Informing Management Decisions
Examining Future Challenges
Understanding Ecological Connections
Defining Critical Habitats
Science for Sustaining Populations
The Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation Center uses scientific research techniques to better understand wildlife and fish populations, the habitats they require, and interactions with human society in our shared landscape. Its scientists promote sustainable management solutions for wildlife issues. Some of the critical issues that current projects are addressing include; wildlife and fish conservation in populated areas, rare species and threatened habitats, the changing climate, and the consequences of contaminants in the environment.
Selenium contamination of freshwater ecosystems
Read about Dr. Brandt and her research on how selenium moves through food webs and affects endangered fishes.
How to count Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica?
Dr. Witharana and colleagues used images from drones and satellites to determine which colonies increased or decreased in the 1980s.
Monitoring New England Cottontails
How many pellets? How many patches? WHICH patches? Dr. Chadwick Rittenhouse uses structured decision making to describe the importance of sampling decisions when the occupied sites of a rare cottontail have declined by 50% in the last decade.
Brown Trout using thermal refuges
Summer use of thermal refuges by Brown Trout in the Housatonic River, CT is common, yet necessary, for survival during most years. We are launching an investigation into exactly how these refuges are used and what that means for Brown Trout populations now and into the future.
Bobcats: the ‘unseen’ cat in your backyard
How can a secretive predator live near millions of people? There are many parts to this question and the CT Bobcat Project was initiated to enhance our understanding of how bobcats live in close proximity to people.
Harvesting trees within wetlands!?!?
Forest managers have nearly stopped harvesting trees within wetlands, because large equipment damages wetlands soils and water quality. It’s a conservation success story. Yet- are these forested wetlands healthy?