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

Mississippi Technical Assistance Activities

Mourning Dove carrying nest material

Much of our technical assistance is in the form of reports, theses and dissertations, peer-reviewed publications, and popular articles that make the results of our research available to state and federal agencies, professional colleagues, and the general public; but the Unit scientists and students provide assistance in many other ways when called upon to do so.

Description and Agency Provider(s) Date
Wrote white paper as invited technical expert for review of proposed Species of Conservation Concern for Mississippi crayfishes and fishes for 2025 revision of Mississippi State Wildlife Action Plan. Subsequently informed my input will influence conservation designations of species
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks 		Dunn July 2023
Wrote code for a computer program to simulate effects of water level on oxygen concentration in Klamath Lake, California-Oregon
 Miranda February 2003
Working with Delta Wildlife Foundation to identify problems with recruitment of certain economically-important species in lakes connected to the Mississippi River
Delta Wildlife 		Miranda July 2024
Worked with a panel of experts to establish procedures for sampling warmwater fish in standing waters
American Fisheries Society 		Miranda June 2020
Worked with a group of experts in the field to develop power threshold for collecting fish with electrofishing in freshwater
American Fisheries Society 		Miranda June 2020
We are upgrading the MDWFPs standardized monitoring procedure, including analysis of existing data and development of data analysis software.
Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks 		Miranda June 2018
Trained management biologist with Mississippi Dept of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks on crayfish sampling in the field
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks 		Dunn March 2023
Served on technical panel of invasive fish experts and conducted 20 literature reviews to identify potentially invasive fish species for a national Horizon Scan of invasive species led by USFWS and USGS.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service 		Dunn February 2021
Served on a technical panel of experts to shape the scope of a Horizon Scan aimed at identifying potentially invasive aquatic species within the southeastern United States. Aquatic floating plants were deemed the highest priority based on feedback from Mississippi Cooperators.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service 		Dunn December 2020
Research Grade Evaluation Panel
 Miranda May 2002
Published paper on monitoring data provided by Tennessee Valley Authority.<br><br>Besson, J.C. J. Neary, J.D. Stafford, <b>C.G. Dunn</b>, & L.E. Miranda. 2023. Fish functional gradients along a reservoir cascade. <i>Freshwater Biology</i>. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14087<br><br><br>
Tennessee Valley Authority 		Miranda, Dunn January 2022
Published paper on monitoring data provided by Tennessee Valley Authority.<br><br>Besson, J.C. J. Neary, J.D. Stafford, <b>C.G. Dunn</b>, & L.E. Miranda. 2023. Fish functional gradients along a reservoir cascade. <i>Freshwater Biology</i>. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14087
Tennessee Valley Authority 		Miranda, Dunn January 2022
Published a paper with agency co-author. Miranda, L.E., <b>C.G. Dunn</b>, T. Tompkins, &<b> </b>J. Morris. 2023. Patterns of zero and nonzero counts indicate spatiotemporal distributions, aggregation, and dispersion of invasive carp. <i>Management of Biological Invasions</i> 14(2): 363-377.<br><br>Required
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife 		Dunn, Miranda October 2022
Provided technical support to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks as part of the state's participation in the national mourning dove banding program. MDWFP banded under Coop Unit Master Station banding permit. Prepared banding data forms, distributed bands, enterd banding data, and prepared banding schedules and reports for the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory.
 Vilella December 2005
Provided technical support for rapid-prototyping to identify ecological needs of petitioned crayfishes under the Endangered Species Act.
Ecological Services 		Dunn, Cathey January 2023
Provided input on status of invasive carps near Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterwater during call among relevant stakeholders.
United States Army Corps of Engineers 		Dunn March 2023
Provide technical assistance to Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources on restoration and management of coastal wetlands.
Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources 		Vilella November 2022
Provide technical advice and assistance to the Puerto Rican Parrot recovery program on issues dealing with raptor predation of captive-reared parrots used in release and reintroduction program.
 Vilella October 2003
Provide information on fisheries ecology of the lower Mississippi River
Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee 		Schramm January 1995
Population assessment invasive carps in Mississippi River basin
US Fish and Wildlife Service 		Miranda February 2023
Peer-reviewer for 9 manuscripts (5 peer-reviewed journals, 4 Fundamental Science Practice reviews)
US Geological Survey 		Dunn October 2022
Participated in workshop to provide feedback on Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy for lower Gulf Region.
Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy 		Dunn May 2022
Participated in technical team organized by the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee for restoration project along the Mississippi River
Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee 		Dunn August 2021
Participated in 33 calls or in-person meetings with agency cooperators, mentees participated in an additional 10 calls with cooperators (USFWS Ecological Service; USFWS Fisheries; MS Dept Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks; US Forest Service; US Corps of Engineers, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)
Alabama DCNR 		Dunn, Stafford October 2022
Nutrient Technical Advisory Group
Mississippi Department of Env Quality 		Miranda June 2010
Led annual monitoring to evaluate success of re-introduced population of Yoknapatawpha Darter (<i>Etheostoma faulkneri)</i> in Mississippi<i><br></i>
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service 		Dunn, Besson October 2022
Lateral connectivity workgroup to develop research strategy for Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
USGS 		Schramm June 2012
I am leading a team of biologists charged with getting information from a large database compiled by TPWD
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 		Miranda April 2024
Helped MDWFP analyze existing database to determine longterm trends in crappie recruitment
MDWFP 		Miranda February 2024
Facilitated meeting between a Mississippi State University researcher and USFWS' Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office in Tupelo, MS to discuss research needs related to river restoration.
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, & Aquaculture; Mississippi State University 		Dunn April 2022
Evaluate status of bat species of concern for the Mississippi Museum of Natural Sciences.
 Vilella November 2003
Developed software for MDWFP so that field biologist can automatically generate management plans based on survey data
MDWFP 		Miranda January 2019
Developed and presented a module on the effectiveness of regulations in fisheries conservation and management for a distance learning fisheries management course developed by Kentucky State University
Kentucky State University 		Schramm August 2012
Developed a set of guidelines that MDWFP can apply to setting length limit regulations
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks 		Miranda May 2024
Developed a decision support tool that allows managers to calculate the probability of failing to detect federal Endangered Candy Darters based on survey effort. Analyzed habitat data to assess suitability of habitat for reintroducing Candy Darters.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources 		Dunn December 2021
Developed R Shiny Application that allows natural resources managers see the percentages of fish assemblages collected by various fishing gears.
Missouri Department of Conservation 		Dunn, Paukert February 2021
Develop standardized sampling procedures for monitoring expansion of bigheaded carps in the Tennessee and Cumberland river basins
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks 		Miranda August 2020
Develop BMPs for addressing habitat impairment in reservoirs. These BMPs address issues in reservoirs nationwide.
Reservoir Fisheries Habitat Partnership 		Miranda March 2014
Conducted current and future condition modeling and contributed modeling sections for Species Status Assessment of Piebald Madtom under the US Endangered Species Act. Analyses formally incorporated into official Species Status Assessment and could influence impending listing decision under the Endangered Species Act
United States Fish and Wildlife Service 		Dunn November 2021
Co-led multiple expert elicitation exercises to identify threats to Piebald Madtom for the Species Status Assessment using web forms and an R Shiny web application.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service 		Dunn, Sleezer January 2022
Co-facilitator of structured-decision making workshop on control strategies of invasive Black Carp.
Illinois Natural History Survey 		Dunn, Sleezer November 2022
Assisted USGS Water Resources Division collect fish for annual NAWQUA sampling
 Miranda August 2004
Assisted USGS Water Division collect fish for annual NAWQUA sampling.
 Miranda August 2003
Assist Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks in national dove banding program. Provide bands, data entry and management, and submit banding schedules to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory
 Vilella August 2005
Asian carp workgroup strategic plan; led drafting team for research
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 		Schramm January 2007
Analyzed a dataset on invasive carp for Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and helped them develop a publication
Kentucky Dep of Fish & Wildlife Resources 		Miranda January 2021
Analyze a long-term fish assemblage data set in the Kentucky and Barkley lakes tailwaters
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife 		Miranda November 2022
Adaptation Science Management Team, and effort to determine management and research needs for the Gulf Coastal Plain and Ozark Landscape Conservation Cooperative
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 		Schramm September 2012
Role - Description Provider         Start Date        End Date       
Search committee for fisheries faculty position - Part of a five-person committee to hire a new fisheries faculty member: edited advertisement, reviewed applications, interviewed candidates, selected candidates for interviews, served as the "agency" representative during interviews, hosted candidates while on campus, transported candidates to airport. Dunn April 2022 August 2022
Member,Probation Committee, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture - Review graduate students' academic record, determine probation/admission status, administer academic requirement Schramm August 2010 August 2013
Member, Strategic Planning Committee, Forest and Wildlife Research Center - Serve the Dean and Director to develop strategies for addressing future needs of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center Schramm August 2004 Present
Member, Southern Forest Research Partnership Biodiversity Team. Vilella September 2005 September 2010
Member, Promotion and Tenure Committee Miranda May 2006 May 2009
Member, Fisheries Extension Search Committee, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aqauculture - Participate in advertising position, soliciting application, reviewing and ranking applicants, selecting candidate Schramm September 2006 May 2007
Member, Fisheries Extension Search Committee Miranda July 2007 December 2007
Member, College of Forest Resources International Program Committee - Provide guidance and recommendations to the Dean of the College of Forest Resources regarding international research and collaboration. Vilella May 2007 May 2010
International Affairs Committee, Mississippi State University - Participate in university-wide committee mandated with provising the President of Mississippi State University and the Vice President for Research with guidance on development of an international affairs institute. Vilella January 2010 Present
Fisheries population eclogist search committee - Participate in development of position description, solicit and review candidates, select candidates for interview. Schramm September 2013 Present
Faculty advisor, Mississippi State University Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society - Provide guidance to the chapter members regarding professional and fund raising activities. Travel with chapter members to the Southeastern Wildlife Conclave. Vilella August 2005 August 2008
Chair, Fish Physiology Search Committee, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture - Lead committee to advertise position, receive applications, rank and select applicants, arrange interviews, collect input to recommend selected candidate Schramm February 2008 December 2008
Role and Organization Individual         Start Date        End Date       
Research Grade Evaluation Panel member Schramm October 2007 February 2008
Research Grade Evaluation Panel Chair Schramm January 2012 March 2012
Peer-reviewer for 9 manuscripts (5 peer-reviewed journals, 4 Fundamental Science Practice reviews) Dunn October 2022 September 2023
Peer-reviewer for 8 manuscripts: 6 for journals (5 different journals) and 2 manuscripts for Fundamental Science Practices Dunn October 2021 September 2022
Member, Research Grade Evaluation Panel, U.S. Geological Survey Schramm August 2001 November 2001
Member, Fisheries Technical Committee, Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee Schramm January 1998 Present
Editorial advisor and contributor for Eddies, a publication of the Fisheries Division, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Schramm January 2007 Present
Outreach Activity Provider(s)        Date       
Worked with state biologist article in Mississippi Outdoors on MS Unit-led research on invasive carps in Mississippi Delta<br><br> Stafford, Dunn, Miranda March 2023
Worked with state biologist article in Mississippi Outdoors on MS Unit-led research on invasive carps in Mississippi Delta Stafford, Dunn, Miranda March 2023
Research led By Mississippi Unit featured in local paper. Dunn, Raburn January 2023
Reporter for Columbus Dispatch produced article on research led by Mississippi Unit on crayfish species petitioned under the Endangered Species Act Dunn, Raburn March 2023
Published article (co-authored by Logan Sleezer) overviewing the MS CRU's work with Species Status Assessments to the Wildlife Management Institute's bulletin Sleezer, Dunn March 2023
Keeping Bass Alive, a procedure manual published by BASS/ESPNO to improve the survival of fish caught in bass tournaments. Schramm June 2002
Gave a presentation to Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors on crayfish research Dunn January 2023
Eddies. A publication highlighting the fisheries activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Contributor and editorial board Schramm January 2008
An undergraduate researcher (Haley Blische) that I oversee was interviewed for a magazine article produced by Mississippi State University. I was featured in the interview and photoshoot.<br><br>Title of article: From the Sargasso Seas to the Noxubee River: the search for American Eels<br>Author: Keri Collins Lewis Dunn April 2021