The Team

Joe Holbrook, Assistant Professor.  Joe is a quantitative wildlife ecologist within the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources as well as Department of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming.  His primary interests lie at the intersection of population and community ecology, although his experience extends beyond wildlife ecology in that he has worked in many interdisciplinary environments.  For instance, Joe has worked on questions such as: (1) Why are animals where they are?, (2) How does environmental change influence animals?, and (3) How do people from different backgrounds value the environment?  Joe generally works with carnivores, which have spanned from jaguarundis and badgers in rangelands to Canada lynx and mountain lions in forests. Applied problems motivate Joe’s work, but he strives to place these questions within a theoretical foundation to advance both management and science.  Outside of work, Joe enjoys hunting, fishing, skiing, and making game calls on his lathe.  

Austin Smith, Research Scientist.  Austin is working on a number of different projects concerning carnivore ecology.  He recently completed his MS at the University of Wyoming where he evaluated a series of questions associated with forest carnivores:  the main species of interest included red fox, Pacific marten, and coyotes along with their associated prey (e.g., snowshoe hares, red squirrels).  He is currently working on our swift fox ecology project, providing essential support in a number of niches.  Austin has a passion for applied science and hopes his work will inform future management and conservation of forest carnivores. Outside of work, Austin enjoys being amidst nature. He can often be found biking, climbing, backpacking, and traveling, all while trying to discover new populations of mollusk or advancing his botanical skills. 

Essential partners: Dr. John Squires (USFS-RMRS), Leah Yandow (BLM), Heather O'Brien (WGFD), Chris Keefe (BLM)

Justin Clapp, PhD student.  Justin grew up in the Wind River Basin of west-central Wyoming. After his undergraduate studies he worked at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, which provided opportunities to assist with large carnivore field work, fisheries, non-game data collection, disease monitoring, and bighorn sheep surveillance. In 2015 he received an MS degree from the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at the University of Wyoming with a focus on bighorn sheep ecology. Currently a large carnivore biologist at Wyoming Game and Fish and an Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team member, Justin’s duties include research, monitoring, and management of grizzly bears, black bears, mountain lions, and wolves. His primary research interests involve space-use, movement, and behavioral and disease ecology within predator-prey systems, as well as improving data management strategies for wildlife monitoring and modeling frameworks. While much of his time is spent in the field conducting captures and immobilizations, he also enjoys Broadway theatre.

Essential partners: Large Carnivore Section (WGFD), Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST), Justin Binfet (WGFD), Hank Edwards (WGFD)

Kelsie Buxbaum, MS student. Kelsie earned her BSc in Wildlife Ecology from Arizona State University where her professors opened her eyes to the range of possibilities in the field of Natural Resources. Her curiosity and sense of adventure has led her to work in a variety of places with multiple state and federal agencies. She has recorded amphibian populations throughout Wyoming, studied the changing hydrology of a Florida swamp, documented the carnivore composition of a forest reserve in Belize, located wolf packs in northern Idaho, and much more. While at the University of Wyoming, Kelsie will be studying the westward expansion of swift fox in Wyoming by evaluating questions associated with habitat ecology, diet, demography, and interspecific interactions. She will be working closely with the Bureau of Land Management  and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department with the hopes of providing valuable information to make land management decisions with swift fox conservation in mind. When she isn’t tracking foxes or in class, she is most likely outside exploring public lands through camping, hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, or searching local wetlands for amphibians. 

Essential partners: Leah Yandow (BLM), Heather O'Brien (WGFD), Chris Keefe (BLM)

Johnny Stutzman, MS Student. Johnny is originally from southeastern Wisconsin where he grew his passion for wildlife through exploring his backyard and the adjacent county park. After earning his BSc in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Johnny had the opportunity to work all over the country on a variety of projects including camera trapping different mammal communities, mist netting migratory songbirds, and assisting teams tracking invasive pythons in south Florida. Currently, Johnny’s research focuses on using camera traps to determine how bobcats utilize riparian areas to access upland prairie habitat along the Missouri river near the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. His research will also include a component on the human dimensions around wildlife in the area. This project is taking place in collaboration with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks. Outside of research, he enjoys hiking, birding, traveling, and watching any Wisconsin sports.

Essential partners: Dr. Hila Shamon (SCBI), Dr. Bill McShea (SCBI), Heather Harris (MTFWP), Dr. Drew Bennett (UW)

Emily Davis, MS student. Emily is originally from North Carolina, but has made Wyoming her home. While earning her BSc in Zoology from the University of Wyoming she participated in research studying raccoon behavior and cognition. She completed her own undergraduate research on variation in space use among individual raccoons. This research inspired Emily’s interest in carnivore behavior and ecology. After graduating, Emily secured a variety of field positions with multiple agencies and projects including the USFS, UW Spotted Skunk Project, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Most recently, she returned to the University of Wyoming Raccoon Project as project manager. Emily is excited to further her understanding of carnivore space use and behavior by investigating black bear spatial ecology in relation to sportsman activity in Wyoming. Her thesis research will be completed in collaboration with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Other than research, Emily enjoys exploring Wyoming’s public land by shed hunting and hiking with her dog. She also loves visiting NC to see friends and family, the beach, and to eat barbeque!

Essential partners: Dan Bjornlie (WGFD), Ryan Kindermann (WGFD), Dr. Dan Thompson (WGFD), American Bear Foundation

Eric VanNatta, MS student. Originally from central Wisconsin, Eric was exposed to hunting and fishing culture from an early age which is where his interest in wildlife biology and management stemmed from. While earning his B.S. in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Eric worked with a variety of agencies and universities including the Ottawa National Forest, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the University of North Carolina on a wide range a projects involving habitat partitioning and lunar phobia behavior in Midwestern bat species, timber wolf range expansion, sharp-tail grouse habitat management, small mammal community ecology, and Northern saw-whet owl migration. After graduating, Eric spent three years working in eight states with a research team from the USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center testing novel methods to improve tools and techniques for managing invasive wild pigs. Currently, Eric’s thesis research evaluates how elk modulate behavior and space use in response to varying gradients and intensities of recreation throughout several biologically significant time periods. This project is a joint effort with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Outside of research, Eric is an avid hunter and fisherman, and also enjoys trail running, skiing, Scuba diving, hand-loading his own hunting ammunition, and traveling to parts unknown.

Essential partners: Dr. Nathaniel Rayl (CPW), Kris Middledorf (CPW), Missy Dressen (USFS), Jeff Yost (CPW), Kyle Bond (CPW), Jack Taylor (CPW), Dr. Eric Bergman (CPW)

Emily Burkholder, MS student. Born and raised in Texas, Emily developed a passion for nature, wildlife, and conservation, which only continued to grow after obtaining her B.S. in Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana in May 2016.  She spent the next few years working all over the country gaining a wide variety of experience from many projects ranging from long-term disease and mortality monitoring projects on large ungulates to examining how ecosystem size and productivity drive food web structure on a series of islands in the central Pacific. Currently, Emily’s research at the University of Wyoming involves assessing the spatial ecology and diet of the montane red fox in relation to recreation activity in Grand Teton National Park. Outside of the office, Emily enjoys most outdoor activities. She can often be found hiking, camping, and traveling.

Emily is currently a PhD student at Oklahoma State University. Please see our publication page for Emily's manuscripts.  

Essential partners: John Stephenson (GRTE), Sarah Hegg (GRTE), Dr. Dave Gustine (USFWS)

Mitch Brunet, MS. Mitch grew up in Ontario, Canada where he developed a passion for wildlife management through his pursuits as a hunter and fisherman. His interests primarily concern the overlap between habitat use and movement among predators and large ungulate prey. Mitch had the opportunity to build his knowledge base on these topics during his undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph. There, he developed research projects investigating white-tailed deer movement with respect to forage availability, as well as habitat selection by eastern cottontail rabbits and coyotes. Mitch researched related topics during his MS program in Wyoming, where he investigated questions concerning space use and the interactions between predators (coyotes and mountain lions) and ungulate prey (mule deer and elk). Outside of research, Mitch continues to devote much of his time to hunting and fishing, while also actively seeking out new skills and adventures. 

Mitch is currently a PhD student at the University of British Columbia - Okanagan. Please see our publication page for Mitch's manuscripts.  

Essential partners: Justin Clapp (WGFD), Dr. Dan Thompson (WGFD), Patrick Burke (WGFD), Mark Zornes (WGFD), Kevin Spence (WGFD), Miguel Valdez (BLM), Patrick Lionberger (BLM), Katey Huggler (U of Idaho), Dr. Kevin Monteith (UW)

Kelsey Paolini, Research Scientist. After earning a BSc in Zoology from Weber State University, Kelsey worked on a variety of projects ranging from predator-prey interactions of small mammal communities to spatial ecology of mesocarnivores. Her interest in applied ecology led her to obtain an MSc in wildlife ecology from Mississippi State University, where her research focused on multi-scale habitat selection of invasive wild pigs. From there, she worked as a lead biologist studying endangered Sonoran pronghorn in southwestern Arizona. Currently, Kelsey is researching knowledge gaps in bighorn sheep ecology with respect to public land management, while juggling numerous projects in applied spatial ecology. Outside of work, Kelsey enjoys appreciating all nature has to offer through hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and traveling. 

Essential partners: Rick Truex (USFS), Dr. Mike Schwartz (USFS-RMRS), Dr. John Squires (USFS-RMRS)

Megan Andersen, Undergraduate Researcher. Megan was an undergraduate at the University of Wyoming pursuing majors in Environmental System Science and Environment and Natural Resources. While pursuing her undergrad degrees, Megan participated in research focused on remote sensing to characterize the spatial patterning of ant hills in Wyoming, and a project analyzing the human dimensions of reservoir use in collaboration with the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. Both of these projects utilized imaging technologies to analyze data concerning environmental factors. Megan continued her research, working with private landowners to monitor wildlife across a private lands network using camera-traps, with a special interest in questions associated with medium-sized carnivores. Growing up on a ranch in western South Dakota gave Megan a foundational love for the outdoors. In her free time, Megan loves participating in any outdoor adventure, especially hiking, backpacking, fishing, golfing, and skiing. 

Megan is currently a PhD student at the University of Minnesota!  Please see our publication page for Megan's manuscript in Ecology and Evolution!  

Essential partners: CL Bar Ranch, Lonetree Ranch, LU Ranch, Hoodoo Ranch, Dr. Drew Bennett