Chris Nadeau
cnadeau@email.arizona.edu

Background:

I was born and raised in Ontario Canada where I earned my diploma in the Fish and Wildlife Technician program at Sir Sanford Fleming College. Subsequently, I earned a BS in Landscape Analysis at the University of Arizona. I have been working in the field of natural resource management and research since 1997. Most of my experience has focused on avian research, although I have also had the opportunity to work with small mammals and fish in varying capacities. Public relations has also been a large part of my career.

I have been working in the Conway lab since the spring of 2002. I began my work with Dr. Conway in Washington state as a Research Aide studying various demographic parameters of burrowing owls. I have since become an Wildlife Biologist. Currently I coordinate research on the following topics:

• Effects of fire on California Black Rails and Yuma Clapper Rails along the Lower Colorado River and South of the Salton Sea.
• Developing standardized protocols for use in a continental secretive marsh bird monitoring program.
• Evaluating the purpose of nest lining at burrowing owl nests in the Imperial Valley of California.
• Monitoring abundance of California black rails, Yuma clapper rails and burrowing owls at a proposed geothermal power plant site in the Imperial Valley of California.

• Arizona Bighorn Sheep Society, Student Scholarship, 2009

• Geospatial Information and Technology Association of Arizona, Tony Gonzales Excellence in GIS Award, 2009

• Ben Meadows, Natural Resource Scholarship, 2008

• University of Arizona, Emily Krauz Staff Endowment Scholarship, fall 2007

• Arizona Association of Environmental Professionals, Student Scholarship, 2007

• University of Arizona, Emily Krauz Staff Endowment Scholarship, spring 2007

• Cooper Ornithological Society, Outstanding Presentation Award, IV North American Ornithological Conference , Veracruz , Mexico , 3 October 2006 .

• University of Arizona Honours College, Undergraduate Research Grant, 2006

• Sir Sandford Fleming College, Academic Achievement Award, 1999, 2000

• Conway, C. J., C. P. Nadeau, and L. Piest.  2010.  Fire helps restore natural disturbance regime to benefit rare and endangered marsh birds endemic to Colorado River.  Ecological Applications 20:2024-2035.

• Conway, C. J., and C. P. Nadeau.  2010.  Effects of broadcasting conspecific and heterospecific calls on detection of marsh birds in North America.  Wetlands 30(2):358-368

• Nadeau, C. P., C. J. Conway, B. S. Smith, T. E. Lewis. 2007. Maximizing detection probability of wetland-dependent birds in northwestern Florida. Wilson Journal of Ornithology in press.

• Conway, C. J., M. Conway, and C. P. Nadeau. 2010. Proximate factors affecting hatching asynchrony in burrowing owls. Joint meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union and Cooper Ornithological Society. San Diego, CA, 9 Feb 2010.

• Nadeau, C. P., and C. J. Conway. 2010. Marsh bird research at Imperial National Wildlife Refuge. Colorado River Terrestrial and Riparian (CRTR) Conference, Laughlin, NV, 3 Feb 2010.

• Nadeau, C. P. 2009. A spatial modeling approach to determine the habitat preferences of California black rails. Arizona Geographic Information Council Conference, Tucson, AZ, 4 November, 2009.

• Nadeau, C. P., and C. J. Conway. 2009. Restoration of managed marsh units to benefit California black rails and other marsh birds: an adaptive management approach. USFWS Lower Colorado River Refuge Complex. Yuma, AZ, 31 March 2009.

• Conway, C. J., C. P. Nadeau, and R. J. Steidl. 2008. Estimating Population Trends of Secretive Marsh Birds on the Lower Colorado River : Combining Removal Models, Double-observer Surveys, and Distance Sampling Methods. 41 st Joint Annual Meeting of the Arizona/New Mexico Chapters of The Wildlife Society and American Fisheries Society. Prescott , AZ , 8 February 2008 .

• Conway, C. J., C. P. Nadeau, and L. Piest.  2008. Using prescribed fire as a management tool for the Yuma clapper rail and California black rail.  Lower Colorado River Science and Management Symposium, Scottsdale , AZ , 19 November 2008 .

• Conway, C. J., C. P. Nadeau, and R. J. Steidl. “Estimating Population Trends of Secretive Marsh Birds on the Lower Colorado River : Combining Removal Models, Double-observer Surveys, and Distance Sampling Methods.” 2008. 41 st Joint Annual Meeting of the Arizona/New Mexico Chapters of The Wildlife Society and American Fisheries Society. Prescott , AZ.

• Nadeau, C. P., and C. J. Conway. 2008. Putting marsh birds on the map: taking a continental approach to conservation. Arizona Association of Environmental Professionals Annual Conference, Tucson , Arizona . 12 February 2008.

• Nadeau, C. P., C. J. Conway, L. Piest, O. Hinojosa-Huerta, and B. Burger.  2008. Taking a multi-species approach to marsh bird monitoring: a case study with the Yuma clapper rail.  Lower Colorado River Science and Management Symposium, Scottsdale , AZ , 19 November 2008.

• Nadeau, C. P., and C. J. Conway. 2008. Developing a standardized protocol for marsh bird monitoring. USFWS Rail and Snipe Management Strategy Expert Workshop, Denver, CO, 18 November 2008.

• Nadeau, C. P., and C. J. Conway. 2008. Modeling habitat suitability of marsh birds in the lower 48 states: the first steps in evaluating the effects of climate change on marsh birds. 32nd Annual Meeting of the Waterbird Society, South Padre Island, TX, 5 November 2008.

• Nadeau, C.P., C. J. Conway. Is distance sampling valid in the context of aural avian point-count surveys. 125th Stated Meeting of the American Ornithological Union. Laramie, WY, 9 August 2007.

• Nadeau, C. P., C. J. Conway, L. A. Piest, O. Hinojosa-Huerta, and W. P. Burger.  2007.  Effectiveness of multi-species versus single-species call-broadcast surveys for the federally endangered Yuma clapper rail.  40th Joint Annual Meeting of the Arizona/New Mexico Chapters of The Wildlife Society and American Fisheries Society.  Albuquerque, NM, 8 February 2007.

• Conway, C. J., C. P. Nadeau, and R. J. Steidl.  2007.  Monitoring Secretive Marshbirds: Combining Removal, Double-observer and Distance Methods.  Special Symposium on Bird Monitoring and Detectability: Understanding and Applying Appropriate Methods. Ft. Collins, CO, 1 March 2007.

• Conway, C. J., C. P. Nadeau, and L. A. Piest. “ Effectiveness of prescribed fire as a management tool to improve habitat quality of endangered Yuma clapper rails and California black rails along the Lower Colorado River .” 2007. 40th Joint Annual Meeting of the Arizona/New Mexico Chapters of The Wildlife Society and American Fisheries Society. Albuquerque , NM .

• Conway, C. J., B. Ball, L. A. Ellis, and C. P. Nadeau. “ Growing crops in the desert; Does irrigated agriculture create an ‘ecological trap’ for burrowing owls?” 2007. 40th Joint Annual Meeting of the Arizona/New Mexico Chapters of The Wildlife Society and American Fisheries Society. Albuquerque , NM .

• Nadeau, C.P., and C. J. Conway. “Improving the management of secretive marsh birds through the North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Program.” 2007. Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Annual Co-operator Meeting, Tucson , Arizona .

• Nadeau, C. P., and C. J. Conway. “Endangered Birds: Are we accurately estimating population declines. Evaluating the assumptions of distance sampling in the context of the North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Program.” 2007. University of Arizona Undergraduate Research Forum, Tucson , Arizona .

• Nadeau, C. “Rails of the Colorado River Region.” 2006. Yuma Birding and Nature Festival. Yuma , Az.

• Conway, C. J., C. P. Nadeau, M. D. Smith, and D. R. Rosenberg. “Do burrowing owls bring mammal manure to their nests to lure prey?” 2006. IV North American Ornithological Conference , Veracruz , Mexico , 3 October 2006 .

• Nadeau, C. P., and C. J. Conway. “The North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocol: a summary of the protocol and its use on the lower Colorado River .” 2006. Lower Colorado River MSCP Terrestrial Biology Conference, Laughlin , NV

• Nadeau, C. P., C. J. Conway, L. Piest, O. Hinojosa-Huerta, B. Burger.  “The effectiveness of multi-species versus single-species call-broadcast surveys for the federally endangered Yuma clapper rail.” 2006. IV North American Ornithological Conference , Veracruz , Mexico .

• Nadeau, C., and C. J. Conway. “Fire Effects on Yuma Clapper Rails and California Black Rails on the Lower Colorado River .” 2005. Joint Fire Science Program, Principle Investigator Conference. San Diego , CA .

• Nadeau, C. “Burrowing Owl Nesting and Conservation.” 2003. Othello Sandhill Crane Festival. Othello , WA .