Mariska Obedzinksi

Graduate Student

Education

BA, Human Ecology, College of the Atlantic, ME

MS, Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation, University of Massachusetts, MA

 

Research Interests/Specializations

freshwater ecology, conservation biology, salmonid ecology, management and recovery

 

Growing up along a coastal California stream, I have been fascinated with stream ecology since an early age. Observing the decline of salmon and other aquatic organisms on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts over the course of my life has inspired my desire to study the impacts of global change on aquatic systems. Specifically, I am interested in the impacts of drought and streamflow dynamics on life history patterns, growth and survival of coho salmon.

As an Extension Specialist for California Sea Grant, I lead a team of biologists, AmeriCorps members, and interns that conducts monitoring and research to support salmon and steelhead recovery in the Russian River watershed. Our work is designed to identify bottlenecks to survival and evaluate efforts to address those bottlenecks. I am driven to get science off the shelf and into the hands of those working to protect and restore our coastal watersheds. We partner with resource managers, non-profit organizations, landowners, community members, students and private businesses on efforts to restore coastal streams and salmonid populations. My goal as a student is to analyze and disseminate data my program has collected over the last 15 years and to build on partnerships that link academia with salmon recovery and freshwater conservation efforts in coastal California.

Mariska Obedzinksi