Environmental Science & Ecology Researcher Receives $155,614 to Study Eastern Mallard Populations
Dr. Jacob Straub was awarded $155,614 over three years from Ducks Unlimited for an Eastern Mallard study. This research is part of an international collaboration.
Dr. Jacob Straub was awarded $155,614 over three years from Ducks Unlimited for an Eastern Mallard Study. This research is part of an international collaboration with partnerships amoung the Canadian Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, US Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Saskatchewan, and member states of the Atlantic Flyway (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia).
Although the mallard is the most commont duck in the world, the population of breeding mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in eastern Canada and northeastern United States has declined by 36% over the past 20 years. To understand why, a team of researchers, including scientists and students from SUNY Brockport, have begun a multi-year study focused on capturing mallards, then affixing a state-of-the-art GPS transmitter to monitor their movement and survival. These transmitters are lightweight and leverage the broad network of cell phone towers in North America to download data (i.e., movement, behavior, etc.) in almost real time.
The project will support an incoming graduate student, Daria Sparks, a recent graduate of SUNY Cobleskill. The project also helped support the Summer Undergraduate Research Program work of Riley Frantzen (BS Environmental Science ’22).
The grant will be administered by the Scholarship, Research & Sponsored Programs Office.