DANIEL J. McGARVEY, Ph.D.
Hi there. I'm a freshwater ecologist and data scientist who studies the structure and function of running water ecosystems, placing particular emphasis on large-scale questions and ‘big data’. This work encompasses a broad range of subtopics, including data science, ecological modeling, biogeography, macroecology, ecosystem ecology, community ecology, and fisheries science. I also wear an environmental law and policy hat at times.
Follow any of the links below to learn a bit more about me and "McGarvey Ecology". . .
. . .or send me an email at
djmcgarvey@vcu.edu
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This is a photo of Slaunch Fork, West Virginia. I took it during a scouting trip in July 2013, while looking for some good fieldwork sites. And I immediately knew that it was perfect. Just about the right size - a wadeable stream that I could stretch block nets across - with some interesting habitat variation, including a pair of 'flood your chest waders' deep pools. After two years of quarterly, repeat sampling, Slaunch Fork proved to be the most productive stream in my sample set by a large margin.
Slaunch Fork flows into Panther Creek about a mile downstream of where this photo was taken. From there, it flows to the Tug Fork River and on to the Ohio River. Slaunch Fork is entirely contained within the state-protected Panther Wildlife Management Area in McDowell County, WV. It is a beautiful example of the kind of freshwater ecosystem that characterizes the southern part of the state, and of the resources that are rapidly being lost to mountaintop removal surface coal mining.