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Curriculum Vita




Current Position:

Director of Science
The Nature Conservancy in Connecticut


Address:

55 Church Street, Floor 3
New Haven, Connecticut 06510
"Office Phone: (203) 568-6296"
email: awhelchel@tnc.org


Education:

Ph.D. Department of Plant & Soil Science, University of Delaware 2006 (Wetland Science)
M.A. Department of Biology, San Francisco State University 1999 (Ecology)
B.S. School of Natural Resources, University of Vermont 1991 (Wildlife & Fisheries Ecology)


Professional Experience:

Director of Conservation Programs, The Nature Conservancy, Connecticut, 2008-
Director of Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy, Connecticut, 2006-2008.
Ph.D. Candidate, University of Delaware, 2002-2006.
Wetland Ecologist, URS Corp, New Jersey, 2000-2006.
Senior Ecologist, Wetlands Research Associates, California, 1993-1999.
Herpetologist, U.S. National Park Service, California 1992.
Research Ecologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, California, 1992.
Research Ecologist, Environmental Division, U.S. Navy, San Nicolas Island, California, 1991.


Professional Certification:

Professional Wetland Scientist (2001), The Society of Wetland Scientists
Certified Wildlife Biologist (2001), The Wildlife Society


Dissertation and Thesis:

Whelchel, A. W. 2006. Hydrogeomorphic Assessment Model for Slope Wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic
    Piedmont. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA. 461 pp.

Whelchel, A. W. 1999. The Ecological Consequences of Bumblebee Movement Patterns and Reward
    Distribution in Plants. M.A. Thesis. San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA.



Publications:
Ferdaña, Z.A., S. Newkirk, A. Whelchel, B. Gilmer, and M.W. Beck. 2010. Adapting to Climate Change:
    Building Interactive Decision Support to Meet Management Objectives for Coastal Conservation and Hazard Mitigation on Long Island, New York, USA in Andrade Pérez, A., Herrera Fernandez, B. and Cazzolla Gatti, R. (eds.)."Building Resilience to Climate Change: Ecosystem-based adaptation and lessons from the field." Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. 164pp.

Hoover, M., D. L. Civco, and A. W. Whelchel. 2010. "The Development of a Salt Marsh Migration Tool
    and its Application in Long Island Sound." American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Conference Proceedings, San Diego, CA, USA.

Whelchel, A. W. and K. Lansford. 2006. California least tern chick predation by greater roadrunner.
    The Southwestern Naturalist 51(4): 565-567.

Vasilas, B. L., A. W. Whelchel, and L. M. Vasilas. 2005. The Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Functional
    Assessment for Piedmont Slope Wetlands. 2005 Watershed Management Conference Proceedings. American Society of Civil Engineers. Williamsburg, VA, USA.

Parsons, L. S. and A. W. Whelchel. 2000. The effects of climatic variability on growth, reproduction, and
    population viability of a sensitive salt marsh plant species, Lasthenia glabrata subsp. coulteri (Asteraceae). Madrono 47(3):174-188.

Josselyn, M. N., R. Appy, and A. W. Whelchel. 1997. Batiquitos Lagoon: Concept to Construction. p.
    184-189. Wetland and Riparian Restoration: Taking a Broader View. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 10) Publication, EPA-91 O-R-91-007.

Josselyn, M. N., A. W. Whelchel, and R. Appy. 1997. Batiquitos Lagoon Enhancement Project. p.
    1074-1080. In O. T. Magoon, H. Converse, B. Baird, M. Miller-Henson (eds.) California and the World Ocean. American Society of Civil Engineers, San Diego, CA, USA.

Whelchel, A. W., K. M. Keane, and M. N. Josselyn. 1996. Establishment of a new black skimmer breeding
    colony in southern California. Western Birds 27:164-167.

Whelchel, A. W. 1996. Coastal natural resources of northern San Diego County. p. 18-36. In T.
    Munasinghe, P. S. Rosenberg (eds.) Geology and Natural Resources of Coastal San Diego County, California. San Diego Association of Geologists, San Diego, CA, USA.

Whelchel, A. W. 1994. Coastal threatened and endangered avian species at Camp Pendleton. p. 25-45. In
    P. S. Rosenberg (ed.) Geology and Natural Resources of Camp Pendleton United States Marine Corps Base, San Diego County, California. San Diego Association of Geologists, San Diego, CA, USA.



Invited Presentation:

April 2012. Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning for Long Island Sound. Coastal Perspective Lectures
    2012. University of Connecticut, Avery Point Campus. Groton, Connecticut.

April 2012. Coastal Resilience through Environmental Engineering. Department of Civil and
    Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Connecticut. Storrs, Connecticut.

October 2011. "Computerized Storm Projections for Coastal Resilience along Connecticut's Coast"
    Governor's S.T.O.R.M. Irene Task Force Panel. Hartford, Connecticut.

October 2011. "Coastal Resilience, Part II: Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Case Studies." NOAA Coastal
    Services Center's Digital Coast Webinar Series.

April 2011. Coastal Resilience for Communities and Natural Resources. "Making Better Coastal
    Development Decisions with NOAA's Digital Coast Session" American Planners Association. National Conference. Boston, Massachusetts.

November 2010. Climate Change Adaptation and How the State of Connecticut Will Respond. EcoHouse
    Lecture Series, University of Connecticut. Storrs, Connecticut.

October 2010. Climate Change in the Northeast: Projections, Impacts and Adaptation. Natural Resources
    Conservation Service, East Technology Workshop - Northeast. Hartford, Connecticut.

October 2010. Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessments: Local and Regional Case Studies. Northeast
    Climate Change Adaptation Training Course (NOAA, EPA, NESCAUM, RI Sea Grant). University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island.

July 2010. Market-Driven Alternatives for Global Conservation. Central Connecticut State
    University, New Britain, Connecticut.

June 2010. Climate Change: Making Decisions our Resources Can Live With. Coastal Habitat
    Conservation in a Changing Climate: Strategies and Tools in the Mid-Atlantic Workshop. NOAA. Wilmington, Delaware.

April 2010. "The Intersection of Landuse, Wildlife and Natural Resources." Department of
    Environmental Protection, Connecticut State Capital, Hartford, Connecticut.

January 2010. Conservation Planning and Priorities: Africa to Connecticut. School of Forestry and
    Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

November 2009. Intercontinental Conservation: Local to Local from Africa to United States. Department
    of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.

June 2009. Creating Market Based Strategies to Advance Conservation. Central Connecticut State
    University, New Britain, Connecticut.

February 2009. Wetland Functional Assessment: Regulatory and Management Applications. Joint
    Workshop: Soil and Water Conservation Society & Society of Soil Scientists of Southern New England, Hadley, Massachusetts.

January 2009. Innovative Conservation: Planning and Priorities. School of Forestry and Environmental
    Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

January 2009. Climate Change: Temperature Impacts on Freshwater Ecosystems. National Virtual
    Freshwater Conference, World Wildlife Fund & The Nature Conservancy.

October 2008. Climate Change Adaptation: Solutions at the Local Scale. Special Session: Adaptive
    Management of Estauries in the Face of Climate Change. 4th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration. Providence, Rhode Island.

August 2008. Climate Change Adaptation: A (acquisition) to Z (zoning). Westbrook Conservation
    Commission/Planning and Zoning, Westbrook, Connecticut.

July 2008. Market Based – Market Driven Strategies for Conservation. Central Connecticut State
    University, New Britain, Connecticut.

May 2008. Freshwater Restoration: The Science Behind Dam Removal. EUSCR Regional Conference
    The Nature Conservancy, Norfolk, Virginia.

March 2008. Biology Graduate Student Career Retreat, Ecology and Evolutionary Panelist, Wesleyan
    University, Middletown, Connecticut.

February 2008. Climate Change along Coastal Connecticut: Adaption or Resistance? Old Saybrook Land
    Trust, Old Saybrook, Connecticut.

January 2008. Strategies for Land Conservation. School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale
    University, New Haven, Connecticut.

January 2008. Shoreline Hardening as a Response to Sea Level Rise - A New Coastal Management
    Framework. NOAA Coastal Services Center, Charleston, South Carolina.

April 2007. Catch the Wave: Conserving Coastal Ecosystems from Resilience to Ecosystem Services.
    Marine Science/Public Policy Lecture Series, Avery Point, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut.

March 2007. How can the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative best compliment existing land
    conservation efforts in achieving conservation targets? Panelist, 17th Annual Long Island Sound Citizen’s Summit, Oyster Bay, New York.

April 2004. HGM and Piedmont Slope Hydrogeomorphy. Delaware Wetland and Stream Restoration
    Conference, Delaware Department of Natural Resources, Dover, Delaware.

January 2004. Hydrogeomorphology of Piedmont Slope Wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic States: Emphasis
    on Hydric Soils. USDS - NRCS National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils Meeting. Newark, Delaware.

December 2002. Wetland Mitigation and Functional Assessment. Department of Plant and Soil Science,
    University of Delaware. Newark, Delaware.




Conference Proceedings:

Whelchel, A. W., B. Gilmer, and R. Parsons. 2011. Coastal Resilience: Developing Solutions for
    Ecosystem-based Coastal Adaptation. In Abstr., Coastal Zone 2011, Chicago, Illinois.

Gilmer, B., A. W. Whelchel, R. Parsons, and Z. Ferdana. 2011. Coastal Resilience: Decision Support and
    Local Solutions to Ecosystem-Based Coastal Adaptation. In Abstr., Coastal GeoTools, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Hyatt, W., A. W. Whelchel, and R. Reeps. 2011. Climatic Adaptation Strategies for Natural Resources in
    Connecticut. In Abstr., 5th Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.

Whelchel, A. W., M. Hoover, and D. Civco. 2010. Long Island Sound’s Changing Salt Marshes: A Remote-
    Sensing Approach to Sea Level Rise and Possible Salt Marsh Migration. In Abstr., 5th National Conference, Restore America's Estuaries, Galveston, Texas.

Whelchel, A. W., R. Fuller, M. Hoover, N. Maher, and M. Peloso. 2010. Coastal Resource Migration
    Methods and Models: Approaches, Planning, Implementation, and Caution. In Abstr. (Session), 5th National Conference, Restore America's Estuaries, Galveston, Texas.

Murdock, S., M. Anderson, and A. W. Whelchel. 2010. Climate Change Adaptation: Current Thinking,
    Approaches to Define and Address It. In Abstr., Land Trust Alliance, Rally 2010, Hartford, Connecticut.

Hoover, M., D. L. Civco, and A. W. Whelchel. 2010. The Development of a Salt Marsh Migration Tool
    and its Application in Long Island Sound. In Abstr., American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 2010 Annual Conference, San Diego, California.

Whelchel, A. W., J. Pagach, W. Hyatt. 2010. "Climatic Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Natural
    Resources in Connecticut - Workshop" . In Abstr., 4th Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.

Opton-Himmel, J., J. Kachmar, and A. W. Whelchel. 2009. A Rapid Assessment of the Coastal Watersheds
    Draining to Long Island Sound. In Abstr., 3rd Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.

Hoover, M., D. L. Civco, and A. W. Whelchel. 2009. Connecticut's Changing Salt Marshes: A Remote
    Sensing Approach to Sea Level Rise and Possible Salt Marsh Migration. In Abstr., 3rd Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.

Green, S., A. W. Whelchel, and B. Murphy. 2008. River-Friendly Stream Crossing Design. In Abstr., 31st
    Connecticut Association of Conservation & Inland Wetlands Commissions Meeting, Wallingford, Connecticut.

Opton-Himmel, J. and A. W. Whelchel. 2008. Private Conservation of Submerged Lands in Connecticut.
    In Abstr., 27th International Submerged Lands Management Conference, Traverse City, Michigan.

Whelchel, A. W., B. Chernoff, A. Casper, and J. Turek. 2008. Ecological Response to Dam Removal on the
    Eight Mile River, Connecticut. In Abstr., 4th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration, Providence, Rhode Island.

Hoover, M., D. L. Civco, and A. W. Whelchel. 2008. Connecticut's Changing Salt Marshes: Remote
    Sensing of Sea Level Rise & Salt Marsh Migration. In Abstr., 23rd Northeast Arc Users Group Conference, Hyannis, Massachusetts.

Murdock, S., M. Anderson, A. W. Whelchel, and D. VanLuven. 2008. Climate Change Adaptation: Current
    Thinking and Approaches. In Abstr., 2008 Northeast Land Trust Conference. West Point, New York.

Whelchel, A. W., D. Sutherland, and J. Fischer. 2008. Climate Change and Impacts on Land Trusts. In
    Abstr., 25th Connecticut Land Conservation Council Conference, Berlin, Connecticut.

Hoover, M., D. L. Civco, and A. W. Whelchel. 2008. The Effect of Sea Level Rise on Future Salt Marsh
    Habitat. In Abstr., 2nd Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources, Storrs, Connecticut.

Whelchel, A. W., B. Chernoff, A. Casper, and J. Turek. 2008. An Integrated Approach towards
    Understanding Ecological Responses to Dam Removal: Eight Mile River, Connecticut. In Abstr., Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources, Storrs, Connecticut.

Whelchel, A. W., D. L. Civco, M. Hoover, and J. P. Barrett. 2007. Impact of Climate Induced Sea Level
    Rise and Storm Surge on Coastal Marshes in Long Island Sound. In Abstr., The Nature Conservancy’s Global Climate Change Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Harold, S. E. and A. W. Whelchel. 2007. Fish Passage Restoration Efforts within the Saugatuck River
    Watershed, Southwestern Connecticut. In Abstr., 1st Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.

Whelchel, A. W. and S. R. Patton. 2007. Challenges and Opportunities for Marine Conservation Planning
    and Implementation within Connecticut, USA. In Abstr., 1st Annual Global Marine Initiative - All Marine Conference. Monterey, California.

Whelchel, A. W. 2005. Multi-scalar Wetland Functional Assessment using GIS. In Abstr., University of
    Delaware, 3rd Annual Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Graduate Student Symposium. Newark, Delaware.

Whelchel, A. W. and J. A. Callahan. 2005. Integrating GIS into Wetland Functional Assessment. In Abstr.,
    Delaware GIS 2005. Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Whelchel, A. W., L. M. Vasilas, and B. L. Vasilas. 2004. Hydrogeomorphology and Predictive Indicators
    for Piedmont Slope Wetlands of the Mid-Atlantic States. In Abstr., Society of Wetland Scientists. Seattle, Washington.

Whelchel, A. W. and B. L. Vasilas. 2004. Slope Wetlands and the Hydrogeomorphic Wetland Assessment
    Method. In Abstr., Northeast Ecology and Evolution Conference. Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut. Storrs, Connecticut.

Whelchel, A. W., L. M. Vasilas, and B. L. Vasilas. 2003. Predictive Indicators of Hydroperiod for Slope
    Wetlands of the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont. In Abstr., United States U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Hydrology Workshop Symposium. Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Whelchel, A. W. 2003. Hydrogeomorphic Wetland Assessment. In Abstr., University of Delaware, First
    Annual Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Graduate Student Symposium. Newark, Delaware.

Keane, K. M. and A. W. Whelchel. 1998. Effects of restoration on the California least tern (Sterna
    antillarum browni) and western snowy plover (Charadrius alesandrinus nivosus) at Batiquitos Lagoon. In Abstr., Southern California Academy of Science, Pomona, California.

Whelchel, A. W., R. Appy, and M. N. Josselyn. 1997. Batiquitos Lagoon Enhancement Project: Influence
    of Ecosystem Modifications on Endangered Species Management and Resource Stewardship. In Abstr., Natural Areas Association and Exotic Pest Council Conference. Portland, Oregon.

Parsons, L. S. and A. W. Whelchel. 1997. Effects of Climatic Variability on Growth, Reproduction, and
    Population Viability of a Sensitive Salt Marsh Plant Species, Lasthenia glabrata subsp. coulteri (Asteraceae). In Abstr., Natural Areas Association and Exotic Pest Council Conference. Portland, Oregon.

Whelchel, A. W. 1997. Structure and Evolution of Communities. In Abstr., San Francisco State University,
    Department of Biology, Seminar Series. San Francisco, California.

Whelchel, A. W. 1997. Assembly Rules for Ecosystems. In Abstr., San Francisco State University,
    Department of Biology, Seminar Series. San Francisco, California.

Whelchel, A. W. 1995. Colony Dynamics of the California Least Tern in Response to Coastal Estuary
    Restoration. In Abstr., Pacific Seabird Group. San Diego, California.


Service:

Committee Member, NROC Coastal Hazards Resilience Committee, 2011-
Co-Chair, Natural Resource Working Group, CT State Climate Adaptation Subcommittee, 2008-2011
Senior Advisory Board, Connecticut Sea Grant, University of Connecticut, 2008 -
Regional Ocean Science Council (ROSC), New York Bight Regional Sea Grant Initiative, 2008-
Governor Appointee, Forest Practices Advisory Board, State of Connecticut, 2008 -
Committee Member, Science and Technical Advisory Committee, EPA Long Island Sound Study, 2008 -

Outreach Committee Chair, Professional Certification Program, Society of Wetland Scientists, 2007-2011

Advisory Board, Connecticut Institute of Water Resources, University of Connecticut, 2006-
Riverine Migratory Corridor Working Group, Connecticut DEP, 2007-
EPA Habitat Restoration Initiative, Long Island Sound Study, 2006-
Lifetime Achievement/Merit Award Subcommittee Member, Society of Wetland Scientists, 2005-2009
Co-Chair, San Francisco State Graduate Student Association, 1997-1999

Conferences:

Co-Chair, "ROSC" "Climatic Adaptation Priorities and Projects Workshop" , Sea Grant, 2009-10
Steering Committee, Water Scarcity and Conflict Conference, Connecticut College, 2008-09
Steering Committee, Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources, University of Connecticut, 2007-10

Steering Committee, Saving Biological Diversity Conference, Connecticut College, 2006-07

Awards:

The Nature Conservancy's Coda Global Fellowship: "Green Belt Movement, Kenya, Africa 2009-2010"



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