USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS

Home/ Overview/ Science Programs/ Data Library/ Products and Publications/States/ Rivers/Teachers and Students/ Links/ Contact/ Search

Kevin P. Kenow

Position title:  Research Wildlife Biologist

Email: kkenow@usgs.gov
Phone: 608.781.6278
Fax: 608.783.6066

Education: 
1989 M.S., Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin
1979 B.S., Wildlife Biology, University of Minnesota

Primary Responsibilities/Activities:
Research focuses on issues related to conserving migratory birds and their habitats along the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) and development of regional and national common loon conservation strategies.  Current activities include evaluating the vegetation response to seasonal pool-wide water level reductions on the UMR, assessing the level and impacts of boating disturbance to waterfowl on important staging areas during fall migration, determining the distribution of tundra swans on the UMR and assessing the availability and impacts of tundra swans on food resources, characterizing factors that may have consequences on embryo and chick development in common loons, determining the level of mercury exposure that results in detrimental effects on fitness and survival of loon embryos and resulting chicks, and identifying common loon migration movements and relations between breeding and wintering grounds.

Research Interests: 

• Waterfowl, common loon, and wetland ecology
• Wildlife mercury risk assessment
• Wetland management
• Radio telemetry techniques applications
• Resource use/preference analyses for wildlife studies

Active Projects:

• Vegetation Response to Pool-wide Water Level Reductions on the UMR
• The Ecology of Tundra Swans on the UMR
• Wisconsin Islands Closed Area Monitoring Project
• Development of Simulation Models of Emergent Aquatic Vegetation
• Factors Affecting Common Loon Productivity
• Migration Patterns and Wintering Range of Common Loons in the Northeastern United States

Select Publications:
Kenow, K. P., J. E. Lyon, R. K. Hines, and A. Elfessi.  2007.  Estimating biomass of submersed vegetation using a simple rake sampling technique.  Hydrobiologia 575:447-454.

Kenow K.P, Meyer M.W., Hines R.K., Karasov W.H.  2007.  Distribution and accumulation of mercury in tissues and organs of captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks.  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 26:1047-1055.

Kenow K.P, Grasman K.A, Hines R.K., Meyer M.W., Gendron-Fitzpatrick A., Spalding M.G., Gray B.R.  2007.  Effects of methylmercury exposure on the immune function of juvenile common loons.  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 26(7):1460-1469.

Kenow, K. P., J. M. Nissen, R. Drieslein, and E. M. Thorson.  2004.  Tundra swan research needs on the Upper Mississippi River.  Pages 180-189 in D. K. Weaver, M. H. Linck, and R. E. Shea, editors.  Selected Papers of the Nineteenth Trumpeter Swan Society Conference.  North American Swans 32(1).

Kenow, K. P., C. E. Korschgen, J. M. Nissen, A. Elfessi, and R. Steinbach.  2003.  A voluntary program to curtail boat disturbance to waterfowl during migration.  Waterbirds 26:77-87.

Kenow, K. P., M. W. Meyer, D. C. Evers, D. C. Douglas, and J. Hines.  2002.  Use of satellite telemetry to identify Common Loon migration routes, staging areas and wintering Range.  Waterbirds 25:449-458.

Links:
Climate Chamge Symposium 2007

GIS Data for Pool 5 Drawdown Project Background

Common Loon Migration Study

Geographic Information System Tools for Conservation Planning

Using implanted satellite transmitters to identify common loon (Gavia immer) migration routes, staging areas, and wintering range

Methods development for determining causes, timing, and magnitude of mortality of common loon (Gavia immer) chicks in northern Wisconsin

Factors affecting common loon (Gavia immer) productivity

Managing pathways of biological production of large rivers (vegetation response to a water-level drawdown of Pool 8 of the Upper Mississippi River)

Program SUBSAMPL/HABUSE: Integrating SAS and GIS software to improve habitat use estimates from radiotelemetry data

Return to Staff Directory