Welcome!
I recently received my Ph.D. from the University of Colorado's Department
of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I was a member of Andrew Martin's lab,
a
Mecca of population, conservation & evolutionary genetics. I
am currently working as a post-doctoral research ecologist for the US
Geological Survey at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel,
MD. My work is in Adaptive Management and Structured Decision
Making for natural resource management. One day soon I'll put up
some new pages or links to my current research activities...
About Me:
I received my M.S. in Conservation
Biology & Ecology
from the University of
Minnesota, evaluating several harvest index methods to monitor
subsistence hunting in central African forests. My current study
focuses on integrating field-based research and laboratory tools to
improve the management of wildlife resources in tropical forests. I am
investigating the ecology, dynamics, and spatial genetic structure of
African dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) populations in Loango
National Park, Republic of Gabon. I combine
capture-mark-recapture,
radio telemetry and molecular data to estimate dispersal rates and
evaluate landscape features that promote or restrict crocodile
movement.
I have also designed a long-term monitoring program in the Lac Tele Community Reserve, northern Republic of Congo, to quantify subsistence and commercial harvesting of fish, crocodiles (Osteolaemus osborni) and other wildlife. I will apply crocodile harvest-rate data to population growth models to evaluate the effect of hunting on population age structure and persistence. I will compare spatial structure and dispersal rates to traditional harvest catchment zones to predict source-sink dynamics between hunted and non-hunted populations. These data will be used to develop techniques for improved spatial management of this important wildlife resource.
