Seabird Ecology in the Bering Sea

For 17 years, Tom Harten has been a teacher with the CHESPAX environmental education program in southern Maryland. Authentic research projects and environmental action have been central to the success of this program where K-12 students use the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding watershed as an outdoor learning laboratory. Mr. Harten has a degree in outdoor education and a master’s degree in science education from the University of Memphis, with certifications in Earth and space science and outdoor education. As lifelong birder and naturalist, Mr. Harten has traveled extensively in the U.S. and in the tropics in pursuit of these interests. He also enjoys canoeing, camping, running, and, most of all, spending time with his wife Tracy and son Jake. He is looking forward to the PolarTREC experience in the Pribilof’s because it will be a fantastic opportunity to study seabirds at close range and to add to our knowledge of these fascinating creatures.

Rosana Paredes is a Post-doctoral Research Associate with Oregon State University and Project Leader of the Seabird Telemetry Component of the Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (BSIERP). She will be working on St. George Island this summer. Dr. Paredes has conducted biological research in Peru, Canada, and Alaska and her main areas of scientific interest include animal behavior, ecology, and the conservation of marine ecosystems.

Daniel Roby is currently the Assistant Unit Leader at the U.S. Geological Survey Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Professor of Wildlife Ecology in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University. He received a B.A. in biology from Antioch College, a M.S. in wildlife management from the University of Alaska in 1978, and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. Dr. Roby has conducted research on the ecology of seabirds in Alaska, Hawaii, Greenland, Newfoundland, South Georgia, and Antarctica, as well as throughout the Pacific Northwest. His primary area of research is the physiological ecology and conservation biology of seabirds, including the effects of global warming on seabird populations in the Bering Sea.

Rachael Orben has worked almost continuously as a field biologist since graduating from Cornell University in 2002 with a degree in Biology. Working in biology has taken Ms. Orben to locations across the United States, Greenland, Palau, and the Antarctic. She has spent five summer seasons studying seabirds in Alaska, and is currently the field crew leader on St. Paul Island as part of the Seabird Telemetry component of the Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (BSIERP). She is beginning her master's degree at the University of California Santa Cruz in the fall, and when not catching birds, she enjoys rock climbing and playing ultimate frisbee.