April 26, 2022 – Nearly half of all threatened and endangered species depend on wetlands for either food, breeding and/or day-to-day survival. While projects are underway to restore many wetland habitats, little research attention is paid to the animals that live in these areas. That’s why Morris Animal Foundation’s 2022 wildlife grants focus on improving the health and well-being of animals living in and around coastal wetlands, including fresh and saltwater regions within coastal watersheds.
AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES & COAL ASH
Assess the impacts of coal ash repositories on surrounding wetlands and health risks to the aquatic animals that live there.
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN DISEASE OUTBREAKS
Develop a modeling tool to better understand disease transmission and forecast future disease outbreaks in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins living in the Chesapeake Bay.
CALIFORNIA SEA LIONS & RED TIDES
Improve seizure monitoring and diagnostics for California sea lions affected by a harmful marine toxin associated with red tides.
PENGUINS & EMERGING DISEASES
Identify potential causative agents of two emerging diseases causing high mortality in yellow-eyed penguin chicks.
RIVER OTTER HEALTH
Examine the impact of urbanization on North American river otter health across tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.
SEA OTTERS & PARASITIC INFECTIONS
Study Sarcocystis neurona parasitic infections and disease severity to better care for southern sea otters in rehabilitation facilities.
TERRAPINS & CRAB TRAP DROWNING
Develop new release hatches for crab traps to help stop the bycatch drowning of diamondback terrapins where turtle populations overlap with blue crab fisheries.
WEST INDIAN MANATEE HEALTH SURVEY
Determine causes of mortality in a subspecies of West Indian manatees to improve health and conservation of these endangered animals.
WETLAND BIRDS & AVIAN CHOLERA
Develop a big data model to learn more about drivers of avian cholera to help predict or mitigate risks of future outbreaks.
WHITE IBIS URBAN BREEDING
Study how shifts to urbanized habitats affect the health of white ibis and potentially other coastal wetland bird species.
WHITE-TAILED EAGLES & TOXINS
Study how toxin pollutant exposure affects the health and well-being of the top-of-the-food-chain whitetailed eagle.
