Wildlife Aide - Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Reptile Occupancy Study
My primary work in Idaho took place on BLM land near Craters of the Moon National Park where we assessed occupancy of reptiles in a high steppe sage brush environment through visual surveys and trapping. Sites were categorized by three types of sagebrush or in lava, and were further divided based on aspect. We camped for 5 days a week, checking traps every other day and performing visual surveys daily from early May to early August. After field work was completed, I began data analysis and wrote part of the technical report. This was a pilot study of what was to become a multi-year study assessing the importance of sagebrush habitat to reptile communities.
My primary work in Idaho took place on BLM land near Craters of the Moon National Park where we assessed occupancy of reptiles in a high steppe sage brush environment through visual surveys and trapping. Sites were categorized by three types of sagebrush or in lava, and were further divided based on aspect. We camped for 5 days a week, checking traps every other day and performing visual surveys daily from early May to early August. After field work was completed, I began data analysis and wrote part of the technical report. This was a pilot study of what was to become a multi-year study assessing the importance of sagebrush habitat to reptile communities.
Mesocarnivore Study
In late summer during breaks with the reptile occupancy work, I helped maintain camera traps at City of Rocks National Reserve in Southern Idaho, used to monitor mesocarnivore activity in this area. |
White Pelican Banding
Populations of American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) have increased in Southern Idaho since 2002. While this is seen as a conservation positive, the increase in numbers has become a threat to native cutthroat trout subspecies, particularly the native Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri ). During late summer, we banded juveniles at Lake Walcott at the Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge to aid with the state's management plan to continue monitoring pelican populations. |