Coastal Wetlands StudiesSamantha Apgar
2017 The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies

Samantha Apgar is a PhD candidate in Dr. Chris Elphick’s laboratory at the University of Connecticut. She is studying the extinction risk of specialist tidal marsh birds in coastal Connecticut. As sea levels rise, ground nesting tidal marsh birds will be more vulnerable to nest failure due to increased flooding. She will evaluate how different aspects of the nesting ecology of the seaside sparrow, willet, and clapper rail make each species more or less likely to fledge chicks over time. Specifically, she will study how the nest sites, nest structures, egg qualities, and chick and adult behaviors in response to flooding vary among species. She wants to better understand how specialist species in tidal marshes will fare as large-scale change occurs.
The Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies
To promote, expand, and enrich the body of research concerning the coast by actively supporting graduate students in the field of coastal wetlands science.
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