Sarah J Converse, PhD
Unit Leader - Washington Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Dr. Converse received graduate degrees from the University of Nebraska and Colorado State University. She then completed a postdoctoral position at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center before accepting a permanent position with USGS at Patuxent, where she led a research program for 10 years focused on endangered species conservation, decision science, and quantitative ecology. In 2017 she became the Unit Leader of the Washington Unit at University of Washington, where she serves as an Associate Professor. Her research focuses on the development and application of methods to understand the functioning of populations and to improve their management. She works across a broad variety of taxa: terrestrial birds, seabirds, marine mammals, amphibians, and others. Her research projects tend to reflect two primary themes: (1) development and application of quantitative methods in population ecology, particularly for small and declining populations; and (2) development and application of decision-analytic methods to inform management of populations. Sarah collaborates extensively with managers in federal and state agencies, and she works internationally, with current research projects located in Europe, New Zealand, French Polynesia, and the Arctic. Sarah teaches graduate courses in statistics and demographic analysis, and teaches professional and graduate courses on decision analysis. Sarah is active in efforts to increase equity and justice in her professional community.
RECENT HONORS AND AWARDS
- Conference Best Paper Award, Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 2011
- Department of Interior STAR Award, for work with Outer Continental Shelf energy development team, 2011
- Department of Interior STAR Award, for work with Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, 2009
- Department of Interior STAR Award, for work with Washington Fish and Wildlife Office, 2009
- Department of Interior STAR Award, for work with Northeast Region Fisheries Program, 2008
CURRENT TRAINING ACTIVITIES
- Instructor: Training for Effective Conservation Translocation (with IUCN Reintroduction Specialist Group), workshop venues
- Instructor: Integrated Population Modeling (with Drs. Marc Kery and Michael Schaub), workshop venues
- Instructor: Introduction to Structured Decision Making, National Conservation Training Center
ASSOCIATED POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHERS
- Dr. Nathan Hostetter, Improved Design and Analysis of Polar Bear Population Studies (2016-Present)
- Dr. Jonathan Cummings, Landscape Level Population Modeling as a Decision Support Tool for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (2014-Present, w/Dr. Dave Smith, USGS Leetown Science Center)
- Dr. Sabrina Servanty, Population Viability of the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes (2009-2013, w/Dr. Larissa Bailey, Colorado State University)
ASSOCIATED STUDENTS
- Dr. Stefano Canessa, Decision Theory for Reintroductions (2011-2015, w/Drs. Mick McCarthy and Kirsten Parris, University of Melbourne)
- Ms. Megan Brown, Causes of Poor Fertility i
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University (2005)
M.S. Natural Resource Sciences, University of Nebraska (1999)
B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University (1996)
Science and Products
A three-pipe problem: Dealing with complexity to halt amphibian declines
Future directions to escalate benefits of stepping-stone approach for conservation translocations
Improving conservation policy with genomics: A guide to integrating adaptive potential into U.S. Endangered Species Act decisions for conservation practitioners and geneticists
The importance of early life experience and animal cultures in reintroductions
Analysis of population change and movement using robust design removal data
Integrated population modeling provides the first empirical estimates of vital rates and abundance for polar bears in the Chukchi Sea
Whooping Cranes past and present
Movement ecology of reintroduced migratory Whooping Cranes
Reproduction and reproductive strategies relevant to management of Whooping Cranes ex situ
Population dynamics of reintroduced Whooping Cranes
Reproductive failure in the Eastern Migratory Population: The interaction of research and management
The dilemma of pest suppression in the conservation of endangered species
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 70
A three-pipe problem: Dealing with complexity to halt amphibian declines
Natural resource managers are increasingly faced with threats to managed ecosystems that are largely outside of their control. Examples include land development, climate change, invasive species, and emerging infectious diseases. All of these are characterized by large uncertainties in timing, magnitude, and effects on species. In many cases, the conservation of species will only be possible throuAuthorsSarah J. Converse, Evan H. Campbell GrantFuture directions to escalate benefits of stepping-stone approach for conservation translocations
Through a reintroduction case study on the critically endangered Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis), we introduced a ‘stepping-stone’ approach which utilizes the transition of released individuals among populations to maximize demographic growth potential (Lloyd et al. 2019). We greatly appreciate and hereby reflect on the thoughtful commentaries by Chauvenet (2019), Hayward (2019)AuthorsN.A. Lloyd, N.J. Hostetter, C.L. Jackson, Sarah J. Converse, A. MoehrenschlagerImproving conservation policy with genomics: A guide to integrating adaptive potential into U.S. Endangered Species Act decisions for conservation practitioners and geneticists
Rapid environmental change makes adaptive potential—the capacity of populations to evolve genetically based changes in response to selection—more important than ever for long-term persistence of at-risk species. At the same time, advances in genomics provide unprecedented power to test for and quantify adaptive potential, enabling consideration of adaptive potential in estimates of extinction riskAuthorsW.C. Funk, Brenna R. Forester, Sarah J. Converse, Catherine Darst, Steve MoreyThe importance of early life experience and animal cultures in reintroductions
Even within a single population, individuals can display striking differences in behavior, with consequences for their survival and fitness. In reintroduced populations, managers often attempt to promote adaptive behaviors by controlling the early life experiences of individuals, but it remains largely unknown whether this early life training has lasting effects on behavior. We investigated the beAuthorsClaire S. Teitelbaum, Sarah J. Converse, Thomas MuellerAnalysis of population change and movement using robust design removal data
In capture-mark-reencounter studies, Pollock’s robust design combines methods for open populations with methods for closed populations. Open population features of the robust design allow for estimation of rates of death or permanent emigration, and closed population features enhance estimation of population sizes. We describe a similar design, but for use with removal data. Data collection occursAuthorsWilliam A. Link, Sarah J. Converse, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Nathan J. HostetterIntegrated population modeling provides the first empirical estimates of vital rates and abundance for polar bears in the Chukchi Sea
Large carnivores are imperiled globally, and characteristics making them vulnerable to extinction (e.g., low densities and expansive ranges) also make it difficult to estimate demographic parameters needed for management. Here we develop an integrated population model to analyze capture-recapture, radiotelemetry, and count data for the Chukchi Sea subpopulation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus), 20AuthorsEric V. Regehr, Nathan J. Hostetter, Ryan H. Wilson, Karyn D. Rode, Michelle St. Martin, Sarah J. ConverseWhooping Cranes past and present
The Whooping Crane (Grus americana), endemic to North America, is the rarest of all crane species. It is believed that in the early 1800s, the Whooping Crane was widespread in North America, though it was never very abundant. Whooping Crane numbers decreased precipitously as westward migration of Euro-American settlers converted prairie to cropland and the birds were hunted. By the early 1940s theAuthorsJohn B. French, Sarah J. Converse, Jane E. AustinMovement ecology of reintroduced migratory Whooping Cranes
No abstract available.AuthorsClaire S. Teitelbaum, Sarah J. Converse, William F. Fagan, Thomas MuellerReproduction and reproductive strategies relevant to management of Whooping Cranes ex situ
Due to the small population size (∼400 birds) and continuing threats to wild Whooping Cranes (Grus americana), an ex situ (captive) population is maintained to contribute to the recovery of the species. The goals of the captive breeding program are to provide opportunity for research and birds for reintroduction. However, reproduction among captive birds is far from optimal. Specifically, whoopingAuthorsNucharin Songsasen, Sarah J. Converse, Megan BrownPopulation dynamics of reintroduced Whooping Cranes
Because of the small size and restricted range of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population, reintroduction is a prominent element of the recovery effort to ensure persistence of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana). A fundamental objective of all Whooping Crane reintroduction efforts is the establishment of a self-sustaining population. Therefore, success of reintroduction efforts will ultimately be determAuthorsSarah J. Converse, Sabrina Servanty, Clinton T. Moore, Michael C. RungeReproductive failure in the Eastern Migratory Population: The interaction of research and management
The reintroduction of the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) has shown the most promise of any effort to date toward the establishment of a self-sustaining population. However, reproduction – including both nest success and chick survival – has been a major challenge. Here, we review the research and management efforts deployed to identify and address this challenge.AuthorsSarah J. Converse, Bradley N. Strobel, Jeb A. BarzenThe dilemma of pest suppression in the conservation of endangered species
In the conservation of endangered species, active suppression of a population of one native species to benefit another native species poses particular challenges. Obvious examples include predator control and nest parasite reduction. Less obvious is the control of blood-feeding arthropods. We present a case study on the effect of blood-feeding black flies (Simulium spp.) on reintroduced Whooping CAuthorsPeter H. Adler, Jeb A. Barzen, Elmer Gray, Anne E Lacy, Richard P. Urbanek, Sarah J. Converse - Science
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