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Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward (2013)

Chapter: Appendix A: Biographical Sketches

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
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Appendix A

Biographical Sketches

Guy H. Palmer (Chair) is director, Creighton chair, and Regents Professor in the Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health of Washington State University. Dr. Palmer’s goal is to improve control of animal diseases that have direct effects on human health and well-being. With that focus, he leads global health-research programs in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. For his research at the interface of animal disease and human public health, Dr. Palmer was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine and serves on its Board on Global Health. He is also a member of and serves on the Board of Directors of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, which provides expert scientific and engineering analysis to inform public policy. Dr. Palmer has been recognized with the Merck Award for Creativity, the Schalm Lectureship at the University of California, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Distinguished Scientist Lecture, and the Sahlin Award for Research, Scholarship, and the Arts; he is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Palmer serves as an adviser to NIH, the International Science Foundation, the Northwest Regional Center for Excellence in Infectious Diseases, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is on the external boards of several universities in the United States and Latin America. He received his BS summa cum laude and DVM from Kansas State University and his PhD from Washington State University. Dr. Palmer is board-certified in anatomic pathology.

Cheryl S. Asa is director of research at the St. Louis Zoo and director of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Wildlife Contraception Center. She is adjunct professor in the Biology Department of St. Louis University and in the Department of Forest, Range and Wildlife Sciences of Utah State University and teaches at Washington University in St. Louis. She previously worked on a Bureau of Land Management project on control of fertility in feral horses in Nevada and Oregon. Dr. Asa is a member of many professional organizations, including AZA, the AZA Contraception Advisory Group, and the Society for the Study of Reproduction. In 2005, she was coauthor of a book titled Wildlife Contraception: Issues, Methods, and Applications in addition to her many publications in scientific journals.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
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Dr. Asa received her MS and PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in endocrinology and reproductive physiology.

Erik A. Beever is a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center. His specializations are disturbance ecology, mechanisms of biotic responses to climate change, and monitoring in conservation reserves—all at community to landscape scales. His greatest research experience is with mammals, but he has also studied plants, soils, reptiles, amphibians, ants, birds, and fishes. Dr. Beever worked with the U.S. National Park Service as a quantitative ecologist. He is currently a member of the American Society of Mammalogists, the Society for Conservation Biology, and the Wildlife Society in which he is a past chair of the Biological Diversity Working Group. Dr. Beever received his PhD from the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology at University of Nevada, Reno, specializing in grazing ecology of free-ranging horses and in patterns of persistence of mountain-dwelling mammals. In his postdoctoral research, he studied grazing ecology of free-ranging burros, horses, and livestock in various contexts across the western United States.

Michael B. Coughenour is senior research scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University. He was a joint principal investigator on the South Turkana Ecosystem Project, investigating a native pastoral ecosystem in northern Kenya. He has carried out several major modeling and field studies of grazing ecosystems and assessments of ungulate carrying capacities in Yellowstone National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range. He has developed three ecosystem models that have enjoyed wide success: GRASS-CSOM, GEMTM, and SAVANNA. He has been involved in research on pastoral and grazing ecosystems in Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Australia, Inner Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, and Canada and has consulted on grazing ecosystem ecology in many other locations around the world. He has carried out ecosystem modeling studies of grassland responses to atmospheric change and has worked with atmospheric scientists to develop one of the first linked ecosystem-atmosphere models (RAMS-GEMTM). Dr. Coughenour received his PhD from Colorado State University, specializing in systems ecology and nutrient cycling in southern Montana grasslands. He later studied the Serengeti grazing ecosystem of Tanzania, using simulation modeling and experimental studies to determine how the ecosystem supports the world’s largest ungulate herds.

Lori S. Eggert is an associate professor in the Division of Biological Sciences of the University of Missouri–Columbia. Research in her laboratory uses the tools of molecular genetics to study wildlife species that are difficult or dangerous to study with traditional methods. By combining intensive field studies with individual-based genetic analyses, she asks questions about the ecology and evolution of species that would be almost impossible to study in any other way. Current projects include field and laboratory studies aimed at refining the methods that Dr. Eggert uses for “genetic censusing” of elusive species in the forests of Africa and Asia. Using DNA extracted from elephant dung samples, she has applied multilocus genotypes as genetic tags for estimating population sizes and sex-specific markers to estimate sex ratios. Previously, Dr. Eggert had been a research and postdoctoral associate at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. She received her MS in ecology from San Diego State University and her PhD in biology from the University of California, San Diego.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
×

Robert Garrott is a faculty member in the Department of Ecology of Montana State University and director of the Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program. The focus of his research is understanding the abiotic and biotic ecological processes that influence mammalian populations and communities. He works in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems and contributes to basic science and applied wildlife management and conservation through collaborations with state and federal natural-resources agencies. Dr. Garrott teaches undergraduate courses in wildlife management techniques and principles of fish and wildlife management. He received his MS in wildlife management from Pennsylvania State University and his PhD in wildlife conservation from the University of Minnesota.

Lynn Huntsinger is professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management of the University of California, Berkeley. She is a rangeland ecologist whose work focuses on the conservation and management of rangelands and ranching. Current studies include research on oak woodland landowners and management in California and Spain, land fragmentation and conservation in oak woodlands, and participatory management strategies. She is a team leader in the Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Project, working with the U.S. Forest Service and state agencies to restore forest health. She continues to pursue lines of inquiry and theory that she has found useful in her work: ecological models for disequilibrium systems as tools to understand the linkages between human relationships and ecological change, work in political ecology founded on basic notions of who wins and who loses in struggles over access to natural resources, and adaptive management as arbitrator in landscape and resource management. Dr. Huntsinger is a California-certified rangeland manager. She received her PhD in rangeland ecology and management from the University of California, Berkeley.

Linda E. Kalof is a professor of sociology, animal studies, and environmental science and policy at Michigan State University and founding director of the university’s interdisciplinary graduate specialization in animal studies: humanities and social-science perspectives. Her research interests include cultural representations of animals, public perceptions of wildlife, and conservation and conflict management of urban carnivores. She has published widely in animal studies, including Making Animal Meaning (MSU Press, 2011), Looking at Animals in Human History (University of Chicago/Reaktion, 2007), The Animals Reader (Berg, 2007), and The Earthscan Reader in Environmental Values (Earthscan, 2005). She edited the multivolume A Cultural History of Animals (which received the 2008 Choice Award for Outstanding Academic Title) and currently edits The Oxford Handbook of Animal Studies (Oxford University Press) and The Animal Turn book series (MSU Press).

Paul R. Krausman is the Boone and Crockett Professor of Wildlife Conservation in the University of Montana Wildlife Biology Program. He received his PhD from the University of Idaho in wildlife science. His professional interests lie in the study of large mammals, especially as influenced by anthropogenic factors. Projects he is conducting include those on ecology of desert mule deer in southeastern California, winter ecology of mule deer in Montana and Idaho, predator-prey relationships between wolves and ungulates in Arizona, bison use of water in Montana, caribou calving shifts in Newfoundland, use of clearcuts by caribou in Newfoundland, and diet quality of bighorn sheep during dry and wet periods. He belongs to many professional organizations, including The Wildlife Society (TWS), the Society for Range Management, and the American Society of Mammalogists. He is a fellow and honorary member of TWS and received its Aldo Leopold Award in 2006. Other awards include the Desert Ram Award from the Desert Bighorn Council and the O.C. “Charlie”

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
×

Wallmo Award from the Western States and Provinces. He has also received awards for his editing and for books and monographs from TWS. He was the editor of Transactions of the Desert Bighorn Council, The Journal of Wildlife Management, and Wildlife Monographs and is the editor of the TWS-Johns Hopkins University Press Wildlife Book Series.

Madan K. Oli is a professor in the Department of Wildlife Ecology of the University of Florida. He seeks to understand factors and processes that influence dynamics, regulation, and persistence of populations and to contribute to science-based management of wildlife populations. His research addresses both basic theoretical questions and practical solutions to ecological problems and uses a combination of ecological theory, mathematical and statistical models, and field data. He was granted the University of Florida Foundation Research Professor Award in 2010 to fund his projects. Dr. Oli is the author or coauthor of over 100 publications. He received his PhD from Auburn University.

Steven Petersen is an associate professor at Brigham Young University (BYU), where he teaches landscape ecology, natural-resources planning, GIS, remote sensing, and forest ecology and management. He conducts research on the spatiotemporal effects of juniper invasion on natural resources, sage-grouse habitat assessment on broad spatial scales, and the effects of free-ranging–horse distribution patterns on plant community structure. He advises graduate and undergraduate students, is the coach for the BYU plant team, and is an adviser for the range and wildlife club. He was employed by the department to teach a suite of rangeland classes including arid-land plant identification, ecophysiology, landscape ecology, and rangeland ecology and management. Dr. Petersen received his PhD from the Oregon State University Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management.

David M. Powell is a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoological Park and associate curator of mammals at the Bronx Zoo, overseeing hoofed animals and carnivores. His research interests lie in studies of the role of dominance and subordinance in animal societies. As a zoo biologist, Dr. Powell is interested in application of behavioral knowledge to management of animals in captivity with the goal of promoting captive breeding, preparing animals for reintroduction, and ensuring optimal animal welfare. He has also studied the application of captive population genetic-management techniques to wild populations. He has studied a variety of species both in captivity and in the field including feral horses, gorillas, flamingos, lions, golden lion tamarins, kori bustards, octopuses, small carnivores, and giant pandas. He is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Animal Welfare Committee, Equid Taxon Advisory Group, Caprine Taxon Advisory Group, and Contraceptive Advisory Board. Dr. Powell also participated in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Conservation Breeding Group’s Horses of Assateague Island Population and Habitat Viability assessment workshop. He received his BS in Biology from the University of Miami, and his PhD in zoology from the University of Maryland.

Daniel I. Rubenstein is chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of Princeton University. His research focuses on decision-making in animals. Dr. Rubenstein develops simple mathematical models to generate predictions that can be tested with data gathered from structured field observations or experimental manipulations. Much of his recent research on the adaptive value of behavior has centered on understanding the social dynamics of equids—horses, zebras, and asses. How risks are assessed, how decisions are made, and how conflicts of interest among individuals of differing phenotypes with differing needs are avoided is the focus of his research on the control of behavior. His

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
×

latest research focuses on one such problem—the rules governing animal movements and migration—and involves the interaction of “self-organizing” behavioral movement rules, ecological information, and habitat structure on multiple spatial scales to understand how migratory animal movements respond to human-induced land-use change and how the changes in movement in turn affect population stability. Dr. Rubenstein received his BA from the University of Michigan, MS degrees from Cambridge and Oxford Universities, and his PhD from Duke University.

David S. Thain is a consulting veterinarian. Previously he was an assistant professor and state extension veterinarian at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). Prior to his work at UNR, Dr. Thain was the state veterinarian at the Nevada Department of Agriculture where he managed the state’s Virginia Range Estray Horse Program. While in this position he developed his expertise in techniques to manage feral horse populations. Dr. Thain’s research was some of the first to assess new contraceptive products in the field setting to evaluate efficacy and safety as well as cost-effective practical methods for maintaining viable herds without the need for routine gathers to reduce excess numbers of horses. Early in his career he was a private practitioner in Wyoming and Nevada. He received his DVM from Colorado State University.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
×
Page 271
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
×
Page 272
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
×
Page 273
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
×
Page 274
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
×
Page 275
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches." National Research Council. 2013. Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13511.
×
Page 276
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Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward reviews the science that underpins the Bureau of Land Management's oversight of free-ranging horses and burros on federal public lands in the western United States, concluding that constructive changes could be implemented. The Wild Horse and Burro Program has not used scientifically rigorous methods to estimate the population sizes of horses and burros, to model the effects of management actions on the animals, or to assess the availability and use of forage on rangelands.

Evidence suggests that horse populations are growing by 15 to 20 percent each year, a level that is unsustainable for maintaining healthy horse populations as well as healthy ecosystems. Promising fertility-control methods are available to help limit this population growth, however. In addition, science-based methods exist for improving population estimates, predicting the effects of management practices in order to maintain genetically diverse, healthy populations, and estimating the productivity of rangelands. Greater transparency in how science-based methods are used to inform management decisions may help increase public confidence in the Wild Horse and Burro Program.

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