Amber Roth

 Dr. Amber Roth describes her career as a journey. This journey has included wonderful stops at academic institutions such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan Tech University, and Northland College. It has also included side trips working for agencies including USDA Wildlife Services and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. On her journey, her roles have been diverse. She has been a nuisance wildlife specialist, research scientist, habitat biologist/consultant, community education assistant, and environmental education specialist. As an assistant professor at the University of Maine, her roles will focus on mentoring students, conducting research, teaching students, developing connections between the University and communities around Maine, and bridging natural resources disciplines. She invites you to join her on her journey!

Expertise

Roth is a forest wildlife ecologist who studies how management decisions affect forest ecosystems. Her research focuses on declining forest wildlife species and habitats with the goal of recovering these resources and maintaining biodiversity. She integrates outreach efforts targeting natural resources professionals and the public into her research to promote improved management practices at the policy and on-the-ground implementation levels.

Roth balances her time between teaching courses about wildlife management and forestry (50% ) and studying the interactions between forests, wildlife and human activities (50%).

Experiment Station contributions

I seek to understand the effects of forestry practices on habitat and demographic characteristics of declining forest wildlife species to prevent extinctions and maintain biological diversity. Additionally, my research is pushing the limits of telemetry technology for small migratory wildlife species to reveal new insights into population dynamics and the mysteries of migration.

• Current project: Improving Effectiveness of Wildlife Conservation through Improved Demographic Understanding and Habitat Management. McIntire-Stennis project number ME0-42509.
• Assessing sustainability of silvicultural practices and recreational trail development in Maine’s forests using birds as bioindicators
• Improving nest habitat for Bicknell’s Thrush on working forests across the breeding range
• Migration, breeding, and wintering ecology of the American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) in Eastern North America
• Identifying drivers of Golden-winged Warbler population change and assessing breeding habitat quality

Career highlight

Twenty-eight years of continuous research studying the biology, ecology, and management of Golden-winged Warbler with the goal of improving conservation effectiveness.