Hosted by North Shore Audubon

New York’s Adirondack Park is a breeding ground for numerous migratory bird species, many declining.

A unique component of the Adirondacks are the birds inhabiting the boreal peatlands. Climate change is now widely recognized as a major threat to biodiversity. As the southern range extent for this ecosystem type and many of its avian inhabitants, the park is a valuable location to monitor changes in bird populations. Findings from long-term monitoring of boreal birds in the Adirondacks suggests their responses to climate change may be mediated by land use patterns, highlight the importance of a patchy habitat distribution, and raise important implications for conservation strategies.

Michale is the Science Director for the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute, where she serves a leading role in the ecological research conducted in the Adirondacks. Her research includes the intersection between land use management and ecological integrity, focused on the impacts of low density, exurban development. She has also worked on impacts of ski area development on Bicknell’s thrush, a migrant of high conservation priority, on the effects of recreation patterns on birds and mammals, and understanding the lowland boreal birds in the Adirondack Park and the potential impacts of climate change.