Meghan Mahurin
Texas Tech University
Graduate Research Assistant/ M.S. in Wildlife, Aquatic and Wildlands Science and Management
Influence of Wind Energy on Burrowing Owl Habitat Use in the Texas Panhandle
Like most students in wildlife related fields, my passion for hunting brought me here but my love for research kept me here. I received my B.S. from Texas Tech University in Natural Resources Management in 2018. After graduation, I worked as a field technician in New Mexico before starting graduate school at Texas Tech University in August 2019. I have accepted a position as the laboratory coordinator for NRM 1401 (Introduction to Natural Resources Management) for the 2020-2021 school year and I am looking forward to sharing our field with new students at Texas Tech University.
My current research project focuses on burrowing owl habitat use in relation to wind energy. Burrowing owls have been in decline for many years due to anthropogenic factors. I am using satellite transmitters on the Argos network to monitor migration patterns and dispersal from natal burrows as well as how they use habitats surrounding wind turbines. This data could influence wind energy mitigation efforts in the future.
