Jill Newman
Wildlife Biologist
Professional Experience
Check out the projects that I've worked on across the eastern United States!
United States Space Force
Herpetologist
I survey for endangered red-legged frogs (Rana draytoni) on Vandenberg Space Force Base.
University of Kentucky
Research Analyst
I worked as a Lab Manager for the Price Lab at the University of Kentucky. I assisted with field work, data collection, animal care, and data analysis for various herpetological projects throughout the state of Kentucky and surrounding states.
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North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission
Wildlife Technician
I worked within the Salamander Capital of the World surveying and monitoring species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) including hellbenders, green salamanders, Weller's salamanders, and mountain chorus frogs.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Biological Technician II
Eastern hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) are one of the largest salamanders in North America. The IUCN lists hellbenders as "Near Threatened" with threats to this species including habitat destruction, pollution, disease, and over-collection. GA DNR is interested in placing artificial nest boxes in attempts to bolster populations within the state. Nest boxes will be distributed based on hellbender population size, stream velocity, sediment type, and a variety of other factors. Stream assessment surveys are being conducted in north Georgia streams to evaluate both helbender abundance and stream habitat characteristics.
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Mike Knoerr
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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Biological Technician
Frosted flatwoods salamanders (Ambystoma cingulatum) are a federally threatened species of mole salamander with continuous population declines due to habitat loss. The FWC surveys for these salamanders using drift fences, dip net surveys, bucket traps, and egg searching. Additionally, FWC has created a head-start program in which they collect salamander eggs, raise them in captivity, and release animals when it's safe for them to go back into their natural wetlands. For more information, check out FWC's site about the Flatwoods Salamander Project!
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Spotted Turtle Project Team Leader
Spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata) are a species of concern in both the United States and Canada. Threats to this species include habitat loss, over-collection (for the pet trade), and vehicle mortality. As part of a multi-state grant spanning from Maine to Florida, this on-going project aims to determine the distribution and abundance of spotted turtles across their range. With the use of trap surveys, visual encounter surveys, and radio telemetry, we hope to better understand the current status of this species across the east coast of the United States. Surveying efforts were focused in the state of Virginia.
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Clemson University
Graduate Research Assistant
In the Kyle Barrett Lab I studied distribution, abundance, and physiology of green salamanders, Aneides aeneus, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina. Green salamanders are listed as "Near Threatened" by the IUCN and are "Critically Imperiled" in South Carolina. Green salamanders are threatened by habitat loss, climate change, over-collection, and disease. I conducted an intensive survey of historical sites because many of the sites hadn't been visited in ~25 years or longer. With the data collected, I was able to estimate the abundance of salamanders per site and also make management recommendations for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Additionally, in collaboration with the Mike Sears Lab, I conducted a laboratory experiment to measure physiological traits of green salamanders in order to construct mechanistic species distribution models for the species in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
Wood Turtle Intern
Wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) are endemic to North America and are listed as an "Endangered" species by the IUCN. These turtles obtained their conservation status as a result of habitat destruction, agricultural accidents, and road mortality. I had the unique opportunity to stream survey and radio-track these turtles as part of a 20-year-long mark-recapture study. We tracked male and female turtles as they made large movements across montane landscapes. This is important for management purposes because over the course of these "large movements," turtles will occasionally change watersheds (making it imperative to protect multiple watersheds).
For more information about this project and others going on at SCBI, check here!
Virginia Tech
Tortoise Technician
Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) are known as a "keystone species" because of the important role that they play in the longleaf pine ecosystem in the Southeastern United States. Tortoises dig burrows that provide shelter to over 300 other species - some of which only occur in tortoise burrows! However, USFWS has this species listed as "Threatened" for reasons including habitat loss, pet trade, human consumption, relocation, and disease. For this tech position, we created occupancy models for gopher tortoises by surveying for tortoise burrows using a double-observer line transect method. We also used camera traps to check gopher tortoise burrows for activity levels and for commensal species.
University of Montana
Wildlife Technician
For this project, we conducted stream salamander surveys in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in a watershed where half of the streams were known to have brook trout and the others were fishless. We examined species dispersal and species interactions by capturing, measuring, and VIE-tagging salamanders as part of a long-term mark-recapture study.
For more information, visit the Lowe Lab!
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Virginia Tech
Amphibian Technician
Listed as "Endangered" by the USFWS, reticulated flatwoods salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi) are a species of concern because of their habitat dependence (isolated herbaceous ephemeral ponds situated within longleaf pine savannas). Virginia Tech's study looks at metamorph and adult movement to and from breeding ponds. As an amphibian tech, I surveyed for these salamanders using drift fences and funnel traps. I captured, measured, VIE-tagged, and PIT-tagged salamanders for a multi-year mark-recapture study. For more information, visit FWC's website about the Flatwoods Salamander Project!
Penn State University
NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
The Langkilde Lab at Penn State University studies the interactions between native eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) and invasive red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta). As it turns out, red imported fire ants have changed the behavior and morphology of these lizards in areas where they coexist. For my independent research project, I investigated the impacts of red imported fire ants on fence lizard eggs in Alabama.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Biological Sampling Technician
My first field tech experience was working in the fishing industry for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). I collected biological samples (otoliths and scales) from commerically caught fish and sent them to the Woods Hole Science Center where they were analyzed for stock assessment models. I also had the opportunity to live on a NOAA research vessel, the Henry B. Bigelow (pictured left) for an Autumn Bottom Trawl Survey!