Unit Leader - Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Matt has worked on topics that include the management and recovery of peregrine falcons, habitat quality and fidelity of North Pacific whale species, the effects of range management on carnivores in southern Africa, the dynamics of elk populations, and interactions among wolves, elk and aspen.
Only Matt's five most recent publications are shown here. For more information about Matt, including a full publications list, visit his profile page on the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit web site.
Education
- University of Montana 2004
- University of California, Santa Cruz 2003
- Ph D University of California, Santa Cruz 2003
- BA University of Oregon 1992
Research Interests
Matt and his graduate students are conducting studies on elk, wolves, moose, deer, and bighorn sheep in Wyoming, addressing the influence of habitat condition, predation, human disturbance, and energy development on these species. Matt’s research combines work on animal physiology, behavior and demography to better understand population- and landscape-level processes. A primary focus of this work is to provide timely information to agency biologists charged with managing Wyoming’s wildlife.
Teaching Interests
Matt teaches graduate courses in quantitative analysis of spatial wildlife data, community ecology of wildlife, and migration ecology.
Science and Products
Wyoming Migration Initiative: Ungulate Migration in the West
Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
Using Genetic Analyses To Inform On-The-Ground Conservation for Multiple Sagebrush-Associated Wildlife Species
Webinar: Ungulates and Climate Change: an Examination of the Potential Impacts
Linking Mule Deer Migration to Spring Green-Up in Wyoming
Science and Products
- Science
Wyoming Migration Initiative: Ungulate Migration in the West
Advancing the conservation and understanding of Wyoming's migratory hooved animals (mule deer, elk, pronghorn, etc.). The Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is led by USGS federal researchers. The Wyoming Migration Initiative is a University of Wyoming’s Zoology and Physiology Department-based collaborative of biologists, photographers, mapmakers, and writers working to research...Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
USGS scientists are contributing to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy, a strategy intended to provide guidance so that efforts to conserve the iconic greater sage-grouse can be expanded to the entire sagebrush biome to benefit the people and wildlife that depend on it.Using Genetic Analyses To Inform On-The-Ground Conservation for Multiple Sagebrush-Associated Wildlife Species
Recent analyses of greater sage-grouse genetics have delineated areas of key genetic connectivity for this species and provided a prioritization tool for conservation and restoration of habitats essential for genetic exchange.Webinar: Ungulates and Climate Change: an Examination of the Potential Impacts
View this webinar for more information about the effects of climate change on moose, mule deer, and elk in Wyoming.Linking Mule Deer Migration to Spring Green-Up in Wyoming
Each year, plants and animals undergo certain life cycle events, such as breeding or flowering. These phenological events are linked to weather and climate, and as temperature and precipitation patterns have changed, some spring events are occurring earlier. These changes in plant phenology can have cascading effects on wildlife such as elk, moose, and mule deer, which depend on plants for food. I - Data
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