Staff
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Keith Aune
Senior Conservationist and Bison Coordinator
Keith received his bachelors in wildlife biology from the University of Montana, Missoula and a Masters Degree in Fish and Wildlife Management from Montana State University, Bozeman. Keith is Senior Conservation Scientist for WCS and working on several issues including a granting program for the Wildlife Action Opportunities Fund, the WCS Corridor Initiative, and the American Bison. Keith comes to WCS from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) where he served for 31 years in various capacities. He has conducted field or laboratory research on black and grizzly bears, wildlife diseases, wolverine, lions and bison. In his most recent position at MFWP he served as the Chief of Wildlife Research for FWP and directed multiple research projects across Montana as well as supervising the annual harvest survey and the Wildlife Research Laboratory staff.
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Keith Aune
Senior Conservationist and Bison Coordinator
Keith received his bachelors in wildlife biology from the University of Montana, Missoula and a Masters Degree in Fish and Wildlife Management from Montana State University, Bozeman. Keith is Senior Conservation Scientist for WCS and working on several issues including a granting program for the Wildlife Action Opportunities Fund, the WCS Corridor Initiative, and the American Bison. Keith comes to WCS from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) where he served for 31 years in various capacities. He has conducted field or laboratory research on black and grizzly bears, wildlife diseases, wolverine, lions and bison. In his most recent position at MFWP he served as the Chief of Wildlife Research for FWP and directed multiple research projects across Montana as well as supervising the annual harvest survey and the Wildlife Research Laboratory staff.
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Gillian Woolmer
WCS Canada Assistant Director
As Assistant Director of the WCS Canada Country Program Gillian leads the WCS Northern Appalachian Program and oversees operational management of WCS Canada. Gillian's conservation focus is on ecoregional conservation planning and the application of spatial analysis tools – GIS and remote sensing – to support conservation. Building on her experience working on the global Human Footprint project Gillian lead the mapping of the Human Footprint for the transboundary Northern Appalachian ecoregion as part of a collaborative effort with Two Countries, One Forest (2C1Forest). Gillian is currently chair of the 2C1Forest Science Team and manages the 2C1Forest online mapping atlas and GIS data warehouse (www.2c1fores.org/atlas). Gillian also works to build capacity for using the spatial analysis tools of GIS amongst conservation user communities, including NGO's and First Nation communities. She is an active member of the Society for Conservation GIS with positions on the board and conference planning committee. Gillian first joined WCS in 2000 at WCS headquarters, Bronx Zoo, New York, as GIS Analyst and Lab manager providing GIS support and training to WCS field scientists around the world. With over 15 years experience using GIS, Gillian has collaborated on a diverse array of conservation projects, including rates of deforestation in Sumatra, Sudden Oak Death Syndrome in California, mandrill habitat use in Gabon and the identification of caribou wintering grounds in Ontario. Gillian has a Masters degree in Geology and Mineral Exploration with extensive field experience ranging from the Highlands of Scotland and the mines of central Queensland, Australia to the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile. Gillian also holds, and a Certificate in Conservation Biology from Columbia University and an Advanced Diploma in GIS.
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Gillian Woolmer
WCS Canada Assistant Director
As Assistant Director of the WCS Canada Country Program Gillian leads the WCS Northern Appalachian Program and oversees operational management of WCS Canada. Gillian's conservation focus is on ecoregional conservation planning and the application of spatial analysis tools – GIS and remote sensing – to support conservation. Building on her experience working on the global Human Footprint project Gillian lead the mapping of the Human Footprint for the transboundary Northern Appalachian ecoregion as part of a collaborative effort with Two Countries, One Forest (2C1Forest). Gillian is currently chair of the 2C1Forest Science Team and manages the 2C1Forest online mapping atlas and GIS data warehouse (www.2c1fores.org/atlas). Gillian also works to build capacity for using the spatial analysis tools of GIS amongst conservation user communities, including NGO's and First Nation communities. She is an active member of the Society for Conservation GIS with positions on the board and conference planning committee. Gillian first joined WCS in 2000 at WCS headquarters, Bronx Zoo, New York, as GIS Analyst and Lab manager providing GIS support and training to WCS field scientists around the world. With over 15 years experience using GIS, Gillian has collaborated on a diverse array of conservation projects, including rates of deforestation in Sumatra, Sudden Oak Death Syndrome in California, mandrill habitat use in Gabon and the identification of caribou wintering grounds in Ontario. Gillian has a Masters degree in Geology and Mineral Exploration with extensive field experience ranging from the Highlands of Scotland and the mines of central Queensland, Australia to the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile. Gillian also holds, and a Certificate in Conservation Biology from Columbia University and an Advanced Diploma in GIS.
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Jeff Burrell
Northern Rockies Program Coordinator
As Northern Rockies Program Coordinator, Jeff provides management support for WCS projects from southern Arizona to northern Montana. For the Northern Rockies program, Jeff leads WCS efforts to improve wildlife conservation on private lands. Jeff serves on steering committees of the Heart of the Rockies, a coalition of land trusts in southeastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, and on the High Divide group, a coalition of NGO’s focused on advancing wildlife habitat and habitat linkage conservation in the broad region between the Greater Yellowstone, Salmon-Selway, and Crown of the Continent ecosystems. Jeff joined WCS in 2003. Jeff has a Master’s of Science degree in Range and Wildlife Management and a Master’s of Science degree in Geology and Geophysics from Texas Tech University
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Jeff Burrell
Northern Rockies Program Coordinator
As Northern Rockies Program Coordinator, Jeff provides management support for WCS projects from southern Arizona to northern Montana. For the Northern Rockies program, Jeff leads WCS efforts to improve wildlife conservation on private lands. Jeff serves on steering committees of the Heart of the Rockies, a coalition of land trusts in southeastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, and on the High Divide group, a coalition of NGO’s focused on advancing wildlife habitat and habitat linkage conservation in the broad region between the Greater Yellowstone, Salmon-Selway, and Crown of the Continent ecosystems. Jeff joined WCS in 2003. Jeff has a Master’s of Science degree in Range and Wildlife Management and a Master’s of Science degree in Geology and Geophysics from Texas Tech University
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Jodi Hilty
North America Program Director
Dr. Jodi Ann Hilty has served as the Director of the North America Program for the Wildlife Conservation Society since October 2007 and is based out of Bozeman, Montana. As Director, Dr. Hilty provides leadership on scientific applications to natural resource management and conservation. This includes leading efforts to address four major conservation challenges including natural resource extraction, livelihoods, connectivity, and climate change. As Director, she oversees a staff of approximately 55 individuals that works in some of the most remote places in North America; applies and communicates scientific information; promotes the active involvement of WCS in the larger scientific and conservation community; strengthens partnerships between WCS and other organizations; garners resources for WCS work; and cultivates the next generation of conservation science leaders.
Trained as a conservation biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, her passion is focused on finding creative science-based solutions to resolve critical conflicts between humans and natural world. Dr. Hilty is lead author on the 2006 book titled, Corridor Ecology: the Science and Practice of Linking Landscapes for Biodiversity Conservation and co-editor on the 2010 book titled, Safe Passages: Highways, Wildlife and Habitat Connectivity. She also sits on the boards of several conservation and academic organizations, is a member of the professional Society for Conservation Biology, and serves as a science member on a National Parks Service advisory board planning committee.
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Jodi Hilty
North America Program Director
Dr. Jodi Ann Hilty has served as the Director of the North America Program for the Wildlife Conservation Society since October 2007 and is based out of Bozeman, Montana. As Director, Dr. Hilty provides leadership on scientific applications to natural resource management and conservation. This includes leading efforts to address four major conservation challenges including natural resource extraction, livelihoods, connectivity, and climate change. As Director, she oversees a staff of approximately 55 individuals that works in some of the most remote places in North America; applies and communicates scientific information; promotes the active involvement of WCS in the larger scientific and conservation community; strengthens partnerships between WCS and other organizations; garners resources for WCS work; and cultivates the next generation of conservation science leaders.
Trained as a conservation biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, her passion is focused on finding creative science-based solutions to resolve critical conflicts between humans and natural world. Dr. Hilty is lead author on the 2006 book titled, Corridor Ecology: the Science and Practice of Linking Landscapes for Biodiversity Conservation and co-editor on the 2010 book titled, Safe Passages: Highways, Wildlife and Habitat Connectivity. She also sits on the boards of several conservation and academic organizations, is a member of the professional Society for Conservation Biology, and serves as a science member on a National Parks Service advisory board planning committee.
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Joel Berger
Muskox Program Coordinator
Dr. Berger directs a number of projects for WCS; among these are the pronghorn migration corridor conservation project and the impact of energy development on wildlife projects in Greater Yellowstone, the impacts of climate change on musk ox in the Alaskan Arctic and the saiga antelope conservation project in Mongolia. Joel received his doctoral degree in biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and subsequently worked for the Smithsonian Institution for 7 years before becoming a tenured full professor at the University of Nevada, Reno (16 years). His current research focuses on the conservation of species and intact ecosystems. He has written 4 books on wild horses, rhinos, bison, and fear in prey species. Joel is also the John J. Craighead Chair in Wildlife Biology at the U of Montana.
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Joel Berger
Muskox Program Coordinator
Dr. Berger directs a number of projects for WCS; among these are the pronghorn migration corridor conservation project and the impact of energy development on wildlife projects in Greater Yellowstone, the impacts of climate change on musk ox in the Alaskan Arctic and the saiga antelope conservation project in Mongolia. Joel received his doctoral degree in biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and subsequently worked for the Smithsonian Institution for 7 years before becoming a tenured full professor at the University of Nevada, Reno (16 years). His current research focuses on the conservation of species and intact ecosystems. He has written 4 books on wild horses, rhinos, bison, and fear in prey species. Joel is also the John J. Craighead Chair in Wildlife Biology at the U of Montana.
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John Weaver
Senior Conservation Scientist
John Weaver is a carnivore conservation biologist for WCS based in Missoula, Montana with field programs in the western United States and Canada that are focused on large landscape conservation, wildlife connectivity and adaptation to climate change.
Over the past 25 years, John has played many key roles in large carnivore conservation in the United States and Canada. His dissertation research was on the ecology of wolf predation in the high-diversity ungulate environment of Jasper National Park, Alberta. John has held leadership positions with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on endangered species and has served on several recovery teams, including for both wolves and grizzly bears.
Over the years, he has perfected hair snaring techniques for lynx and bear surveys and invented a lynx lure that is now widely used. He has authored more than 20 scientific publications and served as a reviewer for five scientific journals. John has an academic appointment at the University of Montana. He is particularly interested in conservation strategies that address the resiliency mechanisms of vulnerable species.
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John Weaver
Senior Conservation Scientist
John Weaver is a carnivore conservation biologist for WCS based in Missoula, Montana with field programs in the western United States and Canada that are focused on large landscape conservation, wildlife connectivity and adaptation to climate change.
Over the past 25 years, John has played many key roles in large carnivore conservation in the United States and Canada. His dissertation research was on the ecology of wolf predation in the high-diversity ungulate environment of Jasper National Park, Alberta. John has held leadership positions with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on endangered species and has served on several recovery teams, including for both wolves and grizzly bears.
Over the years, he has perfected hair snaring techniques for lynx and bear surveys and invented a lynx lure that is now widely used. He has authored more than 20 scientific publications and served as a reviewer for five scientific journals. John has an academic appointment at the University of Montana. He is particularly interested in conservation strategies that address the resiliency mechanisms of vulnerable species.
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Jon Beckmann
Pronghorn Project Coordinator
As an Associate Conservation Scientist in the WCS North America Program, Jon is the Principle Investigator or Co-PI on several projects in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and in other regions of North America. Jon’s current research and conservation projects include: 1) examining the impacts of natural gas development in the Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming on the migrating pronghorn of Grand Teton National Park and western Wyoming; 2) protecting moose and elk migration between Yellowstone National Park and winter range in southeast Idaho by understanding and reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and limiting rural residential sprawl in migration corridors; 3) an on-going 15-year study investigating and reducing human-bear conflicts along the wildland-urban interface in the Lake Tahoe Basin of the Sierra Nevada Mountains; 4) using detection dogs to examine connectivity issues for large carnivores in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; 5) examining the impacts of the border fence along the US-Mexico border on wildlife connectivity; and 6) understanding how human-altered environments impact mountain lion ecology, behavior and population dynamics in the Great Basin Desert. Jon has studied a diverse array of species, ranging from black bears and mountain lions to pronghorn, small mammals, and shorebirds, addressing numerous conservation-oriented questions. His main interests are mammalian behavioral ecology, population ecology, and conservation biology. He is interested in the effects that anthropogenic factors have on the abundance, distribution, and behavior of mammals, particularly carnivores. Along with >20 publications, Jon is lead editor on a 2010 book titled Safe Passages: highways, wildlife and habitat connectivity. Jon has given over 25 scientific meeting presentations and over 30 invited university and professional training presentations. His research has been the subject of more than 60 radio, television, and newspaper articles, including NBC Nightly News, Discovery Channel, NY Times, LA Times, Newsweek, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal and articles run over the AP wire nationally and internationally. Jon has used his applied research to affect conservation through the public policy arena. For example, his published research on bears and public presentations at various county commissioner meetings in the Lake Tahoe basin in both CA and NV prompted new bear-proof dumpster laws and ordinances in several counties. Dr. Beckmann attended the University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) for his graduate education where he received his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. Jon was also nominated in 2004 by his peers for the Alan T. Waterman Award, the most prestigious award from NSF for scientists under the age of 35.
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Jon Beckmann
Pronghorn Project Coordinator
As an Associate Conservation Scientist in the WCS North America Program, Jon is the Principle Investigator or Co-PI on several projects in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and in other regions of North America. Jon’s current research and conservation projects include: 1) examining the impacts of natural gas development in the Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming on the migrating pronghorn of Grand Teton National Park and western Wyoming; 2) protecting moose and elk migration between Yellowstone National Park and winter range in southeast Idaho by understanding and reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and limiting rural residential sprawl in migration corridors; 3) an on-going 15-year study investigating and reducing human-bear conflicts along the wildland-urban interface in the Lake Tahoe Basin of the Sierra Nevada Mountains; 4) using detection dogs to examine connectivity issues for large carnivores in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; 5) examining the impacts of the border fence along the US-Mexico border on wildlife connectivity; and 6) understanding how human-altered environments impact mountain lion ecology, behavior and population dynamics in the Great Basin Desert. Jon has studied a diverse array of species, ranging from black bears and mountain lions to pronghorn, small mammals, and shorebirds, addressing numerous conservation-oriented questions. His main interests are mammalian behavioral ecology, population ecology, and conservation biology. He is interested in the effects that anthropogenic factors have on the abundance, distribution, and behavior of mammals, particularly carnivores. Along with >20 publications, Jon is lead editor on a 2010 book titled Safe Passages: highways, wildlife and habitat connectivity. Jon has given over 25 scientific meeting presentations and over 30 invited university and professional training presentations. His research has been the subject of more than 60 radio, television, and newspaper articles, including NBC Nightly News, Discovery Channel, NY Times, LA Times, Newsweek, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal and articles run over the AP wire nationally and internationally. Jon has used his applied research to affect conservation through the public policy arena. For example, his published research on bears and public presentations at various county commissioner meetings in the Lake Tahoe basin in both CA and NV prompted new bear-proof dumpster laws and ordinances in several counties. Dr. Beckmann attended the University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) for his graduate education where he received his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. Jon was also nominated in 2004 by his peers for the Alan T. Waterman Award, the most prestigious award from NSF for scientists under the age of 35.
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Leslie Karasin
Program Manager and Community Planning Project Coordinator
In her role as Program Manager, Leslie coordinates both programmatic and operational aspects of the Adirondack Program. She is currently focusing on applying her land use experience to community outreach projects promoting ecologically-sensitive development patterns. Named a Kinship Conservation Fellow in 2010, Leslie is also exploring opportunities for market-based tools to be used in funding regional carbon mitigation projects and implementing the Adirondack Climate Action Plan. Since joining the Wildlife Conservation Society in 2001, Leslie has worked collaboratively on a variety of research and community outreach projects, including development and implementation of a Local Waterfront Revitalization Strategy for the Towns of Clifton and Fine, black bear, Bicknell’s thrush, and all-terrain vehicle research, and a variety of initiatives to engage with local government officials on collaborative sustainable development projects. Prior to joining WCS, Leslie worked as an environmental consultant, taught at a community college, and worked as a backcountry environmental educator in the Adirondack High Peaks. After graduating from Wellesley College with a degree in math and economics, Leslie was awarded a Susan Rappaport Knafel Traveling Fellowship, during which she divided her time between hiking and volunteering with a variety of environmental organizations on four continents. In her community, Leslie chairs the Village planning board and serves on the Comprehensive Planning Committee, a multi-year volunteer effort. She also serves on the Boards of Northern New York Audubon and the New York Planning Federation.
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Leslie Karasin
Program Manager and Community Planning Project Coordinator
In her role as Program Manager, Leslie coordinates both programmatic and operational aspects of the Adirondack Program. She is currently focusing on applying her land use experience to community outreach projects promoting ecologically-sensitive development patterns. Named a Kinship Conservation Fellow in 2010, Leslie is also exploring opportunities for market-based tools to be used in funding regional carbon mitigation projects and implementing the Adirondack Climate Action Plan. Since joining the Wildlife Conservation Society in 2001, Leslie has worked collaboratively on a variety of research and community outreach projects, including development and implementation of a Local Waterfront Revitalization Strategy for the Towns of Clifton and Fine, black bear, Bicknell’s thrush, and all-terrain vehicle research, and a variety of initiatives to engage with local government officials on collaborative sustainable development projects. Prior to joining WCS, Leslie worked as an environmental consultant, taught at a community college, and worked as a backcountry environmental educator in the Adirondack High Peaks. After graduating from Wellesley College with a degree in math and economics, Leslie was awarded a Susan Rappaport Knafel Traveling Fellowship, during which she divided her time between hiking and volunteering with a variety of environmental organizations on four continents. In her community, Leslie chairs the Village planning board and serves on the Comprehensive Planning Committee, a multi-year volunteer effort. She also serves on the Boards of Northern New York Audubon and the New York Planning Federation.
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Michale Glennon
Adirondack Landscape Science Coordinator
As Science Coordinator for the Adirondack Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Michale serves a leading role in the ecological research conducted in the Adirondacks. Her research interests lie primarily at the intersection between land use management and ecological integrity, with a number of projects ranging from the impacts of low density, exurban development on wildlife to the potential changes to Adirondack lowland boreal communities resulting from climate change. Together with colleague Heidi Kretser, Michale has conducted a number of studies focused on exurban development in the Adirondacks in an effort to understand the specific impacts on avian communities, the area around residential homes in which wildlife communities are most strongly altered, the habitat characteristics and human activities associated with exurban development that most impact wildlife, and the characteristics of wildlife communities before and after residential development. She has also worked to predict changes in avian communities resulting from future development, and together with Heidi, has explored how wildlife communities react to residential development across widely differing ecosystems by examining these questions in both the Adirondack and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystems. She continues to expand upon this work to answer critical research questions for our region and to provide information from local research that can be used to inform land management and planning decisions. Michale joined WCS in 2003 after completing a Ph.D. at the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry where she explored the effects of land use management on bird and small mammal communities in the Adirondack Park. She was instrumental in the application of the Landscape Species Approach in the Adirondacks, applying the tools of the WCS Living Landscapes Program to provide site-based conservation priorities for the park based on a suite of landscape focal species. She has also worked on the potential impacts of ski area development on Bicknell’s thrush, a Neotropical migrant of high conservation priority in the east, and on a project to understand the rapidly expanding moose population in the Adirondacks and its relatedness to nearby populations in neighboring states and provinces. In addition to her exurban development work, Michale is currently working to understand the status and distribution of a suite of lowland boreal birds in the Adirondack Park and the potential impacts of climate change on these vulnerable species. Michale serves on the advisory board of the Shingle Shanty Preserve and Research Station, the Technical Advisory Committee for the Adirondack Park Agency, the Biodiversity Conservation Advisory Committee for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Forest and Land Management Task Force of the Adirondack Climate Action Plan, the Avian Taxonomic Working Group of the Adirondack All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, and the Paul Smiths College Fisheries and Wildlife Science Advisory Board.
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Michale Glennon
Adirondack Landscape Science Coordinator
As Science Coordinator for the Adirondack Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Michale serves a leading role in the ecological research conducted in the Adirondacks. Her research interests lie primarily at the intersection between land use management and ecological integrity, with a number of projects ranging from the impacts of low density, exurban development on wildlife to the potential changes to Adirondack lowland boreal communities resulting from climate change. Together with colleague Heidi Kretser, Michale has conducted a number of studies focused on exurban development in the Adirondacks in an effort to understand the specific impacts on avian communities, the area around residential homes in which wildlife communities are most strongly altered, the habitat characteristics and human activities associated with exurban development that most impact wildlife, and the characteristics of wildlife communities before and after residential development. She has also worked to predict changes in avian communities resulting from future development, and together with Heidi, has explored how wildlife communities react to residential development across widely differing ecosystems by examining these questions in both the Adirondack and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystems. She continues to expand upon this work to answer critical research questions for our region and to provide information from local research that can be used to inform land management and planning decisions. Michale joined WCS in 2003 after completing a Ph.D. at the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry where she explored the effects of land use management on bird and small mammal communities in the Adirondack Park. She was instrumental in the application of the Landscape Species Approach in the Adirondacks, applying the tools of the WCS Living Landscapes Program to provide site-based conservation priorities for the park based on a suite of landscape focal species. She has also worked on the potential impacts of ski area development on Bicknell’s thrush, a Neotropical migrant of high conservation priority in the east, and on a project to understand the rapidly expanding moose population in the Adirondacks and its relatedness to nearby populations in neighboring states and provinces. In addition to her exurban development work, Michale is currently working to understand the status and distribution of a suite of lowland boreal birds in the Adirondack Park and the potential impacts of climate change on these vulnerable species. Michale serves on the advisory board of the Shingle Shanty Preserve and Research Station, the Technical Advisory Committee for the Adirondack Park Agency, the Biodiversity Conservation Advisory Committee for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Forest and Land Management Task Force of the Adirondack Climate Action Plan, the Avian Taxonomic Working Group of the Adirondack All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, and the Paul Smiths College Fisheries and Wildlife Science Advisory Board.
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Quinn Shurtliff
Sagebrush Steppe Program Coordinator
Quinn is an Associate Conservation Scientist with responsibility of directing the Lost River Sinks program in southeast Idaho. Although the goal of this program is to conserve all species that rely on sagebrush habitat (which continues to be a threatened landscape), his current work focuses primarily on conservation planning for two highly sensitive species: greater sage-grouse and pygmy rabbit. Specifically, he is helping to draft a Conservation Candidate Agreement (CCA) for these two species between the Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on what may be the most pristine tract of sage-brush habitat remaining in North America, encompassed by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site. The CCA will be a major component of a broader Conservation Management Plan that will be developed to conserve multiple sagebrush obligate species on the INL Site while allowing DOE to continue its mission to develop and deliver cost-effective solutions to challenges in nuclear and other energy resources, national and homeland security, and environmental management. Quinn, who recently joined the WCS North America Program after completing a doctoral degree at Idaho State University, has 10 years experience working with small mammals in desert ecosystems from Mexico, California, Utah, and Idaho. His dissertation summarized research on behavioral, environmental and genetic mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of a hybrid zone between two woodrat (genus Neotoma) species in southern California. He has experience in a broad array of topics pertinent to conservation issues in western North America including mammal, bird, fish and amphibian ecology, wildfire and noxious weed management, wildlife research and monitoring, genetics, and conservation management. He serves as a technical advisor to the Idaho Sage-grouse Advisory Committee, and he actively participates in two sage-grouse local working groups.
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Quinn Shurtliff
Sagebrush Steppe Program Coordinator
Quinn is an Associate Conservation Scientist with responsibility of directing the Lost River Sinks program in southeast Idaho. Although the goal of this program is to conserve all species that rely on sagebrush habitat (which continues to be a threatened landscape), his current work focuses primarily on conservation planning for two highly sensitive species: greater sage-grouse and pygmy rabbit. Specifically, he is helping to draft a Conservation Candidate Agreement (CCA) for these two species between the Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on what may be the most pristine tract of sage-brush habitat remaining in North America, encompassed by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site. The CCA will be a major component of a broader Conservation Management Plan that will be developed to conserve multiple sagebrush obligate species on the INL Site while allowing DOE to continue its mission to develop and deliver cost-effective solutions to challenges in nuclear and other energy resources, national and homeland security, and environmental management. Quinn, who recently joined the WCS North America Program after completing a doctoral degree at Idaho State University, has 10 years experience working with small mammals in desert ecosystems from Mexico, California, Utah, and Idaho. His dissertation summarized research on behavioral, environmental and genetic mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of a hybrid zone between two woodrat (genus Neotoma) species in southern California. He has experience in a broad array of topics pertinent to conservation issues in western North America including mammal, bird, fish and amphibian ecology, wildfire and noxious weed management, wildlife research and monitoring, genetics, and conservation management. He serves as a technical advisor to the Idaho Sage-grouse Advisory Committee, and he actively participates in two sage-grouse local working groups.
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