| Website © Lisa Selner "Buffalo Annie" |
| Field Experiences |
My career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture began with the Chesapeake
Bay Nutria Project on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. As a Wildlife Specialist
(nutria trapper), I conducted direct control operations designed to eradicate
invasive nutria. I was part of a team that’s goal was to eradicate nutria to protect
threatened marshlands surrounding the Chesapeake Bay. This particular position is
often referred to as one of the most grueling field positions in the agency! I was
definitely in the best physical shape of my life while taking part in the arduous field
duties at hand.
Field activities were routinely conducted in inclement weather year round
throughout thousands of acres of marsh. Tidal marshes of the Chesapeake Bay can
be a very harsh environment to work, navigate and traverse. Besides enduring the
challenging art of marsh walking, other methods of transportation included 16-foot
aluminum john boats, canoes and kayaks, Argos, and ATV’s. Team members
often worked alone in the field, each being responsible for a section of marsh,
sometimes separated by miles allowing little or no contact with other members.
I coordinated nutria disease sampling collection efforts, assisted with nutria
research projects, including radio collaring and telemetry surveys of Judas nutria,
trail camera studies, etc., and performed necropsies on nutria. I also assisted with
the care of captive animals.
Outside of field duties, I served as Outreach Coordinator for the project. This
involved increasing public knowledge, awareness, and support through educational
workshops, developing and distributing up to date information, working with
partner organizations to build and maintain or update project websites, fulfilling
information requests from members of the public, managing the image library, and
so forth. I also assisted with computer network support and served on the planning
committee as the Maryland/Delaware/DC Representative for the Mid-Atlantic
States Meeting.
When time permitted I partook with a myriad of other wildlife-related management
activities within the Maryland program, as well as with the Oral Rabies Vaccine
Program and the Wildlife Disease Program, and with the state Department of
Natural Resources. I accompanied the Baltimore Washington International Airport
wildlife biologist for an overview to airport-related duties after learning of my
advancement opportunity in California (see USDA California).
Field Photo Albums:
Video Links:
Bay Nutria Project on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. As a Wildlife Specialist
(nutria trapper), I conducted direct control operations designed to eradicate
invasive nutria. I was part of a team that’s goal was to eradicate nutria to protect
threatened marshlands surrounding the Chesapeake Bay. This particular position is
often referred to as one of the most grueling field positions in the agency! I was
definitely in the best physical shape of my life while taking part in the arduous field
duties at hand.
Field activities were routinely conducted in inclement weather year round
throughout thousands of acres of marsh. Tidal marshes of the Chesapeake Bay can
be a very harsh environment to work, navigate and traverse. Besides enduring the
challenging art of marsh walking, other methods of transportation included 16-foot
aluminum john boats, canoes and kayaks, Argos, and ATV’s. Team members
often worked alone in the field, each being responsible for a section of marsh,
sometimes separated by miles allowing little or no contact with other members.
I coordinated nutria disease sampling collection efforts, assisted with nutria
research projects, including radio collaring and telemetry surveys of Judas nutria,
trail camera studies, etc., and performed necropsies on nutria. I also assisted with
the care of captive animals.
Outside of field duties, I served as Outreach Coordinator for the project. This
involved increasing public knowledge, awareness, and support through educational
workshops, developing and distributing up to date information, working with
partner organizations to build and maintain or update project websites, fulfilling
information requests from members of the public, managing the image library, and
so forth. I also assisted with computer network support and served on the planning
committee as the Maryland/Delaware/DC Representative for the Mid-Atlantic
States Meeting.
When time permitted I partook with a myriad of other wildlife-related management
activities within the Maryland program, as well as with the Oral Rabies Vaccine
Program and the Wildlife Disease Program, and with the state Department of
Natural Resources. I accompanied the Baltimore Washington International Airport
wildlife biologist for an overview to airport-related duties after learning of my
advancement opportunity in California (see USDA California).
Field Photo Albums:
Video Links:
 | Snow Geese | |
| Wildlife Specialist U.S. Department of Agriculture Chesapeake Bay Nutria Project Maryland October 2006 to May 2010 |
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