Research
The Kalamazoo Nature Center works with local, national, and international partners to conduct scientific research that supports the restoration and conservation of native habitats and species. Our projects range from short-term actions that address critical conservation needs to multi-decade population studies. KNC’s research program aims to deepen our collective understanding of Michigan’s natural communities and provide information to guide the activities of land managers, policy makers, and others who care for nature.
Conducting Research at KNC
Researchers who are interested in conducting research at the Kalamazoo Nature Center should fill our our Research Partnership Application Form. Questions can be directed to Jen Meilinger at jmeilinger@naturecenter.org.
Contact Us
Jen Meilinger
she/her/hers
Research Director
jmeilinger@naturecenter.org
Rich Keith
he/him/his
KVBO Director
rkeith@naturecenter.org
Kalamazoo Valley Bird Observatory
The Kalamazoo Valley Bird Observatory (KVBO) is a program of the Kalamazoo Nature Center that is over 30 years old! Collaborative research between KVBO and government agencies, universities, and non-governmental organizations allows individual birds to be tracked as they move throughout North America. Surveys, banding, and parasite sampling allows researchers at KVBO to examine how environmental changes, pests, and diseases impact the distribution and demography of bird species.
Population and Habitat Monitoring
KNC monitors populations of imperiled plant and animal species and their associated habitats across our 1,500 acres. A focal species of our monitoring efforts is the federally threatened eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus). These snakes have been observed in KNC’s wetlands and adjacent upland areas. Massasaugas use both of these areas for different parts of their life history. Wetland habitats offer perfect sites for massasauga hibernacula, or hibernation areas. As they emerge from their hibernacula in the spring, they will search for a mate and eventually make their way to nearby upland areas to give birth. Finding massasaugas in KNC wetlands implies that a population lives and reproduces on site opposed to them visiting from other locations. Regular monitoring of this population tracks the species’ health, growth, and distribution, which allows KNC to prioritize restoration activities in vital patches of suitable habitat and increase connectivity between populated patches of suitable habitat.
If you are lucky enough to spot a massasuaga while out on our trails, please contact Lindsey Dolinski at ldolinski@naturecenter.org with the date, time, and location of your observation!
Peer Reviewed Publications
VanTol, S.D., Koehn, C.R., Keith, R., Keith, B. and Proppe, D.S. (2021), Avian migrants encounter higher temperatures but continue to add mass at an inland stopover site in the Great Lakes region. J Avian Biol, 52:. https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02626
Chartier, A.T., B.S. Keith, and R.S. Keith. 2021. Ruby-throated Hummingbird Movements in Southwestern Michigan. North American Bird Bander. 46(1&2): 3-8.
Keith, R. S., Keith, B.S., Scharf, W. C., & Hamer, S. A. (2015). Ixodes brunneus (Acari: Ixodidae) from Two Bird Hosts: A New Michigan Tick. The Great Lakes Entomologist, 48(3), 15.
Learn more about Ixoces brunneus here.
Van der Hoek, Y., Wilson, A. M., Renfrew, R., Walsh, J., Rodewald, P. G., Baldy, J., & Manne, L. L. (2015). Regional variability in extinction thresholds for forest birds in the north‐eastern United States: An examination of potential drivers using long‐term breeding bird atlas datasets. Diversity and Distributions, 21(6), 686-697.
Morris, S. R., Andrijević, A. S., Sullivan, R., Keith, R. S., Keith, B. S., & Sheets, H. D. (2013). An 18-year study of migration and stopover ecology of Tennessee warblers in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 125(1), 70-78.
Hamer, S. A., Hickling, G. J., Keith, R., Sidge, J. L., Walker, E. D., & Tsao, J. I. (2012). Associations of passerine birds, rabbits, and ticks with Borrelia miyamotoi and Borrelia andersonii in Michigan, USA. Parasites & vectors, 5(1), 1-11.
SELECTED OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Chartier, A. T., Baldy, J. J., & Brenneman J. (2013). Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas II. Kalamazoo Nature Center. Details here >
Brewer, R., McPeek, G. A., & Adams, R. (1991). The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Michigan. Michigan State University Press.
SELECTED ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOR DATA AND STAFF CONTRIBUTIONS
Zylstra, E. R., Ries, L., Neupane, N., Saunders, S. P., Ramírez, M. I., Rendón-Salinas, E., … & Zipkin, E. F. (2021). Changes in climate drive recent monarch butterfly dynamics. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5(10), 1441-1452.
Covino, K. M., Horton, K. G., & Morris, S. R. (2020). Seasonally specific changes in migration phenology across 50 years in the Black-throated Blue Warbler. The Auk, 137(2), ukz080.
Ellis, V. A., Medeiros, M. C., Collins, M. D., Sari, E. H., Coffey, E. D., Dickerson, R. C., … & Matthews, A. E. (2017). Prevalence of avian haemosporidian parasites is positively related to the abundance of host species at multiple sites within a region. Parasitology research, 116(1), 73-80.
Corace, R. G., Korte, J. L., Shartell, L. M., & Kashian, D. M. (2016). Upland sandpiper: a flagship for jack pine barrens restoration in the Upper Midwest?. Ecological Restoration, 34(1), 49-60.
Ellis, V. A., Collins, M. D., Medeiros, M. C., Sari, E. H., Coffey, E. D., Dickerson, R. C., … & Matthews, A. E. (2015). Local host specialization, host-switching, and dispersal shape the regional distributions of avian haemosporidian parasites. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(36), 11294-11299.
Hamer, S. A., Hickling, G. J., Sidge, J. L., Rosen, M. E., Walker, E. D., & Tsao, J. I. (2011). Diverse Borrelia burgdorferi strains in a bird-tick cryptic cycle. Applied and environmental microbiology, 77(6), 1999-2007.
Please contact us for a complete publication list or if you are interested in viewing a historic publication.