Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Virginia
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Virginia Project


Marsh bird conservation on the Atlantic Shore in the face of sea level rise

August 2021 - June 2026


Personnel

Participating Agencies

  • NASA
  • Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
  • Virginia Tech Center for Coastal Studies

Sea level rise will impact marsh birds' habitats through loss and degradation, as well as having direct impacts on population dynamics through impacts to nesting. Conserving species in the face of these threats requires ecological understanding of the impacts as well as multi-disciplinary collaboration to come up with solutions. We are studying species such as Saltmarsh Sparrows, Seaside Sparrows, and Clapper Rails, as well as using remote sensing technology and social science to understand the threats to species' habitats and potential management actions.