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.
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
Filter Total Items: 114
Addressing disease risk to develop a health program for bighorn sheep in Montana Addressing disease risk to develop a health program for bighorn sheep in Montana
No abstract available.
Authors
Sarah N. Sells, Michael S. Mitchell, Justin A. Gude
Introduction to multi-criteria decision analysis Introduction to multi-criteria decision analysis
No abstract available.
Authors
Sarah J. Converse
Introduction to risk analysis Introduction to risk analysis
Many decisions are made in the face of uncertainty that either cannot or will not be reduced, and the challenge to the decision maker is how to manage the risk imposed by that uncertainty. This chapter will introduce the field of risk analysis, focusing on both the scientific tasks (estimating the probabilities and magnitudes of possible outcomes) and the policy-relevant value judgments...
Authors
Michael C. Runge, Sarah J. Converse
Reserve network design for prairie-dependent taxa in South Puget Sound Reserve network design for prairie-dependent taxa in South Puget Sound
Conserving species requires managing threats, including habitat loss. One approach to managing habitat loss is to identify and protect habitat in networks of reserves. Reserve network design is a type of resource allocation problem: how can we choose the most effective reserve network design given available resources? We undertook development and implementation of a patch dynamics model...
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, Beth Gardner, Steve Morey
Prioritizing uncertainties to improve management of a reintroduction program Prioritizing uncertainties to improve management of a reintroduction program
The success of wildlife reintroduction efforts rests on the demographic performance of released animals. Whooping Cranes in the eastern migratory population—reintroduced beginning in 2001—demonstrate adequate survival but poor reproduction. Managers and scientists have used an iterative process of learning and management to respond to this management challenge, but by 2015, uncertainty...
Authors
Sarah J. Converse
Estimating abundance from capture-recapture data Estimating abundance from capture-recapture data
No abstract available.
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, J. Andrew Royle
Linking demographic and food-web models to understand management trade-offs Linking demographic and food-web models to understand management trade-offs
Alternatives in ecosystem-based management often differ with respect to trade-offs between ecosystem values. Ecosystem or food-web models and demographic models are typically employed to evaluate alternatives, but the approaches are rarely integrated to uncover conflicts between values. We applied multi-state models to a capture-recapture dataset on common guillemots Uria aalge breeding...
Authors
Martina Kadin, Morten Frederiksen, Susa Niiranen, Sarah J. Converse
A three-pipe problem: Dealing with complexity to halt amphibian declines 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...
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, Evan H. Campbell Grant
Future directions to escalate benefits of stepping-stone approach for conservation translocations Future 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)...
Authors
N.A. Lloyd, N.J. Hostetter, C.L. Jackson, Sarah J. Converse, A. Moehrenschlager
Improving conservation policy with genomics: A guide to integrating adaptive potential into U.S. Endangered Species Act decisions for conservation practitioners and geneticists Improving 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...
Authors
W.C. Funk, Brenna R. Forester, Sarah J. Converse, Catherine Darst, Steve Morey
The importance of early life experience and animal cultures in reintroductions The 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...
Authors
Claire S. Teitelbaum, Sarah J. Converse, Thomas Mueller
Analysis of population change and movement using robust design removal data Analysis 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...
Authors
William A. Link, Sarah J. Converse, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Nathan J. Hostetter
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 114
Addressing disease risk to develop a health program for bighorn sheep in Montana Addressing disease risk to develop a health program for bighorn sheep in Montana
No abstract available.
Authors
Sarah N. Sells, Michael S. Mitchell, Justin A. Gude
Introduction to multi-criteria decision analysis Introduction to multi-criteria decision analysis
No abstract available.
Authors
Sarah J. Converse
Introduction to risk analysis Introduction to risk analysis
Many decisions are made in the face of uncertainty that either cannot or will not be reduced, and the challenge to the decision maker is how to manage the risk imposed by that uncertainty. This chapter will introduce the field of risk analysis, focusing on both the scientific tasks (estimating the probabilities and magnitudes of possible outcomes) and the policy-relevant value judgments...
Authors
Michael C. Runge, Sarah J. Converse
Reserve network design for prairie-dependent taxa in South Puget Sound Reserve network design for prairie-dependent taxa in South Puget Sound
Conserving species requires managing threats, including habitat loss. One approach to managing habitat loss is to identify and protect habitat in networks of reserves. Reserve network design is a type of resource allocation problem: how can we choose the most effective reserve network design given available resources? We undertook development and implementation of a patch dynamics model...
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, Beth Gardner, Steve Morey
Prioritizing uncertainties to improve management of a reintroduction program Prioritizing uncertainties to improve management of a reintroduction program
The success of wildlife reintroduction efforts rests on the demographic performance of released animals. Whooping Cranes in the eastern migratory population—reintroduced beginning in 2001—demonstrate adequate survival but poor reproduction. Managers and scientists have used an iterative process of learning and management to respond to this management challenge, but by 2015, uncertainty...
Authors
Sarah J. Converse
Estimating abundance from capture-recapture data Estimating abundance from capture-recapture data
No abstract available.
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, J. Andrew Royle
Linking demographic and food-web models to understand management trade-offs Linking demographic and food-web models to understand management trade-offs
Alternatives in ecosystem-based management often differ with respect to trade-offs between ecosystem values. Ecosystem or food-web models and demographic models are typically employed to evaluate alternatives, but the approaches are rarely integrated to uncover conflicts between values. We applied multi-state models to a capture-recapture dataset on common guillemots Uria aalge breeding...
Authors
Martina Kadin, Morten Frederiksen, Susa Niiranen, Sarah J. Converse
A three-pipe problem: Dealing with complexity to halt amphibian declines 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...
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, Evan H. Campbell Grant
Future directions to escalate benefits of stepping-stone approach for conservation translocations Future 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)...
Authors
N.A. Lloyd, N.J. Hostetter, C.L. Jackson, Sarah J. Converse, A. Moehrenschlager
Improving conservation policy with genomics: A guide to integrating adaptive potential into U.S. Endangered Species Act decisions for conservation practitioners and geneticists Improving 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...
Authors
W.C. Funk, Brenna R. Forester, Sarah J. Converse, Catherine Darst, Steve Morey
The importance of early life experience and animal cultures in reintroductions The 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...
Authors
Claire S. Teitelbaum, Sarah J. Converse, Thomas Mueller
Analysis of population change and movement using robust design removal data Analysis 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...
Authors
William A. Link, Sarah J. Converse, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Nathan J. Hostetter