Advancing spatial & remote sensing methods for wildlife & landscape modelingSDMs · Land Cover Land Change · LiDAR · Landscape Structure
Roads and transportation corridors affect wildlife populations across multiple scales, from the road-effect zone to surrounding landscapes. Although vehicle collisions often receive the most attention, other factors — including sound, light, substrate type, roadside habitat, and the placement of wildlife crossing structures — can influence whether species approach and move through transportation corridors. Since 2019, I have led and collaborated on long-term studies in southern Texas and across California to examine how roads, infrastructure, and construction periods affect movement, landscape structure, community dynamics, and connectivity for medium to large mammals, including endangered ocelots and mountain lions.
Recent work has used LiDAR and high-resolution imagery to quantify vegetation structure at roadway approaches and confirmed crossing locations, while also assessing road-effect zones with thermal, acoustic, and landscape-structure metrics. Current projects include: (1) assessing how road substrate type influences ocelot movement. (2) simulating mountain lion movements across highways in the Tehachapi Mountains; (3) evaluating how human presence and recreation affect habitat quality and connectivity for mountain lions in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.
I serve as an external subject matter expert providing technical guidance on regional connectivity efforts across California and previously provided technical guidance the Federal Highway Administration’s Wildlife Crossings Program. In 2021, the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation recognized my road ecology work in southern Texas with its Stewardship Award.
Texas DOT · CKWRI · East Foundation · USFWS · UC Davis · Caltrans · CDFW · Colorado State · USFS RMRS · ICOET · Santa Cruz Land Trust
