My current research is focused  in two primary areas:  use of birds to indicate the health of the environment; and, impacts of Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy, a fatal disease of eagles and waterfowl.  I utilize birds at the top of the food chain to monitor the concentrations and effects of bioaccumulative compounds of concern.  For over 20 years I have been working with bald eagles.  I have recently been working with collaborators in Sweden, Russia, Uganda, and South Africa on projects with white-tailed sea eagles, Steller’s sea eagles, and African fish-eagles.  I have also been collaborating with scientists in South Carolina and Georgia to determine what causes AVM and how to manage to protect eagles and waterfowl from this disease.  Our working group includes personnel from the South Carolina DNR, NOAA, University of South Carolina, University of Georgia, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Georgia DNR.  Some pictures of our field projects are located at:

1. Hollamby, S., J. Afema-Azikuru, J.G.Sikarskie, J.B. Kaneene, J.N.Stuht, S.D.Fitzgerald, W.W. Bowerman, K.N.Cameron, A.R.Gandolf, G.N. Hui, C. Dranzoa and W.K.Rumbeiha. 2004. Mercury and persistent organic pollutant concentrations in African fish eagles, marabou storks, and Nile tilapia in Uganda. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 40:501-514.
2. Wilde, S.B., T.M. Murphy, C.P. Hope, S.K. Habrun, J. Kempton, A. Birrenkott, F. Wiley, W.W. Bowerman, and A.J. Lewitus.  2005.  Avian vacuolar myelinopathy linked to exotic aquatic plants and a novel cyanobacterial species.  Environmental Toxicology.  20:348-353.
3. Birrenkott, A.H., S.B. Wilde, J.J. Hains, J.R. Fischer, T.M. Murphy, C.P. Hope, P.G. Parnell, and W.W. Bowerman.  2004.  Establishing a food-chain link between aquatic plant material and avian vacuolar myelinopathy in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos).  Journal of Wildlife Diseases 40:584-492.
4. Bowerman, W.W., T.G. Grubb, A.J. Bath, J.P. Giesy, and D.V. Weseloh.  2005.  A survey of potential bald eagle nesting habitat along the Great Lakes shoreline.  Res. Pap. RMRS-RP-56WWW. Fort Collins, CO:  U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 6 p.
5. Bowerman, W.W., D.A. Best, J.P. Giesy, M.C. Shieldcastle, M.W. Meyer, S. Postupalsky, and J.G. Sikarskie. 2003. Associations between regional differences in PCBs and DDE in blood of nestling bald eagles and reproductive productivity. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 22:371-376.
6. Tansy, C.L., K. Senthilkumar, S.D. Pastva, K. Kannan, W.W. Bowerman, S. Masunaga, and J.P. Giesy. 2003. Concentrations and Profiles of Polychlorinated Biphenyls, -Dibenzo-p-Dioxins and -Dibenzofurans in Livers of Mink from South Carolina and Louisiana. Environmental Monitoring & Assessment 83:17-33.
7. Bowerman, W.W., A.S. Roe, M. Gilbertson, D.A. Best, J.G. Sikarskie, and C.L. Summer. 2002. Using bald eagles to indicate the health of the Great Lakes environment.  Lakes and Reservoirs: Research and Management 7:183-187
8. Freeman, R., W. Bowerman, T. Grubb, A. Bath, G. Dawson, K. Ennis, and J. Giesy.  2002.  Opening rivers to Trojan fish: The ecological dilemma of dam removal in the Great Lakes.  Conservation in Practice 3:35-40