Heida Diefenderfer

Marine Sciences Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
1529 West Sequim Bay Road
Sequim, Washington 98382
Heida.Diefenderfer@pnl.gov

Biography

Dr. Heida Diefenderfer is a restoration ecologist with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Coastal Assessment and Restoration group at the Marine Sciences Laboratory in Sequim, Washington. She conducts research and restoration in a variety of coastal and riverine ecosystems, in particular floodplain wetlands and eelgrass meadows. Currently, she is participating in research and adaptive management for the recovery of Endangered Species Act-listed fish and birds and monitoring the effectiveness of habitat restoration actions. She earned her doctorate in 2007 from the University of Washington, College of Forest Resources, with research focusing on tidal Sitka spruce swamps of the lower Columbia River floodplain. Dr. Diefenderfer pursued forest ecology at Reed College (B.A., Biology, 1991) and Native American studies and writing at The Evergreen State College (B.A. Liberal Arts, 1997). She also holds an M.A. in English from Western Washington University (1999). Since 1990, she has performed research and writing for many governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations in the areas of ecosystem conservation and restoration, sustainable forest and fisheries management, and the recovery of threatened and endangered species.

Education and Credentials

B.A. Biology (minor: Cognitive Science), Reed College, 1991
B.A. Liberal Arts (Native American Studies/Professional Writing), The Evergreen State College, 1997
M.A. English, Western Washington University, 1999
Ph.D. Forest Resources (Ecosystem Analysis), University of Washington, 2007

Affiliations and Professional Service

Ecological Society of America
Society for Ecological Restoration International

Selected Publications

2009

Diefenderfer HL, KL Sobocinski, RM Thom, CW May, AB Borde, SL Southard, J Vavrinec, III, and NK Sather. 2009. "Multiscale Analysis of Restoration Priorities for Marine Shoreline Planning." Environmental Management 44(4 ):712-731. doi:10.1007/s00267-009-9298-4

2008

Diefenderfer HL, and DR Montgomery. 2008. "Pool spacing, channel morphology, and the restoration of tidal forested wetlands of the Columbia River, U.S.A." Restoration Ecology 17(1):158-168. doi:10.1111/j.1526-100X.2008.00449.x
Johnson GE, HL Diefenderfer, AB Borde, EM Dawley, BD Ebberts, DA Putman, GC Roegner, M Russell, JR Skalski, RM Thom, and J Vavrinec, III. 2008. Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Columbia River Estuary, Annual Report 2007. PNNL-17437, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Johnson GE, HL Diefenderfer, BD Ebberts, C Tortorici, T Yerxa, J Leary, and JR Skalski. 2008. Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation for the Federal Columbia River Estuary Program. PNNL-17300, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Johnson GE, and HL Diefenderfer. 2008. Facilitation of the Estuary/Ocean Subgroup for Federal Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation, FY08 Annual Report. PNNL-17811, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Roegner GC, HL Diefenderfer, AB Borde, RM Thom, EM Dawley, AH Whiting, SA Zimmerman, and GE Johnson. 2008. Protocols for Monitoring Habitat Restoration Projects in the Lower Columbia River and Estuary. PNNL-15793, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.

2007

Johnson GE, AB Borde, E Dawley, HL Diefenderfer, BD Ebberts, DA Putman, GC Roegner, RM Thom, J Vavrinec, III, and AH Whiting. 2007. Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Columbia River Estuary, Annual Report 2006. PNNL-16561, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Johnson GE, and HL Diefenderfer. 2007. Facilitation of the Estuary/Ocean Subgroup for Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation, FY07 Annual Report . PNNL-16947, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.

2006

Diefenderfer HL, RM Thom, AB Borde, GC Roegner, AH Whiting, GE Johnson, E Dawley, JR Skalski, J Vavrinec, III, and BD Ebberts. 2006. Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Columbia River Estuary, Annual Report 2005. PNNL-15934, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.

2005

Diefenderfer HL, C Roegner, RM Thom, EM Dawley, AH Whiting, GE Johnson, KL Sobocinski, MG Anderson, and B Ebberts. 2005. Evaluating Cumulative Ecosystem Response to Restoration Projects in the Columbia River Estuary, Annual Report 2004. PNNL-15102, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
Diefenderfer HL, RM Thom, and K Hofseth. 2005. "A Framework for Risk Analysis for Ecological Restoration Projects in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ." Chapter 4 in Economics and Ecological Risk Assessment: Applications to Watershed Management, Environmental and Ecological Risk Assessment Series, vol. 5, ed. Randall J. F. Bruins, Matthew T. Heberling, pp. 57-105. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Thom RM, GD Williams, and HL Diefenderfer. 2005. "Balancing the Need to Develop Coastal Areas with the Desire for an Ecologically Functioning Coastal Environment: Is Net Ecosystem Improvement Possible?" Restoration Ecology 13(1):193-203. doi:10.1111/j.1526-100X.2005.00024.x

2004

Diefenderfer HL, SL Sargeant, RM Thom, AB Borde, PF Gayaldo, CA Curtis, BL Court, DM Pierce, and DS Robison. 2004. "Demonstration Dock Designed to Benefit Eelgrass Habitat Restoration (Washington)." Ecological Restoration 22(2):140-141.

2003

Diefenderfer HL, SL Sargeant, RM Thom, AB Borde, PF Gayaldo, CA Curtis, BL Court, DM Pierce, and DS Robison. 2003. "Dock Design to Facilitate the Restoration of Eelgrass in Port Townsend Bay, Washington." In Assembling the Pieces - Restoration, Design and Landscape Ecology: Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration International, November 19-22, 2003, Austin, Texas. Society for Ecological Restoration International, Tucson, AZ.

2002

Blanton SL, RM Thom, AB Borde, HL Diefenderfer, and JA Southard. 2002. Evaluation of Methods to Increase Light Under Ferry Terminals. PNNL-13714, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.