Advancing research and conservation of mobile species
PROJECTS
COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR: SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS OF ANIMAL AGGREGATION
Animal aggregations are common in nature and directly impact important biological processes like nutrient cycles, predator-prey interactions, and fire regimes. My research uses high resolution satellites to image expansive herds of migratory wildebeest and better understand the social and environmental drivers of these impressive formations.
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Project funded by: National Science Foundation
Imagery provided by: Digital Globe Foundation
ANIMAL MOVEMENT: MANAGING ELK AT THE WILDLAND-RANGELAND INTERFACE
Mobile species connect ecological communities and cross geopolitical boundaries. This conundrum presents unique challenges, but also exciting opportunities to ask novel research questions and find creative conservation solutions. I work with partners at the University of Nevada, Reno and the US National Park Service to study the movement and behavior of threatened tule elk in northern California. We use data from GPS collars and high resolution satellite images to re-create historic environmental conditions and better understand how elk and livestock interact in a changing environment.
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Project funded by: US National Park Service
NEW CONSERVATION TOOLS: AERIAL WILDLIFE MONITORING
I am working with partners at the University of Glasgow and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute to adapt low-cost aerial imaging platforms (e.g. UAVs and aerostats) to monitor the behavior and movements of wildlife in remote locations.
