College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Major Advisor:

Brett DeGregorio

Biography:

I am an ecologist at Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI). At MNFI since 2017, my work focuses on the estimation of animal population abundance and occupancy, particularly how landscape metrics shape animal distribution. I also delineate and classify land cover using GIS and field inventories to document landscape features, rare species, and high-quality natural communities throughout Michigan. I received my B.S. in Natural Resources at Central Michigan University and my M.S. in Wildlife Ecology at Mississippi State University where I wrote my thesis on the distribution and abundance of black bears in Missouri using genetic spatial capture-recapture methods. I am interested in the application of emerging technologies and statistical methods to efficiently estimate population parameters for wildlife conservation and management decision-making. As a Ph.D. student in the Michigan Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, my research will focus on plant and animal community responses to prescribed fire and mechanical treatments in upland oak ecosystems in southern Michigan.