People

Human activities are causing species extinctions, extensive loss of habitats, damage to existing wild areas, and global-scale climate changes that are altering the distribution, abundance, and survival of many species.

As a conservation biologist, my primary activities are focused on the management of habitats and species interactions to protect species from going extinct. I am particularly interested in understanding populations at the periphery of species’ ranges. The majority of my field-based research projects examine terrestrial vertebrates in western montane forests (e.g. Rockies, Cascades, and other mountain chains) and the sage-steppe habitats within the Okanagan region of B.C. For example, I have long-term research projects on snowshoe hares, the principal prey of the threatened Canada lynx, in the western U.S., in several regions where these species are in marginal peripheral habitats. Research projects by people in my lab group often require demographic, behavioural, genetic, or GIS tools to examine how species respond to different habitat types and landscape patterns. Other projects address the scientific effectiveness of conservation laws and policies, particularly the critical habitat provisions of the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Canadian Species at Risk Act.