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

Louisiana Staff Member


Dr. Drew Fowler

Dr. Drew Fowler

Assistant Unit Leader
Email: dfowler@usgs.gov
Faculty Email: dfowler@agcenter.lsu.edu
Faculty Website

Biography

Dr. Fowler joined the Louisiana Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in 2022 and serves as an Assistant Unit Leader and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Renewable Natural Resources at Louisiana State University. Prior to joining the Louisiana Unit, Dr. Fowler received his M.S. degree from Louisiana State University, his PhD from the University of Missouri, and was a research scientist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. His overarching research efforts focus on the ecology and management of wetland dependent birds, particularly waterfowl, as well as the management and conservation of diverse wetland systems. In addressing the effects of anthropogenic impacts to wetlands, Dr. Fowler takes a process-based approach to understand biotic and abiotic drivers that influence wetland function and how wetland dependent taxa in turn respond. Dr. Fowler has interests in teaching Wetland and wildlife ecology, Waterfowl ecology and management, and Applications of stable isotope ecology.

Areas of Expertise

Landscape Ecology, Wetland Ecology, Wildlife Management

Taxon Groups Studied

Gamebirds, Nongame Fish/Wildlife, Waterfowl

Research Publications Publication Date
Paukert, C., E. Webb, D. Fowler, and C. Hilling. 2021. Harvest as a Tool to Manage Populations of Undesirable or Overabundant Fish and Wildlife Species. Pages 249 to 262 in: L. Powell and K. Pope, editors. Harvest of Fish and Wildlife: New Paradigms for Sustainable Management. CRC Press. June 2021
Fowler, D.N., K.J. Kuechle, B.A. Woodall, M.P. Vrtiska and E.B. Webb. 2018. Evaluating indices of lipid and protein contentin lesser snow and Ross' geese during spring migration. Wildlife Society Bulletin 42: 295-303. June 2018
Fowler, D.N., E.B. Webb, and M.P. Vrtiska. 2020. Condition Bias of Decoy-Harvested Light Geese During the Conservation Order. The Journal of Wildlife Management 84:33-44. January 2020
Fowler, D.N., E.B. Webb, M.P. Vrtiska and K.A. Hobson. 2020. Winter carry over effects on spring body condition in a long distant migrant and implications for survival: a test using lesser snow geese. Avian Conservation and Ecology December 2020
Fowler, D. N. S.L. King, and D. C. Weindorf. 2014. Evaluating Abiotic Influences on Soil Salinity of Inland Managed Wetlands and Agricultural Croplands in a Semi-Arid Environment. Wetlands 34:1229-1239. June 2014
Fowler, D,N, Winiarksi, J,M, Pollentier, C,D, and R.C. Gatti. 2023. The influence of landscape composition and configuration on breeding pair abundance of blue-winged teal and mallards in Wisconsin. Wildlife Society Bulletin. | Abstract January 2024
Fowler DN, Webb EB, Baldwin FB, Vrtiska MP, Hobson KA (2018) A multi-isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, δ2H) approach to establishing migratory connectivity in lesser snow geese: Tracking an overabundant species. PLoS ONE 13(8): e0203077. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203077

| Abstract | Publisher Website
August 2018
Gehrke, Aiden
Master's
agehrke@agcenter.lsu.edu

Stemaly, Shannon
Master's
sstemaly@agcenter.lsu.edu

Presentations Presentation Date
Winiarksi, J. M., D.N. Fowler, M.D. Palumbo, and J.N. Straub. 2022. Comparing expert and data-driven seasonal waterfowl distributions to inform conservation strategies: a case study in Wisconsin. Annual Meeting, The Wildlife Society, Spokane, Washington, 6-10 November 2022. November 2022
Stemaly, S, Hobson, K, Ringelman, K, and D.N. Fowler. 2024. Breeding origins of waterfowl harvested in Louisiana derived from band recoveries and stable isotope (δ<sup>2</sup>H) measurements of feathers. 9<sup>th</sup> North American Duck Symposium. Portland OR, 5 -9 February 2024. February 2024
Owen, R.K., D. Fowler, E.B. Webb, K.W. Goyne, and D. Haukos. Playas to Potholes: How will climate change impact soil biogeochemistry in Great Plains prairie wetlands? January 2019
Luukkonen, B, Winterstein, S, Hayes, J, Coluccy, D, Fowler, P, Lavretsky, B, O’Neal, A, Shipley, and J Simpson. 2024. Great Lakes mallard movements and population dynamics. 9<sup>th</sup> North American Duck Symposium. Portland OR, 5 -9 February 2024. February 2024
Luukkonen, B, Winterstein, S, Hayes, D, Fowler, D, and P. Lavretsky. 2023. Great Lakes mallard genetics and movement ecology. Annual Meeting, The Wildlife Society, Louisville KY 5 – 9 November 2023. November 2023
Greenawalt, A.,T, Riecke, D.N. Fowler, and B. Sedinger. Do harvest regulations, wood duck abundance, and hunter effort affect wood duck hunting mortality in the Great Lakes states? Annual Meeting, The Wildlife Society, Spokane, Washington, 6-10 November 2022. November 2022
Goodenough, K and D, Fowler. 2024. Spatiotemporal variation in space-use of mallard and northern pintails wintering in southwest Louisiana. 9<sup>th</sup> North American Duck Symposium. Portland OR, 5 -9 February 2024. February 2024
Gehrke, A, Ringelman, K. M., and D.N. Fowler. 2024. Factors influencing field selection by mallards and northern pintails within rice-crawfish dominated agriculture in southwest Louisiana. 9<sup>th</sup> North American Duck Symposium. Portland OR, 5 -9 February 2024. February 2024
Fowler, D.N., S.L. King, D.C. Weindorf, and J. Vradenburg. 2018. Evaluating Abiotic Influences on Soil Salinity of Inland Managed Wetlands and Agricultural Croplands in a Semi-Arid Environment. Society of Wetland Scientists Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado May 2018
Fowler, D.N, M.P. Vrtiska, and E.B. Webb. 2018. Selective harvest: evaluating differences in body condition of lesser snow and Ross's Geese during spring migration by harvest technique during the Light Goose Conservation Order. 14th North American Arctic Goose Conference. Lincoln, NE. 14 - 17 March, 2018. March 2018
Fowler, D.N, K.A. Hobson, M.P. Vrtiska, and E.B. Webb. 2018. Do nutrient acquisition strategies differ among spring migrants depending on breeding area destination? A test using lesser snow geese. 14th North American Arctic Goose Conference. Lincoln, NE. 14 - 17 March, 2018. March 2018
Fowler, D.N, J.L. Dooley, M.D. Weegman, R.F. Rockwell, M.P. Vrtiska, and E.B. Webb. 2018. Evaluating heterogeneous adult survival among subpopulations in midcontinent lesser snow geese. 14th North American Arctic Goose Conference. Lincoln, NE. 14 - 17 March, 2018. March 2018
Fowler, D. N., M. P. Vrtiska, and E. B. Webb. 2017. Selective harvest: evaluating differences in body condition of lesser snow and Ross’s Geese by harvest technique during the Light Goose Conservation Order. 2017 Annual Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Lincoln, Nebraska. February 5-8. February 2017
Fowler, D. N., M. P. Vrtiska, and E. B. Webb. 2016. Does body condition of lesser snow and Ross’s Geese harvested during the Light Goose Conservation Order differ from the general population? Oral presentation. 2016 Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society, Raleigh, North Carolina. October 15-19. October 2016
Fowler, D. N., J. M. Winiarski, and K. A. Hobson. Evaluating natal / molt origins of non-banded ducks harvested in the northern Mississippi Flyway using stable isotope techniques. Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture Waterfowl Symposium, Memphis, Tennessee, 4-6 October 2022. October 2022
Fowler, D. N., E. B. Webb, K. A. Hobson, and M. P. Vrtiska. 2016. Using Isotopic Signatures of Arctic and Sub-arctic Nesting Colonies to Determine Breeding Origin of Harvested Lesser Snow Geese. 7th North American Duck Symposium, Annapolis, Maryland, 1-5 February 2016. February 2016
Fowler, D. N, Webb, E. B., Hobson, K. A., and M. P. Vrtiska. 2018. Shifting regional habitat use improves body lipid content: Winter carry over effects on spring body condition in a long distant migrant . North American Duck Symposium, Winnipeg, MB, August 26-30. August 2019
Fowler, D. N, Webb, E. B., Hobson, K. A., and M. P. Vrtiska. 2018. Ghosts of habitat past or future? The role of wintering and breeding locations on spring body condition in a long distant migrant. Annual Meeting, The Wildlife Society, Cleveland, Ohio, 7-11 October 2018. October 2018
Fowler, D, N., M. P. Vrtiska, K. A. Hobson and E. B. Webb. 2017. Do nutrient acquisition strategies among spring migrants differ depending on breeding area destination? A test using lesser snow geese. Annual Meeting, The Wildlife Society , Albuquerque, NM, 23-27, 2017. September 2017
Fowler, D, N. and S. L. King. 2024. Levers and switches that influence the conservation value of rice agriculture for waterfowl and other wetland dependent birds. 9<sup>th</sup> North American Duck Symposium. Portland OR, 5 -9 February 2024. February 2024
Fowler, D, N. and S. L. King. 2023. Levers and switches that influence the conservation value of rice agriculture for wetland dependent birds. Annual Meeting, The Waterbird Society, Ft. Lauderdale FL, 9 - 13 October 2023. October 2023
Fowler, D, N. and S. L. King. 2023. A changing system: levers and switches that influence the role of rice agriculture for wetland dependent birds. Annual Meeting, Society of Wetland Scientists, Spokane WA, 27 - 30 June 2023. June 2023
Fowler, D, N, Masto, S Stemaly, A Keever, M Schummer, P Lavretsky, A Blake-Bradshaw, C, Highway, J, Feddersen, H, Hagy and B, Cohen. 2024. Integrating GPS telemetry and <i>δ</i><sup>2</sup>H isoscapes to identify breeding ground fidelity and dispersal by mallards. <b> </b>9<sup>th</sup> North American Duck Symposium. Portland OR, 5 -9 February 2024. February 2024
Fowler, D, M. P. Vrtiska and E. B. Webb. 2015. Which geese are being harvested? Body condition of lesser snow (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) and Ross’s Geese (C. rossii) harvested by different methods during the Light Goose Conservation Order. North American Arctic Goose Conference, Winnipeg, MB, CA, 15-17 April 2015. April 2015
Ferraro, E, Ringelman, K. M., and D.N. Fowler. 2024. Effects of Auditory Disturbance on Mallard and Northern Pintail Behavior in Southwest Louisiana. 9<sup>th</sup> North American Duck Symposium. Portland OR, 5 -9 February 2024. February 2024
Fara, L, Beatty, W, Koneff, M, Fowler, D, Finger, T, Landolt, K, Finley, B, Ruhser, J, Gray, B, Houdek, S, Wright, A, and G, Marchel. 2024. Visibility correction factors for multiple species of waterfowl using an aerial remote sensing approach. 9<sup>th</sup> North American Duck Symposium. Portland OR, 5 -9 February 2024. February 2024
Edwards, J.W., E.B. Webb, D.N. Fowler, P. Link and B. Leach. Environmental factors influencing blue-winged teal spring migration initiation and subsequent migratory movements. 9th North American Duck Symposium, Portland, Oregon. February 2024 February 2024
Drake, V. L ., K. M. Ringelman, and D. N. Fowler. Development of an aerial waterfowl survey for northeastern Louisiana. Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture Waterfowl Symposium, Memphis, Tennessee, 4-6 October 2022. October 2022