tecnologico de Monterrey

Volunteers

Don Brockmeier
Yvette Donovan
Bob Loewenston
Debra Hann
Charla Miller
Doren Pfost

Consultants

Nikkie Windsor

Dr. Felipe Chavez-Ramirez is the Executive Director of the Platte River Whooping Crane MaintenanceTrust, Inc. and Graduate Faculty Member at The University of Nebraska. His research program has included work on the biology of Whooping Cranes on their wintering grounds along the coast of Texas. Dr. Chavez-Ramirez’s research investigated the relationships between water qualities, blue crab availability, and crane survival and reproduction. He has also mentored Cuban colleagues in their studies of the endangered Cuban Sandhill Crane. Dr . Chavez-Ramirez’s research is broad-based and has included the conservation and ecology of migratory birds especially Whooping Cranes, Cuban sandhill cranes, and grassland birds. Chavez-Ramirez has written more than 35 research articles in conservation and ornithological journals and presented more than 50 professional seminars and presentations. Prior to joining the Whooping Crane Trust, Dr. Chavez-Ramirez held faculty positions at Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University-Kingsville and was Director of the Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion Program for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Dr. Chavez-Ramirez is a member of the US-Canada Whooping Crane Recovery Team and a member of IUCN”s Species Survival Commission, Crane Specialist Group.

Dr. Enrique H. Weir System Ecologist Biologist and System Ecology PhD. from Universidad Simon Bolivar (1982, 1991), Caracas , Venezuela . Dr. Weir’s research focus has been related with: 1. Spatially explicit simulations and ecological relations of aquatic birds, fisheries, environment and climate, 2. Spatial relations of endangered bird species, water management and natural areas, 3. Biodiversity and system ecology studies in tropical and subtropical wetlands. His current research activities are: 1 to develop a conceptual ecological model for Central Platte River ecosystem, 2. to build a spatial explicit simulation model for several endangered, threatened and game bird species that use central Platte River (Nebraska) as stopover, and 3. contribute in a decision support system for whooping and sandhill crane populations in the Platte River . Dr Weir has been Visiting Scientist invited by The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden (2005-2006, 1997), and Visiting Professor and Research Specialist in Texas A&M University - Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences (2002 – 2005).

Dr. Karine Gil . Crane Population Ecologist. Biologist from Universidad Simon Bolivar (1984), master in Applied Ecology from La Universidad del Zulia (1997 – 2000) in Venezuela, and PhD. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University (2002-2006) in Texas. Research experience in avian and population ecology acquired from natural, cultivated and urban areas, in central and western Venezuela. In coastal areas she worked on the ecology and environmental economy of the Neotropic cormorant. Her interest in modeling population dynamics of migratory aquatic birds started in 1997, and from 2002 to 2005 as member of the Texas A&M University research team (San Antonio Guadalupe Estuarine System project) she developed a simulation model of the demography of the Whooping Crane and interactions with the system.

Renae Palazzola , Office Manager. Her education includes a BS in Administration with an emphasis in Accounting, obtained from the University of Nebraska – Omaha and Kearney. Additionally, she has many science credits which lend to an increased understanding of the research conducted here at the Trust.

Travis Dassinger . He has worked for the Trust for 16 years. During spring his habitat maintenance activities consist in burns Trust’s pastures and prairies. During summertime he maintains roads, mow, cut trees, repair and build new fences, etc. In fall he prepares the river channel for the crane migration, runs a Kershaw clearway and mows the willows and fragmites. He mostly operates a cat challenge with a rome disc and turn under the yearly growth on the islands. He also provides field assistance and technical support to researchers and students during activities in Trust habitat.

Dr. Mary Harner , Riparian Ecosystem Ecologist. Research focus: Wetland ecology, emphasizing effects of shallow ground water on plant and animal communities. Prior to coming to Nebraska, Mary was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Montana and the Free University of Berlin, Germany. She received a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico (2006), M.S. from the University of Montana (2001), and B.S. from Tulane University (1997).

Jessica Ann Rempel. Project Manager. Project: GPS -tracking of Sandhill and Whooping Cranes. Jessica is also coordinating aerial and ground surveys of cranes for the Trust. Prior to joining the Trust, Jessica was field manager of a Bald Eagle reintroduction and GPS -tracking project on the California Channel Islands. She received her M.Sc. from California State University - Northridge (2009).

Ingrid Barcelo Llanes Ph.D. student, from Spain , at University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources. Project: Winter ecology of sandhill cranes in Mexico. Ingrid is looking at the distribution, abundance, diet and behavior of sandhill cranes in the Chihuahuan desert ecoregion. Her first field season of data collection was this winter 2008 in Mexico.

Luis Enrique Ramirez Ph.D. student, from Mexico , at University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources. Project: Vegetation response to different grassland management techniques along the Platte River, in south-central Nebraska. Luis has two field seasons of data collected.

Ben Skipper Ph.D. student, from Alabama, at University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK), Department of Biology. Ben is examining the effects of cowbird parasitism on nesting bobolinks. specifically the sex-ratio and nestling quality of bobolink nestlings in parasitized and unparasitized nests, and nestling provisioning rates by adult bobolinks.

Karen Leavelle: Master’s student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the School of Natural Resources. (Graduated 2008).

Feliciano Heredia , Ph.D. Student. Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Maren Bzdek, M.Sc. Student. Colorado State University

Nikkie Windsor, Data Management Consultant. Project: Review data infrastructure at the Trust, suggest recommendations for improved data management and create Whooping Crane database to store all banded bird data. Nikkie has worked as a Data Warehousing Manager for the past 8 years within the UK banking industry delivering analytical data solutions.


				Trust Staff The Trust’s staff includes a diverse mix of scientists, managers and habitat maintenance workers. Executive Director /Avian Ecologist Dr. Felipe Chavez-Ramirez Office Manager Renae Palazzola Crane Population Ecologist Dr. Karine Gil Systems Ecologist Dr. Enrique Weir Wetland Ecologist Dr. Mary Harner Land Manager Luis Ramirez , M.Sc. Habitat Maintenance Supervisor T ravis Dassinger Project Manager (Whooping Crane Telemetry Project) Jessica Ann Rempel STUDENTS, VISITING SCIENTISTS AND VOLUNTEERS Graduate Students 2008- 2009 Feliciano Heredia , PhD Student. Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon Karen Leavelle , Msc Student (graduated 2008). University of Nebraska-Lincoln Luis Enrique Ramirez , PhD Student University of Nebraska-Lincoln Ben Skipper, MSc. Student (graduated 2008) University of Nebraska-Kearney Ingrid Barcelo , Phd Student University of Nebraska-Lincoln Maren Bzdek, MSc Student Colorado State University Technicians Kelly Corman University of Nebraska-Lincoln Katharine Becker State University NY - Cobleskill Interns Tyler Hallman Pitzer College Travis Rusch University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Jenny Aleman-Zomaeta Pitzer College Allysin Gillet Rutger’s University Karine Becker University of Minnesota - Crookston Rebecca Rhodes University of West Virginia Jason Damm University of Nebraska-Kearney Mary-Beth Pendley University of Montana Justin Anderson Emporia State University Hector Weir Texas A&M University Kathy Texas A&M University Jorge Lozano Insitituto Tecnologico de Monterrey Volunteers Don Brockmeier Yvette Donovan Bob Loewenston Debra Hann Charla Miller Doren Pfost Consultants Nikkie Windsor Dr. Felipe Chavez-Ramirez is the Executive Director of the Platte River Whooping Crane MaintenanceTrust, Inc. and Graduate Faculty Member at The University of Nebraska. His research program has included work on the biology of Whooping Cranes on their wintering grounds along the coast of Texas. Dr. Chavez-Ramirez’s research investigated the relationships between water qualities, blue crab availability, and crane survival and reproduction. He has also mentored Cuban colleagues in their studies of the endangered Cuban Sandhill Crane. Dr . Chavez-Ramirez’s research is broad-based and has included the conservation and ecology of migratory birds especially Whooping Cranes, Cuban sandhill cranes, and grassland birds. Chavez-Ramirez has written more than 35 research articles in conservation and ornithological journals and presented more than 50 professional seminars and presentations. Prior to joining the Whooping Crane Trust, Dr. Chavez-Ramirez held faculty positions at Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University-Kingsville and was Director of the Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion Program for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Dr. Chavez-Ramirez is a member of the US-Canada Whooping Crane Recovery Team and a member of IUCN”s Species Survival Commission, Crane Specialist Group. Dr. Enrique H. Weir System Ecologist Biologist and System Ecology PhD. from Universidad Simon Bolivar (1982, 1991), Caracas , Venezuela . Dr. Weir’s research focus has been related with: 1. Spatially explicit simulations and ecological relations of aquatic birds, fisheries, environment and climate, 2. Spatial relations of endangered bird species, water management and natural areas, 3. Biodiversity and system ecology studies in tropical and subtropical wetlands. His current research activities are: 1 to develop a conceptual ecological model for Central Platte River ecosystem, 2. to build a spatial explicit simulation model for several endangered, threatened and game bird species that use central Platte River (Nebraska) as stopover, and 3. contribute in a decision support system for whooping and sandhill crane populations in the Platte River . Dr Weir has been Visiting Scientist invited by The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden (2005-2006, 1997), and Visiting Professor and Research Specialist in Texas A&M University - Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences (2002 – 2005). Dr. Karine Gil . Crane Population Ecologist. Biologist from Universidad Simon Bolivar (1984), master in Applied Ecology from La Universidad del Zulia (1997 – 2000) in Venezuela, and PhD. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University (2002-2006) in Texas. Research experience in avian and population ecology acquired from natural, cultivated and urban areas, in central and western Venezuela. In coastal areas she worked on the ecology and environmental economy of the Neotropic cormorant. Her interest in modeling population dynamics of migratory aquatic birds started in 1997, and from 2002 to 2005 as member of the Texas A&M University research team (San Antonio Guadalupe Estuarine System project) she developed a simulation model of the demography of the Whooping Crane and interactions with the system. Renae Palazzola , Office Manager. Her education includes a BS in Administration with an emphasis in Accounting, obtained from the University of Nebraska – Omaha and Kearney. Additionally, she has many science credits which lend to an increased understanding of the research conducted here at the Trust. Travis Dassinger . He has worked for the Trust for 16 years. During spring his habitat maintenance activities consist in burns Trust’s pastures and prairies. During summertime he maintains roads, mow, cut trees, repair and build new fences, etc. In fall he prepares the river channel for the crane migration, runs a Kershaw clearway and mows the willows and fragmites. He mostly operates a cat challenge with a rome disc and turn under the yearly growth on the islands. He also provides field assistance and technical support to researchers and students during activities in Trust habitat. Dr. Mary Harner , Riparian Ecosystem Ecologist. Research focus: Wetland ecology, emphasizing effects of shallow ground water on plant and animal communities. Prior to coming to Nebraska, Mary was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Montana and the Free University of Berlin, Germany. She received a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico (2006), M.S. from the University of Montana (2001), and B.S. from Tulane University (1997). Jessica Ann Rempel. Project Manager. Project: GPS -tracking of Sandhill and Whooping Cranes. Jessica is also coordinating aerial and ground surveys of cranes for the Trust. Prior to joining the Trust, Jessica was field manager of a Bald Eagle reintroduction and GPS -tracking project on the California Channel Islands. She received her M.Sc. from California State University - Northridge (2009). Ingrid Barcelo Llanes Ph.D. student, from Spain , at University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources. Project: Winter ecology of sandhill cranes in Mexico. Ingrid is looking at the distribution, abundance, diet and behavior of sandhill cranes in the Chihuahuan desert ecoregion. Her first field season of data collection was this winter 2008 in Mexico. Luis Enrique Ramirez Ph.D. student, from Mexico , at University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources. Project: Vegetation response to different grassland management techniques along the Platte River, in south-central Nebraska. Luis has two field seasons of data collected. Ben Skipper Ph.D. student, from Alabama, at University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK), Department of Biology. Ben is examining the effects of cowbird parasitism on nesting bobolinks. specifically the sex-ratio and nestling quality of bobolink nestlings in parasitized and unparasitized nests, and nestling provisioning rates by adult bobolinks. Karen Leavelle: Master’s student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the School of Natural Resources. (Graduated 2008). Feliciano Heredia , Ph.D. Student. Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Maren Bzdek, M.Sc. Student. Colorado State University Nikkie Windsor, Data Management Consultant. Project: Review data infrastructure at the Trust, suggest recommendations for improved data management and create Whooping Crane database to store all banded bird data. Nikkie has worked as a Data Warehousing Manager for the past 8 years within the UK banking industry delivering analytical data solutions.
			Copyright © 2009 -- 6611 W. Whooping Crane Dr., Wood River, NE 68883 -- ph. 308-384-4633 -- fax 308-384-7209