Nick Whiterod

Ecologist | Conserving species through research and translocations | Having fun too #2018churchillfellows

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

1,116,503 steps, 938 kms over 66 days. Walking was a big part of my Churchill Fellowship travels – to get places, to explore and to reflect. This included walking the length of Manhattan from the Harlem River to Battery Park. @ChurchillTrust #NYC

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

‘...𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.’ After chatting with more than 50 experts in 66 days across 20 cities & towns over 5 countries, my Churchill Fellowship travels have come to an end. Well that was fun! @ChurchillTrust

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Astacologists study freshwater crayfish and have great conferences in cool places. I have just presented at the European Astacology conference on the island of Gotland, Sweden! Interesting talks and great people. ⁦@CrayfishIAA⁩ ⁦@ChurchillTrust⁩

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

As the saying goes, when in Stockholm....on a Churchill Fellowship you must have a Winston Lager at the Churchill Arms...in a country he never visited! @ChurchillTrust

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

London (and freshwater fish) calling: great to meet with Brian Zimmerman and colleagues from the Zoological Society of London to talk about freshwater fish conservation. Also, visited the UK’s first freshwater fish dedicated aquarium at Whipsnade Zoo! ⁦@ChurchillTrust⁩

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Lovely time in Dublin, visiting Trinity College Dublin emeritus fellow Julian Reynolds who has been studying freshwater crayfish for longer than I have been alive! @ChurchillTrust

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Fantastic to visit Ben Marshall and Carly Daniels from the @PadstowLobster, a not-for-profit hatchery that has head-started more than 250,000 European Lobsters for wild release over the past 20 years - and is reliant on visitor fees to operate. @ChurchillTrust

[NationalLobsterHatch @PadstowLobster]

***🦞EXCITING NEWS🦞***
We have launched Releasing Larry - our vital crowdfunding campaign which will support the release of approximately 9,000 juvenile "Larry the lobsters", roughly the size of your hand who are ready to start their journey in the wild.

https://t.co/flmu9qQKF3

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Next step: Bristol. At the @BristolZooGdns I met Jen Nightingale to talk all things White-clawed Crayfish and Tim Bray to discuss conservation of the critically endangered Lemur Leaf Frog. Also met Stephanie Peay to talk more crayfish. @ChurchillTrust

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Take me home, country roads. I have recently had a fantastic time touring West Virginia with Dr Zac Loughman and students from @westlibertyu to learn more about their efforts to conserve and understand freshwater crayfish. @ChurchillTrust

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

I was that unsuspecting Australian! Was a good night. ⁦@ChurchillTrust⁩ https://t.co/auC9BqZ43O

[Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board @MRLandscapeSA]

Recent monitoring has shown the endangered Murray hardyhead is thriving in their new home after 800 of the small but mighty fish were translocated from the Riverland late last year. #samdb #Riverland #fieldwork
https://t.co/1dgapUl10w

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

I’ve been in a New York state of mind recently, and today toured the Bronx Zoo with Curator of Herpetology Don Boyer. Interesting to see captive facilities for the extinct in the wild Kihansi Spray Toad and my new favourite, the Eastern Hellbender! ⁦⁦@ChurchillTrust⁩

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Our Murray Crayfish reintroductions are in the third year now and the population is steadily increasing! More work to be done but looking promising. https://t.co/wdfhvZpmzX

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Churchill adventures in Oregon. Toured around with Brian Bangs who has helped Oregon Chub to become the first fish delisted from the US Endangered Species Act! Also learned about Western Pond Turtle & Northern Leopard Frog headstarting at Oregon Zoo.

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Remember that time when Yarra Pygmy Perch were extinct from the Murray-Darling Basin (aka now!). For those that haven't heard about the plight of the species, listen to this @RadioNational Off Track episode from a few months back. @ChurchillTrust

[ABC Radio National @RadioNational]

The tiny Yarra pygmy perch has been pushed to extinction in the Murray-Darling Basin. Now, all hopes for its return are focused on a couple of farm dams, as @jones_ann discovers https://t.co/xB2ujFjAhs #RNOffTrack

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Fantastic final few days in New Mexico, seeing more Silvery Minnow production and collecting wild broodstock. Also got to meet with fellow Aussie Megan Osborne at the University of New Mexico.

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

A good summary of the early successes of our translocation of the internationally endangered Murray Hardyhead back into New South Wales waterways. https://t.co/eWuabyZ2jz

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

I have had a great time in hot Albuquerque learning about Rio Grande Silvery Minnow conservation. Lots of resources and fish (300,000 per year) to save the species.

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Great to catch up with Douglas, Alison and Louie from the Los Lunas Silvery Minnow Refugium - a 'conservation aquaculture' facility to produce (and research) fish in a semi-natural setting. The more people working on small fish conservation, the better!@ChurchillTrust

[Nick Whiterod @movedecologist]

Great to participate in IUCN conservation translocation specialist group training last week! Learning from leading experts, discussing with others doing similar conservation and meeting some fantastic people!
@ChurchillTrust

[John Ewen @hihinews]

And we are done! Thanks to this amazing group including representation from #CostaRica, #Bolivia, #Ecuador, #Mexico, #Brazil, #Guatemala, #USA, #Canada, #Spain, #CaymanIslands, #Australia and the #UK! @IUCN @can_essay #conservationtranslocation training 2019!