LOYE AND ALDEN MILLER RESEARCH AWARD
The Cooper Ornithological Society takes great pleasure in naming Frank A. Pitelka recipient of the Loye and Alden Miller Research Award for 2001. This award is presented for lifetime achievement in ornithological research. Frank Pitelka is one of the most influential ornithologists of the past 50 years. His papers on speciation and molt in jays, predator-prey cycles in the arctic tundra, and the social organization of arctic sandpipers are as fresh and relevant now as when they appeared. Frank's bibliography extends over seven decades, which in itself is a remarkable testimony to his dedication and persistence, but frequent citation of even the earliest papers reminds us of his foresight and leadership in studies of birds.
Frank received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois, where he was strongly influenced by Victor Shelford. He completed his doctoral studies on Aphelocoma jays at the University of California at Berkeley, where he subsequently joined the faculty of the Zoology Department and became Curator of Birds at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Frank's interests were always broad and his approach innovative. He was one of the first to place the social behavior of animals in an ecological framework. He was captivated by population cycles of small mammals in arctic environments and advanced the “nutrient recovery” hypothesis to explain them. His prolific scientific work, comprising more than 200 publications, has greatly enriched our understanding of the behavior and ecology of birds and mammals. He has also served our profession selflessly and effectively on numerous committees and in many editorial capacities, including a long term as associate editor of The Condor. Frank's contributions to his discipline have been recognized by the Brewster Medal Award from the American Ornithologists' Union, a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Illinois, and the Eminent Ecologist Award from the Ecological Society of America.
Perhaps the most important aspect of Frank's rich legacy are the many students that he nurtured, advised, encouraged, and cajoled. Many of these students, now professors and senior research scientists, have helped make the study of the evolution, ecology, and behavior of birds what it is today. Frank has also been a strong and outspoken champion of the environment and has made his influence felt on critical issues. The fortunate among us who know Frank have also appreciated his warmth, sense of humor, and good company, not to mention his highly refined taste for the good things in life. It is with great pride that the Cooper Ornithological Society bestows the Alden and Loye Miller Research Award on Frank Pitelka.
HARRY R. PAINTON AWARD
The Harry R. Painton Award is conferred for the most significant and original ornithological research reported in The Condor during the preceding four years. The Painton Award for 2001 is presented to Nidia Arguedas and Patricia G. Parker for their paper entitled “Seasonal Migration and Genetic Population Structure in House Wrens,” published in Condor 102:517–528 (2000). This paper provided an elegant examination of the effects of geographic isolation due to distance on gene flow in migratory and sedentary populations of House Wrens from Ohio and Costa Rica (Troglodytes aedon and T. musculus, respectively). The use of closely related members of the same species group nicely controlled for potential phylogenetic effects on population structure. Arguedas and Parker hypothesized that migratory populations should show less genetic variation with distance than sedentary populations due to their higher mobility. The experimental approach that the authors used to test this hypothesis was particularly well designed. This approach involved sampling blood from wrens along 300-km gradients in both Ohio and Costa Rica and then analyzing population genetic structure with four polymorphic microsatellite loci.
Arguedas and Parker employed straightforward and thorough analyses of the data to reveal that polymorphism and average heterozygosity were higher in migratory than in sedentary birds, while the number of unique alleles was higher in sedentary than migratory populations. In addition, there was no effect of distance on population subdivision in migrants, but subdivision increased with distance in sedentary populations. These data provide strong support for their hypothesis that gene flow is increased in migratory relative to sedentary populations of House Wrens, and these findings are likely broadly applicable among birds. The authors state that their results “may also be the case for other migratory passerines that breed in temporally and spatially stable habitats.” These findings greatly assist our understanding of the implications of gene flow at landscape and metapopulation levels and potentially have broad conservation implications.
HONORARY MEMBERSHIPS
STEPHEN M. RUSSELL
The Cooper Ornithological Society is proud and happy to name as Honorary Member Dr. Stephen M. Russell, who has served the society, and all of ornithology, long and well. He has served on numerous committees of our society and hosted a successful annual meeting. He is a past president, member of the Board of Directors, and a two-term member of the Council. In all of these offices, Dr. Russell distinguished himself with his quiet, persuasive logic, common sense, clear understanding of problems, insightful solutions, and respect for his fellow scientists. He also has held many offices and served with distinction on committees and boards for the American Ornithologists' Union, Organization of Tropical Studies, Western Bird Banding Association, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Southwestern Research Station, and the Tucson Chapter of the National Audubon Society.
Dr. Russell was interested in birds from an early age. He received a B.S. in Biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University, where he studied with Dr. George H. Lowery. For his dissertation, he studied the ecology and distribution of the birds of British Honduras (Belize), which was published as the first Ornithological Monograph. He taught for six years at Louisiana State University at New Orleans before joining the faculty at the University of Arizona in 1964.
During his career at the University of Arizona, he was noted for excellence in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He also was heavily involved in training graduate students, serving as major professor for 11 Ph.D. and 23 students, while serving on 75 Ph.D. committees. The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology was well served by Dr. Russell, who was a team player on a host of departmental and university committees. This is highlighted by the fact that he served as Associated Head for 2 years and was asked to serve as Acting Head on two different occasions.
Dr. Russell's research interests include the regional distribution of birds in the southwest, the behavior and ecology of birds of arid environs, the timing of annual cycles of desert birds, and the demography and migration of hummingbirds. In 1996 he retired from the university after 32 years of service, but he maintains an active interest in ornithology. In 1996 he published the Birds of North America account of the Anna's Hummingbird. In 1998, with Gale Monson, he published The Birds of Sonora. This major work describes the ranges, habitats, seasonal abundances, historical records, and current status of over 500 species of birds. This excellent book has received outstanding reviews and has been held up as a model of how books of this nature should be written. Dr. Russell is also a leading figure in the establishment and operation of the North American Bird Banding Council, an organization that will be instrumental in improving the quality of data obtained from bird-banding activities. He also continues his work in Sonora, Mexico, and his extensive hummingbird-banding program.
As we enter the next century, the Cooper Ornithological Society is proud to recognize Dr. Stephen M. Russell as an Honorary Member in recognition of the high quality of teaching, service, and research he has provided the Society and all of ornithology.
SHEILA A. MAHONEY
The Cooper Ornithological Society is pleased to award Dr. Sheila A. Mahoney Honorary Membership for her service to our society, her university, and her science. Dr. Mahoney's academic training is extensive and diverse. She received her B.S. in Biology and M.Sc. in Physiology from the University of Chicago. She obtained her Ph.D. in Zoophysiology in 1976 from Washington State University, where she worked with the late James R. King. In addition she served as an NSF Energy-related Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Duke University. In her quest for life-long learning she attended a Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration in 1990.
Dr. Mahoney presently serves as a Full Professor at Florida Atlantic University, where she has been teachSheila A. Mahoney, recipient of Honorary Membership in the Cooper Ornithological Society, 2001.ing, conducting research, and administrating since 1980. Here she has performed a number of roles in addition to her duties within the Department of Biological Sciences. The list is impressive, including Interviewer for the Council of Experimental Learning, Intern for Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Chair of the Environmental Initiatives Program, Acting Dean of Graduate Studies, and Director of Environmental Initiatives Program.
Dr. Mahoney is a dedicated, industrious leader in environmental studies, physiology, ecology, and ornithology in temperate and tropical areas. Her major research interests include avian energetics, adaptations of birds to environmental stress and urban encroachment, and seabird physiology and ecology. She has published extensively on the physiology of a wide variety of birds, including Double-crested Cormorants, Anhingas, gulls, grebes, terns, avocets, phalaropes, flamingos, and frigatebirds.
She and her students attend Cooper Ornithological Society meetings on a regular basis, and Dr. Mahoney has maintained a high level of professional activity in the society. She has served on the committees for both the Harry S. Painton Award and the Miller Award. She has served on the Board of Directors, and was President of our society from 1995–1997.
Thus, the Cooper Ornithological Society is proud to award Honorary Membership to Dr. Sheila Mahoney for her contribution to the study of ornithology, and for her service to our society.
J. MICHAEL SCOTT
The Cooper Ornithological Society is pleased to bestow Honorary Membership upon James Michael Scott. Dr. Scott received his B.S. and M.Sc. in Biology from San Diego State University. He was awarded hisJ. Michael Scott, recipient of Honorary Membership in the Cooper Ornithological Society, 2001. Ph.D. in Zoology in 1973 from Oregon State University. The title of his Ph.D. dissertation is “Resource allocation in four syntopic species of marine diving birds.”
From 1974 to 1984 he served as a Research Biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Mauna Loa Field Station, Hawaii National Park. This was his first assignment with the federal agency he continues to serve today. From 1984 to 1986 he served as Project Leader at the Condor Research Center at Ventura, California. In 1986 he was appointed to the position he holds at present, Unit leader of the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in Moscow, Idaho. In addition he is Professor of Wildlife Biology at the University of Idaho, where he served as Program Director of the Gap Analysis Program from 1989–1997. Dr. Scott was instrumental in transforming this program from a small project in 1989 to a vast, $4 million endeavor eight years later.
Dr. Scott's dedication and success in developing the Gap Analysis Program is indicative of his professional life and goals. By comparing information on the distribution of vertebrates, butterflies, and native vegetation with the distribution of managed areas, the Gap program enables land managers to determine how many vegetation types and areas of species richness are protected. The underlying assumption is that many species will be threatened or endangered in the future unless steps are taken to protect them while they are still common. Federal, state, and private groups in this country, and many foreign countries, have applied this technique as they assess the adequacy of their nature preserves. Dr. Scott has published and spoken widely on this approach and has received honors and accolades for his role in its development and implementation.
Dr. Scott has other research interests as well, including the study of native forest birds of Hawai‘i. In this arena he has designed new sampling techniques, identified major threats to endangered forest birds, and pioneered a system approach to the endangered species problem in Hawai‘i. The findings of this research have directly resulted in the protection of over 60 000 acres of Hawaiian forest land. Dr. Scott has edited two Studies in Avian Biology volumes (No. 9 and 22) with Hawaiian avifauna as their focus. SAB No. 9 received the Best Monograph Award from the Wildlife Society and was called “A model for future agency research on endangered species and their habitats.” Dr. Scott has published over 150 refereed articles in books and journals.
The Cooper Ornithological Society has been fortunate to have such an active member. Dr. Scott served on the Board of Directors, chaired the Painton Award Committee, and served as Chair of the Local Committee for the successful 1994 meeting. He was President of our society from 1997–1999. For our centennial he volunteered to collect, print, and distribute all past Painton Award papers.
In summary, Dr. Scott has served this society well, has served his profession well, and has served planet Earth well by putting the concepts of conservation, biodiversity, and protection of wildlife on a solid scientific footing.
