Lucy Keith

Research Scientist, Aquatic Conservation Program, Wildlife Trust

Wildlife Trust Research Scientist, Lucy Keith, began her career radio tracking Eastern Coyotes to study habitat use in upstate New York, and has spent the past 20 years working primarily with marine mammals, sea turtles and penguins in both stranding, rehabilitation and field research capacities. Her interests include animal behavior, ecology and conservation, and her research focuses specifically on habitat use, foraging strategies, and mother-offspring behavior patterns.

Ms. Keith has worked for federal, state and non-profit research organizations both nationally and internationally, and has a wide range of field experience with endangered species, including sea turtles, cetaceans, the Hawaiian monk seal, and Florida, Antillean and West African manatees. Prior to joining Wildlife Trust in January 2005, Ms. Keith spent six years running a manatee research field station in southwest Florida for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In 2003 she was awarded the Manatee Conservation Award by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and in 2009 she was appointed to the IUCN Sirenian Specialist Group.

At Wildlife Trust, Ms. Keith has recently completed fieldwork for three manatee research projects in south Florida that include investigating manatee winter habitat use near a power plant through GPS tracking and seagrass sampling, utilizing aerial surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of manatee speed zones, and using digital photography to identify individual manatees using the Everglades in winter. Ms. Keith is a principal investigator for ongoing international studies of the status and conservation of the West African manatee in Gabon, and Cetacean, Manatee and Sea Turtle Surveys in Angola. She is also developing a collaborative research effort with African colleagues from 16 countries to collect and analyze genetic samples for West African manatees throughout their range. Ms. Keith has also worked with manatees in Belize, Costa Rica, Ghana and Senegal, and is responsible for developing and implementing future research projects.

Follow Lucy's personal blog from her field work in West Africa! >>click here