Randy Comeleo

Ecologist

Freshwater Ecology Branch

Voice: 541-754-4491
Email: comeleo.randy@epa.gov

Education:

·          M.S., University of Rhode Island, Natural Resources Science, 1995
·          M.S., University of Connecticut, Animal Science, 1983
·          B.S., Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA, Biology, 1982

Previous Positions:

·          1998 - 2007: Senior GIS Analyst, Indus Corporation, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program, Corvallis, OR
·          1993 - 1998: Senior GIS Analyst, OAO Corporation, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program, Narragansett, RI
·          1992 - 1993: Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island
·          1987 - 1993: Biologist, Science Applications International Corporation, Complex Effluent Program, Narragansett, RI
·          1990 - 1991: Principal Investigator, The Nature Conservancy, Small Grants Research Program, Connecticut River Bald Eagle
        Habitat Survey

Research Interests and Skills:

·          Watershed Hydrologic Modeling using GIS
·          Wetland Ecology
·          Spatial Habitat Modeling
·          Avian Ecology
·          Estuarine Benthic Invertebrate Biomonitoring
·          Geographic Information Systems
·          Cartography

Professional Societies:

·          Society for Conservation Biology
·          Society of Wetland Scientists
·          Society for Conservation GIS

Appointments/Honors:

·          2005 EPA Scientific and Technological Achievement Award
·          2005 President's Quality Award, Indus Corporation
·          2003 EPA Scientific and Technological Achievement Award
·          2000 Watershed Stewards Award, Rhode Island Natural Resources and the Environment Program
·          1998 ESRI International User Conference, Most Analytical Map Gallery Competition, Second Place,
       ‘Characterization of western North Atlantic right whale feeding habitat’

Selected Publications:

·          Paul, J., Comeleo, R.L. and Copeland, J. 2002. Landscape Metrics and Estuarine Sediment Contamination in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern New England Regions. Journal of Environmental Quality, 31:836-845.
·          Wigand, C., Comeleo, R., McKinney, R., Thursby, G., Chintala, M. and Charpentier, M. 2001. Outline of A New Approach to Evaluate Ecological Integrity of Salt Marshes. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 7:1541-1554.
·          Copeland, J., Paul, J.F. and Comeleo, R. 2001. Landscape Structure and Estuarine Condition in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern New England Region of the United States. ESRI Map Book Volume 17.
·          Lussier, S.M., Walker, H.A., Pesch, G.G., Galloway, W., Adler, R., Charpentier, M., Comeleo, R. and Copeland, J. 2001. Strategies for Protecting and Restoring Rhode Island's Watersheds on Multiple Scales. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 7:1483-1491.
·          Lussier, S.M., Kuhn A., Comeleo, R. 1999. An evaluation of the seven-day toxicity test with Americamysis bahia (formerly Mysidopsis bahia). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 18:2888-2893.
·          Comeleo, R.L. Wetlands, an important resource and habitat. The Pawcatuck Watershed Report, 1998, pp. 3-4.
·          Comeleo, R.L., Paul, J.F., August, P.V., Copeland, J., Baker, C., Hale, S. and Latimer, R.W. 1996. Relationships between watershed stressors and sediment contamination in Chesapeake Bay estuaries. Landscape Ecology, 11:307-319.
·          Copeland, J. and Comeleo, R.L. 1995. Spatial analysis of bathymetry with ecological indicators in Chesapeake Bay. ESRI Map Book Volume 11.
·          Comeleo, R.L. 1995. Comparison of a raster versus vector data model for site selection. M.S. Thesis. University of Rhode Island, Department of Natural Resources Science, Kingston, RI.
·          Burgess, R.M., Ho, K.T., Tagliabue, M.K., Kuhn, A., Comeleo, R., Comeleo, P., Modica, G. and Morrison, G.E. 1995. Toxicity characterization of an industrial and a municipal effluent discharging to the marine environment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 30:524-535.
·          Comeleo, R.L., Baker, C., Copeland, J. and August, P.V. 1994. U.S. EPA Watershed delineation for landscape analysis. ESRI Map Book Volume 10.
·          Burgess, R.M., Comeleo, R.L., Tagliabue, M.D., Sheehan, K.V., Kuhn, A. and Phelps, D.K. Water column toxicity from contaminated marine sediments: Effects on multiple endpoints of three marine species. Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment, ASTM STP 1179, W.G. Landis, J.S. Hughes, M.A. Lewis, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 1993, pp. 303-319.
·          Morrison, G., Torello, E., Comeleo, R., Walsh, R., Kuhn, A., Burgess, R., Tagliabue, M. and Greene, W. 1989. Intralaboratory precision of saltwater short-term chronic toxicity tests. Research Journal Water Pollution Control Federation, 61:1707-1710.

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