Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Melanie Davis, PhD
Assistant Unit Leader - Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units
Melanie arrived at the Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in Fall 2020 after almost seven years as a Project Coordinator for the USGS Western Ecological Research Center's Olympia, Washington substation. Melanie's work is focused on ecosystem and community level responses to climate-mediated disturbance, landscape scale processes and their effects on target species, and the development of monitoring tools, programs, and strategies to inform management actions. Most of her research is directed toward salmonids and non-game fishes, but her lab's emphasis on habitat has allowed her to work in an array of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Melanie employs a variety of quantitative tools and techniques to learn about how species interact with their environment, with a particular emphasis on spatially explicit habitat models. She is currently developing a disturbance ecology course for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students. She enjoys mentoring students, and is actively seeking ways to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the fisheries, wildlife, and conservation sciences.
RECENTLY STARTED PROJECTS
• Hatchery Program Viability Assessment
• Using restoration monitoring data to inform an H-integrated Chinook salmon recovery strategy
• Incorporating climate, disease and invasive species into the conservation of a First Food, Klamath redband trout
Science and Products
Assessing the Benefits and Vulnerability of Current and Future Potential Ecosystem Services of the Nisqually River Delta and other Puget Sound Estuaries
The Nisqually River Delta represents the largest wetland restoration in the Pacific Northwest. The restoration resulted in a 50% increase in potential salt marsh habitat. The Delta supports threatened salmon fisheries, large populations of migratory birds, and provides unique opportunities for recreation. The Delta also provides multiple ecosystem services, which are the benefits that wildlife or
Tufted puffins on the Oregon Coast
Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Adult tufted puffin feeds fish to a juvenile puffin
Adult tufted puffin feeds fish to a juvenile puffin. Illustration by Carina Kusaka. Permission agreement on file.
Adult tufted puffin feeds fish to a juvenile puffin. Illustration by Carina Kusaka. Permission agreement on file.
Happy seals swim at the Oregon Coast
Seals swim along the Oregon Coast. Modeling animal movement through landscapes is a key component to understanding population
ecology, how populations can be managed, how human actions impact the population.
Seals swim along the Oregon Coast. Modeling animal movement through landscapes is a key component to understanding population
ecology, how populations can be managed, how human actions impact the population.
Tufted puffins are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest
Tufted puffins are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Tufted puffins are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Tufted puffin flying over the Oregon Coast
Tufted puffin flying over the Oregon Coast. The Tufted Puffin – a seabird of the North Pacific Rim – has evinced steep declines off the west coast of the continental United States in recent years, but it is less clear that the species is declining in the northern portion of its range.
Tufted puffin flying over the Oregon Coast. The Tufted Puffin – a seabird of the North Pacific Rim – has evinced steep declines off the west coast of the continental United States in recent years, but it is less clear that the species is declining in the northern portion of its range.
Science and Products
Assessing the Benefits and Vulnerability of Current and Future Potential Ecosystem Services of the Nisqually River Delta and other Puget Sound Estuaries
The Nisqually River Delta represents the largest wetland restoration in the Pacific Northwest. The restoration resulted in a 50% increase in potential salt marsh habitat. The Delta supports threatened salmon fisheries, large populations of migratory birds, and provides unique opportunities for recreation. The Delta also provides multiple ecosystem services, which are the benefits that wildlife or
Tufted puffins on the Oregon Coast
Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Adult tufted puffin feeds fish to a juvenile puffin
Adult tufted puffin feeds fish to a juvenile puffin. Illustration by Carina Kusaka. Permission agreement on file.
Adult tufted puffin feeds fish to a juvenile puffin. Illustration by Carina Kusaka. Permission agreement on file.
Happy seals swim at the Oregon Coast
Seals swim along the Oregon Coast. Modeling animal movement through landscapes is a key component to understanding population
ecology, how populations can be managed, how human actions impact the population.
Seals swim along the Oregon Coast. Modeling animal movement through landscapes is a key component to understanding population
ecology, how populations can be managed, how human actions impact the population.
Tufted puffins are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest
Tufted puffins are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Tufted puffins are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Tufted puffin flying over the Oregon Coast
Tufted puffin flying over the Oregon Coast. The Tufted Puffin – a seabird of the North Pacific Rim – has evinced steep declines off the west coast of the continental United States in recent years, but it is less clear that the species is declining in the northern portion of its range.
Tufted puffin flying over the Oregon Coast. The Tufted Puffin – a seabird of the North Pacific Rim – has evinced steep declines off the west coast of the continental United States in recent years, but it is less clear that the species is declining in the northern portion of its range.