It’s that time of year again!!!
We are voting to fill seven board positions: President-elect, Vice President-elect, Treasurer, and four general Board positions. Please review the candidate descriptions below to learn more about who you are voting for. You can vote for candidates using the following ballot document: ortws-chapterballot2017-18 . Open the document and click on the box next to the candidate’s name, or enter a write-in candidate by clicking in the space after “Write-in”.
Please return your ballot to Andrea Karoglanian via e-mail (ortws.secretary@gmail.com), mail your completed hard copy at the address below, or deposit your completed ballot in the ballot box at our annual meeting in Pendleton by noon on February 9th. If you will be mailing a hard copy, please make sure it reaches us by Friday, February 3rd.
Deadline for all voting is by noon on February 9, 2017.
Officer Candidates
A.J. Kroll (President Elect)
Education: B.A., Philosophy and Foundations of Mathematics and Science, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD, 1994; M.S., Wildlife Science, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 2000; Ph.D., Wildlife Ecology, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 2004.
Present Position: Research Biologist, Weyerhaeuser, Lebanon, OR; Affiliate faculty, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University; Instructor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University; Affiliate faculty, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI.
TWS Activities: Member of national chapter since 2003; member of OR and WA chapters since 2006; Certified Wildlife Biologist, 2007-current; President, WA Chapter of The Wildlife Society, 2007-2008, 2008-2009; current WA chapter representative to The Northwest Section of The Wildlife Society; Chair, Committee on the Future of The Wildlife Society’s Journals (2013-2014), special assignment from President, National TWS.
Interests: Professional−Conservation in production ecosystems; forest ecosystems; education/training of natural resource professionals in the 21st century, reforming technical peer-review processes; statistical graphics; Personal−Walking; running; lifting things with the intent to lift heavier things over time; tolerance; sending hand-written letters; receiving hand-written letters in return.
Laura Tesler (President Elect)
I am originally from Flint, Michigan and I have lived in Oregon since 1989. I graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s in Fisheries Science in 1994. I am married with one sixteen year old son and I live and work in Salem.
I have worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service, and NOAA Fisheries. In 2002 I was hired by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and I have served ODFW in a variety of job capacities since then. In 2010 I was given a wonderful opportunity to begin working in the wildlife arena as the ODFW Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program Coordinator and it has been a whole new fascinating world since then. I learn new wildlife things every day, and I very much appreciate being able to understand and have a basic working knowledge of both fish and wildlife in the northwest. TWS has been very helpful to me in this regard.
I bring you excellent organizing skills, solid decision making, political awareness, and thoughtful consideration of issues important to TWS and the wildlife profession. I value integration, diversity, rational minority opinion, and inclusion. I have more than four years’ experience as a TWS Board member and Vice President so I am very familiar with the inner working of Oregon TWS and can hit the ground running.
I would support the creation and execution of diverse annual meetings that address traditional “game” and “non-game” topics. I would like to see more workshops being offered through the year to TWS members and the public. I would also like to support diversity in the wildlife profession and increased student engagement through internships.
Wendy Wente (Vice President Elect)
Education: B.S. Biology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, 1992. Ph.D. Ecology, Evolution, and Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 2001.
Present Position: Senior Ecologist and Associate at Mason, Bruce & Girard, Inc., a natural resources consulting firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
Former Positions: Wildlife Biologist and Postdoctoral Researcher for USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
TWS Activities: Oregon Chapter Member since 2001. Board member in 2015 and 2016. Currently serves on the Board as Chair of the Continuing Education Committee. Services for Annual Meetings include: Audio/Visual Services Group in 2008, Moderator (2013 and 2016), Poster Session Organizer in 2014 and 2015, presented several papers and served in mentoring sessions over the years.
Summer Peterman (Treasurer)
Education: B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University
Present Position: PacifiCorp Wildlife Biologist
Former Positions: Weyerhaeuser Wildlife Biologist, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Experimental Biology Aid Salmonid Spawning Surveys; Turnstone Environmental Consultants Field Coordinator Marbled Murrelet Surveys; Oregon State University – Fish and Wildlife Department Fisheries Technician Steelhead Behavior Research; Oregon State University – Hatfield Marine Science Center Field Assistant Oyster Habitat Research; Oregon State University – United States Geological Survey (USGS) Laboratory Biological Technician Black Oyster Catcher Nesting Behavior Tracking.
TWS Involvement: Member of the Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society since 2010. I presented at the 2015 annual meeting and have volunteered at several meeting since 2006.
Interests: My professional interests include using sound scientific research to sustainably manage (monitor) fish and wildlife populations within a healthy and productive forest system. My personal interests include mountain biking, trail building, backpacking, hiking, and bird watching.
OR TWS Board Candidates
Ryan Baumbusch (Board Position)
Education: M.S. Natural Resources – Wildlife, Humboldt State University, 2016; B.S. Wildlife, Humboldt State University, 2012.
Present Position: 2016-Present. PhD student in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, studying the impacts of barred owls (Strix varia) on their prey communities in the Pacific Northwest.
Former Positions: Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, 2014-2016; Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, 2014-2016; Seasonal Wildlife Technician, Green Diamond Resource Company, Korbel, CA, 2011-2013; U.S Navy, Nuclear Reactor Mechanic, 2002-2008.
TWS Involvement: Treasurer, California North Coast Chapter, TWS, 2014-2015; Co-volunteer coordinator 2017 Western Section TWS Annual Meeting; TWS member since 2010; Organized and conducted numerous workshops and seminars for Conservation Unlimited, Student TWS Chapter at Humboldt State University. Presented research at various TWS and subunit meetings.
Oregon TWS Goals: As an officer in my previous TWS chapter I focused largely on fostering a strong connection between our academic and professional communities, e.g. promoting conference attendance among undergraduate students, organizing student-professional mentor sessions, organizing a Program MARK workshop for professionals. I would like to continue to promote these connections between my new institution, Oregon State University, and our broader professional community across the state of Oregon. TWS has been pivotal to my educational and professional development and I strive to provide those opportunities to future generations of wildlife biologists.
Interests: I recently started my PhD with the goal of going on to work in academia. I am interested in using population demography to answer both basic and applied ecological questions in relation to the conservation of terrestrial vertebrates, particularly in forested and managed landscapes. Personally I enjoy a wide-range of outdoor activities from tending my native plant garden to fly fishing mountain streams.
Leland Brown (Board Position)
Education: B.S., Environmental Biology, Plymouth State University
Present Position: Non-lead Hunting Education Coordinator, Oregon Zoo 2015-present
Past Experience: Predator Biologist- San Clemente Island Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Program, Institute for Wildlife Studies 2007-2010; Program Manager- Feral Pig Removal, Institute for Wildlife Studies 2010-2012; Non-lead Outreach Coordinator- Institute for Wildlife Studies 2010-2012; Wildlife Management Technician- Hawaii Natural Area Reserve System 2012-2015.
TWS Involvement: Assisted in hosting first non-lead ammunition demonstration in July 2015, set up and hosted Non-lead Ammunition Workshop November 2015, presentations at 2016 OR TWS conference.
Interests: I grew up running around the woods and mountains of northern NH. My interests personally and professionally still reflect that history. Professionally, I am interested in maintaining healthy, intact ecosystems and wildlife populations. This includes addressing human dimensions of conservation, including sustainable use, environmental contamination, and invasive species management. We are in a crucial time to develop sustainable funding sources for wildlife conservation that requires engaging diverse stakeholders. I spend my free time hiking, climbing, hunting, camping, and generally trying to get lost in the woods with my dogs and wife.
Ray Dodd (Board Position)
Education: BS, Ecology and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, 2009; MS, Biology, East Stroudsburg University, 2012
Present Position: Wildlife Health Lab Biologist for ODFW. I focus on population management and health. I conduct field monitoring for WNS, AI, and a variety of other wildlife diseases.
Former Positions: APHIS Wildlife Services New Jersey, Wildlife Technician, focused on wildlife management and control for Middlesex County, NJ parks (2014-16); ODFW, Wildlife Health Lab Biologist (see above) (2013-2014); National Park Service, Biological Technician, focused on invasive species management, white-tail deer management, and carnivore surveys (2013): Normandeau Associates, INC, Wildlife Technician, focused on bat surveys (2012-2013); East Stroudsburg University, graduate assistant, examining interspecific competition between foxes and coyotes (2009-2012); USGS, Wolf Technician (2009); NJ Fish and Wildlife, Intern, Black Bear Program (2008).
TWS Activities: Member since 2009, Speaker at multiple conferences. I was the Secretary for the state chapter in New Jersey before moving to Oregon. I have also been the chair of a planning committee for the national conference when it was in Pittsburg, PA and was the chair of a board selection committee for the Pennsylvania Chapter.
Interests: Professional- Wildlife disease outbreak, wildlife disease transmission and spread through a population and landscape, predator-prey dynamic, interspecific competition, intraspecific competition, effect of top-order predators on a landscape, population health (age class, reproductive success rates, and sex ratios). Personal- Cycling, backpacking, kayaking and exploring the PNW. Getting the kiddo (age 1) outdoors and playing in the rain.
DeWaine Jackson (Board Position)
Education: B.S. at Iowa State University (1976) – Fisheries and Wildlife Biology; M.S. Michigan State University (1979) – Thesis on Mallard Breeding Ecology; Ph.D. Colorado State University (1984) – Dissertation on Ecology of Bobcats in Colorado
Present Position: Wildlife Research Supervisor – West Region Research – ODFW. Primary responsibilities include conducting management related research on wildlife species of concern to ODFW and leading a team of wildlife researchers to accomplish project goals. Current Research projects include Black-tailed deer ecology in western Oregon, utilization of fecal DNA to obtain population estimates for black-tailed deer, mortality characteristics of black bear in Oregon (manuscript preparation), migration & habitat use of mule deer in south-central Oregon (data analysis), survival and movement of Cascades black-tailed deer – OSU cooperative, survival and movement of south-central mule deer – OSU cooperative, and Black-tailed Deer: Estimates of Abundance, Distribution, Habitat Selection and Forest Impacts – OSU Cooperative
Former Positions: Contract Biologist – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (1983-84); Forest Wildlife Research Biologist – Iowa Department of Natural Resources (1984-94); Wildlife Projects Leader – ODFW 1994 -96. Worked on numerous species, including Coyotes, Mallards, Mourning Doves, bobcats, eastern white-tailed deer, wild turkey, Ruffed Grouse, beaver, cougar, black bear, elk , Columbian white-tailed deer, mule deer, black-tailed deer.
TWS: Member for over thirty years
Interests: Professional Defining impacts of predation on ungulate population dynamics and developing wildlife management practices based on data from appropriate spatial and temporal scales.
Meghan S. Martin-Wintle (Board Position)
Education:
B.A., Biology, Reed College, 2003
M.S., Biology, Portland State University, 2006
Ph.D., Biology, Portland State University, 2014
Present Position: Postdoctoral Researcher San Diego Zoo Global 2014-present. Where she develops and manages an international research program studying improvement of captive breeding methods, the effects of domestication on reproductive success in captivity, and reintroduction training methods in the giant panda. Her work involves international collaboration with the Chinese Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), Beijing Normal University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the University of Edinburgh, and St. Louis Zoo. Director of PDXWildlife 2013-present. Meghan co-founded a local non-profit in Portland, Oregon that conducts directed research questions that answer pressing wildlife management needs. Under this organization she developed a menu-marking program in Portland that recruits restaurants to mark sustainable seafood items and researched the effectiveness of menu marking on consumer choice and helped develop and organize non-lead ammunition outreach initiatives at gun shows.
Former Positions: United States Fish and Wildlife, Aquatics Conservation Program Intern 2014- 2015, Portland, OR; Oregon Zoo & San Diego Zoo Global, Giant Panda Graduate Program Behavioral Research 2011- 2014, Portland, OR; Portland Community College, Adjunct Professor and Lab Instructor for Conservation Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Introductory Biology 2009-2014, Portland, OR; Clark Community College, Adjunct Professor and Lab Instructure for Human Anatomy and Physiology 2008-2014, Vancouver, WA; Oregon Zoo, Radioimmunoassay Technician 2006-2010, Portland, OR; United States Forest Service, Wildlife Biological Technician 2006, Estacada, OR; Portland State University, Teaching Assistant for Human Anatomy and Physiology and Histology 2006-2014, Portland, OR; Portland State University, Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit Graduate Behavioral Research 2004-2006, Portland, OR; Oregon Zoo, Research Associate 2005-2014, Portland, OR; Smithsonian Institution/National Zoological Park, Giant Panda Behavior Intern 2005, Chengdu, China; Oregon Health and Sciences University/Oregon Primate Center, Primate Research Assistant II 2003-2004, Portland, OR; Reed College, Urban Bird Behavioral Research Senior Research Thesis 2002-2003, Portland, OR; Organization of Tropical Studies, Field Research Intern 2002, Costa Rica; United States Forest Service, Type I Wildland Firefighter (Hot Shot Crew) 2002, Zig Zag, OR; United States Forest Service, Engine Crew Wildland Firefighter 1999 & 2000, Springerville, AZ.
TWS: Active member since 2006; Attends annual meetings; participates in TWS organized workshops and events since becoming a member.
Interests: Professional – Investigating management techniques through directed scientific research to improve the the success rate of endangered species conservation initiatives. Mentoring and training the next generation of conservation leaders. Promoting multi-institutional collaborations and student training between various groups working with wildlife across the state. Becoming part of the conservation solution! Personal – Horseback riding, traveling, gardening, hiking and spending time with family and friends.
Sarah Riutzel (Board Position)
Education: B.S., Fisheries and Wildlife Science; Wildlife & Forest Biology, Oregon State University, June 2017.
Present Position: 2013-Present. B.S. student in the Fisheries and Wildlife science department at Oregon State University and will graduate in the spring of 2017. I have developed my degree to focus on wildlife biology in forested ecosystems and am highly interested in how forests ecosystem processes and practices affect wildlife biology and management on the broad and fine scale.
Former Positions: US Forest Service; Natural Resources, Wildlife and Forestry Technician: Northern Spotted Owl surveys, Red Tree Vole nesting surveys, Peregrine Falcon surveys, Invasive Plant Species (detection and removal), Western Bumblebee & sensitive pollinator species surveys. South Santiam Watershed Council; Salmon Watch Volunteer & Teaching Leader. Hancock Forest Management; Wildlife Intern: Humboldt Marten remote camera detection distribution surveys, acoustic recordings data analysis.
TWS Involvement: Member of the Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society since 2015.
Interests: My academic and professional interests include understanding how a forest acts on ecological process as a whole. Instead of studying the forest, animals, water, and plants as separate entities I am interested in how these process and the management decisions we implement affect the entire web of the system. I am also interested in the biology of large carnivores that are managed as game species and how we could better manage their populations for the benefit of their biological needs and not just as a revenue source. My personal interests include backpacking, hiking, landscape photography, paper crafting & pyrography, as well as baking & canning.
Donelle Schwalm (Board Position)
Education: BA Biology, Adrian College; MS Wildlife Sciences, Texas Tech University, 2007; PhD, Wildlife Sciences, Texas Tech University, 2012.
Present Position: 2016 – Present. Research Associate, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University.
Former Positions: Courtesy Faculty, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University, 2015-2016; Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University, 2012-2016; Graduate Research Assistant at the Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, 2005-2012; Biological Technician, Turner Endangered Species Fund, 2004-2005; Wildlife Biologist Assistant, Clemson University, 2004; Research Assistant III, Archbold Biological Station, 2000-2003; Wildlife Technician, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, 2000; Endangered Species Technician, Fort McCoy, 1999.
TWS Involvement: National and/or chapter member and regular presenter at state and national meetings since 2005.
Interests: Professional – Functional connectivity from a landscape genetics perspective; Assessing climate change impacts and potential mitigation strategies for terrestrial species; Interclade dynamics in sympatric canids, in particular in prairie ecosystems; Translocation and species restoration; Providing hands-on research experience for undergraduate students. Personal – Backpacking, running, small scale agriculture, hunting, travel.
Daphne Swope (Board Position)
Education: Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology/Zoology, May 2009, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Present Position: Wildlife Biologist & Operations Manager for Turnstone Environmental Consultants, Inc. I conduct and oversee general wildlife surveys and agency protocol-level surveys for special-status wildlife species in Oregon and Washington. (2012-2017)
Former Positions: Banding Technician, USGS Pacific Islands Ecosystem Research Center, Hilo, HI (2012); Biological Technician/Field Crew Leader, Klamath Bird Observatory, Oregon (2009-2010); Banding Assistant, Columbia University and the American Museum of Natural History, Dominica (2010)
TWS: I am excited about becoming involved with TWS in order to contribute to the advancement of conservation-based science and adaptive management, as well as encourage stewardship and knowledge within our local communities.
Interests: I have a broad interest in conservation biology and management-based research, with a recent focus on environmental compliance on federal, state, and private projects as well as a background in avian monitoring to study population trends, demographics, life history, distribution and habitat relationships. My personal interests include exploring Oregon and beyond via foot and cycle as well as creating and enjoying good food and drink.
Mark Webb (Board Position)
Education: BA from Reed College, and PhD from the University of Notre Dame
Current Position: Executive Director for Blue Mountains Forest Partners (BMFP). BMFP is a diverse group of stakeholders who utilize best available science and work collaboratively to increase the pace and scale of restoration on the Malheur National Forest.
Former Positions: Grant County Judge, taught at Eastern Oregon University, and worked in natural resource related jobs across eastern Oregon.