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

The Maine Cooperatiave Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is comprised of Joe Zydlewski (Unit Leader), Christina Murphy (Assistant Unit Leader - Fisheries), and Tristan Nuñez (Assistant Unit Leader - Wildlife). Rena Carey is the administrative contact for unit activities. Katherine Goodine and Molly Langlais-Parker also provide administrative support for the unit.

The research scientists are graduate faculty in the University of Maine's Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology. They teach graduate courses and serve as advisors or co-advisors on graduate student committees in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology and other departments, and oversee the Unit's research projects. Graduate students are supported with research assistantships, tuition, health insurance, and funds to conduct research projects, which typically are designed to address information needs of the unit cooperators. Graduate students work with Zydlewski, Murphy, and Nuñez to meet requirements of Ph.D. or M.S. degrees in Wildlife Ecology or Ecology and Environmental Sciences.

Current research of the unit scientists and graduate students involve understanding effects of selected human-introduced stressors on Maine’s natural resources, emphasizing conservation and restoration of perturbed systems, and understanding behavioral and ecological interactions of native and exotic species. Research underway at the Maine Unit is supported by funds from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, Maine Department of Marine Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, US Geological Survey, and the University of Maine.

The Unit scientists are responsible for identifying information needs, designing the research to meet those needs, and finding and administering the resources to accomplish the research. Most research is conducted as graduate student research projects, although the Unit does employ a variety of temporary support staff from undergraduate student assistants and field technicians to research assistants.

Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Federal Staff

Murphy, Christina
Assistant Unit Leader
camurphy@usgs.gov

Nuñez, Tristan
Assistant Unit Leader
tnunez@usgs.gov

Zydlewski, Joseph
Unit Leader
jzydlewski@usgs.gov