Eric Larsen (pictured at left, above scientist Peter Moore of the New Zealand Department of Conservation banding an albatross), assistant professor of geography and geology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) and an expert in satellite imagery, has been sharing his expertise with New Zealand�s Department of Conservation in its efforts to plot the locations of albatross nests.

A $3,000 UWSP University Personnel Development Committee grant helped Larsen defer his travel costs to and from New Zealand�s Campbell Island (pictured below at left is the Northwest Bay of Campbell Island) to develop a series of GIS-derived maps showing the location of Southern Royal Albatross nests. Campbell Island is an uninhabited sub-Antarctic island lying 600 kilometers south of New Zealand�s southern island. It is maintained as a wildlife refuge by the New Zealand Department of Conservation and is accessible only by boat.
According to Larsen, the purpose of his research is to establish baseline information regarding the population, health and breeding success of the Diomedea epomophora (Southern Royal Albatross). Approximately 99 percent of the world�s Southern Royal Albatross population breeds on Campbell Island. Albatrosses mate for life and have a lifespan of 60-80 years. Most of their lives are spent at sea and they feed on squid and fish. They breed every two years once they reach maturity at age 10.

Larsen utilized field research data from the 1950s updated with a hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) unit while on the island. His research is aimed at developing trend lines for the resident albatross population.

"This is one of those special places on Earth where a field researcher can actually witness an ecosystem void of human habitation," said Larsen.

Last spring Larsen also was awarded a UPDC grant for a GIS research project involving a study of the impact of logging in Southwest China.

An expert in the analysis of satellite imagery, he was a remote sensing analyst for the U.S. Forest Service before coming to UWSP in 2001. He received a bachelor�s degree from UW-Green Bay and master�s and Ph.D. degrees from Oregon State University.