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Woodpecker Cavity Cam

The Team

Meet the Team

The Woodpecker Cavity Cam project is part of larger work focused on red-headed woodpeckers at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. Our collaborative effort is guided by a research committee that includes representatives from partner organizations, provides expertise in all areas of red-headed woodpecker monitoring and research, and helps provide direction for efforts to guide best management practices for landowners and land management agencies engaged in oak savanna restoration activities. Fieldwork is conducted by a large number of research technicians, volunteers and scientists: too many to list here! Below are a few of the people who specifically help collect and interpret our trail camera data:

Dr. Elena West

Dr. West is the Lead Investigator on this project, and an assistant professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota. She has extensive experience conducting research on birds across North America, and has led the red-headed woodpecker research at Cedar Creek since 2017.

Dr. Caitlin Barale Potter

Dr. Potter is the education and community engagement coordinator at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. Her day job involves organizing field trips for K-12 students, providing tours of Cedar Creek’s long-term research experiments, running citizen science projects, and more. Caitlin did her Ph.D work studying monkeys in Ethiopia and her true passions all revolve around animals, conservation and connecting people to wildlife. She helps recruit and manage volunteers on red-headed woodpecker project, as well as assisting with the scientific aspects of the work. Learn more about education and public programs at Cedar Creek!

April Strzelczyk Haverstock

April has been a Research Technician with the Red-headed Woodpecker Project since 2019. She has banded adult and juvenile woodpeckers, monitored nests, collected habitat data, tracked birds using radio-telemetry, and deployed trail cameras to capture images for the Woodpecker Cavity Cam Project. Since graduating with a B.S. degree from Bemidji State University, she has researched and monitored a variety of animals, including white-tailed deer, fisher, Blanding’s turtles, and a number of waterfowl and passerine species. April is passionate about researching human impacts on wildlife populations and hopes to pursue graduate school in the future.

Funding Acknowledgement

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative‐Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources. Currently 40% of net Minnesota State Lottery proceeds are dedicated to growing the Trust Fund and ensuring future benefits for Minnesota’s environment and natural resources.
Financial, volunteer, and logistical support came from the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis and the Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery Project. This work was also made possible through grants from the St Paul Audubon, Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter, Earth Cloud, Patagonia, and private donors.

To make a tax-deductible contribution to this work, please visit Dr. West's Bird Ecology and Conservation Research Fund through the University of Minnesota and indicate that you'd like your donation to support red-headed woodpecker research.