Integration of in Situ and Ex Situ Data Management for Biodiversity
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Integration of In Situ and Ex Situ Data Management for Biodiversity Conservation Via the ISIS Zoological Information Management System A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at George Mason University by Karin R. Schwartz Masters of Science University of Missouri – St. Louis, 1986 Director: Thomas C. Wood, Ph.D., Associate Professor New Century College Fall Semester 2014 George Mason University Fairfax, VA ii THIS WORK IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION-NODERIVS 3.0 UNPORTED LICENSE. iii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my daughters Laura and Lisa Newman and my son David Newman who are the source of all my inspiration and to my parents Ruth and Eugene Schwartz who taught me the value of life-long learning and to reach for my dreams. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project encompassed a global collaboration of conservationists including zoo and wildlife professionals, academics, government authorities, IUCN Specialist Groups, and regional and global zoo associations. First, I would like to thank Dr. David Wildt for the suggestion to attend a university outside my Milwaukee home base and come to the east coast. I thank my dissertation director Dr. Tom Wood for being supportive and along with Dr. Mara Schoeny, offering lodging in their beautiful home during my stay in Virginia for the last semesters of my program. I thank Dr. Jon Ballou for his valuable input as I benefitted from his wisdom and expertise in the area of conservation action planning, population management and conservation genetics. I would like to thank my other committee members Dr. Larry Rockwood and Dr. E. Chris Parsons for their valuable input, suggestions and edits for the dissertation, especially in their respective areas of population ecology and marine mammal conservation as well as their ongoing support throughout my program. Special thanks to Dr. Rockwood for nominating me for the dissertation completion grant. I thank Dr. Robert Jonas and Dr. Al Torzilli of the Environmental Science and Policy (ESP) Department at George Mason for providing and facilitating the teaching assistantship. Great appreciation goes to Dr. Lee Talbot whose inspirational classes in Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Wild Living Resources gave me a strong foundation to pursue my research. I have a special thank you for Sharon Bloomquist of the Graduate Program Office of the GMU ESP Department who went above and beyond to ensure that the required forms were filled out and deadlines met for the completion of my degree. I thank Joanne Anderson and Rebekah Flis from the GMU Biology Department for their help in managing the teaching assistantships for Fundamentals of Ecology and Evolution and Conservation Biology. Sally Evans of the George Mason University Dissertation and Thesis Services was instrumental in offering assistance for formatting the dissertation. Many thanks to Josh Courteau and Elisabeth Hunt at the International Species Information System (ISIS) who gave me free access to explore the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS). To Glenous Favata, my Co-administrator of the Institutional Records-Keeping (IRK) Course and the IRK instructors Adrienne Miller, Lynn McDuffie, Mike Souza, Elisabeth Hunt, and Josh Courteau I extend my gratitude for keeping me up to date on the comprehensive functionality of ZIMS. Special appreciation goes to Nate Flesness, Elisabeth Hunt, Adrienne Miller, Josh Courteau and Dr. J. Andrew Teare who contributed valuable information and acted as reviewers to ensure the accuracy of information on ISIS and ZIMS. v I extend special gratitude to the following contributors for the investigated conservation programs. Everyone openly shared the structures of their data management systems and were eager to explore opportunities to improve efficiency and standardization between ex situ and in situ partners. American burying beetle Bob Merz, Director, Center for American Burying Beetle Conservation, WildCare Institute, St. Louis Zoo Takahē and Kākāpo Dr. Andrew Digby, Science Advisor Kākāpo/Takahē, Department of Conservation (DOC), New Zealand Glen Greaves, Senior Ranger, Takahē Team, DOC Dr. Richard Jakob-Hoff, Manager, Conservation Science and Research, Auckland Zoo Caroline Lees, Co-convener, CBSG Australasia Western pond turtle Dr. Jennifer Pramuck, Curator, Woodland Park Zoo Dr. Fred Koontz, Vice President of Field Conservation, Woodland Park Zoo Bill McDowell, Zookeeper, Woodland Park Zoo Krista Adelhardt, Registrar, Woodland Park Zoo Dr. David Shepherdson, Department of Conservation Manager, Oregon Zoo Kate and Frank Slavens, Conservation biologists Jeffrey Skriletz, Biologist, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Dr. Phil Miller, Senior Program Officer, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group Kihansi spray toad R. Andrew Odum, Assistant Director of Animal Programs, Toledo Zoo Glenous Favata, Registrar, Toledo Zoo Dr. Christopher Hanley, Staff Veterinarian, St. Louis Zoo Emanuel Nkombe, Kihansi Spray Toad Keeper, Ministry of Natural Resources Wildlife Division, United Republic of Tanzania Red wolf Dr. David Rabon, Jr., Coordinator, Red Wolf Recovery Program, USFWS Dr. Rebecca Bartel, Assistant Coordinator, Red Wolf Recovery Program, USFWS Art Beyer, Biologist, Red Wolf Field Coordinator, Red Wolf SSP®, USFWS Marla Waddell, Registrar, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Tacoma, WA Will Waddell, Red Wolf SSP® Coordinator, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, WA Jessica Bennett, Director of Programs, Trevor Zoo, Millbrook, NY Dr. Alan Tousignant, Director, Trevor Zoo, Millbrook, NY Carmen Murach, Curator of Animals, Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo, Green Bay, WI Wendy Spencer, Curator, Wolf Haven International, Tenino, WA Lowland tapir Dr. Patrícia Medici, Research Coordinator, Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative (LTCI), Chair of the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group (TSG) Dr. Paulo Rogerio Mangini, Field Veterinarian, Triade José Maria de Aragão, LTCI Field Assistant vi Cheetah Dr. Laurie Marker, Executive Director, Cheetah Conservation Fund Dr. Anne Schmidt-Küntzel, Research Geneticist and Assistant Director for Animal Health and Research, Cheetah Conservation Fund Paige Seitz, Livestock Guarding Dog Program, Cheetah Conservation Fund Kate Vanelli, Assistant International Cheetah Studbook Keeper Armenian viper Dr. Jeff Ettling, Curator of Herpetology & Aquatics, St. Louis Zoo Director, Center for Conservation in Western Asia, Wildcare Institute Giant armadillo Dr. Arnaud Desbiez, Conservation Manager, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Research Associate, Institute for Ecological Research Dr. Danilo Kluyber, Field Veterinarian, Research Associate, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Institute for Ecological Research Gabriel Massocato, Biologist, Institute for Ecological Research I would also like to thank the following contributors for programs that were investigated but not documented in this dissertation. These programs will be included in going forward to build the framework for a linked data management system using ZIMS. Black-footed ferret Paul Marinari, Senior Curator, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute AZA Black-footed Ferret Studbook Keeper Robyn Bortner, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center (NBFFCC), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (US FWS) Tyler Tretten, Animal Care, NBFFCC, US FWS Laura Morse, Registrar, Smithsonian National Zoological Park Florida manatee Jim Valade, Recovery Lead, Florida Manatee Recovery Program, US FWS Debbie Halin, Registrar, Lowry Park Zoo Virginia Edmonds, Animal Care Manager, Lowry Park Zoo Golden lion tamarin Dr. Jennifer Mickelberg, Curator of Primates, Zoo Atlanta Panamanian golden toad Dr. Brian Gratwicke, Lead Amphibian Conservation Biologist, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Wyoming toad Val Hornyak, Herpetology Lead Keeper, Toledo Zoo AZA Wyoming Toad SSP® Coordinator R. Andrew Odum, Assistant Director of Animal Programs, Toledo Zoo Glenous Favata, Registrar, Toledo Zoo I would like to acknowledge my funding sources for this work. Thanks to Onnie Byers and the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group for facilitating the trip to an annual CBSG meeting in Melbourne, Australia and to Phil Miller of CBSG for including me on vii the facilitation team for the Western Pond Turtle Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) in Washington State. Woodland Park Zoo funded the lodging for the PHVA as well as for an International Congress on Conservation Biology and an AZA annual meeting. George Mason University ESP Graduate Student Association partially funded registration for two international conferences. Special thanks to Dr. Alan Tousignant and the Trevor Zoo, a unique small zoo in Millbrook New York (functioning within a boarding school) which funded travel to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge to meet with the US FWS officials that coordinate the Red Wolf Reintroduction Program. I owe my gratitude to two of my conservation heroes – Dr. Patrícia Medici and Dr. Laurie Marker who supported my trips to the Pantanal for lowland tapir conservation and Namibia for cheetah conservation, respectively. I am grateful for the support of George Mason University for scholarship funding and for the GMU Dissertation Completion Grant that allowed me to devote full time to bring together all the results of my research to produce the dissertation in its final form. I reconnected with a friend from my college days, John Bennett, who I thank for his assistance in understanding