Lesley Zuehls Brotkowski
Project / Wetland Ecologist

SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE

Lesley Brotkowski, Project/Wetland Ecologist, specializes in the performance of Wetlands and Upland Habitat Assessments, Natural Resource Management projects, and Project Grant Management.  She joined Cedarburg Science in 2005 and handles Wetland Delineations, Invasive Species Management, Mitigation Monitoring, Plant and Wildlife Surveys, and Habitat Quality Assessments.  Ms. Brotkowski also assists in compiling research and mapping requirements for Environmental Assessments and Functional Assessments of Wetlands. 

 Ms. Brotkowski previously served as the Conservation Specialist for the River Country Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council, Inc.  She actively promoted conservation practices and provided technical assistance to private landowners.  Conservation practices promoted include installation of riparian and wetland buffers, habitat preservation and restoration (prairie, savanna, woodlands, and streams), nutrient management and sediment reduction on agricultural fields.  She has acted as a Project Coordinator for River Country’s Bulk Prairie Seed Project, providing seeding recommendations and preparing seed mixtures for landowners based on soil type and site conditions.  She compiled seed orders, worked with seed vendors, bagged and distributed prairie seed to private landowners.  Ms. Brotkowski actively provided support for a variety of the Council’s projects through grant writing, fund raising, web page development, and program promotion.

While working as an Assistant Research Scientist for the Illinois Natural History Survey, Ms. Brotkowski conducted habitat surveys for the federally endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana, in Door and Ozaukee Counties through a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.  As a Research Assistant at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, she gained experience working with an endangered dragonfly and sampling aquatic habitats for water quality, larval insects, fish, and crayfish.  She acted as the endangered species permit coordinator for her advisor, responsible for compiling annual reports and submitting permit requests to federal, state, and private regulatory agencies.  She also served as a water quality testing coordinator, sampling water quality in urban streams for a study funded by Illinois Department of Transportation.  Ms. Brotkowski’s thesis research examined swarming behavior of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana, in Door County, Wisconsin.

Education

M.S. Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
B.S. Biology, Magna Cum Laude, Carroll College, Waukesha, Wisconsin

Career History

Cedarburg Science, LLC – Project / Wetland Ecologist
River Country Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council, Inc. -Conservation Specialist
Illinois Natural History Survey  - Assistant Research Scientist
University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois - Research Assistant
University of Michigan Biological Station, Research Experience for Undergraduates –
Student Research
Carroll College Psychology Department, Waukesha, Wisconsin – Institutional Assistant

Presentations

Zuehls, L. and D.A. Soluk. 2003.  Dragonfly swarm ecology and behavior.  North American Benthological Society.
Zuehls, L.  2003.  Dragonfly swarm ecology and behavior.  Graduate student symposium, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Zuehls, L.  2003.  Swarming behavior of Somatochlora hineana.  USFWS Recovery Team Meeting for S. hineana.
Zuehls, L. and D.A. Soluk. 2002.  Swarming behavior of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana.  North American Benthological Society.
Zuehls, L.  2002. Swarming behavior of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana.  Graduate
student symposium, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Zuehls, L.  2002.  Adult ecology of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana. Educational
workshop, Missouri.

INVITED SPEAKER

Zuehls, L. and D.A. Soluk. 2002.  Natural history and swarming behavior of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly.  Carroll College Biology Seminar Series.

TECHNICAL TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION

Wisconsin Compensatory Wetland Mitigation Training, 2005
Navigating Wisconsin’s New Water Law Workshop, 2005
Karner Blue Butterfly Effectiveness Monitoring Certification
ESRI ArcView 3.3 GIS training

Professional Activities And Achievements

RESEARCH GRANTS
2003  Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Hine’s emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana, surveys in Wisconsin.
2003  Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Travel Grant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
1999  Research Experience for Undergraduates, National Science Foundation.

SUPERVISORY EXPERIENCE
Conducted a search, hired, and trained two summer interns for River Country RC&D
Trained and supervised a full-time field assistant for graduate research
Experience instructing and monitoring undergraduate research assistants

SERVICE AND OUTREACH
The Nature Conservancy:  Informal presentations on the Hine’s emerald dragonfly, assisted with nature hikes for members, volunteer prairie seed collection
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:  Participated in the Hine’s emerald dragonfly Recovery Team Meeting, presented information on the Hine’s emerald dragonfly and assisted with field trips during workshops
Ridges Sanctuary:  Conducted educational hikes for Ridges members
University of Illinois:  Assisted with amphibian surveys and prairie burns
Anita Purves Nature Center: Acted as a volunteer naturalist

PUBLICATIONS
Zuehls, L. In Press.  Aquatic insects in Wetlands. In A.L. Thompson and C.S. Luthin. Wetland restoration handbook for Wisconsin landowners, 2^nd Edition.  Bureau of Integrated Science Services, Wisconsin DNR.
Zuehls, L.  2003.  Ecological and Behavioral Significance of Swarming Behavior in Dragonflies (Odonata).  Master’s Thesis.  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Zuehls, L. and D. A. Soluk.  2003.  Hine’s emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana, habitat surveys in Wisconsin.  Wisconsin DNR.
Soluk, D.A., K. Moss, and L. Zuehls. 2003.  Roadway and exuvial surveys of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) in Door County, Wisconsin.  Preliminary Report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Soluk, D.A., J.A. Steinmetz, J. Sandberger, L. Zuehls, H.D. Vance-Chalcraft, K.L. Moss. 2003.  Black Partridge Creek Water Quality Assessment 1994-2002.  Final Report, Illinois Department of  Transportation.