Clint Gibson

Field Researcher

Email: cgibson2@ufl.edu

Current Museum Projects:

Since 2019, I have worked with Dr. Chase Kimmel and the FLMNH Team on the Osmia calaminthae Project. Along with a large team of collaborators, we study the current distribution, ecology, behavior, and limited habitat of O. calaminthae in Florida. I also assist Dr. Kimmel and Team with the Caupolicana floridana study on the Lake Wales Ridge where I help to uncover details about this rare bee’s ecology and behavior. In early 2021, I began examining a poorly studied species of gregarious Andrena bee found in Manatee County, Florida. I hope to fill in the knowledge gaps that exist by describing their ecology, including rare winter phenological associations, local narrow ecotonal distributions, and habitat requirements. I recently began assisting the Daniels Lab with the Euphyes dukesi calhouni species assessment. My work with the Daniels Lab is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems.

Previous Experience and Education:

After graduating from the University of South Florida in 2018 with a B.S. in Environmental Biology, I began an internship with Wildlands Conservation in Tampa, Florida. I assisted ecologists on a wide range of conservation land management activities, including grant proposal preparations, and fulfilling state-mandated site monitoring requirements. I focused heavily on conservation land assessment and rehabilitation efforts, gopher tortoise conservation, and plant and animal identifications. As lead intern, I organized FLMNH volunteers for the Osmia calaminthae project in a joint venture with the Daniels Lab and Wildlands Conservation. Throughout 2020, I worked as a crew leader on the FWS Sand Skink (Plestiodon reynoldsi) and Blue-tailed Mole Skink (Plestiodon egregius lividus) assessment project on the Lake Wales Ridge.