Mark Cook, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

I am a wildlife ecologist and restoration scientist with a particular interest in the conservation and ecology of birds and their critical roles in freshwater and estuarine wetlands. Scientists have traditionally believed that smaller organisms such as microbes and algae are the key players in wetland processes such as food webs and nutrient cycling, and that animals, particularly the larger vertebrates, are relatively unimportant. In contrast to this idea, my work in the Everglades is exploring how the healthy functioning and restoration of wetlands is strongly linked to how larger animals such as fish and birds interact with the ecosystem, especially in relation to their critical roles in nutrient cycling and the structuring of food webs through predatory top-down effects. My work also explores how wetland birds can be used as indicators of ecological health and thereby help guide wetland restoration and management. Much of this has involved research on the interactions among wading bird reproduction, their aquatic prey, hydrologic conditions, and nutrient pollution. My studies range from long-term monitoring of nesting populations to manipulative experiments at multiple temporal and spatial scales. This research has been published widely in the scientific literature and has been used to help guide important management and restoration strategies in the Everglades. Communication of science plays a key role in both my professional and private life, and I strive to enhance the public’s understanding of the value of the natural world. I employ photography and video as a tool to simplify complex scientific stories, and I regularly present to the public on topics about birds, science, conservation, and photography. I have considerable experience with the media, and my scientific work has been featured in multiple media outlets including Audubon Magazine, Associated Press, National Parks Traveler, Tampa Bay Times, Palm Beach Post and Miami Herald. I have been featured in a number of documentaries and tv shows including Nat Geo Wild and Birding Adventures, and have been interviewed by NPR and NBC Nightly News. My photography has also been published in multiple scientific journals and media outlets and is due to be published shortly in Wildlife Photographic Magazine. I was recently an invited guest on Wild and Exposed Podcast where I discussed the role of nature photography in scientific communication.

Listed skills include Environmental Science, Ecology, Wetlands, Endangered Species, and 27 others.