Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Cooperative Research Units
Education, Research And Technical Assistance For Managing Our Natural Resources

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University Staff

Melissa Desa Wildlife Biologist Email: mdesa@ufl.edu

Melissa received her BS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. After finding her way to the warm south, she completed her MS with the FCFWRU in 2008, studying the effects of lake management on aquatic fauna. Melissa continues work here in the Big Bend area examining the effects of climate change on vegetative and small mammal communities.

Caitlin Hackett Technician Email: hacettc@my.canisius.edu

Melony Hale Administrative Assistant Email: mghale@ufl.edu

2. Administrative Assistant, Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Responsible for administrative details of $3.75M annual research program as well as supervision of staff; student activities, personnel, budgets, research work orders, contracts and grants within University, fiscal reports, travel, purchasing, payables, vehicles (State/Federal), website, and other related functions.

Rodney Hunt Biological Technician Email: rodhuntguide@gmail.com

Rod grew up in Homestead, Florida spending most of his spare time either fishing and canoeing the back county of Everglades National Park or tromping through the Big Cypress. His interests are birding and snacking on wild edible plants. Rod currently works for the unit in the Big Bend area, helping with the climate change project field initiatives, repairing and maintaining boats and navigating the coastal waters.

Brail Stephens Biological Technician Email: shantilly124@hotmail.com

Brail is responsible for managing all field operations as part of the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit’s research on St. Joseph Peninsula including the long-term saturation tagging of nesting sea turtles, in-water capturing and tagging of juvenile sea turtles, and shorebird surveys.

Students and Post Docs

Matthew Burgess Email: mburgess@ufl.edu

Matt is a PhD student in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at UF. He is also the program coordinator of the UF Unmanned Aircraft Systems Wildlife Project; a multidisciplinary team of aerospace engineering, geomatics, and ecology faculty and graduate students developing a small unmanned aircraft system for ecological research and habitat assessments.

Chris Cattau holding an American Alligator.

Chris Cattau Email: cattau@ufl.edu

Chris Cattau worked for two seasons as a field technician on the long-term monitoring project of Snail Kite demography, movement, and foraging ecology. Subsequently, Chris moved to Gainesville and completed his masters thesis "Effects of the invasive exotic apple snail (Pomacea insularum) on the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) in Florida, USA". Currently, Chris is testing ecological trap hypotheses related to the exotic snail and to hydrology management. He is also analyzing spatio-temporal patterns in the distribution of Snail Kite nests throughout their range and modeling wetland-specific reproductive parameters for use in an adaptive management framework.

Patrick is assisting with loading a large adult male alligator into an airboat.

Patrick Delany Email: patrick.delaney@myfwc.com

Patrick is a alligator research biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He is finishing his graduate work while working full-time with the commission. The focus of his thesis will be "Using GIS to assess nest site selection and nesting abundance of American alligators in central Florida."

Brandon Evers Email: bevers01@ufl.edu

Brandon has extensive experience in both small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV) development and composite manufacturing. He is the designer of the current generation of operational airframes and serves as the sUAV pilot for the deployment team, which has maintained a perfect mission success record since the system's operational debut in Fall 2009.

Kathryn Garland Email: garlandk@ufl.edu

Anthony Lau Email: alau0924@ufl.edu

Elizabeth Martin Email: elizabeth_martin@usgs.gov

NBII Bird Conservation Node Manager, National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), USGS, and PhD student, Department of Wildlife Biology and Conservation, University of Florida. Her principal responsibility with NBII is management of the NBII Conservation Node and coordination with partners to support development of web-based information products useful in management and conservation of North American birds. Her interests include the application of information technologies to avian conservation, and research on tradeoffs in resource use by migratory shorebirds.

Jame McCray Email: jmccray@ufl.edu

Jean Olbert Email: olbertjean@ufl.edu

Jean received her BS in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. She is primarily interested in conservation biology and avian ecology and spent several years working with endangered avian species before perusing an MS with the University of Florida in 2009. Her current research is focused on determining reasons of nesting failure and brood reductions of snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) nests on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Central Florida.

John Perry Email: justjohn@ufl.edu

John is currently completing his Ph.D. in Geomatics. John's work is in the area payload design and data processing to improve the mission capabilities of small UAS.

Kyle holding two recently banded snail kite nestlings at Loxahatchee NWR.

Kyle Pias Email: kpias@ufl.edu

Kyle Pias received his BS in Environmental Science from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. His interests include conservation biology and avian ecology. He has worked on research projects involving a variety of avian species, including crested caracaras, island scrub jays, and red-tailed hawks. His current work at the University of Florida is focused on foraging ecology and habitat use of the endangered everglades snail kite on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.

Thomas is seen here in one of the final steps of the pre-flight procedure.

Thomas Rambo Email: tjrambo@ufl.edu

Thomas has been working with UAS for over five years, specializing in controls and system integration. He is currently responsible for the autonomy of the aircraft, along with mission planning and monitoring software. He is the ground station operator for UAS operational missions. Thomas earned his B.S. in Aerospace engineering from UF in 2010. He is currently working towards a Master’s Degree in the same field. His areas of interest include control theory, system integration, and national UAS policy.

Thomas Reed Email: treed@ufl.edu

Thomas received a Bachelor’s of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida in 2010 and plans to graduate with his Masters in Spring 2012. He is an expert machinist and has extensive experience in building, operating, and teaching students about precision engineering equipment. He has a decade of experience at TMR Engineering with all aspects of machining, including building the two Microsatellites for the UF Space Systems Research Group and many other projects for the Laser Lab, MAV Lab, Combustion Lab, Eglin Air Force Base, MIT and Georgia Tech. His work on the UAS includes production of the current Mako design, as well as designing and building adaptable technologies to extend the Mako.

Brian Reichert Email: breich@ufl.edu

Brian is a PhD student and has been a part of the long-term Snail Kite monitoring project since 2006. He recieved his M.S. from the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida in the fall of 2009, with a thesis titled: EFFECTS OF AGING AND THE ENVIRONMENT ON SNAIL KITE DEMOGRAPHY: A REASSESSMENT OF SNAIL KITE (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) VITAL RATES. His current research interests include the estimation of wildlife demographic parameters, spatially-explicit population viability analysis, and using metapopulation theory to predict source-sink habitat.

Sarah Reintjes-Tolen Email: sarahrtolen@gmail.com

Amy Teague Email: ateague@usgs.gov

Rio Throm Email: riot@ufl.edu

Researching juvenile alligator habitat selection and advances in airboat performance.

Adam Watts with young savanna baboon, Republic of Guinea.

Adam Watts Email: acwatts@ufl.edu

The Florida Unit coordinates an interdisciplinary research program using a small, autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for ecological research. Current applications include wildlife surveys, habitat classification, and invasive species detection. Applications to be developed are marine debris monitoring, near-shore current modeling, and other uses in agriculture, forestry, and ecological restoration.

Natalie Williams Email: Natalie.Williams@ufl.edu

Florida People

Federal Staff

University Staff

Students and Post Docs

Current Staff

5 Year Summary

Contact Us

Unit Leader

	Raymond Carthy Assistant Unit Leader Email: carthyr@wec.ufl.edu Tel: (352) 846 - 0545
	Wiley Kitchens Unit Scientist Email: kitchensw@wec.ufl.edu Website: http://www.wec.ufl.edu/faculty/kitchensw/ Tel: (352) 846 - 0536
	H. Percival Unit Leader Email: percivaf@ufl.edu Tel: (352) 846 - 0543

	Matthew Burgess Email: mburgess@ufl.edu Matt is a PhD student in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at UF. He is also the program coordinator of the UF Unmanned Aircraft Systems Wildlife Project; a multidisciplinary team of aerospace engineering, geomatics, and ecology faculty and graduate students developing a small unmanned aircraft system for ecological research and habitat assessments.
	Chris Cattau Email: cattau@ufl.edu Chris Cattau worked for two seasons as a field technician on the long-term monitoring project of Snail Kite demography, movement, and foraging ecology. Subsequently, Chris moved to Gainesville and completed his masters thesis "Effects of the invasive exotic apple snail (Pomacea insularum) on the Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) in Florida, USA". Currently, Chris is testing ecological trap hypotheses related to the exotic snail and to hydrology management. He is also analyzing spatio-temporal patterns in the distribution of Snail Kite nests throughout their range and modeling wetland-specific reproductive parameters for use in an adaptive management framework.
	Patrick Delany Email: patrick.delaney@myfwc.com Patrick is a alligator research biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He is finishing his graduate work while working full-time with the commission. The focus of his thesis will be "Using GIS to assess nest site selection and nesting abundance of American alligators in central Florida."
	Brandon Evers Email: bevers01@ufl.edu Brandon has extensive experience in both small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV) development and composite manufacturing. He is the designer of the current generation of operational airframes and serves as the sUAV pilot for the deployment team, which has maintained a perfect mission success record since the system's operational debut in Fall 2009.
	Kathryn Garland Email: garlandk@ufl.edu
	Anthony Lau Email: alau0924@ufl.edu
	Elizabeth Martin Email: elizabeth_martin@usgs.gov NBII Bird Conservation Node Manager, National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), USGS, and PhD student, Department of Wildlife Biology and Conservation, University of Florida. Her principal responsibility with NBII is management of the NBII Conservation Node and coordination with partners to support development of web-based information products useful in management and conservation of North American birds. Her interests include the application of information technologies to avian conservation, and research on tradeoffs in resource use by migratory shorebirds.
	Jame McCray Email: jmccray@ufl.edu
	Jean Olbert Email: olbertjean@ufl.edu Jean received her BS in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. She is primarily interested in conservation biology and avian ecology and spent several years working with endangered avian species before perusing an MS with the University of Florida in 2009. Her current research is focused on determining reasons of nesting failure and brood reductions of snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) nests on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Central Florida.
	John Perry Email: justjohn@ufl.edu John is currently completing his Ph.D. in Geomatics. John's work is in the area payload design and data processing to improve the mission capabilities of small UAS.
	Kyle Pias Email: kpias@ufl.edu Kyle Pias received his BS in Environmental Science from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. His interests include conservation biology and avian ecology. He has worked on research projects involving a variety of avian species, including crested caracaras, island scrub jays, and red-tailed hawks. His current work at the University of Florida is focused on foraging ecology and habitat use of the endangered everglades snail kite on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.
	Thomas Rambo Email: tjrambo@ufl.edu Thomas has been working with UAS for over five years, specializing in controls and system integration. He is currently responsible for the autonomy of the aircraft, along with mission planning and monitoring software. He is the ground station operator for UAS operational missions. Thomas earned his B.S. in Aerospace engineering from UF in 2010. He is currently working towards a Master’s Degree in the same field. His areas of interest include control theory, system integration, and national UAS policy.
	Thomas Reed Email: treed@ufl.edu Thomas received a Bachelor’s of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida in 2010 and plans to graduate with his Masters in Spring 2012. He is an expert machinist and has extensive experience in building, operating, and teaching students about precision engineering equipment. He has a decade of experience at TMR Engineering with all aspects of machining, including building the two Microsatellites for the UF Space Systems Research Group and many other projects for the Laser Lab, MAV Lab, Combustion Lab, Eglin Air Force Base, MIT and Georgia Tech. His work on the UAS includes production of the current Mako design, as well as designing and building adaptable technologies to extend the Mako.
	Brian Reichert Email: breich@ufl.edu Brian is a PhD student and has been a part of the long-term Snail Kite monitoring project since 2006. He recieved his M.S. from the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida in the fall of 2009, with a thesis titled: EFFECTS OF AGING AND THE ENVIRONMENT ON SNAIL KITE DEMOGRAPHY: A REASSESSMENT OF SNAIL KITE (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) VITAL RATES. His current research interests include the estimation of wildlife demographic parameters, spatially-explicit population viability analysis, and using metapopulation theory to predict source-sink habitat.
	Sarah Reintjes-Tolen Email: sarahrtolen@gmail.com
	Amy Teague Email: ateague@usgs.gov
	Rio Throm Email: riot@ufl.edu Researching juvenile alligator habitat selection and advances in airboat performance.
	Adam Watts Email: acwatts@ufl.edu The Florida Unit coordinates an interdisciplinary research program using a small, autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for ecological research. Current applications include wildlife surveys, habitat classification, and invasive species detection. Applications to be developed are marine debris monitoring, near-shore current modeling, and other uses in agriculture, forestry, and ecological restoration.
	Natalie Williams Email: Natalie.Williams@ufl.edu