About the Research Team
This study is being conducted by Paul Beier and Andrew J. Gregory, School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.
Paul Beier, Professor
Paul Beier is a professor of conservation biology at Northern Arizona University. His 1988–1992 study of cougars documented that young cougars use habitat corridors to maintain gene flow among mountain ranges in urbanizing California. He has published four book chapters and 14 peer-reviewed publications related to wildlife linkage design; most of these papers are available on his web page. Beier co-authored two statewide maps of wildlife corridors, namely Arizona Wildlife Linkage Assessment (2006) and California Essential Habitat Connectivty (2010). He helped develop 27 detailed linkage designs in these states, and packaged the GIS tools used in these efforts for free distribution. He has studies Mexican spotted owls, northern goshawks, and forest bird communities. During 1999–2007, he worked with traditional chiefs in West Africa to create and manage community-based wildlife sanctuaries for hippopotamus, elephants, and rare forest birds. He serves on the recovery team for the ocelot and jaguar. Beier also serves on the boards of the Society for Conservation Biology and SC Wildlands, which specializes in using science and collaboration to connect wildlands.
Andrew J. Gregory, Postdoctoral Research Scholar
B.S., Winona State University
M.S., Central Michigan University
Ph.D., Kansas State University
Dr. Gregory’s research interests address diverse questions in wildlife conservation and evolutionary ecology. He is particularly interested in how patterns of human land use impacts how wildlife use habitat and the functional connectivity of landscapes. Much of his current work focuses on landscape genetics and ecology of grouse — specifically, how wind energy development impacts the habitat use, breeding ecology, and genetic connectivity of Greater Prairie-Chickens in Kansas, as well as the potential impacts of oil, natural gas, and wind energy development on Sage-Grouse lek attendance in Wyoming. He has studied the effects of isolation and endemism on a translocated population of Evermann’s Rock Ptarmigan in the Aleutian archipelago. Dr. Gregory has also investigated the role of matrix and greenbelts in vectoring or inhibiting rabies spread, elk/wolf predator-prey dynamics in Yellowstone National Park, and the role of education in changing people’s attitudes towards conservation. To learn more about Andy, visit his personal web page.
One Trackback
[...] a commentary published last month in PLoS Biology, conservationists Paul Beier and Andrew Gregory from Northern Arizona University pointed out that there’s actually scant evidence that [...]