Sharon Collinge

Sharon.Collinge@colorado.edu
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Dr. Sharon Collinge earned a doctorate in landscape ecology from Harvard University in 1995, and in 1998 became an Assistant Professor of biology and environmental studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder. She was named a 2004 Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow in recognition of her outstanding leadership ability and desire to communicate scientific issues beyond academic audiences. Dr. Collinge currently teaches courses in conservation biology, restoration ecology, and environmental science, and mentors students in research and career development in these fields. Dr. Collinge’s research is based in grassland ecosystems of the American west and centers on how land use changes affect the survival and persistence of native plants and animals. Her work integrates ecological science with restoration of endangered vernal pool species and ecosystems in California. Her long-term, large-scale restoration experiment with vernal pool plant communities examines factors that influence the formation of these imperiled plant assemblages. Sharon’s newly published book, Ecology of Fragmented Landscapes, synthesizes research on the ecological consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation and reviews ways in which science can inform ecological restoration and conservation planning. This book is intended to serve as a critical reference and touchstone for students and researchers embarking on studies of the ecological consequences of landscape change.

Chris Ray

Cray@colorado.edu
303-489-8863
Research Associate
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Research Focus

Developing mechanistic models for the analysis of demographic, genetic and disease dynamics, especially for threatened species with fragmented populations.

Current projects

  1. NSF-sponsored research evaluation Evaluating the Role of Metacommunity Dynamics in the Assembly of Vernal Pool Communities,” in collaboration with PI Sharon Collinge;
  2. NPS-sponsored research “Pikas in Peril? Multi-Regional Vulnerability Assessment of a Climate-Sensitive Sentinel Species,” as one of several PIs on a project involving 8 National Parks; and
  3. NSF-sponsored research “Physiological, Behavioral and Demographic Response of the American Pika to Variations in Climate,” as PI on a project supported through the Niwot Ridge Long-term Ecological Research program.

Recent projects include modeling the spatial and temporal dynamics of plague in prairie ecosystems, modeling the population dynamics of a threatened cutthroat trout in the Great Basin, and coordinating a revision of the recovery plan for the endangered black-footed ferret.

Akasha Faist

Akasha.Faist@colorado.edu
Ph.D. student, EBIO
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For my dissertation I am broadly interested in plant community dynamics as they relate to restoration success. More specifically I am looking at the role exotic species play in seed bank storage and how invasives alter native plant recruitment in a restored vernal pool setting. I also spend my summers working for the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Fort Collins, CO as a seasonal botanist.

Kelli Archie

Kelli.Archie@colorado.edu
Ph.D. Student, ENVS

I am currently a Graduate Research Fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences also working for the Center for Science & Technology Policy Research. My dissertation research covers climate change adaptation planning on public lands in the Western US and in Colorado mountain communities.

Mari Elise Ewing

Mari.Ewing@colorado.edu
Ph.D. student, ENVS

My current work focuses on understanding how Farm Bill policies and other factors affect landowner decision-making and subsequent landscape patterns in the western Great Plains. In addition to my research, I continue to do a little work for the Nature Conservancy on ecological monitoring and landowner relations in Eastern Colorado. As the Lead Graduate Teacher for Environmental Studies, I work with the Graduate Teacher Program to improve my own pedagogy and the pedagogy of others. I have enjoyed teaching General Biology labs, Environmental Studies recitations, Conservation Biology recitations, and a pedagogy course for graduate students here at Boulder.

Nifer Wilkening

Jennifer.Wilkening@colorado.edu
Ph.D. student, EBIO
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I am interested in climate change impacts on alpine ecosystems.  More specifically, I am investigating the physiological stress response of an alpine mammal, the American pika, to differences in micro-climate and micro-habitat.  I am also currently working with the National Park Service on Pikas in Peril, a research project designed to assess the vulnerability of pikas to predicted changes in climate.