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PLEASE NOTE: The schedule posted here is as of 1/25/16, and is subject to change. Please check back for updates.
AUTHORS:Alison P. Stodola, INHS; Douglass, Sarah A., INHS; Tiemann, J.S., INHS; Stodola, Kirk W., INHS
ABSTRACT: Freshwater mussels are among the most imperiled organisms in the world, and many agencies are tasked with protecting the remaining populations. Managers are often required to make informed decisions based on metrics like population size, recruitment, or density, yet robust estimates of these values are difficult to attain, especially for large areas. We recently provided the Illinois Department of Natural Resources with a status update for 67 species for the Wildlife Action Plan and were faced with the common scenario of turning field data into meaningful information. We discuss the challenges associated with this update and ways we have attempted to counter these challenges, using several projects we have initiated in Illinois as demonstration. Specifically, we discuss the value of mark-recapture designs and other statistical modeling techniques that can be used to acknowledge and incorporate uncertainty into the population metrics managers use to make decisions.
Tuesday January 26, 2016 10:20am - 10:40am EST
Vandenberg B
