Doctoral Research
I am currently a doctoral candidate in the Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology program through the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science at the University of Nevada, Reno. With my studies, I get to spend many months of the year exploring the vast wilderness of northern Nevada and the Great Basin all the way from Sheldon National Antelope Refuge to Great Basin National Park.
The Project
As part of a coordinated effort for managing Greater sage-grouse habitat, thousands of acres of pinyon and juniper woodlands (PJ) have been targeted for removal on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). These efforts provide a unique opportunity to study the biodiversity impacts of PJ removal across the Great Basin. Little is known about the habitat use and disturbance tolerance of vertebrate predators of insects in the Great Basin so this sets the stage for new discoveries about a wide range of fauna - bats, reptiles, small mammals, song birds, and terrestrial invertebrates. The below methods will allow us to quantify how PJ woodland removal alters vegetation community structure and how such shifts potentially cascade through insect and small vertebrate communities at small to large spatial scales.
The Taxa
Use the below links learn more about the individual methods and theory behind each of the different communities we are monitoring currently.
Join the Project
If you are interested in joining this project please see our current opportunities and then email me directly with additional questions.
The Project
As part of a coordinated effort for managing Greater sage-grouse habitat, thousands of acres of pinyon and juniper woodlands (PJ) have been targeted for removal on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). These efforts provide a unique opportunity to study the biodiversity impacts of PJ removal across the Great Basin. Little is known about the habitat use and disturbance tolerance of vertebrate predators of insects in the Great Basin so this sets the stage for new discoveries about a wide range of fauna - bats, reptiles, small mammals, song birds, and terrestrial invertebrates. The below methods will allow us to quantify how PJ woodland removal alters vegetation community structure and how such shifts potentially cascade through insect and small vertebrate communities at small to large spatial scales.
The Taxa
Use the below links learn more about the individual methods and theory behind each of the different communities we are monitoring currently.
Join the Project
If you are interested in joining this project please see our current opportunities and then email me directly with additional questions.
Graduate Renewable Energy Certificate
In addition to my doctoral studies, I am enrolled in the College of Engineering Graduate Renewable Energy Certificate program at the University of Nevada, Reno. With this knowledge I wish to challenge myself in another field, while still having relevance to creating a more sustainable future. Here is some more information on this curriculum: https://www.unr.edu/degrees/renewable-energy/certificate#Overview
Funding
This research project is made possible by funding and support from multiple grants through the Great Basin Land Cooperative, WAFWA, the Bureau of Land Management, and all of our support at the University of Nevada, Reno.
