Joseph J. Fontaine (TJ)

Background

My interest in biology began as an 'outdoor delinquent' chasing elk through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and fishing the Missouri River in my home state of Montana. This experience led me to pursue a B.S. in wildlife biology from the University of Montana after which I was fortunate enough to spend three years traveling the world while working as a research associate for the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. I obtained a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Montana and spent time as a post doc with the Sonoran Desert Research Station at the University of Arizona, before I became Assistant Unit Leader at the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. After a decade of working as a Assistant Unit Leader in Nebraska, I decided to move back home to Montana. I continue to conduct research, but now my day job is as a Forest Planner for the Northern Region of the USFS.

Research

As an ecologist I have many interests, but most revolve around understanding how novel ecological conditions driven by anthropogenic change influence phenotypic expression and community dynamics. Over the years, my students and I have addressed a number of questions relating to habitat decisions and how climate and land-use change as well as management decisions are influencing where species reside and how they subsequently interact with one another. This work has lead to similar work in human ecology as we try to understand the underlying mechanisms that influence why people are involved in hunting and fishing and the socio-ecological conditions that drive where they choose to recreate.