Mabel Baez Schon Email & Phone Number

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

I work with our Nature-based Solutions Measurement and Evaluation Team (NbS M&E Team) and country teams to evaluate nature’s contributions to people that are associated with our conservation strategies and management. In this role I:* Map, measure, and value nature's contributions to people using a diverse portfolio of modeling tools.*Assess the utility of remotely sensed data and modeling tools to adequately capture NbS benefits. *Use my facilitation and program management skills to develop and maintain collaborations and support multiple project needs.

•Technical expert in 5-member team in the Amazonian Hack-a-Thon to create a prototype sensor to monitor deforestation in the Amazon. The team won 2nd place and has been invited to continue work for sensor deployment by the end of 2023.• Conference presentations: SatSummit (Washington DC, Sept 2022); Ecological Society of America-CSEE (Montreal Aug 2022).• Continuing education: Machine Learning in Weather and Climate course (Jan-Apr 2023).

Gainesville, Florida, United States

Ethiopian Sacred Forests Research:• Conducted institutional analysis of sacred forest co-management in Ethiopia using grey literature and original stakeholder interviews.• Created indexes to analyze drivers of forest integrity and social capital. Indexes created from survey and ecological data across 20 Ethiopian sacred forests.Publications and Recognition:• Co-author in 3 peer-reviewed publications; first author in 1 technical report and 1 book chapter.• Applied for and received $265,420 in 3 fellowships, 2 grants, and 1 scholarship.Geospatial Methods:•I am the first author of a study comparing high-resolution satellite and GatorEye Unmanned Aerial Vehicle LiDAR data for trail mapping in mixed pine and oak forests in central Florida. •Other drone-borne research projects I have contributed to include: (1) Determination of aquatic vegetation distribution using hyperspectral imaging in an upland lake and (2) Use of LiDAR to evaluate the effects of forest structure on animal presence and distribution.• Classified and manually verified, forest and land cover of the Osa and Golfito region in Costa Rica using RapidEye satellite images, Google Earth Pro, and previous land cover classification models in ArcGIS and R. Technical Assistance and Capacity-building:• Technical lead in Acre, Brazil for three months to deploy camera and audio traps with WWF, Brazilian Environmental Ministry staff and community members (~20 individuals). Responsible for research design, technology set up, upkeep, and deployment.• Facilitated five events related to natural resource management in the USA and abroad.• Forest Ecology teaching assistant for two semesters, including lab sections (fieldwork, data analysis, report writing).• Secretary and Founding member of Emerging Leaders in Science Policy and Advocacy Undergraduate and Graduate Club at the University of Florida (2018-2019).

Hamilton, New York, United States

•Managed multiple data collection tasks, project timelines, and personnel for four long term research projects related to (1) Epiphyte response to pollution and climate change in Costa Rica, (2) Deer overabundance impact and management in Hamilton, New York; (3) Ethiopian sacred forests; (4) Acid rain mitigation in the Adirondacks. •Trained student researchers and early career scientists at Bahir Dar University and Colgate University in field data collection methods, lab processes, best practices for data governance, quantitative data analysis, and professional development.Ethiopia Project:• Spent four months as Program Manager in Ethiopia. In charge of coordinating and executing fieldwork, data management, sample processing, international permit acquisition and processing, and personnel hiring and management.• Designed and administrated >450 surveys and semi-structured interviews of Ethiopian community members, local government officials, local religious leaders. •Continued duties of Research Assistant.

Costa Rica

• Instructed students on concepts of ecosystem ecology and place-based nature conservation policies in Costa Rica (e.g., nature-based financing).• Conducted and translated field interviews; directed small group activities, and aided students in their independent studies. • Managed logistics for four two-week student and teaching staff field trips (up to 30 people). Logistics included immigration assistance, transportation, and vendor payments within Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Hamilton, New York, United States

Managed multiple data collection tasks, project timelines, and personnel for 4 long term research projects with increasing responsibilities over multiple field seasons.Ethiopia Project:• Established long-term plots in Ethiopian sacred forest over five field seasons; measured site level biomass, disturbance, seedling density, species richness, diversity, abundance, and community composition.• Digitized satellite images to analyze the influence of different land-uses on forest biomass, disturbance, seedling density, and litterfall.Deer management project:• Designed and administered surveys to deer hunters in Hamilton New York to analyze their perception on deer population management.• Quantified deer population density in Hamilton, New York and liaised with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officials and local stakeholders to craft and execute a deer population management plan based on research findings.• Distributed insights to key stakeholders via pamphlets, town hall meetings, and 3 technical reports.Costa Rica project:• Climbed emergent trees to assess the impact of pollution and water deprivation on canopy nutrient cycling and epiphyte community composition.• Analyzed differences in tree, bird, and insect community composition and productivity across three forest types (seasonally dry forest, rainforest, and cloud forest) in Costa Rica.Adirondack project:• Trained undergraduate students, managed sample collection and processing to analyze the impact of mitigative liming on ecosystem processes in Adirondack State Park, NY.ALL PROJECTS:•Collected soil, foliar, and litter samples and processed them to quantify carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous in long term forest plots.

Hamilton, New York, United States

• Provided support and services related to software and hardware to Colgate University staff and students.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Natural Resources Conservation And Research

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Double Major In Biology And Environmental Studies

High School Diploma