Non-breeding movements and habitat use of seabirds are crucial for identifying oceanic hotspots that support overwinter survival, yet remain poorly understood…
Image courtesy of the Boston Public Library, via Unsplash
The Pribilof Islands, home to a diversity of marine bird species, have witnessed significant environmental changes over the past decade, including reduced sea ice extent, warmer air and ocean temperatures, marine heatwaves, and mass mortality events of marine birds. Understanding seabird habitat selection in light of ongoing environmental changes is critical to improve management and conservation efforts. Thus, the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island (ACPSI) and University of Alaska partners launched a study in 2023 to examine the non-breeding habitat use of black-legged kittiwakes and thick-billed murres, key species nesting on St. Paul Island. Results from this study will support ACSPI in advocating for marine resource protections surrounding St. Paul Island.
Join Bering Sea Research Center researcher Veronica Padula, Ph.D., Kristen Gorman, Ph.D. and Julia Matteucci with UAF to discuss the seabirds of St. Paul Island.
Kristen Gorman is an Assistant Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. As an integrative ecologist, Kristen is most interested in exploring questions around drivers of fitness variation in marine fish and bird systems and working collaboratively with resource stakeholders, as well as oceanographers and modelers to develop broad ecosystem-level understandings of high latitude marine systems.
Julia Matteucci is a first year Masters student in the Marine Biology program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Originally from Houston, Texas, Julia completed her Bachelor’s of Science degree at Colorado State University in 2019 and pursued work as a seasonal field biologist across the western US, eventually landing in Alaska. Julia's avian-focused experience has encompassed a variety of projects including studying Greater Sage Grouse habitat selection in Nevada and Wyoming, banding waterfowl in Colorado and Alaska, and her current Masters project, evaluating the migratory and winter movements of Pribilof Island seabirds.
Veronica Padula was drawn to Alaska by its seabird populations and has called it home for the last 15 years, studying its seabirds and working for and with communities across the state. She received her PhD from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, investigating the impacts of plastic pollution on seabirds in the Aleutian Islands, and the impacts of marine debris on coastal communities. She has worked for the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government since 2017 and is currently the Chief Science Officer of the tribally-led Bering Sea Research Center, which conducts research considered critical by the community. While not Alaska Native herself, Veronica has felt welcomed and loved by the St. Paul Island community and works diligently to embody and represent the values and mission of the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government in broader contexts. Her passion has always been shaped by her deep love of and connection to seabirds because they hold in them stories of the ocean, the ocean's health, and our future. Recognizing and deepening kinship with seabirds is critical to fostering and strengthening conservation efforts, and Veronica is looking forward to the opportunity to work with American Bird Conservancy to continue those efforts.
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