COLLABORATORS
Dr. Taza Schaming ([email protected]), Wildlife Ecologist at Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative and Research Associate at Central Washington University, has been investigating the impact of the decline of whitebark pine on Clark's nutcrackers, studying the stability and resilience of the Clark’s nutcracker-whitebark pine mutualism, to help ensure persistence of these species and the nutcracker’s seed dispersal function. Since 2009, she has worked in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, trapping, surveying, radio-tracking, satellite-tracking, and monitoring nests, to study movement and long distance emigration patterns, habitat use and selection, reproductive success and social behavior. In 2018, she expanded into Washington’s Cascades, where she is satellite-tagging nutcrackers and monitoring nutcracker occurrence with passive acoustic recorders. Her ultimate goal is to determine which management actions will increase the persistence of nutcrackers throughout their range. She is carrying out this research as a long-term study.
Dr. Teresa Lorenz, Research Wildlife Biologist, recent post-doctoral associate with USFS PNW Research Station, is focused on animal behavior, community interactions, and applying behavioral ecology to problems in conservation and management. She is a co-PI on the Washington nutcracker satellite-tracking and acoustic monitoring research.
Dr. Alison Scoville, Associate Professor at Central Washington University, is a co-PI on the Washington acoustic monitoring research. She is the primary mentor of the undergraduate students.
Dr. Jason Ransom, Wildlife Biologist with the National Park Service and US Geological Survey, studying a range of taxa from birds to large mammals, and Affiliate Faculty at Colorado State University, where he received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Ecology. His research approach focuses on confronting ecological models with empirical data to gain insight into theoretical science while giving substantive applied science support to conservation and management action. Jason is a collaborator on the nutcracker satellite-tracking project.
Anya Tyson, M.S., Sage-steppe Conservation Specialist at The Nature Conservancy, Bend, Oregon. As a graduate student, Anya launched the citizen science Clark’s Nutcracker Project, leveraging the efforts of hundreds of hikers to research and protect the imperiled whitebark pine and its mutualistic partner, the Clark's nutcracker. Prior to the citizen science effort, Anya had worked with Taza, radio-tracking and surveying nutcrackers in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Photo: Taza Schaming
