Sentinels of Climate Change: Tidal Marsh Birds and Their Conservation

Tidal salt marshes are degraded from centuries of human modification. They are further impacted by climate-change-induced sea-level rise, which outpaces the rate of natural sedimentation and the ability of marshes to keep pace with increasing flooding regimes. As marshes are drowning, this impacts the wildlife that depend upon them, especially the community of marsh-nesting birds. The most vulnerable among them is the Saltmarsh Sparrow, which is threatened by increasingly high rates of nest failure from tidal flooding. This talk will discuss the impacts of seal-level rise on marshes, the resulting threats to Saltmarsh Sparrows and other tidal marsh birds, ongoing conservation efforts on behalf of the species, and how we are evaluating the success of these efforts.

This Ted Exford Climate Stewards lecture is supported by Dave & Loretta (Exford) Hoglund.

About the Presenter

Adrienne Kovach received her PhD from North Carolina State University in 1998. She has been at the University of New Hampshire since 2001 and is a Professor of Wildlife Biology & Conservation in the Department of Natural Resources. Adrienne’s research is focused on population ecology, genetics, and conservation of wildlife. She works with species of conservation and management concern in the Northeast, including tidal marsh birds, New England cottontail, and commercially and recreationally important fish such as Atlantic cod and striped bass.