HSU Wildlife Professor named
‘Scholar of the Year’
Dr. T. Luke George, chairman of the Wildlife Department, has been named 
research he and his students have conducted
on the effects of forest management on bird and mammal populations, and the
ecological interactions among wildlife and their environment. Dr. George and
his students have been examining the effects of habitat fragmentation on birds
in coast redwood forest since 1994. Results of his research have been published
widely in prestigious journals, including the most recent volume of Studies in
Avian Biology, which Dr. George co-edited. The volume represents the first
comprehensive review of the effects of habitat fragmentation on bird
populations in the western
Increased knowledge of how birds, mammals, insects, and vegetation interact
will help forest managers to develop improved techniques that allow both
harvesting of trees and maintenance of viable wildlife populations, according
to Dr. George. “My research focuses on understanding connections, and using
that knowledge to help us restore and conserve our natural environment,” he
says. In collaboration with scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society
and the United States Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, he
also has been looking into approaches to restore ponderosa pine forests to their
historic conditions. Use of new technologies such as miniature video cameras
and radio labeling of ponderosa pine seeds is advancing that research.
Dr. George has been instrumental in launching the careers of more than one
promising scientist. All of his former graduate students are either working in
natural resource management positions, or are in Ph.D. programs. Currently, he
and his graduate student Becky Pierce-Rall are
attempting to identify the nest predators of Swainson’s
Thrushes. Ms. Pierce-Rall was awarded a Switzer
Fellowship in 2002, in recognition of her contributions to identifying and
finding solutions to environmental problems. The annual awards are given to
only 20 graduate students nationwide who demonstrate exceptional promise in the
environmental sciences.
A member of HSU’s faculty since 1991, Dr. George
has taught ornithology, conservation biology, and wildlife conservation and
administration. He earned his Ph.D. in biology in 1987 from the
On September 18, at
Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Wildlife Ecology Seminars Trust
account, designated to enhance Dr. George’s research.