Bird Populations in Connecticut: Trends, Causes and Solutions with Dr. Min Huang and Craig Repasz

Dr. Min Huang and Craig Repasz will examine trends and declines in the bird population and the causes, and will provide hopeful insight on solutions. This program is part of the Norfolk Earth Forum Weekend and is co-sponsored by the Norfolk Land Trust. Register here. 

Dr. Huang is a wildlife biologist for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and heads the Migratory Bird Program for the State. He received his Ph.D from the University of Connecticut, researching sub-population structure and survival of resident Canada geese.  He has worked as a wildlife biologist in Florida and in Washington state, working with mammal species as well as endangered birds such as the red-cockaded woodpecker and the spotted owl.  Current projects he is involved with include migration and survival of Canada geese, nesting success of mallards, American kestrel survival, dispersal and migratory stopover habitat use, and American bittern habitat use and migratory patterns. As part of his American bittern research, Dr. Huang has been making annual visits to Kelly Swamp in Norfolk’s Spaulding Pond Preserve to observe and tag these endangered birds with satellite tracking devices.

Craig Repasz, co-director of Lights Out CT, was president of the New Haven Bird Club and the conservation chair of the Connecticut Ornithological Association. He has been the volunteer coordinator for the Connecticut Bird Atlas for six years. He enjoys backpacking and conducts Mountain Birdwatch surveys for the Vermont Center of Ecostudies, focusing on the Bicknell’s Thrush and other high elevation species.