Research Projects

1. Comparative Ecology of Loons Among Breeding Areas in Alaska. 

All 5 of the world's species of loons breed within Alaska. Our loon research, initiated in 2000, has principally focused on Red-throated and Yellow-billed Loons. Conservation concern for Red-throated Loons exists because US Fish and Wildlife Service survey data (pdf file - 570 kb) document a protracted population decline from the mid 1970s to present. Concern for Yellow-billed Loons arises because of their small population size, restricted distribution, and proximity to areas likely to see extensive energy development. Given the scant amount of ecological data for these species, our research has taken 3 rather different, exploratory approaches.

Migration Ecology of Loons - Little information exists concerning non-breeding distribution and ecology of loons. To enable generation of tenable hypotheses concerning whether non-breeding periods may be limiting populations, we first need basic information on where and when these populations go when not on Alaskan breeding grounds. We have been acquiring such information by implanting satellite transmitters into the abdominal cavities of breeding adults.

• Red-throated Loons - During 2000-2002 we marked a total of 29 loons at 4 different breeding areas across Alaska. Loons from the Alaska's north slope migrated to east Asia, whereas loons from the Seward Peninsula, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and the Copper River Delta all migrated down the western coast of North America.
• Yellow-billed Loons - During 2002-2003, we marked 12 loons in 2 different areas of their north slope distribution and both within the NPR-A. All have migrated along the east Asian coastline as far as China's coastline along the Yellow Sea.
• Common Loons - In collaboration with Kenai NWR, USFWS- Migratory Birds, and BioDiversity Research Institute, we marked 2 loons on the Kenai Peninsula in August, 2003. The battery size and duty cycle should allow us to collect data for 2 years or more.

Reproductive Success and Nutritional Ecology of Red-throated Loons - One hypothesis for population declines of Red-throated Loons is that shifts in the fish prey community in coastal marine waters near breeding areas has caused long-term reductions in reproductive success. We are evaluating this hypothesis by examining reproductive success in multiple breeding in multiple years, and by an intensive study of loon foraging behaviors and nutritional quality of prey. This latter study is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Dan Esler and Jeff Ball at Simon Fraser University.

Contaminants Exposure in Red-throated and Yellow-billed Loons - Several lines of evidence from sympatric taxa make us concerned about exposure to both organic and inorganic pollutants. We have therefore begun collecting samples of blood, eggs, and feathers to document exposure. Results are pending.

2. Population Dynamics of Emperor Geese and Other Geese on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. 

Virtually the entire world's population of Emperor Geese breed on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, where they are the least abundant of 4 sympatric goose species. They have also remained at a stagnantly low population level for > 15 years. Our studies are designed to give managers information about the causes for this comparatively depressed population trend and abundance and how effective various management options may be. USFWS-Migratory Bird Management is our principal collaborator and supporter of this work.

Monitoring Adult Survival - We have been conducting a mark-resighting study at our Manokinak River study site since 1994, which provides annual estimates of apparent survival. Preliminary analyses have examined correlations to harvest measures, weather parameters, and other factors.

Large-scale Spatial Variation in Gosling Growth - Gosling body mass has declined over time at our Manokinak River site, and this has been related to competition (pdf file - 718 kb) with other goose species whose populations are expanding. To examine whether this process may be relevant to the entire population, we are examining gosling growth in relation to preferred food abundance and grazing pressure at a series of study sites distributed across the landscape. Dr. Mark Lindberg and Bryce Lake are collaborators, and Yukon Delta NWR is supporting our work.

Timing of Arrival on Breeding Areas - When and where geese arrive on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta relative to when they nest is important for understanding (a) harvest patterns, as most harvest occurs during this early spring period, (b) nutritional investments in reproduction, that is, do they initiate egg development prior to arrival or do they wait until after getting to their nesting location. This has implications both for exposure time to harvest and the conservation valuation of staging habitats where nutrients may be derived and subsequently used for reproduction. This work is a collaboration with my ASC colleagues, Jerry Hupp and Craig Ely.

Winter Ecology - The winter period that these geese spend, principally in the Aleutian Islands, is an unstudied but potentially limiting portion of their annual cycle. In collaboration with Alaska Maritime NWR, we have begun some work in this area.

I generally hire 2 to 10 people per year for the summer field season.  In most cases, work begins in April or May and goes into August.  There are occasionally opportunities for work in Anchorage during other months of the year.  In all areas and projects, extensive walking in hip boots through tundra or brush is required.  The work is 7-days/week, often in wet, buggy, and muddy conditions.  Field sites are remote, camp life is communal, and boating in coastal marine waters is a daily need.  And the bird life is incredible.  Email me with your employment interests.  Also, go to the Jobs link on our center's home page to see about other jobs.

• PhD   (2000)  Biology                                     University of Alaska Fairbanks
• M.S.  (1988)  Wildlife Biology                         Colorado State University
• B.S    (1985)  Wildlife and Fisheries Biology    University of Vermont

• Instructor for Population Ecology (Biol 471 at UAF), Spring semester 1996
• Team taught 3-day Mark-Recapture Modeling workshop, Feb. 2000, USFWS Regional Office

• Golet, G. H., J. A. Schmutz , D. B. Irons, and J. A. Estes. 2004. Determinants of reproductive costs in the long-lived Black-legged Kittiwake: a multi-year experiment. Ecological Monographs 74: In press.
• Ward, D. H, J. A. Schmutz , J. S. Sedinger, K. S. Bollinger, P. D. Martin, and B. Anderson. 2004. Temporal and geographic variation in juvenile survival of Pacific Black Brant. Condor 106:In press.
• Schmutz, J. A ., and K. K. Laing. 2002. Variation in foraging behavior and body mass in broods of Emperor Geese ( Chen canagica ): evidence for interspecific density dependence. Auk 119:996-1009.
• Schmutz, J. A . 2002. Educational background and professional participation by federal wildlife biologists: implications for science, management, and The Wildlife Society. Wildlife Society Bulletin 30:594-598.
• Franson, J. C., D. J. Hoffman, and J. A. Schmutz . 2002. Blood selenium concentrations and enzyme activities related to glutathione metabolism in wild Emperor Geese. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 21:2179-2184.
• Schmutz, J. A. 2001. Selection of habitats by Emperor Geese during brood rearing. Waterbirds 24:394-401.
• Schmutz, J. A., B. F. Manly, and C. P. Dau.  2001.  Effects of gull predation and weather on survival of Emperor Goose gooslings.  Journal of Wildlife Management 65:248-257.
• Manly, B. F. J., and J. A. Schmutz.  2001.  Estimation of brood and nest survival: comparative methods in the presence of heterogeneity.  Journal of Wildlife Management 65:258-270.
• Esler, D., J. A. Schmutz, R. L. Jarvis, and D. M. Mulcahy.  2000.  Winter survival of adult female Harlequin Ducks in relation to history of contamination by the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  Journal of Wildlife Management 64:839-947.
• Hupp, J. W., D. G. Robertson, and J. A. Schmutz. 2000.  Recovery of tall cotton-grass following real and simulated feeding by Snow Geese.  Ecography, 23:367-373
• Schmutz, J. A.  2000.  Age-specific breeding in Emperor Geese.  Wilson Bulletin 112: 261-263.
• Schmutz, J. A., and J. A. Morse. 2000.  Effects of neck collars and radiotransmitters on survival and reproduction of Emperor Geese. Journal of Wildlife Management 64:231-237.
• Schmutz, J. A., and C. R. Ely. 1999. Survival of Greater White-fronted Geese: effects of year, season, sex, and body condition. Journal of Wildlife Management 63:1239-1249. (downloadable PDF file - 2.7MB)
• Franson, J. C., J. A. Schmutz, L. H. Creekmore, and A. C. Fowler. 1999. Concentrations of selenium, mercury, and lead in blood of Emperor Geese in western Alaska. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 18:965-969. (downloadable PDF file - 3.4MB)
• Hollmén, T. E., J. C. Franson, L. H. Creekmore, J. A. Schmutz, A. C. Fowler. 1998. Leucotyozoon simondi in Emperor Geese from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska. Condor 100:402-404.
• Schmutz, J. A., and K. A. Hobson. 1998. Geographic, temporal, and age-specific variation in diets of Glaucous Gulls in western Alaska. Condor 100:119-130.
• Schmutz, J. A., R. F. Rockwell, and M. R. Petersen. 1997. Relative effects of survival and reproduction on the population dynamics of Emperor Geese. Journal of Wildlife Management 61:191-201.
• Rockwell, R. F., M. R. Petersen, and J.A. Schmutz. 1996. The Emperor Goose: an annotated bibliography. Biological Papers of the University of Alaska. 71pp.
• Schmutz, J. A., D. H. Ward, J. S. Sedinger, and E. A. Rexstad. 1995. Survival estimation and the effects of dependency among animals. Journal of Applied Statistics. 22:673-681.
• Schmutz, J. A., and A. Y. Kondratyev. 1995. Evidence of Emperor Geese breeding in Russia and staging in Alaska. Auk 112:1037-1038.
• Petersen, M. R., J. A. Schmutz, and R. F. Rockwell. 1994. Emperor goose (Chen canagica). In: The birds of North America, no. 97 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds). Phila. Acad. of Natural Science; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists' Union.
• Schmutz, J. A., S.E. Cantor, and M. R. Petersen. 1994. Seasonal and annual survival in Emperor Geese. Journal of Wildlife Management 58:525-535.
• Schmutz, J. A. 1993. Survival and pre-fledging body mass in juvenile Emperor Geese. Condor 95:222-225.
• Schmutz, J. A., and R. H. Hoffman. 1991. Variable first pre-basic molt in Rio Grande and Merriam's wild turkeys. Wilson Bulletin 103:295-300.
• Schmutz, J. A., and G. C. White. 1990. Error in telemetry studies: effects of animal movement on triangulation. Journal of Wildlife Management 54:506-510.
• Schmutz, J. A., C. E. Braun, and W.F. Andelt. 1990. Brood habitat use of Rio Grande wild turkeys. Prairie Naturalist. 22:177-184.
• Schmutz, J. A., C. E. Braun, and W.F. Andelt. 1989. Nest habitat use of Rio Grande wild turkeys. Wilson Bulletin 101:591-598.
• Schmutz, J. A., and C. E. Braun. 1989. Reproductive performance of Rio Grande wild turkeys. Condor 91:675-680.
• Schmutz, J. A. 1988. Ring-necked pheasant parasitism of wild turkey nests. Wilson Bulletin 100:508-509.

Last Reviewed: December 18, 2003