I am a USGS biologist assessing the population status of the Western bumble bee as well as modeling contact rates between elk to inform chronic wasting disease prevention.
Research Interests
Over the last decade, I have had the opportunity to participate in a variety of projects investigating many of the issues wildlife face in modern times; from the intersection of disease ecology and conservation, to the impacts of energy development and military operations on endangered species. My Ph.D. research focused on the impacts of forest disturbance such as fire and bark beetle outbreaks on songbird communities throughout the greater Rocky Mountain region. While I tend to talk a lot about birds (they are a favorite of mine after all) I’ve been fortunate to broaden the scope of my research. In 2017, I completed the Directorate Resource Fellowship program with the US Fish and Wildlife Service at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge where I contributed to the development and implementation of critical habitat monitoring for two endangered species: the Rio Grande silvery minnow and Southwestern willow flycatcher. Currently, I work as a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey assessing the population status of the Western bumble bee across North America as well as modeling contact rates between elk on the National Elk Refuge to inform chronic wasting disease prevention.
Professional Experience
2019-Present: Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, West Glacier Field Office, West Glacier, MT.
2014-2018: Lecturer & Teaching Assistant, Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT.
2017: Directorate Fellows Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, La Joya, NM.
2009-2012: Teaching Assistant, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA.
2009: Assistant Biologist, Tetra Tech Environmental Consulting, Stephenville, TX.
2008: Field Biologist, The Nature Conservancy, Fort Hood, TX.
2007-2008: Field Biologist & Crew Lead, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Washington, DC.
Education and Certifications
B.S. Wildlife Conservation & Management, 2007, Kansas State University
M.A. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2012, University of California – Santa Cruz
Ph.D. Wildlife Biology, 2018, University of Montana
Science and Products
Recent and future declines of a historically widespread pollinator linked to climate, land cover, and pesticides
Eyes on the herd: Quantifying ungulate density from satellite, unmanned aerial systems, and GPScollar data
Human activities and weather drive contact rates of wintering elk
Western bumble bee: Declines in United States and range-wide information gaps
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Developing Tools to Evaluate Chronic Wasting Disease Transmission Risk
USGS Chronic Wasting Disease Research at NOROCK
Western Bumble Bee and Native Pollinator Research
Occurrence data of the western bumble bee from 1998 to 2020 across the western United States
Neonicotinoid nitroguanidine group insecticide application rates estimated across the western conterminous United States, 2008 to 2014
Western bumble bee predicted occupancy (1998, 2020) and future projections (2050s), western conterminous United States
Remotely sensed elk locations on the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming, 2017-2019
Western bumble bee predicted occupancy and detection probability rasters for the western continental United States from 1998 to 2018
WildAgg: an R package to estimate and visualize wildlife aggregation data
Science and Products
- Publications
Recent and future declines of a historically widespread pollinator linked to climate, land cover, and pesticides
The acute decline in global biodiversity includes not only the loss of rare species, but also the rapid collapse of common species across many different taxa. The loss of pollinating insects is of particular concern because of the ecological and economic values these species provide. The western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) was once common in western North America, but this species has becomeAuthorsWilliam Michael Janousek, Margaret R. Douglas, Syd Cannings, Marion Clement, Casey Delphia, Jeffrey Everett, Richard G. Hatfield, Douglas A. Keinath, Jonathan B Koch, Lindsie M. McCabe, John Michael Mola, Jane Ogilvie, Imtiaz Rangwala, Leif L Richardson, Ashley T. Rohde, James P. Strange, Lusha M. Tronstad, Tabitha GravesEyes on the herd: Quantifying ungulate density from satellite, unmanned aerial systems, and GPScollar data
Novel approaches to quantifying density and distributions could help biologists adaptively manage wildlife populations, particularly if methods are accurate, consistent, cost-effective, rapid, and sensitive to change. Such approaches may also improve research on interactions between density and processes of interest, such as disease transmission across multiple populations. We assess how satelliteAuthorsTabitha Graves, Michael Yarnall, Aaron Johnston, Todd M. Preston, Geneva W. Chong, Eric K Cole, William Michael Janousek, Paul C. CrossHuman activities and weather drive contact rates of wintering elk
Wildlife aggregation patterns can influence disease transmission. However, limited research evaluates the influence of anthropogenic and natural factors on aggregation. Many managers would like to reduce wildlife contact rates, driven by aggregation, to limit disease transmission. We develop a novel analytical framework to quantify how management activities such as supplemental feeding and huntingAuthorsWilliam Michael Janousek, Tabitha Graves, Ethan Berman, Geneva W. Chong, Eric K Cole, Sarah Dewey, Aaron Johnston, Paul C. CrossWestern bumble bee: Declines in United States and range-wide information gaps
In recent decades, many bumble bee species have declined due to changes in habitat, climate, and pressures from pathogens, pesticides, and introduced species. The western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis ), once common throughout western North America, is a species of concern and will be considered for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). WeAuthorsTabitha Graves, William Michael Janousek, Sarah M. Gaulke, Amy Nicholas, Douglas Keinath, Christine M. Bell, Syd Cannings, Richard G. Hatfield, Jennifer M Heron, Jonathan B Koch, Helen L Loffland, Leif L Richardson, Ashley T. Rohde, Jessica Rykken, James P. Strange, Lusha Tronstead, Cory SheffieldNon-USGS Publications**
Janousek, W.M., and Drietz, V.J., 2020, Testing Huston's dynamic equilibrium model along fire and forest productivity gradients using avian monitoring data: Diversity and Distributions, v: 26, n: 12, p: 1715-1726.Janousek, W.M., Hahn, B.A., and, Dreitz, V.J., 2019, Disentangling monitoring programs: design, analysis, and application considerations: Ecological Applications, v: 29, n: 5, e01922.
Janousek, W.M., Hicke, J A., Meddens, A.J., and, Dreitz, V.J., 2019, The effects of mountain pine beetle outbreaks on avian communities in lodgepole pine forests across the greater Rocky Mountain region: Forest Ecology and Management, v: 444 p: 374-381.Janousek, W.M., Marra, P.P., and Kilpatrick, A.M., 2014, Avian roosting behavior influences vector-host interactions for West Nile virus hosts: Parasites & Vectors, v: 7, n: 1, p: 1-11.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
- Science
Developing Tools to Evaluate Chronic Wasting Disease Transmission Risk
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) infects and kills ungulates (deer, elk, moose), and has been spreading across North America for the past 20 years. Some ungulate populations have declined because of CWD and there are no viable vaccines or treatments for this disease. Therefore, tools that assist wildlife managers in preventing and mitigating CWD can be powerful assets in protecting our nation’s big...USGS Chronic Wasting Disease Research at NOROCK
Over the past 20 years, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Wyoming has been spreading slowly outward from the southeastern corner of the state toward the Greater Yellowstone Area and Wyoming's elk feed grounds, where more than 24,000 elk are supplementally fed each winter.Western Bumble Bee and Native Pollinator Research
The western bumble bee was historically one of the most common bumble bees across the western U.S. and Canada. However, our research and others found it has declined substantially across its range and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering it for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and other land managers need information to inform... - Data
Occurrence data of the western bumble bee from 1998 to 2020 across the western United States
These raw survey data and associated explanatory covariates were used to model western bumble bee occupancy across the western conterminous United States from 1998 to 2020. These data underlie the analyses found in the publication of “Recent and future declines of a historically widespread pollinator linked to climate, land cover, and pesticides” by Janousek et al. 2023 in the Proceedings of the NNeonicotinoid nitroguanidine group insecticide application rates estimated across the western conterminous United States, 2008 to 2014
These data represents annual estimates of neonicotinoid nitroguanidine group insecticide application rates across the western conterminous United States from 2008 to 2014. This product contains seven raster layers (appearing as separate bands in a multi-band raster). Each band represents one year of the data beginning in 2008. Estimates are generated by pairing crop specific application rates of nWestern bumble bee predicted occupancy (1998, 2020) and future projections (2050s), western conterminous United States
These data represent occupancy estimates for western bumble bee across the western conterminous United States. This product contains five raster layers (appearing as separate bands in a multi-band raster). The first two bands represent the predicted occupancy of western bumble bee in 1998 and 2020. We modeled western bumble bee occupancy as a function of climate and land cover. The last three bandRemotely sensed elk locations on the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming, 2017-2019
Remotely sensed elk locations were derived from satellite and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) imagery collected during the winter of 2018 and the winter and spring of 2019 at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming and compared to locations from Global Positioning System (GPS) collars from 2017 - 2019. This data release provides the source, date, time, latitude, and longitude of elk locations anWestern bumble bee predicted occupancy and detection probability rasters for the western continental United States from 1998 to 2018
These data represent occupancy estimates for western bumble bee across the western continental United States and the spatial variation in detection probabilities that occur during bumble bee surveys. This product contains five raster layers (appearing as separate bands in a multi-band raster). The first two bands represent the predicted occupancy of western bumble bee in 1998 and 2018. We modeled - Software
WildAgg: an R package to estimate and visualize wildlife aggregation data
This package is designed to estimate, summarize, and visualize wildlife aggregation metrics using location information like GPS collar data. The motivation for the development of this package began with two research efforts studying the aggregation and density of elk on the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming (Janousek et al.2021; and Graves et al. 2021). The primary goal of the WildAgg package is to pro - News