The morning after a full moon high tide spawn, thousands of horseshoe crabs wait on the mud flats for the high tide to return.
Conor McGowan, PhD
Assistant Unit Leader - Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Major Research Experience:
Post-Doctoral Research Associate - Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, May 2008 - Present. Developing and parameterizing models for the adaptive management of Horseshoe Crab harvests in the Delaware Bay constrained by Red Knot populatoin viability. In this position I have lead the adabptive management team and lead efforts to communcate with stakeholders and with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission manageres.
Graduate Research Assistant - Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, August 2004 - May 2008. Develop and parameterize models to evaluate Great Plains Piping Plover population viability and asssess te effects of "incidental take" on viability for this federally threatened species.
Research Assistant - Department of Zoology, N.C. State University and the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Resaerch Unit, April 2001 - May 2004. Locate and monitor American Oystcatcher nests in coastal North Carolina, trap and mark adult breeding birds, radio track chicks, measure and monitor human disturbance.
Teaching Experience:
Teaching Assistant if Adaptive Management course, USFWS, National Conservation Training Center, June 2009.
Teaching Assistant in Ornithology (FW 2010), Department of Fisheries and Willife Sciences, University of Missouri, Spring Semester 2008.
Teaching Assistant in Animal Diversity (Zo150), Department of Zoology, N.C. State University, 5 semesters between fall of 2001 and spring of 2004.
Guest Lecturer, in Population Dynamics course in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, Spring 2007, 2008.
Awards:
2008 Missouri State Chapter of the Wildlife Society Graduate Student Fellowship.
2007 University of Missouri Graduate Student Association Superior Graduate Student Award (a university wide award). One of three recipients selected from over 30 departmental nominees.
2007 Superior Graduate Student Award in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Science at the University of Missouri (nominated and selected by fellow students)
2007 James D. Chambers Memorial Scholarship recipient. Awarded by the Missouri Chapter of the Wildlife Society.
Publications:
McGowan, C. P., and M. R. Ryan. In Press, A quantitative framework to evaluate incidental take and endangered species population viability. Biological Conservation, available online, September 11, 2009.
McGowan, C. P., J. J. Millspaugh, M. R. Ryan, K. C. Cruse, and G. A. Pavelka. 2009. Estimating survival of precocial chicks during the pre-fledging period using a catch-curve method and age based count data Journal of Field Ornithology 80: 79-87.
Millspaugh, J.J., R. A. Gitzen, S. Amelon, T. W. Bonnot, D. T. Farrand, D
Education and Certifications
PhD, Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, 2008
M.S., Zoology, N.C. State University, 2004
B.S., Biology, Wake Forest University
Science and Products
Red Knot Migration and Population Ecology
The morning after a full moon high tide spawn, thousands of horseshoe crabs wait on the mud flats for the high tide to return.
Spawning horseshoe crabs at twilight in the Delaware Bay.
Spawning horseshoe crabs at twilight in the Delaware Bay.
Red knots forage for horseshoe crab eggs and other invertebrates on the beaches of Delaware Bay. The bird on the left has a white leg flag marked with an "EX." It was initially capture in Canada in the fall of 2008.
Red knots forage for horseshoe crab eggs and other invertebrates on the beaches of Delaware Bay. The bird on the left has a white leg flag marked with an "EX." It was initially capture in Canada in the fall of 2008.
Red knots forage for horseshoe crab eggs and other invertebrates on the beaches of Delaware Bay. The bird in the center has an orange leg flag indicating it was captured and flagged in the past in Argentina.
Red knots forage for horseshoe crab eggs and other invertebrates on the beaches of Delaware Bay. The bird in the center has an orange leg flag indicating it was captured and flagged in the past in Argentina.
Strategic monitoring to minimize misclassification errors from conservation status assessments
Using predictions from multiple anthropogenic threats to estimate future population persistence of an imperiled species
Species-specific demographic and behavioral responses to food availability during migratory stopover
Contrasting patterns of demography and population viability among gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations at the species’ northern range edge
The Long-term effect of bleeding for Limulus amebocyte lysate on annual survival and recapture of tagged horseshoe crabs
A demographic projection model to support conservation decision making for an endangered snake with limited monitoring data
Decision implementation and the double-loop process in adaptive management of horseshoe crab harvest in Delaware Bay
Linking monitoring and data analysis to predictions and decisions for the range-wide eastern black rail status assessment
Decision context as an essential component of population viability analysis
Foraging ecology mediates response to ecological mismatch during migratory stopover
Modeling strategies and evaluating success during repatriations of elusive and endangered species
Effects of individual misidentification on estimates of survival in long-term mark–resight studies
Population Viability Model for Western Pond Turtle
Population Viability Model for Spot-tailed earless lizard
Hunter and prey linked population models
Integrated population model for red knot in Delaware Bay
Optimal horseshoe crab harvest policies via approximate dynamic programming
Modeling population viability of gopher tortoises across the species range
Science and Products
Red Knot Migration and Population Ecology
The morning after a full moon high tide spawn, thousands of horseshoe crabs wait on the mud flats for the high tide to return.
The morning after a full moon high tide spawn, thousands of horseshoe crabs wait on the mud flats for the high tide to return.
Spawning horseshoe crabs at twilight in the Delaware Bay.
Spawning horseshoe crabs at twilight in the Delaware Bay.
Red knots forage for horseshoe crab eggs and other invertebrates on the beaches of Delaware Bay. The bird on the left has a white leg flag marked with an "EX." It was initially capture in Canada in the fall of 2008.
Red knots forage for horseshoe crab eggs and other invertebrates on the beaches of Delaware Bay. The bird on the left has a white leg flag marked with an "EX." It was initially capture in Canada in the fall of 2008.
Red knots forage for horseshoe crab eggs and other invertebrates on the beaches of Delaware Bay. The bird in the center has an orange leg flag indicating it was captured and flagged in the past in Argentina.
Red knots forage for horseshoe crab eggs and other invertebrates on the beaches of Delaware Bay. The bird in the center has an orange leg flag indicating it was captured and flagged in the past in Argentina.