Dr. Dale Gawlik
Endowed Chair for Conservation and Biodiversity, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Dr. Gawlik is the Endowed Chair for Conservation and Biodiversity at the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and a Professor in the Department of Life Sciences. Prior to coming to the Harte Research Institute, he spent over 25 years in South Florida conducting research focused on waterbird ecology and conservation, wetland and intertidal ecosystems, restoration ecology, and the use of birds in aquatic ecosystem management. He has published over 80 papers, many focused on how water level fluctuations in coastal and freshwater ecosystems control wading bird populations. He and his students have developed heron, stork, and ibis habitat models that link bird populations to the hydrologic management and restoration of the Everglades of Florida. Dr. Gawlik is a Fellow in the American Ornithological Society and he serves on the IUCN Heron Specialists Group and IUCN Stork, Ibis, and Spoonbill Specialist Group. He also is a member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Science Advisory Committee for the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, the Wood Stork Working Group, and the International Reddish Egret Working Group. Dr. Gawlik has been held elected leadership positions in professional scientific societies, including the Association of Field Ornithologists, Waterbird Society, Wilson Ornithological Society, and the Florida Chapter of the Wildlife Society.
Talk: Whooping Crane and Wood Stork: Two White Wading Birds Coming Back From The Brink
The Whooping Crane and Wood Stork are both large, white, wetland birds that are recovering from drastic population declines. But their paths back from the brink of extinction have been very different. Join Dr. Gawlik as he contrasts the biology of these birds and the approaches used to save them.