For our next installment of the Field Guide to ABR, we would like to introduce you to Sue Ives. Sue is a Senior Scientist who works out of our Anchorage office.
Sue Ives joined ABR in 2012 after working for 10 years in the environmental consulting business, and we are so happy she decided to make the move to ABR! Sue brought with her a wealth of experience in field survey work in Alaska and a keen understanding of the needs of various clients in the state who grapple with natural resource issues.
Sue is a key member of the ABR landscape sciences group. Her work has focused on wetland studies, including functional assessments, and ecological land surveys (ELS) in diverse areas in the state, ranging from the North Slope to the Alaska Peninsula. Her skills in aerial image-interpretation, plant identification (for both vascular and nonvascular species), soils characterization, and classification of geomorphic units and terrain features yield a powerful punch for the wide variety of land cover mapping projects ABR conducts.
Sue is also highly skilled in GIS and database management and is fast and efficient in her work, which clients really appreciate. Recently, she pioneered a study to evaluate the likely changes in wetland function from a proposed road development project for the National Park Service, and will collaborate with others at ABR on a retrospective and future predictive study of wetland change on the Alaska Peninsula for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. But what most people know about Sue is that she is perpetually upbeat. Her huge smile and genuine laugh are irrepressible and she is a joy to work with day in and day out.