Wildlife Ecology Research

Ecology (from Greek, oikos, “household; and logos, “knowledge”): is the scientific study of the distribution and abundance

of living organisms and the interactions between organisms and their environment. The environment of an organism can defined by its physical

parameters, such as sunlight, geology, and climate, as well as biotic factors, which are the plethora of organisms that share its habitat.

Heading on the right track:

My decision to become a wildlife ecologist began when I first discovered there was such a field. Ecology is such a broad science that it incorporates all of life as well as the environment. In hindsight it is stupefying that I never had a high school class that even broached the subject. There was the mandatory biology class, but it focused almost exclusively on the cellular level. Coming out of high school I had very little understanding of ecology. What I did have was a vague interest in biological systems. One fortunate day I was working on a computer at the University of Massachusetts when the owner got a phone call. Five minutes into the conversation about African elephants and mopani trees I knew I had to ask this man what department he worked for. Dr. Curtice Griffin, later a mentor for me during my undergraduate years turned to me and said, Wildlife Conservation.

Working:

Even during school I had an itch to get out there and start working in the field. My first wildlife gig was working for a graduate student of Dr. Todd Fuller’s on a Opossum habitat-use study, in and around Amherst, Ma. At least one night a week I would drive around town locating radio-collared opossum’s via radio telemetry and triangulation. Each summer during my 4 years as an undergraduate I made sure that I had an internship lined up. It was during this time that I worked for the Texas Snow Monkey Sanctuary, studied in South Africa, interned in Quissama National Park, Angola, and worked in the Timbavati Nature Reserve, South Africa. Upon graduating from the University of Massachusetts with a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation I immediately started on to a road that led me from one research project to the next. This road ran from January 2004 to the summer of 2007. In this time I worked on 7 different research projects, all of which helped me gain an understanding of ecological systems, sampling design, and logistical implementation.

Currently: I am in the midst of starting my graduate work on Fossa Ecology, under the tutelage of Dr. Sarah Karpanty.

Virginia Barrier Islands Shorebird Technician

May – August 2007 - Virginia Tech - Wachapreague, VA

Snowshoe Hare Field Crew Leader

January 2007 – Current - Colorado Division of Wildlife - Gunnison, CO

July 2006 – September 2006 (Field Technician)

Wildlife Researcher: Khlong Kru Wai Wildlife Sanctuary

December 2005 – February, 2006 - Thai Society for the Conservation of Wild Animals - Chantaburi, Thailand

Wind Power Avian/Bat Migration Technician

April 2005 - October 2005 - Woodlot Alternatives, Inc. – Topsham, ME

Canid Ecology Research Technician

Nov 2004 – March 2005 - Yellowstone Ecological Research Center - Cooke City, MT