Louisiana Technical Assistance Activities
Unit Scientists provide many forms of assistance and service to a diversity of user groups including universities, state and federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Service activities include: serving as science advisors or on committees appointed to deal with natural resource issues, providing technical field input to natural resource managers, serving on graduate student committees, holding positions within various scientific professional societies, and on various university service committees. Below are a few examples of our recent service activities.
| Description and Agency | Provider(s) | Date |
|---|---|---|
|
Visited a property being acquired that will become the Coastal Chenier Refuge near Port Arthur, TX per the request of USFWS (Mark Kaib). We evaluated the habitat and provided suggestions on potential issues with the site. US Fish and Wildlife Service |
King | March 2017 |
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To represent the DOI on the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group development of SMART objectives for use of NRDA restoration funding for SAV and oyster resources. Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority |
La Peyre | August 2020 |
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Spoke to Dr. Daniel Landeros, EPA Regional Wetlands Director (dallas) about greentree reservoir site selection, design, and management Environment Protection Agency |
King | January 2024 |
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Served on Ad Hoc Committee address USGS MOCC training requirements |
King | March 2005 |
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Served as an invited wetland expert in a formal wetland review of wet meadows for Malheur National Wildlife Refuge US Fish and Wildlife Service |
King | July 2023 |
|
Served as an expert witness for the U.S. Department of Justice from 2006-2009. This included review of documents, field visits, deposition, and court testimony. U.S. Department of Justice |
King | July 2006 |
|
Served as USGS Representative (and reforestation subcommittee co-chair) to the Lower Mississippi River Valley Joint Venture, Forest Management group. |
King | March 2005 |
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Served as RGEP panel reviewer |
King | February 2005 |
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Reviewed Yazoo Pumps Preliminary Environmental Report for the USFWS, Ecological Services Office, Jackson, MS US Fish and Wildlife Service |
King | September 2005 |
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Review and comment on oyster habitat module being adopted for use in Louisiana's Master Plan for coastal restoration. Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority |
La Peyre | September 2015 |
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Providing data and input into an ecosystem model developed for use in the Louisiana Master Plan Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority |
La Peyre | September 2015 |
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Providing data and data analysis of local oyster population data to inform management models and setting of harvest limits in Louisiana Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries |
La Peyre | January 2015 |
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Provided technical support to the Lower Mississippi River Valley Joint Venture in a collaborative effort to develop a spatially explicit decision support tool for identifying wetland habitat complexes important for wintering and migratory waterfowl. Lower Mississippi River Valley Joint Venture |
Fowler | January 2023 |
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Provided shapefiles of interpolated salinity maps created for a project for LDWF to use with oyster restoration siting, aquaculture decisions and fisheries management Louisiana Department of WIldlife and FIsheries |
La Peyre | March 2023 |
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Provided map products and analyses to support Louisiana Sea Grant's Alternative Oyster Culture Grant program. Louisiana Sea Grant |
La Peyre, Swam | January 2022 |
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Provided a video interview for a group from Belarus developing a video on cranes and wetlands GPC Production LLC |
King | January 2024 |
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Provide assistance to NOAA's Mussel Watch program to collect samples at Louisiana sites in April 2010 prior to impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill NOAA |
La Peyre | April 2010 |
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Provide assistance on project examining impacts of oil and gas pipelines on marsh habitats |
La Peyre | January 2005 |
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Provide assistance on project examining impacts of oil and gas activities on marsh habitats Minerals Management Service |
La Peyre | January 2006 |
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Provide assistance on ongoing project examining impacts of oil and gas pipelines on marshes |
La Peyre | September 2007 |
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Provide assistance on ecological analysis of project quantifying habitat impacts of oil and gas pipelines in the coastal zone |
La Peyre | January 2004 |
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Participation as oyster habitat expert in Ecosystem INdicators workshop funded by NAS, through NatureServ. The Nature Conservancy |
La Peyre | October 2016 |
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Participated in refuge review for D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge |
King | September 2003 |
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Participated in a reforestation workshop |
King | April 2003 |
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Participated in USFWS Scaup Modeling and Management Workshop, reviewed scaup model inputs and outputs, and provided comments on drafts of the final report for USFWS Scaup Conservation Action Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Scaup Conservation Action Plan Team |
Afton | April 2009 |
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Oyster expert on gulf-coast National Academies of Sciences Funded project to identify key monitoring metrics NaturServ |
La Peyre | November 2016 |
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Oyster Working Group Task Force, post Deepwater Horizon oil spill NRDA |
La Peyre | August 2010 |
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Member of USFWS NRDA Trustee Waterfowl Working Group associated with Deepwater Horizon (MC 252) oil spill. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/ NRDA Trustee Waterfowl Working Group |
Afton | July 2010 |
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Invited expert for panel evaluating sediment diversions on coastal habitats; oyster reef expert Environmental Defense Fund |
La Peyre | January 2016 |
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Input into biological layers for GIS based decision support tool (http://gulfmex.coastalresilience.org/. The Nature Conservancy |
La Peyre | January 2011 |
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Input into Louisiana Department of WIldlife and Fisheries development of a shellfish budget for managing oyster harvest. Provide data and analyses to fit growth and mortality estimates. Louisiana Department of WIldlife and Fisheries |
La Peyre | September 2014 |
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Identification of old fish samples for Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries - Refuge Division Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries |
La Peyre | April 2004 |
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I participated in a zoom call with New Mexico Game and Fish, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Audubon New Mexico to evaluate proposed design improvements in wetland management infrastructure at Bernardo WMA north of Soccorro, NM. This will be an ongoing effort. New Mexico Game and Fish |
King | October 2020 |
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Gulf Coast Vulnerability Assessment; Member of the Coastal Ecosystems and Species Expert Team and Leader for the Oyster Group LCCs - GCPO/NOAA |
La Peyre | October 2011 |
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Grand Cote National Wildlife Refuge |
King | October 2004 |
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External Advisory Group expert for Mississippi Based RESTORE Act Center for Excellence (MBRACE). Provide advice and expertise in MBRACE focus and funding in meeting their mission to facilitate sustainable use of the Gulf's resources. MS RESTORE Center for Excellence |
La Peyre | January 2019 |
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Expert to NOAA Natural Resource and Damage Assessment workshop. Provided seminars and field training to NOAA employees on monitoring, and sampling design for damage assessments of coastal marsh habitats and species NOAA - DARP |
La Peyre | August 2015 |
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DOI Representative on the Oyster Strategic Framework Development committee for NRDA. http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/wp-content/uploads/Oyster_Strategic_Framework_06.23.17.pdf Deepwater Horizon Trustees |
La Peyre | September 2016 |
|
DOI Representative on Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Objectives setting group for SUBMERGED AQUATIC VEGETATION. Helped develop objectives and research needs for oyster resources to address restoration and production goals identified in the state and regional oyster strategic framework. Final document developed: https://www.fws.gov/doiddata/dwh-ar-documents/3443/DWH-ARZ009746.pdf US Fish and Wildlife Service |
La Peyre | June 2020 |
|
DOI Representative on Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Objectives setting group for OYSTERS. Helped develop objectives and research needs for oyster resources to address restoration and production goals identified in the state and regional oyster strategic framework. Final document developed: https://www.fws.gov/doiddata/dwh-ar-documents/3443/DWH-ARZ009746.pdf Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries |
La Peyre | June 2020 |
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Biological Review, D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge |
King | September 2003 |
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Assisted in update and development for oyster habitat suitability index to be used in Louisiana Coastal Master Plan models. Resulted in: https://coastal.la.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/HSI-Model-Improvements_April2021.pdf Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries |
La Peyre | January 2019 |
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Assisted Dustin Brewer, University of Missouri, as a reviewer for various stages in a Bayesian Belief Network for King Rails University of Missouri |
King | November 2023 |
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Assistance and data provision to develop maps of submersed aquatic vegetation SARP |
La Peyre | May 2016 |
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Analyzed and reported quantitative data on outcome of NRDA oyster early restoration across the Gulf of Mexico. Information used for Trustee report to Congress 2020. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries |
La Peyre | January 2020 |
| Role - Description | Provider | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviewer, Virginia SeaGrant Fellowships - PRovided reviews of 30 + fellowship applications for highly competitive fellowships provided by Virginia SeaGrant to graduate students | La Peyre | January 2016 | April 2016 |
| RNR Space Use Committee - Help manage space needs in the Renewable Natural Resources Building | La Peyre | May 2006 | June 2010 |
| Member, Wildlife Extension Faculty Search Committee - Reviewed potential candidates, helped with interviews, and participated in discussions on faculty hires | King | April 2017 | July 2017 |
| Member, Scholarship Committee, Renewable Natural Resources - TO review and award departmental student scholarships. | La Peyre | August 2005 | Present |
| Member, RNR Seminar and Lecture Committee | Afton | August 2005 | September 2007 |
| Role and Organization | Individual | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visiting Research Scientist, Canadian Wildlife Service, waterfowl research team at Karak Lake, Nunavut | Afton | January 1993 | Present |
| Selection Committee Member, The Dave Ankney & Sandi Johnson Waterfowl and Wetlands Graduate Research Scholarship | Afton | January 2014 | Present |
| Reviewer, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Afton | July 2007 | Present |
| Reviewer, National Science Foundation | Afton | August 1988 | Present |
| Member, Waterbird Working Group, LMVJV | King | January 2019 | Present |
| Member, Waterbird Working Group, GCJV | King | January 2010 | Present |
| Member, Scientific Program Committee, Ecology and Conservation of North American Waterfowl | Afton | February 2011 | January 2013 |
| Member, Scientific Program Committee, 4th North Amercican Duck Symposium | Afton | August 2005 | August 2006 |
| Member, Scientific Program Committee, 3rd North Amercican Duck Symposium | Afton | January 2001 | December 2003 |
| Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Camara Argentina de Caza y Pesca | Afton | December 2007 | December 2008 |
| Member, Science Committee, LMVJV | King | January 2019 | Present |
| Member, NAWMP Scaup Action Team | Afton | July 2007 | Present |
| Member, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Team, Gulf Coast Joint Venture of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan | Afton | January 1998 | Present |
| Member, Louisiana Waterfowl Study Commission, Appointed by Governor to investigate waterfowl management and hunting issues in Louisiana | Afton | March 2006 | December 2006 |
| Member, IUCN Crane Working Group | King | May 2010 | Present |
| Chair, Selection Committee, Robert Todd Eberhardt Memorial Award | Afton | January 2003 | January 2013 |
| Chair, Hydrology and Forest Health Working Group of the LMVJV | King | January 2024 | Present |
| Outreach Activity | Provider(s) | Date |
|---|---|---|
| article on SAV research in RNR's magazine "Mapping Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Coastal Zone" | La Peyre | March 2017 |
| Science Project Advisor for Mitch Weegman, Winona Middle School, Winona, Minnesota | Afton | January 2003 |
| Presentation of research results to SEa GRant Extension agents | La Peyre | June 2005 |
| Presentation and discussion on oyster reefs at Seafood Summit convention; a meeting of commercial fisherman and producers | La Peyre | March 2016 |
| Presentation and discussion of modeling efforts related to oyster production in the face of management and sea level rise at the Seafood Summit, a meeting held for commercial fishermen and producers | La Peyre | March 2016 |
| National Public Radio out of Memphis Tennessee interviewed myself, my graduate student (Aaron Pierce) and a graduate student and faculty member from University of Tennessee about our research on the Hatchie River. The link to the story, if still active, is at: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wkno/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=583163 | King | December 2003 |
| Interviewed regarding research on spinning wing decoys by CBS Evening News. | Afton | January 2004 |
| Interviewed by writer and provided input and manuscript review to editor of Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine, for an article on Scaup published in the September-October 2007 issue of Volume 70, Number 414, pages 8-17. | Afton | July 2007 |
| Discussed oyster research in Louisiana to the Oyster Convention, a meeting of oyster producers and the public | La Peyre | March 2014 |
| Discussed oyster reefs and ecosystem services to a 4H group vising from Cameron Parish, Louisiana | La Peyre | February 2015 |
| Discussed monitoring work on oyster reefs used as living shorelines to a non-profit organization, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. | La Peyre | August 2015 |
| Description and sharing of data regarding some research to managers and decision makers with the Coastal Wetlands and Protection, Planning and Restoration Act environmental Working Group PPL 15 | La Peyre | June 2005 |
| Article for LSUs RNR magazine "New Source of Blue Carbon Studied in Coastal Wetlands" | La Peyre | March 2017 |