Research Topic
Spatially Explicit Genetic Capture-Recapture Density Estimation and Population Modeling to Guide New England Cottontail Restoration
An enormous conservation effort has been ongoing since 2008 on behalf of the New England cottontail, consisting of habitat creation and restoration, captive breeding, and reintroduction. Melissa’s research assesses cottontail population responses to these efforts. Her research objectives are to 1) assess the response of New England cottontail populations to prior and ongoing early successional habitat restoration with spatially explicit genetic capture-recapture estimates of cottontail density and abundance; 2) develop a predictive model to evaluate the outcome of future restoration scenarios on cottontail population persistence; and 3) develop and apply a method to obtain genomic scale sequencing data from noninvasive fecal samples to investigate inbreeding in cottontail populations.
Previous Award and Activities
American Society of Mammalogists Grants-in-Aid Award, 2018
UNH Summer Teaching Assistant Fellowship, 2017
Selected Publications and Presentations
Publications
- In press. Bauer ML, Ferry B, Holman H, and Kovach AI. Monitoring a New England cottontail reintroduction with noninvasive genetic sampling. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
Presentations
- 2020. Bauer ML and Kovach AI. Monitoring the response of New England cottontail populations to restoration, update on two years of abundance surveys. New England Cottontail Technical Committee Annual Meeting. Southbury, CT, January 14-16, 2020 (presentation).
- 2019. Bauer ML and Kovach AI. Spatially explicit assessment and planning tools to guide New England cottontail restoration. American Fisheries Society and The Wildlife Society 2019 Joint Annual Conference, Reno, NV, September 29 - October 3, 2019 (presentation).
- 2019. Bauer ML, O’Brien KM, and Kovach AI. Spatially explicit assessment of New England cottontail population response to management. Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual Conference, Groton, CT, April 15-17, 2019 (presentation).
- 2019. Bauer ML, Ferry B, Holman H, and Kovach AI. Monitoring the response of New England cottontail populations to management. New England Cottontail Technical Committee Annual Meeting, Great Barrington, MA, January 15-17, 2019 (presentation).
- 2018. Bauer ML, O’Brien KM, and Kovach AI. Conserving New England cottontail rabbits: what other species benefit? Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual Conference, Burlington, VT, April 15-17, 2018 (poster).
- 2018. Bauer ML and Kovach AI. Monitoring and predicting response of New England cottontail populations to management. Symposium: Knowns and Unknowns of New England Cottontail Conservation, Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual Conference, Burlington, VT, April 15-17, 2018 (presentation).
- 2018. Bauer ML, Ferry B, Holman H, and Kovach AI. Tracking New England cottontail metapopulation structure and population reintroduction efforts in New Hampshire. New England Cottontail Technical Committee Annual Meeting, Dover, NH, January 17-19, 2018 (presentation).
- 2017. Bauer ML, Ferry B, Holman H, and Kovach AI. Genetic tools to guide restoration of New England cottontail populations in a fragmented landscape. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM, September 23-27, 2017 (poster).
Education
- M.S. Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of New Hampshire, 2018. Thesis: Assessing the effects of habitat restoration on shrubland specialists: case study on the New England cottontail and shrubland birds
- B.S., Environmental Science and Policy, Concentration in Wildlife Ecology and Management, University of Maryland, 2013
Professional Positions
- Research Technician, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Multiple Species Inventory and Monitoring Program, 2014
- Biological Technician, Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, 2013
- Seabird Technician, Oregon State University, 2012
- Herpetology Research Technician, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, 2011
