James E Lyons, Ph.D.
Jim is a Research Ecologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, MD.
Jim joined USGS as a Research Ecologist at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in 2016. Prior to joining USGS, he was a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Migratory Bird Management, also located at the Patuxent Research Refuge, from 2006–2016. He received a BS from University of Vermont and MS from Clemson University, both in Wildlife Biology, and a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in Biology. His research interests include ecology and conservation of migratory birds and applications of decision analysis for natural resource management.
Professional Experience
2020-present, Research Ecologist, USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center at the Patuxent Research Refuge
2016-2020, Research Ecologist, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
2006-2016, Wildlife Biologist, USFWS Division of Migratory Bird Management at the Patuxent Research Refuge
2004-2006, Postdoctoral Research Associate, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
2002-2004, Lecturer, Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University
2001-2002, Postdoctoral Research Associate, North Carolina State University
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (2001)
M.S. Aquaculture, Fisheries, and Wildlife Biology, Clemson University (1994)
B.S. Wildlife and Fisheries Biology, University of Vermont (1986)
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Ornithological Society
Association of Field Ornithologists
Ecological Society of America
International Wader Study Group
Waterbird Society
The Wildlife Society
Wilson Ornithological Society
Honors and Awards
STAR Award, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For work on the Adaptive Management Consultancy for Prescribed Fire at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (2008)
Rachel Carson Award for Scientific Excellence, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Group Category, Awarded to the Branch of Population and Habitat Assessment (2009)
STAR Award, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For work to develop a Strategic Plan to Monitor the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes for the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (2009)
STAR Award, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For work on Adaptive Monitoring of Salt Marsh Surface Elevation Dynamics and Prescribed Fire at Blackwater NWR(2014)
Elective Member, American Ornithologists’ Union (2014)
2018-2019 Top Downloaded Paper, Restoration Ecology
Honor Award for Conservation Partners, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Regional Director. “Gulf of Mexico Avian Monitoring Network” (2021)
Decision Analysis Society, Practice Award Finalist, Adaptive Management of Horseshoe Crab Harvest and Red Knot Conservation in the Delaware Bay
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 67
Optimization of salt marsh management at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia, through use of structured decision making
Structured decision making is a systematic, transparent process for improving the quality of complex decisions by identifying measurable management objectives and feasible management actions; predicting the potential consequences of management actions relative to the stated objectives; and selecting a course of action that maximizes the total benefit achieved and balances tradeoffs among...
Authors
Hilary A. Neckles, James E. Lyons, Jessica L. Nagel, Susan C. Adamowicz, Toni Mikula, Kevin S. Holcomb
Spatial integration of biological and social objectives to identify priority landscapes for waterfowl habitat conservation
Waterfowl population management and habitat conservation compose one of the oldest and most successful adaptive management frameworks in the world. Since its inception, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) has emphasized strategically targeted conservation investments in regions that most affect waterfowl population dynamics. By 2012, regional conservation had...
Authors
Anastasia Krainyk, James E. Lyons, Michael G. Brasher, Dale H. Humburg, Greg J. Souilliere, John M. Coluccy, Mark J. Petrie, David W. Howerter, Stuart M. Slattery, Mindy B. Rice, Joe C. Fuller
Effects of individual misidentification on estimates of survival in long-term mark–resight studies
All ecological measurements are subject to error; the effects of missed detection (false negatives) are well known, but the effects of mistaken detection (false positives) are less understood. Long-term capture–recapture datasets provide valuable ecological insights and baselines for conservation and management, but where such studies rely on noninvasive re-encounters, such as field...
Authors
A. M. Tucker, Conor P. McGowan, R. James Robinson, J. Robert Clark, James E. Lyons, A. Derose-Wilson, R. Du Feu, G. E. Austin, P. W. Atkinson, N. A. Clark
Why strategic bird monitoring plan for the Gulf of Mexico?
No abstract available.
Authors
R. Randy Wilson, Mark S. Woodrey, Auriel M.V. Fournier, Jeff Gleason, James E. Lyons
Optimization of salt marsh management at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware, through use of structured decision making
Structured decision making is a systematic, transparent process for improving the quality of complex decisions by identifying measurable management objectives and feasible management actions; predicting the potential consequences of management actions relative to the stated objectives; and selecting a course of action that maximizes the total benefit achieved and balances tradeoffs among...
Authors
Hilary A. Neckles, James E. Lyons, Jessica L. Nagel, Susan C. Adamowicz, Toni Mikula, Susan T. Guiteras, Laura R. Mitchell
Accounting for surveyor effort in large-scale monitoring programs
Accounting for errors in wildlife surveys is necessary for reliable status assessments and quantification of uncertainty in estimates of population size. We apply a hierarchical log-linear Poisson regression model that accounts for multiple sources of variability in count data collected for the Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring Program during 2010–2014. In some large-scale...
Authors
Kevin Aagaard, James E. Lyons, Wayne E. Thogmartin
Flooding tolerance of Sagittaria latifolia and Sagittaria rigida under controlled laboratory conditions
Pool‐scale growing‐season water‐level reductions (drawdowns) have been implemented on the Upper Mississippi River in an effort to improve fish and wildlife habitat. Aquatic vegetation is a key habitat component, with perennial emergent species, such as Sagittaria latifolia and Sagittaria rigida, especially important. River managers have assumed the need for continuous drawdown during the...
Authors
Kevin P. Kenow, Brian R. Gray, James E. Lyons
Monitoring the social benefits of ecological restoration
Ecological restoration has traditionally been evaluated by monitoring the recovery of ecosystem conditions, such as species diversity and abundance, physical form, and water quality, whereas monitoring the social benefits of restoration is uncommon. Current monitoring frameworks do not track who benefits from restoration or by how much. In this study, we investigate how ecological...
Authors
David M. Martin, James E. Lyons
Post-breeding migration and connectivity of red knots in the Western Atlantic
Red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) have 3 distinct nonbreeding regions: 1 in the southeastern United States and Caribbean, another on the northeast coast of Brazil in the Maranhão region, and a third along the Patagonian coasts of Chile and Argentina. Effective conservation and recovery of this threatened long-distance migrant will require knowledge of population structure, migration...
Authors
James E. Lyons, Bradford Winn, Timothy Keyes, Kevin S. Kalasz
Migration ecology and stopover population size of Red Knots Calidris canutus rufa at Mingan Archipelago after exiting the breeding grounds
Populations of migratory birds present unique conservation challenges given the often vast distances separating critical resources throughout the annual cycle. Migration areas close to the breeding grounds represent a link between two key stages of the annual cycle, and understanding migration ecology as birds exit the breeding grounds may be particularly informative for successful...
Authors
James E. Lyons, Allan J. Baker, Patricia M. González, Yves Aubry, Christophe Buidin, Yann Rochepault
Integrated wetland management for waterfowl and shorebirds at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) offers a mix of open water, marsh, forest, and cropland habitats on 20,307 hectares in coastal North Carolina. In 1934, Federal legislation (Executive Order 6924) established MNWR to benefit wintering waterfowl and other migratory bird species. On an annual basis, the refuge staff decide how to manage 14 impoundments to benefit not only...
Authors
Brian G. Tavernia, John D. Stanton, James E. Lyons
Balancing habitat delivery for breeding marsh birds and nonbreeding waterfowl: An integrated waterbird management and monitoring approach at Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri
The Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge (CCNWR) in the Mississippi River flood plain of eastern Missouri provides high quality emergent marsh and moist-soil habitat benefitting both nesting marsh birds and migrating waterfowl. Staff of CCNWR manipulate water levels and vegetation in the 17 units of the CCNWR to provide conditions favorable to these two important guilds. Although...
Authors
Brian W. Loges, James E. Lyons, Brian G. Tavernia
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 67
Optimization of salt marsh management at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia, through use of structured decision making
Structured decision making is a systematic, transparent process for improving the quality of complex decisions by identifying measurable management objectives and feasible management actions; predicting the potential consequences of management actions relative to the stated objectives; and selecting a course of action that maximizes the total benefit achieved and balances tradeoffs among...
Authors
Hilary A. Neckles, James E. Lyons, Jessica L. Nagel, Susan C. Adamowicz, Toni Mikula, Kevin S. Holcomb
Spatial integration of biological and social objectives to identify priority landscapes for waterfowl habitat conservation
Waterfowl population management and habitat conservation compose one of the oldest and most successful adaptive management frameworks in the world. Since its inception, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) has emphasized strategically targeted conservation investments in regions that most affect waterfowl population dynamics. By 2012, regional conservation had...
Authors
Anastasia Krainyk, James E. Lyons, Michael G. Brasher, Dale H. Humburg, Greg J. Souilliere, John M. Coluccy, Mark J. Petrie, David W. Howerter, Stuart M. Slattery, Mindy B. Rice, Joe C. Fuller
Effects of individual misidentification on estimates of survival in long-term mark–resight studies
All ecological measurements are subject to error; the effects of missed detection (false negatives) are well known, but the effects of mistaken detection (false positives) are less understood. Long-term capture–recapture datasets provide valuable ecological insights and baselines for conservation and management, but where such studies rely on noninvasive re-encounters, such as field...
Authors
A. M. Tucker, Conor P. McGowan, R. James Robinson, J. Robert Clark, James E. Lyons, A. Derose-Wilson, R. Du Feu, G. E. Austin, P. W. Atkinson, N. A. Clark
Why strategic bird monitoring plan for the Gulf of Mexico?
No abstract available.
Authors
R. Randy Wilson, Mark S. Woodrey, Auriel M.V. Fournier, Jeff Gleason, James E. Lyons
Optimization of salt marsh management at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware, through use of structured decision making
Structured decision making is a systematic, transparent process for improving the quality of complex decisions by identifying measurable management objectives and feasible management actions; predicting the potential consequences of management actions relative to the stated objectives; and selecting a course of action that maximizes the total benefit achieved and balances tradeoffs among...
Authors
Hilary A. Neckles, James E. Lyons, Jessica L. Nagel, Susan C. Adamowicz, Toni Mikula, Susan T. Guiteras, Laura R. Mitchell
Accounting for surveyor effort in large-scale monitoring programs
Accounting for errors in wildlife surveys is necessary for reliable status assessments and quantification of uncertainty in estimates of population size. We apply a hierarchical log-linear Poisson regression model that accounts for multiple sources of variability in count data collected for the Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring Program during 2010–2014. In some large-scale...
Authors
Kevin Aagaard, James E. Lyons, Wayne E. Thogmartin
Flooding tolerance of Sagittaria latifolia and Sagittaria rigida under controlled laboratory conditions
Pool‐scale growing‐season water‐level reductions (drawdowns) have been implemented on the Upper Mississippi River in an effort to improve fish and wildlife habitat. Aquatic vegetation is a key habitat component, with perennial emergent species, such as Sagittaria latifolia and Sagittaria rigida, especially important. River managers have assumed the need for continuous drawdown during the...
Authors
Kevin P. Kenow, Brian R. Gray, James E. Lyons
Monitoring the social benefits of ecological restoration
Ecological restoration has traditionally been evaluated by monitoring the recovery of ecosystem conditions, such as species diversity and abundance, physical form, and water quality, whereas monitoring the social benefits of restoration is uncommon. Current monitoring frameworks do not track who benefits from restoration or by how much. In this study, we investigate how ecological...
Authors
David M. Martin, James E. Lyons
Post-breeding migration and connectivity of red knots in the Western Atlantic
Red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) have 3 distinct nonbreeding regions: 1 in the southeastern United States and Caribbean, another on the northeast coast of Brazil in the Maranhão region, and a third along the Patagonian coasts of Chile and Argentina. Effective conservation and recovery of this threatened long-distance migrant will require knowledge of population structure, migration...
Authors
James E. Lyons, Bradford Winn, Timothy Keyes, Kevin S. Kalasz
Migration ecology and stopover population size of Red Knots Calidris canutus rufa at Mingan Archipelago after exiting the breeding grounds
Populations of migratory birds present unique conservation challenges given the often vast distances separating critical resources throughout the annual cycle. Migration areas close to the breeding grounds represent a link between two key stages of the annual cycle, and understanding migration ecology as birds exit the breeding grounds may be particularly informative for successful...
Authors
James E. Lyons, Allan J. Baker, Patricia M. González, Yves Aubry, Christophe Buidin, Yann Rochepault
Integrated wetland management for waterfowl and shorebirds at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) offers a mix of open water, marsh, forest, and cropland habitats on 20,307 hectares in coastal North Carolina. In 1934, Federal legislation (Executive Order 6924) established MNWR to benefit wintering waterfowl and other migratory bird species. On an annual basis, the refuge staff decide how to manage 14 impoundments to benefit not only...
Authors
Brian G. Tavernia, John D. Stanton, James E. Lyons
Balancing habitat delivery for breeding marsh birds and nonbreeding waterfowl: An integrated waterbird management and monitoring approach at Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri
The Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge (CCNWR) in the Mississippi River flood plain of eastern Missouri provides high quality emergent marsh and moist-soil habitat benefitting both nesting marsh birds and migrating waterfowl. Staff of CCNWR manipulate water levels and vegetation in the 17 units of the CCNWR to provide conditions favorable to these two important guilds. Although...
Authors
Brian W. Loges, James E. Lyons, Brian G. Tavernia
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government