STEM Shoutout: Dr. Rebecca Bixby

UNM professor studies impact of river management on wildlife

Assistant Biology Research Professor Rebecca Bixby is continuing to study the consequences river management has on wildlife in the Middle Rio Grande with collaborators Angela Gregory, Dr. Mark Stone and Dr. Ayesha Burdett.

Now in its second year, her research is funded through 2020 by a $333,626 grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

“This research is focused on the installation of structures in rivers designed to reduce bank erosion,” Dr. Bixby said. “These structures may secondarily create better habitats for aquatic organisms (e.g. algae and aquatic invertebrates) with lower flows and more shallow water. Those organisms serve as food resources for higher trophic levels including the federally endangered Rio Grande Silvery Minnow.”