Lesley Brotkowski, Senior Conservation Biologist,
specializes in the performance of Wetlands and Upland
Habitat Assessments, Natural Resource Management projects,
and Endangered Species Surveys. She
joined Cedarburg Science in 2005 and handles Wetland
Delineations, Invasive Species Management, 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 works closely with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to conduct
surveys for the Federally Endangered Hine’s
emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana. Habitat
assessments and surveys are conducted to document and protect
active breeding locations, which aid in the conservation
of this rare species. She also works closely with
the WDNR and U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (COE) on wetland verification and permit
applications. Ms. Brotkowski is actively involved
with a number of grass-roots conservation organizations,
including Town and Country Resource Conservation
and Development (RC&D) Council, Inc., the Land
Conservation Partnership of Ozaukee County (LCPOZ),
and the Ulao Creek Partnership.
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, working closely with NRCS and
local Land Conservation Departments (LCD) to
promote governmental conservation programs. 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 received Karner
Blue Butterfly Monitoring Certification and worked
with a private landowner to restore habitat for this federally
endangered butterfly. Ms. Brotkowski has
acted as a Project Coordinator for River Country’s
Bulk Prairie Seed Project, providing seeding
recommendations and preparing seed mixtures for
landowners participating in NRCS conservation
programs such as Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), 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 WDNR. 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. During this time, Ms. Brotkowski
worked closely with the USFWS and WDNR,
supplying these agencies with valuable information regarding
the conservation of this species.
RESEARCH GRANTS
Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources, Hine’s
emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora hineana, surveys
in Wisconsin; Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Travel Grant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
Research Experience for Undergraduates, National Science
Foundation.
EDUCATION
M.S. Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
Illinois
B.S. Biology, Magna Cum Laude, Carroll College,
Waukesha, Wisconsin
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Land Conservation Partnership of Ozaukee County (LCPOZ) Advisory
Board & Secretary, 2006 - 2008
Town and Country Resource Conservation and Development
(RC&D)
Vision Team, 2006 - 2008
Ulao Creek Partnership, Vice President, 2006 - 2008
TECHNICAL TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION
Critical Methods in Wetland Delineation Workshop,
2008
Wisconsin DNR ATV Safety and Handling Certification 2008
Wisconsin Wetland Association, 13th Annual Conference, 2008
Sustainable Flood, Stormwater, and Coastal Management in
Wisconsin, 2007
WDNR Butler’s Gartersnake Training for Resource Managers,
2007
Wisconsin Association of Land Conservation Employees (WALCE),
2007
Sustain our Working Lands Workshop, UWEX and DATCP, 2007
Conservation Security Program (CSP) Workshop, 2007
Butler’s Gartersnake Population and Habitat Viability
Assessment (PHVA) Workshop, 2007
Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference, 2007
Advanced Prescribed Fire Series: Burn Planning, Woodland
School, 2007
Certified First Aid and CPR - American Red Cross 2007
Midwest Invasive Plant Symposium, 2006; Butler’s Gartersnake
Symposium, 2006
Advanced Wetland Delineation Training, University of Wisconsin,
Cable, 2006
Beginning Wetland Delineation Training, University of Wisconsin,
La Crosse, 2006
Critical Methods in Wetland Delineation, 2006
Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator, WI DATCP, 2006
Watershed Planning Conference Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage
District, 2006
Chainsaw Safety and Operation, Woodland School, 2006
Natural Heritage Inventory Methodology and Screening Training,
WDNR, 2006
Winter Tree Identification, Waukesha, 2006
Wisconsin Contractors and Excavators Damage Prevention, 2006
Wisconsin Compensatory Wetland Mitigation Training, 2005;
Wisconsin’s Water Law Workshop, 2005
Karner Blue Butterfly Monitoring Certification, 2004
ESRI ArcView GIS, 2004
PRESENTATIONS
Brotkowski,
L. 2008. Environmental
Risk Management Issues. University of Wisconsin Milwaukee;
Brotkowski, L. 2007. Wetland Ecology and Restoration. University
of Wisconsin Milwaukee;
Brotkowski, L. 2005. Ecological and behavioral
significance of swarming behavior in dragonflies. Carroll
College Science Seminar Series; Zuehls, L. (Brotkowski) and
D.A. Soluk. 2003. Dragonfly swarm ecology and behavior. North
American Benthological Society. Zuehls, L. (Brotkowski) 2003. Dragonfly
swarm ecology and behavior. Graduate student symposium,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Zuehls, L. (Brotkowski)
2003. Swarming behavior of Somatochlora hineana. USFWS
Recovery Team Meeting for S. hineana; Zuehls, L.
and D.A. Soluk. 2002. Natural history and swarming
behavior of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly. Carroll
College Biology Seminar Series;
Zuehls, L. (Brotkowski) and D.A. Soluk. 2002. Swarming
behavior of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly, Somatochlora
hineana; North American Benthological Society; Zuehls,
L. (Brotkowski) 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.
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 Field Station – Student
Research
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