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To communicate my research to a wider audience, my goal is to write and illustrate a children's book about the conservation of tufted puffins. Using tufted puffin as a flagship species, I plan to catalyze public engagement in coastal habitat conservation and emphasize the inclusion of underrepresented groups in ecology. Carina Kusaka, Oregon State University
The narrative will focus on our main character, Penny the Puffin, who needs to leave her current island home and family. What was once a lush, vegetated island, has now become so bare, she has no material to build her nest.
Penny will embark on a journey along the Pacific Northwest coast in search of a new home. As she travels to different islands, readers will learn about the habitat characteristics tufted puffins require, and how climate processes can affect them.
For example, one island is too hot, the next island does not have enough fish for her to eat, another island is overrun by raccoons and invasive mammals, and the next island has people climbing all over it! As she travels along the coast, readers will learn about interesting seabirds, marine mammals, and tidal invertebrates who befriend her on her journey. Carina Kusaka, Oregon State University.
Species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) are defined as having small patchily distributed populations in heterogeneous environments. SGCN typically require active conservation and management efforts to maintain viable populations. Population isolation due to fragmentation combined with habitat loss and human disturbances can further reduce these already small populations leading to greater extinction risk. Human population growth and development is accelerating in the Pacific Northwest at unprecedented rates, forcing many SGCN populations into smaller, patchier areas. Additionally, these populations are increasing threatened by accelerating water development and increased exposure to contaminants that are further exacerbated climate change.
Objectives:
The objective of this project is to evaluate how fragmentation and habitat degradation and loss in conjunction with anthropogenic development negatively affect the population viability of SGCN in the Pacific Northwest. Carina is working with federal and state partners to identify an SGCN species (or multiple species) whose populations could benefit from in depth evaluation of existing data and estimation of the effects of potential conservation actions or strategies.
Engagement:
Carina is partnering with cooperating agencies in the region to identify focal SGCN species for in depth evaluation and will compile the best information on the species to facilitate an assessment of the species status. Carina and the USGS researchers will revisit and revise the recovery objectives for the species if they exist. If they do not, the research team will work with the agency partners to identify conservation objectives.
Project deliverables:
Using the information compiled, Carina will then develop quantitative decision support tools for assessing the potential success of conservation actions and strategies and conduct sensitivity analyses to identify key uncertainties for future study. The analyses will also include recommendations for future monitoring designs.