Jonathon Valente, M.S.

Degree/Completion Date

Spring 2008ish

Thesis Title

Breeding Marsh Bird Use of Rice Fields and Natural and Restored Wetlands in North and Central Louisiana

I was born just outside of Chicago (go Cubs), and did most of my growing up in Granville, Ohio, 30 miles east of Columbus.  I graduated from Miami University in December of 2004 with majors in Zoology and Environmental Science.  At Miami I worked for 2 years in an aquatics laboratory where we studied primary production, nutrient cycling, zooplankton ecology and food web interactions.  In the summer of 2003 I conducted an independent research project examining the effects of the 17-year periodical cicada emergence on zooplankton communities in woodland ponds.

In the summer of 2005 I participated in a MAPS internship banding passerines in coastal Oregon.  Afterward I worked as an educator for the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) teaching high school biology students about ecology of the Ohio River.  I also worked as a field technician on a project examining territoriality and mate selection in Prairie Voles.

I spend most of my free time working on my research proposal (you hear that Sammy?!) or studying for statistics tests.  When I’m not doing one of those things I like to get out because I’m pretty social.  I also like reading, hiking, bird watching (it’s not that dorky), traveling, and pretty much anything outdoors.  I love new things, new places and new faces… keeps life interesting.

My Research 

King Rail (Rallus elegans) populations have been in decline over the past 30 years, and the species is now listed as threatened or endangered in 13 states.  Since these birds are so secretive, very little is known about many aspects of their life cycle.  We know that they use rice fields extensively in southwest Louisiana for breeding, but very little data exist on King Rail breeding ecology and habitat requirements further inland.  I will be examining densities of breeding King Rails (and other secretive marsh birds) in north and central Louisiana rice fields, natural wetlands and restored wetlands.  Our objective is to identify what habitat characteristics attract breeding marsh birds; this will aid in our ultimate goal of creating management and restoration strategies to improve conservation efforts for secretive marsh birds.