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

California Staff Member

Dr. Margaret Wilzbach

Margaret Wilzbach
Unit Leader
Phone: (707) 826 - 5645
Email: wilzbach@humboldt.edu
Faculty Website

Links:

Education

  • Ph D Oregon State University, Corvallis 1985
  • MS University of Illinois, Champaign 1978
  • BS University of Illinois, Champaign 1976

Biography

Dr. Margaret Wilzbach served as Assistant Unit Leader since 1999. She assumed the position of Unit Leader in March 2014.. Ecology and conservation of salmonid fishes, fish/invertebrate interactions, stream ecology.. Ecology of running waters; ecology and behavior of salmonid fishes.

Research Publications Publication Date
Wilzbach,M., M.J. Ashenfelter, S.J. Ricker. 2012. Movement of Resident Rainbow Trout Transplanted below a Barrier to Anadromy. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 141:2, 294-304. | Abstract | Download | Publisher Website March 2012
Wilzbach, P., and K. W. Cummins. 2000. Profitable stream positions differ for brook trout and cutthroat trout. Pg. 265-266 in Wild Trout VII. Management in the New Millenium: are we ready? October 2000
Wilzbach, M. A., K. W. Cummins, T. K. Barnes, and J. C. Trexler. 2002. Channel-floodplain coupling in the Kissimmee River, Florida (USA): invertebrate movement and fish feeding. Vereinigung fur theoretische und angewandte Limnologie, Verhandlungen. 28: 164-172. February 2002
Wilzbach, M. A., K. W. Cummins, L. M. Rojas, P. J. Rudershausen, and J. Locascio. 1999. Establishing baseline seagrass parameters in a small estuarine bay. Pg. 125-135 in S. A. Bortone (ed. ), Seagrasses: monitoring ecology, physiology, and management. CRC Press, Boca Raton. January 1999
Wilzbach, M. A., B. C. Harvey, J. L. White, and R. J. Nakamoto. 2005. Effects of riparian canopy opening and salmon carcass addition on the abundance and growth of resident salmonids. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 62: 58-67. March 2005
Wilzbach, M. 2001. Review of "Wildstream: a natural history of the free flowing river". Fisheries 28(8):43. March 2001
Wilzbach M. A., and K. W. Cummins. Rivers and Streams: Physical Setting and Adapted Biota. In Sven Erik Jorgensen and Brian D. Fath (Editor-in-Chief), Ecosystems. Vol. [4] of Encyclopedia of Ecology, 5 vols. pp. [3095-3106] Oxford: Elsevier. June 2008
Mull, K. E., and M. A. Wilzbach. Selection of spawning sites by coho salmon in a northern California stream. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27:1343-1354. November 2007
Malakauskas, D. M., and M. Wilzbach. 2012. Invertebrate assemblages in the lower Klamath River, with reference to Manayunkia speciosa. California Fish and Game 98(4):214-235; 2012. | Abstract | Download December 2012
Malakauskas, D. M., Willson, S. J., M. A. Wilzbach, and N. A. Som. 2013. Flow variation and substrate type affect dislodgement of the freshwater polychaete, Manayunkia speciosa. Freshwater Science 2013, 32(3):862-873 | Download June 2013
Madej, M. A., M. A. Wilzbach, K. W. Cummins, C. Ellis, and S. Hadden. 2002. The contribution of suspended organic sediments to turbidity and sediment flux. Proceedings, 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference. April 2002, Reno, Nevada. October 2002
K W Cummins and M A Wilzbach. Rivers and Streams: Ecosystem Dynamics and Integrating Paradigms. In Sven Erik Jorgensen and Brian D. Fath (Editor-in-Chief), Ecosystems. Vol. [4] of Encyclopedia of Ecology, 5 vols. pp. [3084-3095] Oxford: Elsevier. June 2008
Hodge, B.W., M.A. Wilzbach, W.G. Duffy, R.M. Quiñones, and J.A. Hobbs. Life history diversity in Klamath River steelhead. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 145:227-238, 2016. | Download February 2016
Hodge, B., M.A. Wilzbach, and W.D. Duffy. 2013. Potential fitness benefits of the half-pounder life history in Klamath River steelhead. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 2014. 143:864-875, 2014. | Abstract | Download June 2014
Frazey, S. L., and M. A. Wilzbach. The relationship between productivities of salmonids and forest stands in northern California watersheds. Western Journal of Applied Forestry. 22 (2) 2007:73-80. April 2007
Cummins, K., M. Wilzbach, R. Merritt, and J. Brock. 1999. Evaluation of the restoration of the Kissimmee River in South Florida. In Hamilton, S. W., and D. S. White (eds). 1999. The natural history of the lower Tennessee and Cumberland River valleys. Austin Peay State University Press, Clarksville, TN. January 1999
Cummins, K. W., and M. A. Wilzbach. 2005. The inadequacy of the fish-bearing criterion for stream management. Aquat. Sci. 67:486-491 September 2005
Ambrose, H. E., M. A. Wilzbach, and K. W. Cummins. 2004. Periphyton response to increased light and salmon carcass introduction in northern California streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 23: 701-712 November 2004
Project Completion Date
Klamath Basin S3 Model September 2019
Eel River Monitoring July 2015
Shasta River Coho April 2014
Establish & Operated Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research March 2017
Prairie Creek Fisheries and Aquatic Ecosystem Synthesis September 2015
Phase II: Monitoring the endangered Tidewater Goby using environmental DNA in water samples: Field tests June 2019
Redwood Creek Life Cycle Monitoring - DIDSON March 2015
Upper and Lower Redwood Creek Juvenile Salmon (Smolt) Abundance Project March 2017
Prairie Creek Juvenile Salmonid (Smolt) Abundance Project March 2017
Genetic Analysis of Tidewater Goby Tissue Samples May 2014
Salmon in the Redwood Creek Basin March 2016
Monitoring the endangered Tidewater Goby using water samples December 2013
Disease Reduction in Klamath River Salmon December 2012
The Role of Barriers in the Conservation of McCloud Redband Trout August 2011
Polychaete Laboratory Work May 2011
Production of myxospores of Ceratomyxa shasta in Chinook salmon carcasses September 2011
Myxozoan Fish Disease Research and Monitoring December 2012
Basal Hollow Roost Selection June 2019
Prairie Creek Coho Salmon Life Cycle Monitoring March 2020
Monitoring threatened Coho Salmon populations in Humboldt Bay tributaries September 2020
Monitoring Chinook Salmon in Redwood Creek to assess the impacts of a modified estuary June 2020
Characterizing the foraging ecology of marbled murrelets in coastal waters adjacent to old growth redwoods June 2018
Rangewide Giant Kangaroo Rat Surveys & Monitoring Optimization December 2018
Giant Kangaroo Rat Population Monitoring in Panoche Valley June 2016
Tidewater Goby Survey September 2018
Habitat selection in an Arctic Seabird: Implications for Climate Change December 2019
Townsend's Big-Eared Bat Statewide Assessment December 2017
Redwood Creek Life Cycle Monitoring DIDSON 2015-2017 March 2017
Export of Invertebrate Drift From Headwater Streams June 2018
Presentations Presentation Date
Wilzbach, M.A. and B.W. Hodge. 2015. Life history variation in Klamath River steelhead. August 2015
Wilzbach, M.A. 2016. Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Prairie Creek. Prairie Creek Technical Advisory Committee for Redwood National Park. Orick, California. April 5, 2016. April 2016
Wilzbach, M.A. 2015. Role and source of macroinvertebrates in fish growth. Riparian Summit Conference. Korbel, California. 29-30 August 2015. April 2015
Rizza, S., A.P. Kinziger, J.C. Garza, and M.A. Wilzbach. 2015. Asymmetric introgression between Coastal Cutthroat Trout and steelhead in the Smith River Basin, California. 145th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. Portland, Oregon. August 16-20, 2015. August 2015
Hollis, J. and M.A. Wilzbach. 2016. Export of invertebrate drift from fishless headwater streams of the lower Klamath River Basin, California, and its use by trout. Annual Meeting, Society for Freshwater Science. Sacramento, California. May 21-26, 2016. May 2016
Hollis, J. and M. A. Wilzbach. 2016. Export of invertebrate drift from fishless headwater streams in the lower Klamath River Basin, California, and its use by trout. Coast Redwood Forest Symposium, Eureka, California. September 2016
Dockham, A., M.A. Wilzbach, and G. Horton. 2015. Comparison of benthic invertebrate community structure and diet composition of steelhead trout in Dry Creek, California. 33rd Annual Meeting Salmonid Restoration Federation. Santa Rosa, California. Mar 11-14, 2015. March 2015
Dockham, A. and M.A. Wilzbach. 2014. Comparison of benthic invertebrate community structure and diet composition of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Dry Creek, California. 1st Ann. Meeting California Chapter Society of Freshwater Science. November 2014
Technical Publications Publication Date
Wilzbach. M.A. 2016. State of the fisheries and aquatic resources of Prairie Creek. Final Report to Redwood National and State Park, Cooperative Agreement P13AC00848. January 2016
Wilzbach, P., D.M. Malakauskas, S.J. Willson. 2013. Myxozoan Fish Disease Research and Monitoring, Final Project Report. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. January 2013
Wilzbach, P. 2008. Movement of resident trout transplanted below a barrier to anadromy. IN Summary of the Eleventh annual Pacific coast Steelhead Management Meeting. http://www.psmfc.org/steelhead2008. January 2008
Wilzbach, M.A., M.D. Sparkman, P.Y. Drobny, M.E. Gordon, and C.M.G. Boone. 2016. Prairie Creek Monitoring Project, 2015 Season: a report to the Fisheries Restoration Grants Program Project P1210321. 98 pg. February 2016
Wilzbach, M. A. 2005. Using riparian canopy opening and salmon carcass addition to increase salmonid growth. Western Forester, Society of American Foresters 50(2):6-7. March 2005
Sparkman, M.D., R. Park, L. Osborn, and M.A.Wilzbach. 2016. Lower Redwood Creek juvenile salmonid (smolt) abundance project, study year 2015: a report to the Fisheries Restoration Grants Program, Project No. P1210322. 85 pp. January 2016
Moore, T.L. and M.A. Wilzbach. 2016. Distribution and relative abundance of juvenile Coho Salmon in the Redwood Creek Basin, Humboldt County, California. Final report to the California Department of Fish and wildlife Fisheries Restoration Grant Program, Project P1210320. March 2016
Hendrickson, G.L., N.E. Campise 2013. Production of Myxospores of Ceratomyxa shasta in Chinook Salmon Carcasses, Final Project Report, Oregon State University. February 2013
Duffy, W. G., M. A. Wilzbach, M. Wheeler and S. Frazey. 2003. Watershed restoration validation monitoring protocols for California. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento. February 2003
Duffy, W. G. and M. A. Wilzbach. 2004. A standard weight equation for juvenile coho salmon. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento. July 2004
Role and Organization Individual         Start Date        End Date       
North American Benthological Society - Member Wilzbach January 1984 Present
International Limnological Society - Member Wilzbach January 1984 Present
Ecological Society of America - Member Wilzbach January 1984 Present
American Fisheries Society - Member, Program Committee, 2007 Annual Meeting Wilzbach July 2006 Present
American Fisheries Society - Member, Maughan Scholarship Committee Wilzbach January 2001 Present
American Fisheries Society - Member, Humboldt Chapter Wilzbach January 2000 Present
American Fisheries Society - Member, Coastal Cutthroat Trout Scholarship Committee Wilzbach July 2006 Present
American Fisheries Society - Member Wilzbach January 1984 Present
American Fisheries Society - Chair, Seminar Committee Wilzbach September 2001 December 2002