207-839-7600 x106
oksana.lane@briloon.org
Oksana grew up in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in the former Soviet Union. She loved being outdoors, and cherished train trips to the country to hike in the uncharted Russian forests. Oksana's family immigrated to the United States when she was a teen.
At Alfred University, she became interested in environmental studies. She spent the summer before graduating from college as an intern at Manomet Bird Observatory (now Manomet Center for Conservation Science) where she received training and inspiration to pursue a career in conservation. Shortly after earning her master's degree in environmental biology, Oksana joined BRI.
As BRI's wetlands program director, Oksana is on the front lines of bird conservation among other environmental issues. One of her studies is focused on mercury contamination in Saltmarsh Sparrows nesting in the salt marshes of Long Island; the study is in collaboration with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Similarly, for the past 10 years she has been monitoring mercury in Saltmarsh Sparrows at Parker River and Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuges in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine the source of mercury in the marshes and its effects on the reproduction of the species.
Oksana is honored to be involved with the Global Mercury Observation System (GMOS), a multi-national project in the Mediterranean Sea under the lead of the Italian Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research of the CNR.
For posters and presentation prior to 2011, please contact Oksana Lane.