Joseph Clark, Ph.D.
Biography
Education
Ph.D. (Zoology), 1991, University of Arkansas
M.S. (Wildlife Biology), 1982, University of Georgia
B.S. (Wildlife Biology), 1980, University of Georgia
Research Interst
Dr. Joseph D. Clark is Branch Chief of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Southern Appalachian Field Branch, located at the University of Tennessee, where he conducts hypothesis-driven environmental research focusing on Department of Interior issues in the southern Appalachians and elsewhere. Dr. Clark holds an Adjunct Professor appointment in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries. Dr. Clark is a wildlife biologist and specializes in carnivore ecology, population dynamics, and habitat modeling. Dr. Clark served for 9 years as a Research Biologist and Assistant Chief with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. As such, Dr. Clark has a unique perspective of wildlife resource management from both the practical as well as academic side. Dr. Clark has studied population dynamics of black bears in the Interior Highlands of Arkansas, at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, in the Mobile Basin of Alabama, White River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas, and throughout Louisiana; has evaluated the effects of public use (i.e., deer hunting) on Florida panthers ecology and management in south Florida; has developed methods for black bear reintroduction in Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Arkansas; has performed a demographic analysis of a reintroduced elk herd at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina; and has studied muskrat and river otter ecology at Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. Current projects include a population viability assessment for the threatened Louisiana black bear, a nuisance bear study and a feral hog study in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and a statewide mark-recapture bear population estimate for Florida.
Science and Products
NOROCK Large Carnivore Research Program
NOROCK has substantial expertise in large carnivore research, primarily involving species listed as Threatened or Endangered. NOROCK’s Large Carnivore Research Program includes scientists from NOROCK’s Headquarters, West Glacier Field Station, and the Southern Appalachian Field Station. Studies are conducted in a wide variety of landscapes throughout the U.S., as well as international...
Seasonal Movement of Wild Hogs in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The wild hog (Sus scrofa) is an exotic invasive species that significantly impacts native resources and their populations are expanding significantly throughout the United States. In addition, wild hogs are likely contributing to the spread of disease such as pseudorabies. National Park Service units in the Southeast that have populations of exotic wild hogs include Big South Fork National...
Joe Clark's Research
This is a summary of the research focus for Dr. Joe Clark.
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
American black bears (Ursus americanus) are endemic to North America, having speciated from other ursids some 1.2 to 1.8 million years ago (Kurtn & Anderson 1994). During that time, black bears came to occupy nearly all of the forested areas of the North American continent. Historically, black bears were one of the most important mammals to...
Clark, Joseph D.; Beckmann, Jon P.; Boyce, Mark S.; Leopold, Bruce D; Pelton, Michael R. Spatial ecology and resource selection of eastern box turtles
Eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) are widely distributed throughout the eastern United States. Although once common throughout much of its distribution, the species has experienced declines in local populations. Understanding resource selection is important for the conservation of this species; however, few data exist on resource...
Harris, Katie A; Clark, Joseph D.; Elmore, R. Dwayne; Harper, Craig A. Direct and indirect effects of fire on eastern box turtles
Prescribed fire is an increasingly important management tool for eastern deciduous forests, but relativity little is known about the direct effects of fire on the eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina). We used very high frequency (VHF) transmitters to monitor mortality, movement, and spatial ecology of 118 box turtles in response to 17...
Harris, K.; Clark, Joseph D.; Elmore, R.; Harper, C.A. Black bear movement and food conditioning in an exurban landscape
Conflicts between humans and wildlife have become increasingly important challenges for resource managers along the urban‐wildland interface. Food conditioning (i.e., reliance by an animal on anthropogenic foods) of American black bears (Ursus americanus ) is related to conflict behavior (i.e., being bold or aggressive toward humans, consuming...
Braunstein, Jessica; Clark, Joseph D.; Williamson, Ryan H; Stiver, William H Survival and conflict behavior of American black bears after rehabilitation
Wildlife agencies face difficult situations when orphaned or injured American black bear (Ursus americanus ) cubs (<12 months old) or yearlings (≥12 and <24 months old) are captured. One option is bear rehabilitation, the care and feeding of cubs or yearlings in a semi‐natural environment, followed by release. Unfortunately, the...
Blair, Coy D; Muller, Lisa I; Clark, Joseph D.; Stiver, William H Applying spatially explicit capture–recapture models to estimate black bear density in South Carolina
Population density is an important component of wildlife management decisions, but can be difficult to estimate directly for an itinerant, wide‐ranging species such as the American black bear (Ursus americanus ). In South Carolina, USA, where there has been growth in black bear populations and bear–human‐conflict reports during the past...
Azad, Shefali; McFadden, Katherine; Clark, Joseph D.; Wactor, Tammy; Jachowski, David S. Restoring a forest icon: Could returning the American chestnut remodel our wildlife landscape?
Mother Nature was not making it easy. It was February 18, 2009, and winds were gusting, sleet was falling, and temperatures were hovering around 40° F. Our crew of 9 which consisted of personnel from the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, the Cherokee National Forest, and The University of Tennessee’s Tree Improvement Program, was...
Clark, Staci L; Schlarbaum, Scott E.; Clark, Joseph D. Early genetic outcomes of American black bear reintroductions in the Central Appalachians, USA
Habitat loss and overexploitation extirpated American black bears (Ursus americanus) from most of the Central Appalachians, USA, by the early twentieth century. To attempt to restore bears to the southwestern portion of this region, 2 reintroductions that used small founder groups (n = 27 and 55 bears), but different release methods (hard versus...
Murphy, Sean M.; Hast, John T.; Augustine, Ben C.; Weisrock, David W.; Clark, Joseph D.; Kocka, David. M; Ryan, Christopher W.; Sajecki, Jaime L.; Cox, John J. Louisiana black bear post-delisting monitoring: 3rd annual report
This report details population and habitat monitoring results as required for post-delisting monitoring under the US Endangered Species Act.
Clark, Joseph D.; Maria Davidson; Greco, Robert; Soileau, D.M. Comparing clustered sampling designs for spatially explicit estimation of population density
Spatially explicit capture–recapture methods do not assume that animals have equal access to sampling devices (e.g., detectors), which allows for gaps in the sampling extent and nonuniform (e.g., clustered) sampling designs. However, the performance (i.e., relative root mean squared error [RRMSE], confidence interval coverage, relative bias and...
Clark, Joseph D. Elk research efforts
Presented the history of the NC elk herd and summarized early research to determine the population dispersal and mortality rates, assess habitat use, and evaluate elk’s impact on the national park to estimate the probability of success in establishing a permanent elk population in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). Gave an overview...
Clark, Joseph D. No flood effect on recruitment of a small Louisiana black bear population
A flood event in 2011 had minor impacts on apparent survival and movement probabilities of a small, isolated population of Louisiana black bears (Ursus americanus luteolus) in the Upper Atchafalaya River Basin, Louisiana, USA. However, the potential effects of the flood on recruitment of juveniles into the population, then listed as threatened...
Clark, Joseph D.; O'Connell-Goode, Kaitlin C.; Lowe, Carrie L.; Murphy, Sean M.; Maehr, Sutton C.; Davidson, Maria M.; Laufenberg, Jared S.
"Teddy Bear" Unlikely to Go Extinct
The bear species nicknamed “teddy” more than a century ago that inspired the iconic stuffed toy still popular today will likely survive at least another century, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.