Emily Price, PhD Graduate Student
Root Causes: USU Scientist Explores Tools for Carbon Accounting
Helga Van Miegroet, Professor
A Question of Balance: USU Researcher Edits Book on World's Rangelands
Johan du Toit, Department Head and Professor
Roadkill Threat: Utah Deer Herds Taking a Hit
Patty Cramer, Research Assistant Professor and John Bissonette, Professor
Herrod chooses science based on ideology
Tom Edwards, research ecologist and professor
A new book (article) edited by Fred Wagner is now out. “Climate Warming in Western North America: Evidence and Environmental Effects”, published by The University of Utah Press, has 10 chapters packed with information on evidence for climate warming (borehole temperatures, ice cores, flood-flow events, etc) as well as documented and predicted effects (variation in snowpack and spring runoff, shifts in agricultural productivity, forest insect outbreaks, etc) and impacts on biological systems in general across western North America, including Alaska. With numerous figures and illustrations, of which many are in color, this large-format book is very accessible and should be an extremely useful reference volume for anyone working in the terrestrial ecosystems of this region. Drop an e-mail to Fred Wagner fred.wagner@usu.edu to find out how to get your copy or go to the following web site: content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/results.php.
"Back on the range: Bighorn sheep get some help to survive on the Stansbury"
David Stoner, PhD graduate student
Major Professor: Mike Wolfe
Daniel Olson, PhD graduate student
Major Professor: John Bissonette
Leila Shultz has just published her monograph of Artemisia subgenus Tridentatae (Systematic Botany Monographs vol. 89, American Soc. of Plant Taxonomists, Oct. 2009). This is an impressive body of work on an especially important group of species in our part of the world. People working with sagebrush should refer to this definitive work.
Volume 89. Monograph of Artemisia Subgenus Tridentatae (Asteraceae–Anthemideae), Leila M. Shultz, 131 pp, color frontispiece, 19 Oct 2009. ISBN 978-0-912861-89-0. US orders: $20.00; non-US-orders: $25.00. [group offer] abstract [see: http://herbarium.lsa.umich.edu/SBMweb/index.html]
Order form:
http://herbarium.lsa.umich.edu/SBMweb/sbmordernv.html
"Animals Bells and their Story on Exhibit at USU Merrill-Cazier Library" article
Thad Box, Emeriti Professor Wildland Resources Department
Eric Gese together with his former grad student, Kim Murray Berger, and Karen Beard together with her former grad student, Hans Sin, were recognized by the National Wildlife Research Center (a branch of USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services) as the 2008 recipients of the NWRC Outstanding Research Publication Award. Two awards were presented in 2008 and we took them both. The papers are: "Indirect effects and traditional trophic cascades: a test involving wolves, coyotes, and pronghorns" by Kim Murray Berger, Eric M. Gese, and Joel Berger; published in Ecology" and "An invasive frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui, increases new leaf production and leaf litter decomposition rates through nutrient cycling in Hawaii" by Hans Sin, Karen H. Beard, and William C. Pitt; published in Biological Invasions.
Lise Aubry and Dave Koons have a new research paper out in Ecology, while Dave has another paper in Oikos and a letter in PNAS.
Johan du Toit has (just about) completed editing a new book coming out soon entitled "Wild Rangelands: Conserving Wildlife While Maintaining Livestock in Semi-Arid Ecosystems", edited by Johan du Toit, Richard Kock (Zoological Society of London) and James Deutsch (Wildlife Conservation Society, New York) and published by Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford. Details are at: Wiley Blackwell.
Eugene Schupp's class on Spanish Tapas taught at Kitchen Kneads was sold out with a waiting list.
"Go in that Direction" -- USU Team Heads to Mozambique
Johan du Toit, Department Head Wildland Resources Department
Trained sheep offer vineyard benefits
Fred Provenza, Professor Wildland Resources Department
Preservation group advocating for old trees
Mike Kuhns, Professor Wildland Resources Department
USFS Scientist at USU Edits New Book on Bark Beetle Outbreaks
Barbara Bentz, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Wildland Resources
USU Researcher Edits New Book on Climate Warming
Frederic Wagner, Emeritus Professor Wildland Resources Department
Science Goes Wild -- Utah State University--Uintah Basin has a comprehensive Wildlife Science program with bright prospects for the future
Rich Etchberger, Associate Professor Wildland Resources Department
Congratulations to Jeff Burnham -- CNR's Employee of the Year. Jeff is a Professional Employee paid through the Ecology Center and has been a Research Associate running Eugene Schupp's large-scale restoration ecology projects since 2004. Presently, he is managing a long-term project (SageSTEP) funded at more than $1 million. At the same time he is responsible for the maintenance and functioning of the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station facilities in Tintic Valley near Eureka, UT and Jeff is doing all of this while pursuing his M.S. in Ecology!
Hillary White, MS Graduate Student
Major professor: John Bissonette
Wildland Resources Professor Receives Outstanding Service Award
Doug Ramsey, Professor Wildland Resources Department
Congratulations to Mary Conner, who was recognized last week at the Berryman Institute's reception at the annual conference of The Wildlife Society, in Miami. Mary was selected from all researchers working on topics related to human-wildlife conflict in the USA, and her nomination rose to the top after deliberations with our colleagues at the BI's eastern unit at Mississippi State University. Mary received the award for
Research
-- for the creation of new knowledge. This was for her lead role in a landmark research project (funded by the BI) just published on "Evaluating coyote management strategies using a spatially explicit, individual-based, socially structured population model" (Conner, Ebinger and Knowlton, 2008,
Ecological Modelling
, doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2008.09.08).
Alligator Hunts Raise Questions in South's Swamps
Michael Conover, Professor Wildland Resources Department
Jer Pin Chong named Diversity Award Recipient
Scientists Gather at USU to Discuss Aspen Decline
Trees Dying Off in Unprecedented Numbers
Fred Provenza, Professor Wildland Resources Department
Cougar Population Rebounding After Hunting Reduced
Michael Wolfe, Professor Wildland Resources Department
A Fighting Chance for Antelope Island's Bighorn Sheep
Amanda Murray -- S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney PhD Fellowship recipient, Wildland Resources Department
Major professor: Johan du Toit
Mike Conover (Professor, Wildland Resources Department) has been selected as the CNR Researcher of the Year. Mike's years of research have contributed significantly to a better understanding of wildlife management, particularly of the conflicts that arise as human activities expand into the habitat of native wildlife. He has mentored many successful students, published multiple peer-reviewed journal articles with these students and has published three books since 2002. He has now been nominated for the USU Researcher of the Year Award, which recognizes excellence in research, scholarship, or creative activity over the past three to five years.
Fred Provenza (Professor, Wildland Resources Department) has been selected as the 2008 recipient of the D. Wynne Thorne Career Research Award. Fred’s selection for USU’s top research award was based on a review by a committee of former recipients and also involved peer review by international specialists. This award recognizes outstanding achievements over a researcher’s entire career to date. It formally recognizes Fred for his prominence in his research field and for enhancing Utah State University’s reputation in the international research community.
USU Wildlife Ecologist Receives Award of Excellence
Michael Wolfe, Professor Wildland Resources Department
Karen Mock has been selected as the 2007-08 CNR Undergraduate Research Mentor. Since coming to USU, she has mentored 7 undergraduate students in her laboratory, providing them with invaluable experience in the generation and application of genetic data for a variety of applications. Five of these students have gone on to graduate school. Her nomination has now gone forward to the USU Research Office for the university-wide competition.
Mike Kuhns won the “Overall Specialist Award” from the Extension Specialist Association for 2007-08. It is in recognition of being an overall great Extension specialist.
Terry Messmer has been selected by the School of Graduate Studies to receive the 2007-08 University Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award. The award will be presented to Terry at the USU hooding and graduation ceremony for Masters and Doctoral candidates on 2 May.
Mike Conover has been selected as a Fellow of The Wildlife Society. The honor will be officially bestowed upon him in November at the 2008 annual conference of The Wildlife Society in Miami.
ABC 4 Investigation: Cougar sightings and what to do
Michael Wolfe, Professor Wildland Resources Department and David Stoner, Graduate Student
Research May Have Found new Mussel Genus
Karen Mock, Associate Professor Wildland Resources Department
Predators, humans sharing habitats a volatile mix
Mike Conover, Professor Wildland Resources Department
When Neighboring Worlds Collide
John Shivik, Associate Professor (USDA National Wildlife Research Center, Predator Ecology)
Range Conservation a Step at a Time
Gene Schupp, Associate Professor Wildland Resources Department and Beth Fowers, Undergraduate Student
More to Tracing Aspens' Family Tree than Meets the Eye
Karen Mock and Ron Ryel, Associate Professors Wildland Resources Department
Behave and Eat Your Veggies -- and Forage
Fred Provenza, Professor Wildland Resources Department
John Bissonette, Professor (Leader, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Landscape Rcology, Terrestrial Vertebrate Ecology) and Patty Cramer, Research Assistant Professor Wildland Resources Department
Experts Tell State Panel Global Warming is Occurring
Fred Wagner, Emeritus Professor Wildland Resources Department
Turkey CSI: USU Lab's DNA Analysis Nabs Poacher
Karen Mock, Associate Professor Wildland Resources Department
USU Wildlands Expert is Wildly Unusual "Rebel"
Fred Provenza, Professor Wildland Resources Department
Phenomenon: Wildlife Crossings
Patricia Cramer, Research Assistant Professor Wildland Resources Department
Fred Wagner (Emeritus Professor Wildland Resources Department) has been selected by the Wildlife Publications Awards Committee of The Wildlife Society to receive the 2008 Wildlife Publications Award – Outstanding Book Category for his book “Yellowstone’s Destabilized Ecosystem: Elk Effects, Science, and Policy Conflict" (Oxford University Press, 2006). Fred will receive this award in November at the awards ceremony of the TWS 15th Annual Conference in Miami, Florida.
