My research interests broadly cover wetland ecology, restoration ecology, and wildlife ecology. My master's thesis work is a culmination of these topics that explores using waterfowl forage availability to measure wetland mitigation success. I think it is important that we find new ways to determine the success of wetland mitigation to preserve quality and function across the landscape; this research uses an important ecosystem service, waterfowl, as a unique way to evaluate mitigation success. It is my hope that this research inspires conservationists to think about how we currently measure the success of restoration and perhaps this concept can be applied to use a variety of ecosystem services to measure mitigation success. Wetland mitigation is an important tool for humans, plants, and wildlife that has room for improvement. In a world with so few wetlands, we should hold mitigation efforts to a higher standard.
- lucaskemmerling