Erin Lefkowitz

Marine Bird, Mammal, and Habitat Monitoring, Homer, Alaska — Avian biological science technician with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, leading and supporting field-based monitoring of marine bird populations on remote islands and at sea in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. Collected detailed data on breeding seabird populations and habitat, and conducted oil, marine debris, and Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) surveys. Seabird population data are used as an indicator of annual fish stock health and overall ecosystem health as it relates to climate change. Conducted preliminary rat eradication feasibility surveys and collected DNA samples. Responsible for data management, technical reporting, and coordination across multiple field teams and partner organizations.

Historic Area Remediation Site Monitoring, New York and New Jersey — Marine ecologist and equipment manager for 5-year contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District to monitor and remediate the former Mud Dump Site and surrounding areas. The program uses sediment profile and plan-view imaging and benthic community analysis to identify biological and physical characteristics of the seafloor to monitor and evaluate ecosystem recovery following remediation activities. Responsible for post-survey image analysis and technical reporting on benthic surveys. Ensure safe working conditions, collection of reliable data, and compliance with environmental regulations through strict adherence to approved field sampling plans, quality assurance project plans, and accident prevention plans.

At-Sea Marine Bird and Mammal Observations, Newport, Oregon — Worked on a small team to conduct marine bird and mammal surveys aboard the R/V Pacific Storm to support preliminary investigations of marine animal presence at proposed windfarm sites. Recorded observations and environmental conditions using SeaLog.

Waterbird Monitoring and Habitat Compliance, Sacramento, California — Conducted overwintering shorebird, crane, and waterfowl population and habitat compliance surveys. Monitored change in habitat use by waterbirds during artificial flooding regime variations. Maintained and strengthened positive communications with growers and project volunteers. Coordinated competing project priorities in close cooperation with multiple partners and agencies. Used Survey123, ArcGIS Collector, Gaia and Excel^TM to input and manage field data and navigate to survey sites.

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, Chatham, Massachusetts — Avian biological science technician with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor daily productivity and behavior of common terns. Monitored nests of roseate tern, least tern, black skimmer, American oystercatcher, and piping plover. Surveyed migratory and resident shorebirds and songbirds. Censused terns and wading birds, counted staging terns and shorebirds, and re-sighted bands with scope. Camped and worked on remote island in close cooperation with colleagues for duration of field season. Maintained accurate field records; recorded, proofed and analyzed data; wrote summary reports.

Baltic Seabird Monitoring, Stora Karlsö, Sweden — Captured, banded, and weighed murre chicks; re-sighted field-readable bands. Scribed, proofed, and entered data into database; translated webpage from Swedish to English.

Prairie Chicken Surveys, Kansas — Ground-truthed and identified prairie chicken leks on rangeland habitat and wind farms across Great Plains states. Coordinated field activities with mobile field team and maintained detailed data logs.

Waterfowl Monitoring, University of Arkansas, Monticello, Arkansas — Captured and banded waterfowl in flooded forests at night. Deployed and maintained game cameras; safely operated Argo/8-wheeler, UTV, and motorboat. Maintained positive relationships with hunting clubs and land managers.

Braddock Bay Bird Observatory, Hilton, New York — Mist-netted and banded 400+ songbirds; scribed and entered banding data into database. Provided informal environmental education to diverse audiences.

Black Grouse Surveys, Uppland, Sweden — Conducted crepuscular black grouse lekking surveys. Canoed and hiked off-trail to reach remote survey sites.

Shorebird Monitoring, U.S. National Parks Service, Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts — Maintained nesting habitat exclosures for and monitored populations of piping plovers and least terns.

Shorebird Monitoring, U.S. National Parks Service, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida — Searched for snowy plover scrapes and documented nesting attempts.

Saltmarsh Restoration and Monitoring, Wells, Maine — Surveyed biotic and abiotic parameters of restored saltmarshes to quantify success of restoration efforts in comparison to a natural saltmarsh. Surveys conducted include water quality monitoring, vegetation composition, marshbird use, and ground elevation. Conducted larval fish surveys and road-stream crossing assessments.

Water Quality Monitoring, New York — Served as Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) environmental scientist and party chief on Lake Champlain and the Hudson River for two seasons (2024–2025), conducting real-time monitoring of water quality impacts and rapid reporting of water quality exceedances to installers and state aquatic inspectors, ensuring water quality compliance throughout all operational phases of submarine cable installation. Ensured safe working conditions, collection of reliable data, and compliance with environmental regulations through strict adherence to approved field sampling plans, quality assurance project plans, and accident prevention plans.

Water Quality Monitoring, New Jersey — Environmental scientist monitoring water quality of a tidal creek to characterize distribution and movement of industrial contaminants.

Water Quality and Ecological Monitoring in the Southwest Finnish Archipelago, Åland, Finland — Collected and analyzed water samples for chlorophyll-a concentrations, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and turbidity. Collected and identified benthic macroinvertebrates, and surveyed seabird populations, aquatic vegetation, and pollen levels. Maintained insect traps and bat acoustic monitoring stations. Conducted fishery-independent resource surveys to inventory larval fish populations.

Hudson River Estuary Watershed Habitat Assessment and Restoration, New Paltz, New York — Identified, mapped, and assessed road-stream crossings for aquatic organism passage and flood capacity. Restored riparian habitats and supported public outreach efforts. Supported dam removal projects, water quality sampling, marshbird surveys, and fishery-independent resource surveys. Work was performed to support the dual purpose of restoring aquatic organism passage by removing derelict dams and right-sizing culverts while increasing flood capacity of road-stream crossings during major storm events.

Offshore Wind Farm Baseline Surveys, Atlantic Coast, United States — Served as technical writer synthesizing multi-season data collected to map benthic communities and essential fish habitat within an offshore wind lease area and along multiple export cable corridors. Identified avoidance, minimization, mitigation, and monitoring practices relevant to the project area.

Sediment Sampling and Analysis, Oregon — Served as environmental scientist for the processing of sediment cores for chemical analysis at toxic and hazardous waste site. Provided additional technical assistance, including synthesis and digitization of field data.

Modeling a Watershed of the Southwest Finnish Archipelago, Åland, Finland — Compiled long-term geographic and point-source emissions data for use in watershed model. Coordinated across multiple government and research agencies.