Native Fish Monitoring and Research, Grand Canyon, Arizona (USGS)
  • Humpback chub state-space growth modeling. Once temperature limitation is relieved, gross primary productivity (algae) limits chub growth
  • Abundance estimating (open model, robust design)

High-Frequency Gross Primary Productivity Modeling
Flannelmouth Sucker Growth and Abundance, USGS and Northern Arizona University
The flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) (hereafter FMS) is currently an abundant native fish in the Grand Canyon reaches of the Colorado River, but during the 1990’s the population was in such low numbers that the species was on the verge of being listed on the Endangered Species Act. However, beginning in the late 1990’s, the species population has increased dramatically. Currently the FMS makes up a significant portion of the fish biomass within the Grand Canyon, but because it has such a stable population, limited research has been conducted to assess its population stability, growth, diet, and migration. Growth in all fish species within the Grand Canyon is controlled by water temperature and limited food availability.

In this study, we examine how environmental variables such as GPP, water temperature, turbidity, and high-flow releases from a dam are linked to spatiotemporal variation in the growth of flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) in the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon. We fit state-space growth models to 6 years of mark–recapture data collected in four river reaches spanning 300 river kilometers. Consistent with past research in this system, we find that all four environmental variables influence growth in length of a native primary consumer fish. GPP and temperature have a positive influence on growth, while turbidity and high-flow events have a negative influence. Water temperature is the dominant driver of spatiotemporal variation in growth, while the link between high-frequency GPP and fish growth is relatively novel. Fish growth is likely to be linked to stream metabolism in other systems where overall productivity, not the quality of primary producers, limits the food webs that support fish growth.
NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Salmonid Monitoring (Coho and Steelhead)
Santa Cruz, California
Advisors: Dr. Joseph Kiernan, PhD, Research Ecologist; Dr. Ann-Marie Osterback, PhD, Fisheries Biologist; and Dr. Cynthia Kern, PhD, Fisheries Biologist
  • Juvenile salmonid monitoring (snorkel surveys, electrofishing)
  • Stable isotope sample preparation, scale mounting
  • Database management
  • Fish marking and tagging (PIT tagging, CWT, FLOY, VIE)
  • Adult salmon trapping, downstream outmigrant (smolt) trapping
  • Adult spawning ground (red) surveys, salmonid stream habitat typing
  • Water quality assessments and freshwater microplastic concentration in California coastal streams
GIS Modeling of Urban Bird Distribution and Behavior in Shops and Street Markets
Kathmandu, Nepal 
​Advisor:  Falk Huettmann (PhD), Associate Professor of Wildlife Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
  • Conducted initial population research of bird species nesting inside shops in cities and villages
  • Led a crew to collect nest monitoring data and conduct avian point counts
  • Created GIS models and predictions using Machine Learning software
Related publications:
"Swallows and Sparrows in the Shop and Street Market-Interface of Nepal: Towards a first Open Access GIS Data and Model Inference on the Role of Religion in Bird Distribution". L. Hansen & F. Huettmann. Expected 2018.

Poster:
"Swallows and Sparrows in the Shop and Street Market-Interface of Nepal: Towards a first Open Access GIS Data and Model Inference on the Role of Religion in Bird Distribution". L. Hansen & F. Huettmann. Presented at the US Regional Association of the ​International Association for Landscape Ecology Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. April 2018.
Bumble Bee Population Surveys and Songbird Blood Testing in the Sierra Nevada
Institute for Bird Populations, Plumas National Forest   
  • Sampled bumble bee species populations in remote post-fire chaparral habitats
  • Mist netted, bird banded, and collected blood samples (for methylmercury testing) for target bird species
  • Recorded vegetation assessment data for plots in watershed and riparian areas
Geographic Information System (GIS) Digitizing of Marijuana Grows in Northern California with UC Berkeley LUC Lab
Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP)
University of California, Berkeley   
  • Identified and GIS digitized marijuana grows along watersheds in Mendocino County, California via Google Earth for preliminary data for water quality assessments
Rangeland Ecology Study of Animal Impacts on Native Grasses in Tejon Ranch, California with UC Berkeley Bartolome Rangeland Ecology Lab
Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP)
University of California, Berkeley   
  • Wrote species accounts, compiled research, and collected wildlife population data from camera trap video footage
Strawberry Creek Water Quality Restoration Management Plan
University of California, Berkeley 
  • Sampled macroinvertebrate populations using kick nets and sampled water flow rate and temperature
  • Wrote a restoration management plan for the University of California regarding population numbers in respect to water quality in collaboration with classmates
Seedling and Sapling Phenology Study with UC Berkeley Ackerly Integrative Biology Lab
Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP)
University of California, Berkeley   
  • Sampled tree saplings distribution and diversity to test the effect of climate change on demographic range shifts in temperate tree species in California oak woodlands