ENV706. Wildlife Surveys
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
Seventeen spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculata) were captured and measured during the 2015 Wildlife Survey’s salamander survey.
Course Description
This course introduces students to wildlife survey skills through both classroom lectures and field experiences. We look at the practical application of wildlife surveys in research and management, as well as the limitations and advantages of various field monitoring techniques. Real-world data collection provides structure for the course: Students participate in acoustic bird surveys, salamander monitoring, deer spot-lighting, amphibian calling surveys, small mammal collection, bat counting, and bird-window collision surveys. Guest wildlife professionals assist in the demonstration of some of the survey methods. Lectures address post-data collection processing and additional survey skills. We will also learn the common winter birds, herpetofauna, and mammals of the North Carolina Piedmont. This class complements the skills learned in tools courses such as Fundamentals of GIS, Conservation GIS, Forest Measurements, and Landscape Analysis. This course has achieved Duke’s Green Classroom Certification.
News articles and broadcasts from Wildlife Surveys research projects:
- Duke University’s Bird Window Collision Problem (broadcast on WNCN 17 22 May 2015)
- Duke Chronicle Duke’s Bird Safety (22 May 2015)
Student blog posts about Wildlife Surveys:
- Wonderful World of Wildlife Surveys by Erika Zambello (2014)
- Night and Day at Sandy Creek Park by Erika Zambello (2014)
- Duke Gardens and Wildlife Surveys by Erika Zambello (2014)
- Birding, Lemurs, & Taxidermy by Kati Moore (2015)
- My Wild Life in Wildlife Surveys by Kati Moore (2015)
- Do Snakes Have Tails? and Other Slithery Questions by Sophie Cox (2022)
- Duke Shorts: Climate Change & Snakes (April 13, 2023)
- Khanna, Samiha. Snakes: Why We Need to Live Peacefully with Them (April 13, 2023)
Interested in resources supporting inclusion in wildlife fields? Check out these links:
- The Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network
- Black Mammalogists Week
- Women of Wildlife
- Out in the Field
- Diversity Joint Venture for Conservation Careers
- Minorities in Natural Resources and Conservation
- Native American Research Assistantship Program
About the Instructor.
Dr. Nicolette L. Cagle is a Senior Lecturer at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, specializing in wildlife surveys and conservation ecology. She holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from Duke University and a B.S. in Environmental Science and Natural Resources from the University of Illinois. Dr. Cagle is also the author of Saving Snakes, a book that underscores her commitment to herpetofaunal conservation.
Dr. Cagle’s extensive experience encompasses a wide array of taxa, including herpetofauna, mammals, and birds. Her methodological expertise is equally diverse, employing techniques such as Sherman live traps, coverboard transects, funnel traps, drift fence arrays, pitfall traps, passive and active acoustic monitoring, and camera traps. This methodological versatility has been applied across various ecosystems, both domestically and internationally.
In the Duke Forest, Dr. Cagle has led long-term herpetofauna research, utilizing drift fence arrays with pitfall and funnel traps to monitor species diversity and population dynamics. Her work in Oaxaca, Mexico, involved integrating wildlife surveys with forest management practices, focusing on the impacts of community-based forest management on local fauna. Additionally, Dr. Cagle has investigated defaunation in Gabon’s Ivindo National Park, assessing the effects of wildlife declines on ecosystem health. Her research also extends to urban environments, where she has studied bird-window collisions at Duke University, employing visual surveys to inform mitigation strategies.
Dr. Cagle’s comprehensive approach to wildlife surveys, combined with her dedication to conservation, provides her students with a rich understanding of field methodologies and their applications in addressing pressing ecological challenges.