Presentation by Brian Davis, assistant professor, Wildlife Ecology and Management, College of Forestry Resources, Mississippi State University.

Gulf coastal wetlands are incredibly biodiverse and provide significant ecological goods and services. Gulf coastal states account for 85% of the total decrease in coastal wetland area in the conterminous United States, with Louisiana accounting for most of this loss. Various restoration techniques are used to stem marsh loss. Marsh terracing is one such technique and uses in situ sediment to construct segmented ridges in open water areas of coastal wetlands to dissipate erosive wave energy, reduce turbidity, increase submerged aquatic vegetation production, and provide habitat for a diversity of wildlife species. Despite widespread use of marsh terraces for over 30 years, past research and monitoring have provided limited results on their sustainability and overall value as avian or other wildlife habitat across spatial and temporal scales. This presentation discusses: 1) General background on Gulf coastal systems, 2) use of terrace and non-terraced sites by various guilds of birds and 3) assesses spatiotemporal relationships among wind conditions, wave parameters, water level, soil shear strength, and suspended sediment concentration in wetland environments modified with marsh terraces.

Dr. Davis was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. He attained his BS degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His MS and PhD degrees were from the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Aquaculture (WFA), Mississippi State University (MSU). Brian did temporary work in wetlands management for the Missouri Department of Conservation. He spent six years with the California Waterfowl Association doing research, outreach and major gift fundraising. He was a Regional Biologist for Ducks Unlimited, Inc for eight and a half years. He is currently an Associate Professor at WFA/MSU.