Leigh J. Marshall, 2021

Thesis:

Recreation, vegetation management, and disease impact sympatric carnivore activity in California's East Bay parks

Leigh used camera traps to survey urban parkland in California’s East Bay Area for mammalian carnivore presence to investigate the potentially additive effects of development, non-consumptive recreation, and invasive vegetation management on spatiotemporal dimensions of carnivore habitat use, apparent disease prevalence, and intraguild competition.

Travis Farwell, 2022

Thesis:

Geographic and seasonal variation of flying squirrel vocalizations in California

ABSTRACT: Advancements in bioacoustics field studies have further elucidated spatial, temporal, and behavioral aspects of otherwise-cryptic species, as well as offering insights into species communication. The discovery of high-frequency vocalizations in North American flying squirrels in particular has allowed researchers to use ultrasonic acoustic recorders to detect these cryptic species in the wild. Investigations into vocalizations of northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and southern flying squirrels (G. volans) have highlighted call type variation between species and the potential use of recorders as a tool to examine vocal activity patterns. However, high-frequency vocalizations had yet to be quantitatively analyzed for the recently discovered Humboldt’s flying squirrel (G. oregonensis). Using ultrasonic acoustic recorders, I recorded flying squirrels in Humboldt and San Bernardino counties, California to: 1) measure and compare call properties and call types of Humboldt’s flying squirrels and the San Bernardino subspecies (G. o. californicus) and test for geographic variation, 2) determine the extent of seasonal variation that exists between call type rates, and 3) test for seasonal differences in their nightly vocal activity patterns within and between counties. I hypothesized that variation in call properties may exist between Humboldt’s flying squirrel and the San Bernardino subspecies, and that nightly call rates and vocal activity patterns would differ between summer and winter. I collected over 27,000 calls from 2018-2021 from different areas in Humboldt and San Bernardino counties and identified four previously described call types in flying squirrels: arcs, upsweeps, chirps, and trills. I found significant geographic variation in arc and trill call types when comparing call properties between counties, but these call properties were not significantly different across areas within each county. Additionally, I found that vocal activity patterns were similar between seasons within each county as well as between counties, but I found significant differences in the timing of call types across seasons within both counties. I also demonstrate the usefulness of ultrasonic recorders as a minimally-invasive tool for surveying for flying squirrels and their potential for assisting in future investigations into the behavior, ecology, and conservation of these enigmatic, forest-dwelling species.

Trinity Smith, 2019

Thesis:

Elucidating Patterns of Bat Species Occupancy Across a Disturbed Landscape in California’s Central Valley

Molly Parren, 2019

Thesis:

Drought and Coyotes Mediate the Relationship Between Mesopredators and Human Disturbance in California

Molly used camera trap data collected at 585 sites in 2016 (drought) and 2017 (post-drought) in both the Central Valley and Mojave Desert of California for her thesis. She examined how drought and co-occurrence with coyotes (Canis latrans) mediate spatial patterns of mesopredator occurrence across a continuum of human disturbance levels in the Central Valley and Mojave Desert of California. Following graduate school, Molly moved back to the East Coast where she is currently a research associate at the American Turtle Observatory working on regional conservation plans for several freshwater turtle species.

Janelle Chojnacki, 2024

Thesis:

Common Raven Resource Selection, Diet and Behavior around a Threatened Shorebird

Leah Temple Roll,

Thesis:

Common Raven Abundance in Gunnison Sage Grouse Habitat

Hello! I am from the Western Slope of Colorado, although I have lived all over the West while growing up. Thanks to my parents, my love of science was nurtured from a very young age with nature hikes while camping and experiments at home. I received a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Colorado Mesa University. Since then, I have worked and volunteered all over Colorado on wildlife studies. I started my fieldwork career working for the state’s wildlife agency (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) on multiple management projects and studies focusing on fish, mule deer, elk, desert and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, and mountain lion. I most recently worked for the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado monitoring species of special interest, including nesting raptors and Gunnison sage grouse. I am excited to be a student again and conducting my own study on raven abundance in Gunnison sage grouse habitat! I hope to learn skills that will be applicable in whatever I choose to study next, as I find nearly every aspect of the wildlife science discipline fascinating. When I’m not in the field for work, I am generally outdoors exploring with my husband and our two dogs. We can often be found rafting, camping, and hiking the rivers, canyons, and mountains of the Colorado Plateau. I look forward to experiencing northern California and all it has to offer throughout grad school and might get used to the climate… eventually.

Ryan Matilton,

Thesis:

Bat Diversity on the Klamath River

Evan Burnett, 2024

Thesis:

Examining the drivers of nocturnal behavior of pikas at lower elevations in Lassen National Forest, California

Tina Giudici, 2024

Thesis:

Composition, spatial co-occurrence, and temporal overlap of small mammal species at American pika (Ochotona princeps) activity centers

Chris West, 2009

Thesis:

Vigilance in reintroduced California condors: the impact of early-rearing experience. 

Wildlife Biologist, Yurok Tribe, Klamath, CA