Assistant Unit Leader - Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Dr. Crimmins received graduate degrees from West Virginia University and the University of Montana, was a post-doctoral fellow at the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center and at the University of Wisconsin Madison, and was an assistant professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point before joining the Alaska Unit in 2020. His research focuses primarily on the management and conservation of game species including furbearers and ungulates, and on population dynamics and habitat use of carnivores, ungulates, and furbearers. He also works extensively with state and federal partner agencies to develop and optimize wildlife monitoring programs. His work is currently focused in Alaska and Canada and is conducted in a variety of systems including coastal rain forests, high altitude alpine systems, boreal forests, and tundra. Dr. Crimmins teaches graduate courses in Large Mammal Ecology and Management, Vertebrate Population Dynamics, and Occupancy Modeling.
Professional Experience
Assistant Unit Leader, Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2020-
Education and Certifications
PhD, University of Montana, 2009
MS, West Virginia University, 2005
BS, University of Missouri, 1998
Science and Products
Factors affecting nest survival of Henslow's Sparrows (Ammodramus henslowii) in southern Indiana
Populations of Henslow’s Sparrows have declined dramatically in recent decades, coinciding with widespread loss of native grassland habitat. Prescribed burning is a primary tool for maintaining grassland patches, but its effects on nest survival of Henslow’s Sparrows remains largely unknown, especially in conjunction with other factors. We monitored 135 nests of Henslow’s Sparrows at Big Oaks Nati
Effects of population reduction on white-tailed deer home-range dynamics
Management strategies designed to reduce the negative impacts of overabundant Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) populations on forest regeneration may be influenced by changes in both population density and timber harvest. However, there is conflicting evidence as to how such changes in per capita resource availability influence home-range patterns. We compared home-range patterns of 33 f
Evaluating predictors of local dabbling duck abundance during migration: Managing the spectrum of conditions faced by migrants
The development of robust modelling techniques to derive inferences from large-scale migratory bird monitoring data at appropriate scales has direct relevance to their management. The Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring programme (IWMM) represents one of the few attempts to monitor migrating waterbirds across entire flyways using targeted local surveys. This dataset included 13,208,785
Winter habitat associations of blackbirds and starlings wintering in the south-central United States
Birds can cause extensive crop damage in the United States. In some regions, depredating species comprise a substantial portion of the total avian population, emphasizing their importance both economically and ecologically. We used the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count data from the south-central United States and mixed-effects models to identify habitat factors associated with populat
Relating mesocarnivore relative abundance to anthropogenic land-use with a hierarchical spatial count model
There is growing need to develop models of spatial patterns in animal abundance, yet comparatively few examples of such models exist. This is especially true in situations where the abundance of one species may inhibit that of another, such as the intensively-farmed landscape of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the central United States, where waterfowl production is largely constrained by meso
Spatially explicit modeling of blackbird abundance in the Prairie Pothole Region
Knowledge of factors influencing animal abundance is important to wildlife biologists developing management plans. This is especially true for economically important species such as blackbirds (Icteridae), which cause more than $100 million in crop damages annually in the United States. Using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the National Land Cover Dataset, and the National Clima
A case study of assigning conservation value to dispersed habitat units for conservation planning
Resource managers are increasingly tasked with developing habitat conservation plans in the face of numerous, sometimes competing, objectives. These plans must often be implemented across dispersed habitat conservation units that may contribute unequally to overall conservation objectives. Using U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl production areas (WPA) in western Minnesota as our conservatio
Prioritizing bird conservation actions in the Prairie Hardwood transition of the Midwestern United States
Large-scale planning for the conservation of species is often hindered by a poor understanding of factors limiting populations. In regions with declining wildlife populations, it is critical that objective metrics of conservation success are developed to ensure that conservation actions achieve desired results. Using spatially explicit estimates of bird abundance, we evaluated several management a
Effects of cave gating on population trends at individual hibernacula of the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalist)
Installing gates at cave entrances to protect hibernating bat colonies is a widespread conservation action, particularly for endangered bat species such as the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). However, there is surprisingly little evidence on the efficacy of gates for improving population growth rates. We used change-point models to determine the effects of gate construction on Indiana bats. We estim
Science and Products
- Publications
Factors affecting nest survival of Henslow's Sparrows (Ammodramus henslowii) in southern Indiana
Populations of Henslow’s Sparrows have declined dramatically in recent decades, coinciding with widespread loss of native grassland habitat. Prescribed burning is a primary tool for maintaining grassland patches, but its effects on nest survival of Henslow’s Sparrows remains largely unknown, especially in conjunction with other factors. We monitored 135 nests of Henslow’s Sparrows at Big Oaks NatiEffects of population reduction on white-tailed deer home-range dynamics
Management strategies designed to reduce the negative impacts of overabundant Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) populations on forest regeneration may be influenced by changes in both population density and timber harvest. However, there is conflicting evidence as to how such changes in per capita resource availability influence home-range patterns. We compared home-range patterns of 33 fEvaluating predictors of local dabbling duck abundance during migration: Managing the spectrum of conditions faced by migrants
The development of robust modelling techniques to derive inferences from large-scale migratory bird monitoring data at appropriate scales has direct relevance to their management. The Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring programme (IWMM) represents one of the few attempts to monitor migrating waterbirds across entire flyways using targeted local surveys. This dataset included 13,208,785Winter habitat associations of blackbirds and starlings wintering in the south-central United States
Birds can cause extensive crop damage in the United States. In some regions, depredating species comprise a substantial portion of the total avian population, emphasizing their importance both economically and ecologically. We used the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count data from the south-central United States and mixed-effects models to identify habitat factors associated with populatRelating mesocarnivore relative abundance to anthropogenic land-use with a hierarchical spatial count model
There is growing need to develop models of spatial patterns in animal abundance, yet comparatively few examples of such models exist. This is especially true in situations where the abundance of one species may inhibit that of another, such as the intensively-farmed landscape of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the central United States, where waterfowl production is largely constrained by mesoSpatially explicit modeling of blackbird abundance in the Prairie Pothole Region
Knowledge of factors influencing animal abundance is important to wildlife biologists developing management plans. This is especially true for economically important species such as blackbirds (Icteridae), which cause more than $100 million in crop damages annually in the United States. Using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the National Land Cover Dataset, and the National ClimaA case study of assigning conservation value to dispersed habitat units for conservation planning
Resource managers are increasingly tasked with developing habitat conservation plans in the face of numerous, sometimes competing, objectives. These plans must often be implemented across dispersed habitat conservation units that may contribute unequally to overall conservation objectives. Using U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl production areas (WPA) in western Minnesota as our conservatioPrioritizing bird conservation actions in the Prairie Hardwood transition of the Midwestern United States
Large-scale planning for the conservation of species is often hindered by a poor understanding of factors limiting populations. In regions with declining wildlife populations, it is critical that objective metrics of conservation success are developed to ensure that conservation actions achieve desired results. Using spatially explicit estimates of bird abundance, we evaluated several management aEffects of cave gating on population trends at individual hibernacula of the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalist)
Installing gates at cave entrances to protect hibernating bat colonies is a widespread conservation action, particularly for endangered bat species such as the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). However, there is surprisingly little evidence on the efficacy of gates for improving population growth rates. We used change-point models to determine the effects of gate construction on Indiana bats. We estim