Michael Stankov
Current Projects
Currently, my work centers on understanding more about how endangered species use rice fields in addition to, or in lieu of, natural wetland settings. With rice fields covering fully 1% of the world's land area and with agricultural activity expanding every year, understanding how natural systems adapt to and employ our human-generated landscapes is of great importance for the preservation of endangered species.
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Past Projects
Previously, I have worked with The Wetlands Institute, a New Jersey-based environmental research group, on a study of territorialism in American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus). A species of notable conservation interest due to a declining population and shrinking habitat, American Oystercatchers are highly territorial and fiercely defend nesting locations and foraging territory during the breeding season. During the Summer of 2017, I worked at Stone Harbor Point, a natural conservation area in Southern New Jersey, observing and mapping the territories of seven oystercatcher nesting pairs to gain a better understanding of their land use patterns in the interest of better informing future oystercatcher conservation efforts.
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