beaver for increasing resilience to fire & post-fire recovery

Status Update (Dec, 2020): This project was unfortunately not funded in FY19. It is currently dormant. I am still seeking funding for it. We had a stellar crop of over-qualified applicants for a Fall 2019, but were unable to secure the studentship support from a handful of interested agencies.

• If you are a prospective graduate student looking to apply for Fall 2020 start, I am still keen to fill this position, but will be unable to do so unless I successfully find grant funding. If you are a prospective student, and are able to secure your own studentship, tuition and research support funding, please get in touch with me.
• If you are an organization (e.g. agency, NGO, etc.) interested in partnering on this important research and have ideas for funding this research, please get in touch with me.

UNTIL I HAVE SECURED FUNDING, I am not actively seeking graduate students on this project, but happy to field questions and inquiries. My apologies. 

2018 brought more extreme fires across the West. As this recent New York Times article points out, riparian areas can provide critical refugia for wildlife and livestock during fires, plus help accelerate the recovery process post-fire. However, there has been virtually no research done looking at the critical role beaver can play in this process. This was brought to our attention first hand on Sharps Fire (near Sun Valley, Idaho) at right this summer in which the only green patches were where there are active beaver dam complexes!

We are still working out details of securing emergency funding from a combination of IDFG, USFS and BLM related to beaver and low-tech process based restoration fire resilience. However, prospects are promising and we're advertising now to attract top candidates. 

Subject to securing funding, I am looking to attract 1-2 graduate students (Jan 2019 - Jun 2019 start dates) to explore one or more of the following topics related to fires in Idaho, Nevada and/or Utah:

• Beaver-mediated resilience to fire
• Role of low-tech process based restoration (including beaver) in post-fire recovery and protection of critical habitat - Looking at geomorphic and riparian responses)

I will consider applications at both a Masters and PhD level. The ideal student will have a strong background in geomorphology and ecology and some research experience. 

Interested students should see below:
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Prospective Student Inquiry