Marci L. Koski, M.S., Ph.D.

Aquatic Ecologist

E-mail: marcikoski@earthlink.net
Phone:  (760) 201-7565

Professional Experience

  Fish and Wildlife Biologist (03/18/2006 - Present)

• Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 Consultations: coordinate and negotiate with other federal agencies and project applicants to avoid, minimize, and/or mitigate development impacts to sensitive species and habitats by conducting formal and informal consultations and writing Biological Opinions;

• ESA Section 10 Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs): coordinate with State agencies, cities, and project applicants to develop and implement HCPs to avoid and minimize development impacts to sensitive species and preserve sensitive habitat;

• Assist with finalizing legal agreements for conservation easements and property acquisitions under ESA Section 6 for biological preserves, and review and comment on mitigation, monitoring, and management plans for biological preserves;

• Investigate ESA Section 9 violations regarding unauthorized take of listed species by conducting site visits, collecting evidence, and coordinating with law enforcement;

• Review land and water development proposals, agreements, and plans to determine consistency with the ESA, Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and other laws, regulations, and policies at local and regional levels;

• Conduct on-site field visits and review biological and ecological literature to determine potential effects of development projects on sensitive plants, animals, and their habitats;

• Assist colleagues with listed species recovery implementation projects including field surveys and data collection;

• Foster positive partnerships between federal, state, and local organizations through complex negotiations, project planning, and accomplishing common goals;

• Interact with public organizations and individual citizens to answer questions about policy, biological planning concerns, conservation efforts, development proposals, and enforcement issues;

• Assist in training new employees with general job duties, as well as train division employees on the use of relevant computer applications (e.g., TAILS, ArcView, etc.).

 

  Research Assistant (02/01/2004 - 02/28/2005)

• Constructed and utilized a relational database using MS Access to house and analyze aquatic invertebrate life history and trait information;

• Compiled, summarized, and analyzed aquatic invertebrate life history and trait information from existing literature and expert opinions;

• Created posters for disseminating project information to the public.

 

  Graduate Research Fellow (01/01/2001 - 05/31/2004)

• Constructed, improved, and utilized a bioenergetics-based foraging model using Visual Basic for Applications to estimate changes in juvenile kokanee salmon growth, behavior, and predation risk in lakes and reservoirs in response to environmental change (e.g., drought, climate warming and eutrophication);

• Compiled existing data (e.g., water clarity, zooplankton density, temperature-depth profiles, etc.) from a variety of resources (literature, government reports, personal communications) to assess several lake and reservoir trophic states and simulate kokanee growth under various environmental scenarios;

• Utilized several statistical and graphics applications (MS Excel, SAS, Systat, Surfer, Grapher) to analyze simulation results and graphically present conclusions;

• Wrote several manuscripts for peer review in scientific publications (which are currently in press or in preparation)

• Assisted in writing annual reports and presenting final results to funding agencies;

• Presented research results both orally (with PowerPoint presentations) and with posters at local, regional, and national scientific meetings and symposia;

• Conducted limnological sampling (e.g., zooplankton collections, water clarity, temperature-depth profiles, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, etc.) using a variety of instruments on Horsetooth, Carter, Granby, and Blue Mesa Reservoirs during summer months as part of long-term data collection projects;

• Assisted fellow graduate students with night-time hydroacoustic sampling of the kokanee population in Blue Mesa Reservoir by setting up equipment, driving boats, and tracking data;

• Collaborated with members of the Civil Engineering department and local water agencies on a Colorado Front Range reservoirs eutrophication study;

• Hired and supervised student employees in the laboratory.
   

               
 

  Graduate Teaching Assistant (Spring Semesters 1999, 2000)

• Teaching Assistant for FW300 (Ichthyology Lecture Section):

      - Graded exams and gave guest lecture

• Instructed FW301B (Ichthyology Laboratory for Wildlife Students):

      - Composed and gave most lectures using PowerPoint presentations, overheads, and videos

      - Conducted and supervised lab exercises for two lab sections per week

      - Hired and supervised undergraduate teaching assistants

      - Composed and graded all lab assignments, quizzes, and exams

   Graduate Research Assistant (08/01/1998 - 12/31/2000)

• Designed, constructed, and maintained a wet laboratory equipped for performing yearling kokanee salmon feeding experiments;

• Conducted kokanee feeding trials to refine a functional response for kokanee feeding on zooplankton prey at various light levels;

• Established and maintained all experimental organism cultures (fish, invertebrates, and algae) in the lab

• Videotaped, analyzed, and digitized kokanee feeding trial experiments;

• Utilized several statistical and graphics applications (MS Excel, SAS, Systat) to analyze feeding trial data and graphically present results;

• Wrote journal articles for peer-reviewed scientific publications (Koski and Johnson 2002, Koski et al. 2003);

• Assisted in writing annual reports and presenting final results to funding agencies (the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Division);

• Presented research results both orally (with PowerPoint presentations) and with posters at local, regional, and national scientific meetings and symposia;

• Hired and supervised undergraduate lab assistants;

• Built and maintained the website for the Colorado State University Fishery Ecology Lab’s Blue Mesa Reservoir research project, used to inform the public about CSU's research with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

 

           

   Research Assistant (05/01/1998 - 07/31/1998)
           Department of Biology, West Chester University

• Collected insects from local wetlands and ponds for a Haliplid beetle feeding ecology / wetlands study;

• Analyzed beetle gut contents using a dissecting microscope;

• Videotaped, photographed and digitized live Haliplid feeding behavior;

• Assisted in running radio-isotope algae food preference experiments.

Click here for a list of my publications and presentations.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Fishery and Wildlife Biology

        Colorado State University (01/01/2001 - 12/18/2004)

        Fort Collins, CO  80523

        GPA: 3.91   Semester Hours: 129

Dissertation Title:  Predicting the effects of environmental change on the behavior, growth, and predation risk of juvenile kokanee salmon.

Master of Science, Ecology

        Colorado State University (08/01/1998 - 12/16/2000)

        Fort Collins, CO  80523

        GPA: 3.98   Semester Hours: 68

Thesis Title:  Kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka) foraging ecology: effects of prey density and light. 

Bachelor of Science, Biology: Ecology

        West Chester University of Pennsylvania (01/01/1995 - 05/31/1998)

        West Chester, PA 19380

        GPA: 4.06 (Summa cum laude)   Semester Hours: 130

High School Diploma (06/13/1992)

        El Cerrito High School

        El Cerrito, CA  94530

        GPA: 3.68

Click here for a list of relevant university coursework.

 

Additional Qualifications

Relevant Training (Courses Attended through the US FWS)

• Courses taken through the US FWS National Conservation Training Center (NCTC):

          - ECS 3112 Wetland Regulatory Program (Clean Water Act Sec. 404)

          - ECS 3116 Interagency Consultation for Endangered Species (ESA Sec. 7)

          - ECS 3117 Habitat Conservation Planning for Endangered Species (ESA Sec. 10)

          - ECS 3128 Endangered Species Recovery Implementation - Achieving Success in Recovery

          - ECS 3149 Principles of Modeling for Conservation Planning and Analysis

          - WLD 2125 Habitat Management Planning

• USGS Short Course on Designing Natural Resource Monitoring Surveys

• California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) for Riverine Systems

• 24-Hour Limited Site Worker HAZWOPER Training (Spill Response)

• Web-based GIS Courses through the ESRI Virtual Campus:

- Introduction to ArcView 3.x

- Introduction to ArcView Spatial Analyst

- Spatial Hydrology Using ArcView 3.x (In Progress)

Job-Related Skills

• Technical and Regulatory Writing - have written professional peer-reviewed publications, research reports, and regulatory documents

• Public Speaking – have given several talks at national and regional scientific meetings

• Poster Presentations – experienced in generating award-winning scientific posters

• Computer skills:

          – Advanced knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Access)

          – Advanced knowledge of web-authoring software (MS Front Page and Dreamweaver)

          – Intermediate programming skills (Visual Basic for Applications)

          – Intermediate experience with statistics packages (SAS, Systat, Surfer, Grapher)

          – Intermediate GIS skills (ArcView)

• Experience with digital photography and graphics processing software

• Experienced in terrestrial and aquatic sampling methods (e.g. zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, seining, water quality and chemistry measurements, butterfly identification, and other field measurements)

Awards and Recognitions

• 2001 - 2004 U.S.D.A. National Needs Fellowship in Water Science ($22,000 per year plus $4000 for travel)

• 2003 - 2004 Randy Cook Memorial Scholarship, College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University ($1500 merit based)

• 2003 - 2004 College of Natural Resources Scholarship, Colorado State University ($1000 merit based)

• 2003 - 2004 Margery Monfort Wilson Scholarship, Financial Aid Services, Colorado State University ($500 merit based)

• 2003 Best Oral Presentation in Modeling Session Award, Colorado State University’s 9th Annual Front Range Student Ecology Symposium

• 2002 Best Poster Award, the Colorado-Wyoming American Fisheries Society’s 37th Annual Meeting

• 2001 Best Poster Presentation Award, Colorado State University’s 5th Annual Student Water Symposium

• 2000 - 2001 Oscar and Isabel Anderson Graduate Fellowship, College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University ($3000 merit based)

• 2000 Student Travel Award, Ecological Society of America’s Aquatic Section ($200)

• 1998 Outstanding Student Award, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania University Biologists (CPUB)

• 1998 Relis Brown Outstanding Student Award, Department of Biology, West Chester University, Pennsylvania

• 1998 Outstanding Student Award, Honorable Mention, College of Arts and Sciences, West Chester University, Pennsylvania 

• 1998  Completion of the Honors Program, Upper Tier, West Chester University, Pennsylvania
  
   

For more about my personal interests, click here.

Last edited:11/09/08
By Marci L. Koski

Copyright 2005 Marci Koski.
All Rights Reserved.