Resume`

Mac Kobza, Resume`, 7/10/2011  [Download] (outdated)

Currently Employed by the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department [Link]

Formerly employed by the South Florida Water Management District [Link]

• South Florida Wading Bird Report, 2010 [Link]
• South Florida Environmental Report [Link]

Formerly employed by the United States Geological Survey [Link]

Relevant professional experience:

Protection, conservation and restoration of wildlife and habitat from the front range to the montane habitats within Boulder County.

• Prairie dog protection and management on Open Space property
• Fisheries development and sustainable habitat development in lakes and rivers.
• Wetland protection along stream and river corridores.
• GIS mapping of protected resources and development of Geodatabase for wildlife restoration.
• Management and collaboration of wildlife research projects with Colorado Division of Wildlife and City of Boulder POS, including Mountain Lion, Bobcat, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Northern Leopard Frog and other species of interest for protection or study.
• Project management (MS Project Manager) and interagency communication and collaboration.

My involvement in the scientific study of the Everglades ecosystem touched upon several areas, including:

• Wading bird breeding success and feeding ecology in the Florida Everglades (i.e. Wood Stork, White Ibis, Snail Kite).
• Fish and macroinvertebrate population and community ecology, and biology, with particular emphasis on availability to threatened and endangered wading birds.
• Non-native species ecology and environmental regulation, with focus on freshwater fishes.
• Macroinvertebrate ecology research (Everglades crayfish); a primary prey item of threatened wading birds.
• Advanced telemetry of wildlife movement. (i.e. fixed-wing aircraft aerial tracking of implanted Florida gar movement in Taylor Slough of Everglades N.P.; Airboat-mounted ground tracking of White Ibis using ATS backpack transmitters and receiver; Ground monitoring of crayfish movement using Yagi antenna and waterproof carapace mounted transmitter).
• Frequent aerial monitoring of Wading Bird breeding success and ecology via weekly helicopter survey.
• Co-editior of annual South Florida Environmental Report and the South Florida Wading Bird Report, both publications a major regional reporting venue to the State of Florida government.
• Inter-agency communication and decision making for water management best practices for wildlife breeding and feeding success related to CERP and other SFWMD operations (i.e. FWS, USACE, FWC, SFWMD, ENP).
• Scientific contract management and research guidance (i.e. exotic fish lower thermal limits (USGS); exotic reptile distribution and abundance in S. Florida (UF); Freshwater fish movement in the ridge and slough environment of the Everglades (FIU), etc.)
• Peer reviewed scientific manuscript publication, including standard parametric, non-parametric and ecological statistical analyses.
• ArcMap/ArcGIS analysis and mapping production to support visual representation of wildlife location, abundance and status changes.
• SAS, SAS JMP, Systat, SPSS, PC-ORD, PRIMER-E and Sigmastat statistical software experience.
• Sigmaplot and advanced Excel programming and data visualization experience.  
• Video and photo data collection, editing and production experience (i.e. Fieldcam waterproof remote camera operation; Adobe Premiere Pro HD video analysis, Photoshop CS4 photo editing).
• SFWMD trained and certified airboat operator and instructor.
• Other Certifications: DOI Motorboat Operator Certification (MOCC), DOI Basic Aviation Safety, Homeland Security Emergency Management System, National Safety Council Defensive Driving, SFWMD Ethics and Data Integrity.
• Other skills: water quality instrumentation programming and analysis (hydrolab, YSI, Hach, Onset); carpentry, field structure construction and contractor management. Off-road 4x4 vehicle wilderness navigation; PADI Advanced Open Water Diver; electrofishing and field methods.

Owner and Operator of Cloud Nine Computer Services in operation for 9 years. A full service IT consulting company.

Publications:

Schofield, P.J.; W.F. Loftus; R.M. Kobza; M.I. Cook, and D.H. Slone.  2010 Tolerance of nonindigenous cichlid fishes (Cichlasoma urophthalmus, Hemichromis letourneuxi) to low temperature: laboratory and field experiments in south Florida. Biological Invasions. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-009-9654-6. [Link]

Kobza, R. M., J. C. Trexler, W. F. Loftus, and S. A. Perry. 2004. Community structure of fishes inhabiting aquatic refuges in a threatened karstic wetland and its implication for ecosystem management.  Biological Conservation, 116:153-165  [Link]

Trexler, J. C., W. F. Loftus, F. Jordan, J. Lorenz, J. Chick, and R. M. Kobza. 2001. Empirical assessment of fish introductions in a subtropical wetland: an evaluation of contrasting views.  Biological Invasions 2:265-277. [Link]

Magoulick D.D. & Kobza R.M. (2003) The role of refugia for fishes during drought: a review and synthesis. Freshwater Biology, 48, 1186–1198. [Link] 

Kobza, R. M. 1997. A Study of Zebra Mussel Influx in the Old Woman Creek Estuarine Research Reserve, Huron County, Ohio. Bowling Green State University, Biology Report, Bowling Green, OH. 7 pp.

Kobza, R. M. and M. L. Harvill. 2000. Aquatic Insects of Old Woman Creek Estuary: Preliminary Taxonomic Listing of Species. Research report submitted to Ohio Dept. Natural Resources, Div. Natural Areas and Preserves, Old Woman Creek State Nature Preserve, Huron, OH. 17 pp.