Aquatic ecologist joins Upper Delaware staff

Andrew Weber is skilled in the monitoring of aquatic insects, river water, fish populations, vegetation, and soils

Published Sep 11, 2018 at 6:35 pm (Updated Sep 11, 2018)

Photos

Andrew Weber (Photo provided)

BEACH LAKE — Andrew Weber has joined the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River as an aquatic ecologist, Superintendent Kristina Heister announced on Tuesday.

Weber will work in the Division of Natural Resources, providing expertise on water quality monitoring, aquatic insect assemblages, freshwater mussels, and fisheries. He will "contribute to our understanding of the ecology of the Delaware River and the relationship between aquatic resources, the land, and the people of the river valley," Heister said in her announcement

“We are excited to have someone on board with skills that are so directly related to the reasons the Upper Delaware River was included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and will be valuable both to the local community and in accomplishing traditional natural resource management goals,” she said.

For the past seven years, Weber has worked for the National Park Service’s Eastern Rivers and Mountains Inventory and Monitoring Network at Penn State University as a hydrological technician. His work involved long-term ecological monitoring projects in nine park units in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, including the monitoring of aquatic insects, river water, fish populations, vegetation, and soils.

His familiarity with the Delaware River and its tributaries and his experience with river resources make him an especially valuable addition to the park staff, Heister said.

Education and familyA Pittsburgh native, Weber attended Penn State University, where he earned an associate’s degree in wildlife technology in 2002 and a bachelor of science degree in wildlife and fisheries science in 2005. He went on to receive his master of science degree in biology from Tennessee Technological University in 2008.

While taking a field biology course at Penn State, he met his wife, Jess. She and their two-year-old daughter, Laurel, will join him in the Upper Delaware experience. In their free time they enjoy hiking, wildlife watching, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

He began his assignment at Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River on Aug. 20.