Welcome!​

 

I think a lot about landscapes.  Quantitatively, my work includes estimation of demographic parameters (survival, productivity, movement rates) to assess population growth or evaluate habitat effects on populations. I have written a free book on these techniques, and I have used a variety of techniques (telemetry, stable isotopes, etc.) to gather data to document and study movements of wild animals.  

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Much of my research involves the consideration of decision-making processes--either providing data to support management decisions or investigating how to make better decisions as we manage wildlife and habitats.  And, I like to think about how to teach decision-making to students. I feel so strongly about decision-making that I incorporated it into an introductory textbook for fisheries and wildlife management.

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Recently, I have become interested in the history of our landscapes in the Great Plains.  How have policy decisions (Farm Bill, grain exports, Dust Bowl recovery) affected the landscapes?  How do our present-day landscapes reflect the effects of important milestones through history--such as Native American settlement, European settlement, the advent of synthesized nitrogen fertilizers, and mechanization of farming. My book, Great Plains Birds, explores these topics for the public.

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During my career at Nebraska, I have taken two sabbaticals: one for a year through the Fulbright Scholars program to Namibia to teach at Polytechnic University of Namibia (now, Namibia University of Science and Technology) and a second for six months in the UK to work with the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. My international work includes teaching graduate courses in Thailand and working with colleagues to develop curriculum for Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture. I am incredibly proud of our work to create this new institute for experiential education in Rwanda!

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I also like to take photographs and write about life, in non-scientific formats. Sometimes a poetry book erupts.

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In January 2020, I moved half of my appointment to an Associate Dean position in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, where I have an emphasis in experiential education. I work to train faculty and facilitate new opportunities for students in our College. Because of this, my research lab is smaller than in the past and my teaching load is also smaller.

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Education

B.S., Biology, Graceland University 1990

M.S., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Iowa State University 1992

Ph.D., Ecology, University of Georgia 1998

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Prior Positions

Director, Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (0.1 FTE, 2011-2019)

Interim Associate Director, School of Natural Resources (0.5 FTE, 2012-2013)

Interim Associate Dean, Agricultural Research Division, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (0.5 FTE, 2011-2012)

Associate Professor, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2005-2010)

Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2001-2005)

Vertebrate Ecologist (Assistant Professor), University of Dubuque (1998-2001)

Postdoctoral research associate, University of Georgia (1998)

Graduate research assistant, University of Georgia (1993-1998)

Graduate research assistant, Iowa State University (1990-1992).