Curriculum vitae:

REBECCA A. HYLTON

 

ADDRESS               Department of Zoology

                              North Carolina State University

                              Campus Box 7616

                              Raleigh, NC 27617

                              becky_hylton@hotmail.com

                              919-606-2067 (cell)

 

EDUCATION       Ph.D. Zoology, 2004-current

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

 

M.S. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department, August 2001 – August 2004

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

 

B.A. Biology, May 1997; Institutional and Departmental Honors      

Hollins College, Roanoke, VA

University College Cork, Ireland; Fall Semester Study Abroad 1995

Minor: Chemistry

 

PERSONAL          Birthdate:  12 February 1975

Birthplace:  Roanoke, VA, USA

 

EXPERIENCE      North Carolina State University – Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Project Manager for dissertation research examining effects of pollution on high elevation songbirds in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Mar 2005 – current).  Duties include nest searching, banding, color banding, blood and feather collection, snail surveys, and hiring, training, and managing 3+ technicians and volunteers.             

Teaching Assistant for two Animal Diversity lab sections (Aug – Dec 2005).             

 

University of Minnesota – Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Field Supervisor.  Mille Lacs Wildlife Management Area, MN.  Responsible for all aspects of a radio telemetry research project on American Woodcock and supervising two technicians.   Duties include target netting at night (75 nets), banding and affixing radio transmitters to woodcock, monitoring daily survival of 120 birds, tracking subset of birds for daily habitat use and movement information, collecting carcasses, weekly aerial surveys, driving ATVs and 4X4 vehicles, coordinating with WMA personnel and private landowners, demonstrating techniques to public, data management, producing maps using GIS, and report writing.  Aug – Nov 2004. (Dr. David Andersen: 612-626-1222)

 

University of Florida

Field Biologist and Project Coordinator.  Miami, FL.  Responsible for locating all nesting attempts of wading birds in Water Conservation Areas 1, 2, and 3 of the Florida Everglades using systematic aerial and ground survey methods. Collected feather and regurgitation samples from Great Egret nestlings for a long-term mercury study.  Primary duties included supervising assistants, organizing databases, driving airboats, visiting colonies on foot, handling nestlings, use of GPS units, and general maintenance and safety of four 4x4 vehicles, an outboard motor boat, and 3 airboats.  Assisted in reproductive physiology study on White Ibis in 2000 and 2001, including setting up trapping sites, capture, banding, bleeding, anesthetizing, holding birds during surgery, affixing radio transmitters and taking measurements of adult and juvenile White Ibises.   Radio telemetry work included aerial surveys and scanning at colonies.   In 2004, I trained the new Ph.D. student in field methodologies for the Wood Stork project as described below.  I handled at least 700 adult and juvenile wading birds.  Mar – Jun 2000, Jan – Aug 2001, Apr – Jun 2004. (Dr. Peter Frederick: 352-846-0565)

Technician.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Unit.  Primary duties were to classify and sort aquatic plants from the Everglades, FL.  Jun – Jul 2004. (Christa Zweig: 352-846-0639)

Graduate Student. Gainesville and Miami, FL.  Principle investigator in determining the status, movement patterns and habitat use of Everglades Wood Storks, Mycteria americana, through the use of satellite and VHF telemetry.  I marked and monitored 250 stork nests over 2 years to determine nesting success.  After capturing and banding, satellite and radio transmitters were placed on 72 juvenile storks.  Health exams were conducted on each bird, including drawing blood for sexing, blood smears, hematocrit, WBC counts, and disease analysis, body measurements, palpation for Eustrongylides, and examination for oral and ectoparasites.  Stork movements, habitat use and survival were monitored using satellite telemetry and GIS analysis.  In addition to the above research, I was the station manager for all wading bird research activities under Dr. Frederick.  I annually hired, trained and supervised 4-10 assistants and volunteers and participated in all duties described below, maintaining equipment and overseeing project budget. August 2001 – July 2004.  (Dr. Peter Frederick)

Research Assistant, Gainesville, FL.  Hired technician to assist in Miami with wading bird surveys.  Assisted in reproductive physiology experiment with Zebra Finches; duties included building cages and general care and behavioral observations of finches.  Organized retrospective study of mercury in the Everglades using museum specimens; obtained permission to visit all necessary museums and collected feather samples for mercury analysis.   Conducted experiments using a 3-D model for standardizing and determining observer error when using aerial surveys to estimate colony size.  Developed database and scientific program for 2000 annual meeting of the Waterbird Society.  Aug – Dec 2000. (Dr. Peter Frederick)

Volunteer Bander.  Savannah, GA.   Assisted University of Florida U.S. Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Unit with weekly fall migration bird banding in a freshwater tidal marsh at the Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge, SC.  Responsible for a new banding station per week; taught banding and net extraction techniques to other volunteers.   Handled a minimum of 400 birds.  Sept – Nov 2000, 2001. (Dr. Wiley Kitchens: 352-846-0536)

 

University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

Primary Bander and Research Assistant.  Head bander and crew leader of 10+ volunteers and interns at Kingston Wildlife Research Station. Extracted, processed, banded, and released birds after determining age, sex, wing length, fat classification, skull ossification, breeding condition, molt, and body weight.  Compiled and analyzed seasonal data.  Assisted Ph.D. candidate with experiments on fat deposition and lipid preference in wild-caught captive passerines using various diets.  Duties included using Total Body Electroconductivity Device (TOBEC), deuterium injection, preparing synthetic diets, care and maintenance of captive birds. Aug – Nov 1999. (Dr. Barbara Wilson: 401-874-4557)

     

Fort Sill Army Instillation, Lawton, OK

Research Assistant.  Surveyed for federally endangered Black-capped Vireo in Wichita Mountains.  Nest monitored 30 territories, located fledglings, marked territory locations on topographic maps, and submitted results to U.S Fish and Wildlife.  May - July 1999.   (Dr. Joseph Grzybowski: 405-341-2980 ext. 5196)

     

Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Bolinas, CA

Field Biologist.  Nest searched for tidal marsh Song Sparrows on San Pablo Bay, CA.  Located and monitored approximately 70 nests, banded nestlings, recorded measurements for nest and surrounding vegetation, and used Foxpro for data entry.  Helped new interns learn nest searching and banding skills.  Conducted point counts in tidal marshes around San Pablo and Suisun Bays.  March – April 1999. (Hildie Spautz: 415-868-1212 ext. 782)

Banding Intern.  Set up mist nets and conducted half-hour net checks 5 days a week following MAPS protocol at 4 locations.  Extracted, processed, banded, color-banded, and released birds as described above.  Trained volunteers and new interns in mist netting and bird banding techniques.  Discussed and demonstrated banding procedures with visitors.  Duties also included data entry using Foxpro, net repair, color-band resightings, area searches for wintering passerines, and shorebirds surveys.  November 1998-February 1999.  (Aaron Holmes: 415-868-0655)

     

Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences

Banding Intern, Manomet, MA.  Conducted hourly mist net checks from dawn to dusk at a landbird banding station.  Extracted, processed, banded, and released birds as described above.  Demonstrated mist netting and bird banding techniques to visitors and volunteers.  August-November 1998. (Trevor Lloyd-Evans: 508-224-6521)

Field Biologist.  San Diego, CA.  Surveyed 33,000 acres of coastal sage scrub habitat on Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base for Threatened California Gnatcatcher.  Conducted habitat analyses, nest monitoring for reproductive success, mist netting, and processing birds.  March – July 1998.  (Dr. Jonathan Atwood: 603-357-3122 ext. 370)

     

Institute of Bird Populations

Banding Volunteer, Orange Co., CA.  Weekly volunteer at a MAPS banding station.  Assisted mist netting, banding, processing, and recording data.  May – July 1998.

 

Hollins College, Roanoke, VA

Lab Curator, Chemistry Dept.  Prepared labs for all chemistry courses each week.  Ordered, maintained, and inventoried chemicals and equipment.  Supervised six student assistants.  Fall 1997. (Dr. Daniel Derringer: 540-362-6000)

Research Assistant, Biology Dept.  Compared song properties between two populations of male Indigo Buntings for Senior Honors Thesis.  Spectroanalyzed songs for frequency and temporal properties using Canary.  Analyzed habitats in all breeding territories.  May 1996-May 1997. $1000/month.  (Dr. Renee D. Godard: 540-362-6000)

Teaching Assistant, Chemistry Dept.  Helped instruct organic and biochemistry labs to high school women in Hollinscience Program. Summer 1994, 1996.  $6/hr.  (Dr. Sandra Boatman:  540-362-6000)

Lab Assistant.  Biology Dept. Summer 1994. $6/hr.  (Dr. Harriet Gray:  540-362-6000)

 

Marine Biomedical Institute, University of Texas, Galveston, TX

Research Assistant.  Investigated behavioral effects of crowding in captive-reared cuttlefish.  Designed and implemented study to compare feeding, growth, movement, and cryptic coloration of individuals in various tank sizes.  Summer 1995. $1000/month.  (Dr. Jean Boal: 717-871-4773)

 

PUBLICATIONS (refereed)  

Hylton, R.A., P.C. Frederick, T. De La Fuente, and M. G. Spalding.  2006.  Consequences of pre-fledgling health on the survival of juvenile Wood Storks, Mycteria americana.  Condor 108: 97-106.

Borkateria, R., P. C. Frederick, R. A. Hylton.  A preliminary model of Wood stork population dynamics in the southeastern United States (in progress).

Hylton, R.A., and P. C. Frederick.  Habitat use and movement patterns of juvenile Wood Storks in the Southeastern United States.  Journal of Wildlife Management (in progress)

T. de la Fuente, Hylton, R.A., R.R. Borkateria, P.C. Frederick, and M.G. Spalding.  Mercury levels, hematology, and survival of nestling Everglades Wood Storks, Mycteria americana. Journal of Wildlife Disease (in progress)

Frederick, P.C., B. Hylton, J.A. Heath, and M.G. Spalding.  2004.  A historical record of mercury contamination in southern Florida (USA) as inferred from avian feather tissue.  Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 23:1474-1478.

Frederick, P., B. Hylton, J. Heath, and M. Ruane.  2003.   Accuracy and variation in estimates of large numbers of birds by individual observers using an aerial survey simulator.  Journal of Field Ornithology 73:281-287.

Hylton, R. A. & Godard, R. 2001.  Song properties of Indigo Buntings in open and forested habitats.  Wilson Bulletin 113:243-245.

Boal, J.G., R.A. Hylton, S.A. Gonzalez, and R.T. Hanlon.  1999.  The effects of crowding on the social behavior of cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis).  Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 38:49-55.

 

PUBLICATIONS (non-refereed)

Frederick, P., B. Hylton, and M. Schickel.  2003.  Survival and movements of Wood Storks nesting in the south Florida ecosystem and monitoring of wading bird nesting activity in WCAs 1,2, and 3 of the Everglades.  Annual report to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

Hylton, B. and P. Frederick.  2003.  Survival and movements of juvenile Wood Storks from south Florida.  U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wood Stork Report.  Vol 2. 

Hylton, R. and P. Frederick.  2003.  Survival and movements of juvenile Wood Storks.  South Florida Wading Bird Report.  Vol. 9. 

Frederick, P., M. Schickel, J. Bartz, and B. Hylton. 2003.   Regional nesting report:  WCAs 2 and 3, and Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.  South Florida Wading Bird Report.  Vol. 9. 

Frederick, P., J. Hilburn, B. Hylton, and J.D. Semones.  2002.  Monitoring of wading bird nesting activity in WCAs 1,2,and 3 of the Everglades and a study of Wood Stork survival and movements.  Annual report to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 94 pages.

Frederick, P., B. Hylton.  Frederick, P., J. Heath, B. Hylton, J.D. Semones, G. Babbitt, and M. Spalding.  2002.  Factors affecting breeding status of wading birds in the Everglades.  1998-2001 Comprehensive Report to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,  286 pages. 

Frederick, P., B. Hylton, and J. Heath.  2001.  Counting accuracy during aerial surveys.  South Florida Wading Bird Report.  Vol. 7. 

Frederick, P., B. Hylton, and G. Kuhr.  2001.  Regional nesting report:  Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3.  South Florida Wading Bird Report.  Vol. 7. 

Frederick, P., J. Heath, B. Hylton, and M. Spalding.  2001.  Factors affecting breeding status of wading birds in the Everglades.  2000 Annual Report to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 80 pages.

Frederick, P., M. Ruane, and B. Hylton.  2000.  Regional nesting report: Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3.  South Florida Wading Bird Report.  Vol. 6. 

 

INVITED PRESENTATIONS

Hylton, R.A.  Movement patterns and demographics of Everglades Wood Storks.  2003.  South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Multi-Species Avian Workshop.  Sustainable Ecosystems Institute.  Key Largo, FL.

Hylton, R.A.  Tracking Wood Storks across the Southeast U.S. using satellite telemetry.  2003.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Vero Beach, FL. 

 

PRESENTATIONS

Hylton, R.A. and P. Frederick.  Effects of nestling health on postfledging survival of Wood Storks.  2006 North American Ornithological Conference, Veracruz, Mexico (poster).

Hylton, R.A. and P. Frederick.  Survival and movement patterns of juvenile Wood Storks across the Southeastern U.S.A as revealed by satellite telemetry.  2003 Waterbird Society Meeting, Cuiaba, Brazil (paper). 

Hylton, R.A. and P. Frederick.  Survival and dispersal of juvenile Wood Storks across the Southeastern U.S.A. as revealed by satellite telemetry.  2002 Waterbird Society Meeting, La Crosse, WI.  (poster presentation)     

Hylton, R.A., P. Frederick, and J. Heath.  How closely do we estimate numbers of birds?  Controlled measurement of interobserver error in counting birds.  2002 North American Ornithological Conference, New Orleans, LA.  (paper)

Hylton, R.A., P. Frederick, and J. Heath.  Accuracy and variation in estimating large numbers of birds during aerial surveys.  2001 Waterbird Society Meeting, Niagara Falls, Canada.  (paper)

Hylton, R.A., J.G. Boal, and S.A. Gonzalez.  The effects of crowding on the social behavior of cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis).  1998 Animal Behavior Society Meeting, University of Maryland.   (poster presentation)

 

SCHOLARSHIPS Research Assistantship for graduate study in the Department of Zoology, North Carolina State University.  2004 – current.

Research Assistantship for graduate study in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida.  2001 – 2004.

                              Hollins Scholar Award.  Full tuition scholarship to Hollins College.  1993 – 1997.

 

AWARDS              $2000 Appalachian Highlands Learning Center grant to study mercury toxicity in Appalachian songbirds.  2006

Best Poster Presentation, Zoology and Botany Graduate Student Symposium, North Carolina State University, 2006

Alice Bull Biology Award,  Hollins College.  1997

Honor Guard, Hollins College.  1993-1997

Elected to Sigma Xi. 1996

Citation for Excellence in Philosophy,  Hollins College.  1995     

 

REFERENCES     Dr. Ted Simons (Graduate advisor)

Professor of Zoology and Forestry

North Carolina State University

Department of Zoology

Box 7617

Raleigh, NC 27695

919-515-2689

tsimons@ncsu.edu

 

Dr. Peter Frederick (Graduate advisor)

Associate Research Professor

University of Florida

Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

PO Box 110430

Gainesville, FL 32611

352-846-0565

pcf@mail.ifas.ufl.edu

 

Dr. Renee Godard (Undergraduate advisor)

Hollins University

Department of Biology

PO Box 9615

Roanoke, VA 24020

540-392-6452

rgodard@hollins.edu