Kacie Flynn, CRA

Associate Vice President for Research

Executive Director

Danial Nayeri, 2023

Thesis:

Using Landscape Dynamic Simulations to Model Mexican Spotted Owl’s Habitat and Connectivity Response to Future Fire Regimes and Climate Change Scenarios

Danial has joined Wan lab in Fall 2021 as a graduate student. He is building ensemble multi-scale habitat suitability modelsfor Mexican spotted owls in Canyonlands. Understanding the process of habitat selection of Mexican spotted owls in canyonlands and comparing it with their habitat selection process in forests will help inform effective land management decisions and conservation actions for this threatened subspecies. He also works on human-wildlife conflict and large carnivore ecology.

Rebeca Becdach, 2025

Thesis:

Understanding wildlife habitat in tropical mountain cloud forests in Panama using landscape ecological models.

Rebeca is working on landscape ecological models to understand wildlife habitat in tropical mountain cloud forests inPanama, with a specific focus on big cats and their prey.

Brittany Welch, 2024

Thesis:

Post-fire vegetation and pyrodiversity influence breeding abundances of Lewis's woodpeckers in the eastern Cascades, Oregon

Logan Hysen, 2023

Thesis:

Using multiscale ensemble habitat models to identify wildfire risk to habitat for an iconic forest species

I am a landscape ecologist interested in asking questions at the intersection of wildlife, humans,
and the environment. I am especially interested in understanding how landscape disturbances,
which are often caused or exacerbated by humans, affect wildlife habitat and their ability to
move across the landscape at various spatial and temporal scales. For my thesis, I am building
multi-scale habitat models to understand how northern spotted owls select habitat in
northwestern California and where they are at the most risk from wildfire.

Breana Hernandez,

Thesis:

Wetland biodiversity surveyed via eDNA

Ashley Hansen, 2022

Thesis:

Use of an avian predator as a biological control agent in agricultural systems: Do barn owls (Tyto alba) impact rodent abundance in a vineyard setting?

Ashley studied how barn owls impact rodent populations within Napa Valley vineyards. Over the barn owl breeding season, she compared rodent populations and their activity in vineyards with and without barn owl boxes. She found that the presence of barn owl nest boxes significantly reduced gopher activity! Her research advanced our understanding of using barn owls as a method of pest control and helped establish that barn owls attracted to nest boxes in winegrape vineyards can meaningfully suppress the number of rodent pests. After graduating, Ash went on to work in the Alumni Office for Cal Poly Humboldt

Fatime Jomaa, 2025

Thesis:

The use of social information for prospecting and nest site selection by Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana)

Fatime will be examining methods that may accelerate songbird nest box occupancy in agricultural systems. She will investigate whether prospecting Western Bluebirds use social information to select nest sites in Napa Valley vineyards by broadcasting signals that simulate conspecific presence and reproductive success in newly deployed nest boxes. By manipulating cues indicative of ideal breeding habitat, their effects on nest site selection can be used to inform management strategies in vineyard systems that seek to attract these birds for the ecosystem services they may provide.