Staff
Select project:
 |
Jeff Burrell
Northern Rockies Program Coordinator
As Northern Rockies Program Coordinator, Jeff provides management support for WCS projects from southern Arizona to northern Montana. For the Northern Rockies program, Jeff leads WCS efforts to improve wildlife conservation on private lands. Jeff serves on steering committees of the Heart of the Rockies, a coalition of land trusts in southeastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, and on the High Divide group, a coalition of NGO’s focused on advancing wildlife habitat and habitat linkage conservation in the broad region between the Greater Yellowstone, Salmon-Selway, and Crown of the Continent ecosystems. Jeff joined WCS in 2003. Jeff has a Master’s of Science degree in Range and Wildlife Management and a Master’s of Science degree in Geology and Geophysics from Texas Tech University
|
|
Jeff Burrell
Northern Rockies Program Coordinator
As Northern Rockies Program Coordinator, Jeff provides management support for WCS projects from southern Arizona to northern Montana. For the Northern Rockies program, Jeff leads WCS efforts to improve wildlife conservation on private lands. Jeff serves on steering committees of the Heart of the Rockies, a coalition of land trusts in southeastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, and on the High Divide group, a coalition of NGO’s focused on advancing wildlife habitat and habitat linkage conservation in the broad region between the Greater Yellowstone, Salmon-Selway, and Crown of the Continent ecosystems. Jeff joined WCS in 2003. Jeff has a Master’s of Science degree in Range and Wildlife Management and a Master’s of Science degree in Geology and Geophysics from Texas Tech University
|
|
 |
Bob Inman
Wolverine Project Coordinator
Bob Inman completed his MS degree in Wildlife Ecology and Management at the University of Tennessee in 1997. He has focused on carnivore research and management in the Rocky Mountians of the western United States, specifically black bears and wolverines. Bob now coordinates WCS's long term site in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. His work on wolveirnes in Greater Yellowstone is advancing the concept of Yellowstone as a protected area to that of a node within a network of protected areas that spans the Rocky Mountains.
|
|
Bob Inman
Wolverine Project Coordinator
Bob Inman completed his MS degree in Wildlife Ecology and Management at the University of Tennessee in 1997. He has focused on carnivore research and management in the Rocky Mountians of the western United States, specifically black bears and wolverines. Bob now coordinates WCS's long term site in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. His work on wolveirnes in Greater Yellowstone is advancing the concept of Yellowstone as a protected area to that of a node within a network of protected areas that spans the Rocky Mountains.
|
|
 |
Andra Toivola
GIS Project Leader
Andra is the GIS Specialist/Analyst for the North America Program. Andra works to support and assist the ongoing geospatial research of our program staff. She has also completed several GIS-based independent research investigations focused on western wildlife and ecology. Andra has been with WCS since shortly after she received a B.S. degree in Earth Sciences, Physical Geography with an emphasis in biogeography, from Montana State University in 2004.
|
|
Andra Toivola
GIS Project Leader
Andra is the GIS Specialist/Analyst for the North America Program. Andra works to support and assist the ongoing geospatial research of our program staff. She has also completed several GIS-based independent research investigations focused on western wildlife and ecology. Andra has been with WCS since shortly after she received a B.S. degree in Earth Sciences, Physical Geography with an emphasis in biogeography, from Montana State University in 2004.
|
|
 |
Bryan Aber
Carnivore Conservation Specialist
Involved with WCS wolverine program since 2000, Bryan is currently filling a collaborative carnivore biologist position between WCS, Idaho Fish & Game and the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Bryan was previously employed by the Caribou-Targhee National Forest as the District Biologist for the Ashton/Island Park Ranger District. He has a 27-plus year tenure with the US Forest Service. Bryan grew up in the Catskill Mountains of New York, but has lived in the Yellowstone Ecosystem since 1981.
|
|
Bryan Aber
Carnivore Conservation Specialist
Involved with WCS wolverine program since 2000, Bryan is currently filling a collaborative carnivore biologist position between WCS, Idaho Fish & Game and the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Bryan was previously employed by the Caribou-Targhee National Forest as the District Biologist for the Ashton/Island Park Ranger District. He has a 27-plus year tenure with the US Forest Service. Bryan grew up in the Catskill Mountains of New York, but has lived in the Yellowstone Ecosystem since 1981.
|
|
 |
Darby Derzay
Financial/Operations Assistant
Just before joining WCS, Darby completed her undergraduate Bachelors Degree at Montana State University in the Spring of 2009. Her previous work experience includes marketing and sales, as well as accounting work for various firms in the Bozeman area.
|
|
Darby Derzay
Financial/Operations Assistant
Just before joining WCS, Darby completed her undergraduate Bachelors Degree at Montana State University in the Spring of 2009. Her previous work experience includes marketing and sales, as well as accounting work for various firms in the Bozeman area.
|
|
 |
Darren Long
Climate Adaptation Fund Progam Coordinator
As program officer with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Darren is responsible for all management, administration and grantmaking activities of the WCS Climate Adaptation Fund, which will make $4 million in grants available to organizations working to implement applied climate adaptation projects for wildlife over the next two years. Darren spent the previous four years at WCS directing giving and strategy for the Wildlife Action Opportunities Fund, that awarded more than $7.5 million in support for nonprofit conservation organizations working to implement priorities of strategic habitat conservation plans in all 50 states and six U.S. territories. Both programs have been made possible by the generous support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Before moving to Montana in 2006 to join the Wildlife Conservation Society team, Darren spent four years at The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia, where his work focused on green space preservation and the expansion and improvement of urban parks through the Foundation’s Environmental Initiative. Also in Georgia, Darren served as the Program Associate for Habitat at the Turner Foundation. There, his principal focus was the funding of public policy advocacy, litigation and local grassroots efforts to preserve terrestrial and marine biodiversity through landscape-scale habitat protection. And from 1996-2002, Darren spent many happy hours observing the behavior of apes and monkeys while coordinating research, conservation and education programs for the Living Links Center - Emory University's institute for the study of human and ape evolution.
Darren has volunteered as a consulting editor for the children’s science magazine Odyssey. He has also made various public appearances as "Captain Planet," the world’s only environmental superhero, in support of the Captain Planet Foundation, which provides grants for youth-run environmental projects. Currently a masters candidate in Political Science at Montana State University, Darren studied history and environmental policy at LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Australia and is a graduate of The George Washington University,Washington, D.C.
|
|
Darren Long
Climate Adaptation Fund Progam Coordinator
As program officer with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Darren is responsible for all management, administration and grantmaking activities of the WCS Climate Adaptation Fund, which will make $4 million in grants available to organizations working to implement applied climate adaptation projects for wildlife over the next two years. Darren spent the previous four years at WCS directing giving and strategy for the Wildlife Action Opportunities Fund, that awarded more than $7.5 million in support for nonprofit conservation organizations working to implement priorities of strategic habitat conservation plans in all 50 states and six U.S. territories. Both programs have been made possible by the generous support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Before moving to Montana in 2006 to join the Wildlife Conservation Society team, Darren spent four years at The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia, where his work focused on green space preservation and the expansion and improvement of urban parks through the Foundation’s Environmental Initiative. Also in Georgia, Darren served as the Program Associate for Habitat at the Turner Foundation. There, his principal focus was the funding of public policy advocacy, litigation and local grassroots efforts to preserve terrestrial and marine biodiversity through landscape-scale habitat protection. And from 1996-2002, Darren spent many happy hours observing the behavior of apes and monkeys while coordinating research, conservation and education programs for the Living Links Center - Emory University's institute for the study of human and ape evolution.
Darren has volunteered as a consulting editor for the children’s science magazine Odyssey. He has also made various public appearances as "Captain Planet," the world’s only environmental superhero, in support of the Captain Planet Foundation, which provides grants for youth-run environmental projects. Currently a masters candidate in Political Science at Montana State University, Darren studied history and environmental policy at LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Australia and is a graduate of The George Washington University,Washington, D.C.
|
|
 |
Heidi Kretser
Livelihoods and Conservation Coordinator
As the Livelihoods and Conservation Coordinator for WCS’s North America Program, Heidi works to bring a social science perspective to the existing biological science projects to achieve greater conservation impact. She has used this approach to understand and resolve complex conservation questions pertaining to the impacts of low-density rural development, or exurban development, on wildlife and to determine the effective communication strategies to reduce demand for and purchase of wildlife trade items by the U.S. military. Heidi also serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Cornell University’s Department of Natural Resources and as an advisor to Friends of Nepal Nature. Heidi joined the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Program in 1998 and was the Coordinator for the Adirondack Communities and Conservation Program from 1999 to 2003. In that role she implemented numerous community-based conservation projects, initiated the Landscape Species Approach for the Adirondacks, and collaborated on the making of the Adirondack Atlas. Heidi Kretser completed her Ph.D. in Natural Resources management at Cornell University focusing on the social aspects of human-wildlife interactions. She received an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the Yale School of Forestry and B.S. in Resource Economics from Cornell University. Heidi started her career in conservation working on an acid rain project in the Adirondacks. She worked on several environmental education programs in Nepal and has participated in study groups and collaborative conservation programs in Italy, Venezuela, and Arctic Alaska.
|
|
Heidi Kretser
Livelihoods and Conservation Coordinator
As the Livelihoods and Conservation Coordinator for WCS’s North America Program, Heidi works to bring a social science perspective to the existing biological science projects to achieve greater conservation impact. She has used this approach to understand and resolve complex conservation questions pertaining to the impacts of low-density rural development, or exurban development, on wildlife and to determine the effective communication strategies to reduce demand for and purchase of wildlife trade items by the U.S. military. Heidi also serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Cornell University’s Department of Natural Resources and as an advisor to Friends of Nepal Nature. Heidi joined the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Program in 1998 and was the Coordinator for the Adirondack Communities and Conservation Program from 1999 to 2003. In that role she implemented numerous community-based conservation projects, initiated the Landscape Species Approach for the Adirondacks, and collaborated on the making of the Adirondack Atlas. Heidi Kretser completed her Ph.D. in Natural Resources management at Cornell University focusing on the social aspects of human-wildlife interactions. She received an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the Yale School of Forestry and B.S. in Resource Economics from Cornell University. Heidi started her career in conservation working on an acid rain project in the Adirondacks. She worked on several environmental education programs in Nepal and has participated in study groups and collaborative conservation programs in Italy, Venezuela, and Arctic Alaska.
|
|
 |
Jodi Hilty
North America Program Director
Dr. Jodi Ann Hilty has served as the Director of the North America Program for the Wildlife Conservation Society since October 2007 and is based out of Bozeman, Montana. As Director, Dr. Hilty provides leadership on scientific applications to natural resource management and conservation. This includes leading efforts to address four major conservation challenges including natural resource extraction, livelihoods, connectivity, and climate change. As Director, she oversees a staff of approximately 55 individuals that works in some of the most remote places in North America; applies and communicates scientific information; promotes the active involvement of WCS in the larger scientific and conservation community; strengthens partnerships between WCS and other organizations; garners resources for WCS work; and cultivates the next generation of conservation science leaders.
Trained as a conservation biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, her passion is focused on finding creative science-based solutions to resolve critical conflicts between humans and natural world. Dr. Hilty is lead author on the 2006 book titled, Corridor Ecology: the Science and Practice of Linking Landscapes for Biodiversity Conservation and co-editor on the 2010 book titled, Safe Passages: Highways, Wildlife and Habitat Connectivity. She also sits on the boards of several conservation and academic organizations, is a member of the professional Society for Conservation Biology, and serves as a science member on a National Parks Service advisory board planning committee.
|
|
Jodi Hilty
North America Program Director
Dr. Jodi Ann Hilty has served as the Director of the North America Program for the Wildlife Conservation Society since October 2007 and is based out of Bozeman, Montana. As Director, Dr. Hilty provides leadership on scientific applications to natural resource management and conservation. This includes leading efforts to address four major conservation challenges including natural resource extraction, livelihoods, connectivity, and climate change. As Director, she oversees a staff of approximately 55 individuals that works in some of the most remote places in North America; applies and communicates scientific information; promotes the active involvement of WCS in the larger scientific and conservation community; strengthens partnerships between WCS and other organizations; garners resources for WCS work; and cultivates the next generation of conservation science leaders.
Trained as a conservation biologist at the University of California, Berkeley, her passion is focused on finding creative science-based solutions to resolve critical conflicts between humans and natural world. Dr. Hilty is lead author on the 2006 book titled, Corridor Ecology: the Science and Practice of Linking Landscapes for Biodiversity Conservation and co-editor on the 2010 book titled, Safe Passages: Highways, Wildlife and Habitat Connectivity. She also sits on the boards of several conservation and academic organizations, is a member of the professional Society for Conservation Biology, and serves as a science member on a National Parks Service advisory board planning committee.
|
|
 |
John Weaver
Senior Conservation Scientist
John Weaver is a carnivore conservation biologist for WCS based in Missoula, Montana with field programs in the western United States and Canada that are focused on large landscape conservation, wildlife connectivity and adaptation to climate change.
Over the past 25 years, John has played many key roles in large carnivore conservation in the United States and Canada. His dissertation research was on the ecology of wolf predation in the high-diversity ungulate environment of Jasper National Park, Alberta. John has held leadership positions with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on endangered species and has served on several recovery teams, including for both wolves and grizzly bears.
Over the years, he has perfected hair snaring techniques for lynx and bear surveys and invented a lynx lure that is now widely used. He has authored more than 20 scientific publications and served as a reviewer for five scientific journals. John has an academic appointment at the University of Montana. He is particularly interested in conservation strategies that address the resiliency mechanisms of vulnerable species.
|
|
John Weaver
Senior Conservation Scientist
John Weaver is a carnivore conservation biologist for WCS based in Missoula, Montana with field programs in the western United States and Canada that are focused on large landscape conservation, wildlife connectivity and adaptation to climate change.
Over the past 25 years, John has played many key roles in large carnivore conservation in the United States and Canada. His dissertation research was on the ecology of wolf predation in the high-diversity ungulate environment of Jasper National Park, Alberta. John has held leadership positions with the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on endangered species and has served on several recovery teams, including for both wolves and grizzly bears.
Over the years, he has perfected hair snaring techniques for lynx and bear surveys and invented a lynx lure that is now widely used. He has authored more than 20 scientific publications and served as a reviewer for five scientific journals. John has an academic appointment at the University of Montana. He is particularly interested in conservation strategies that address the resiliency mechanisms of vulnerable species.
|
|
 |
Jon Beckmann
Pronghorn Project Coordinator
As an Associate Conservation Scientist in the WCS North America Program, Jon is the Principle Investigator or Co-PI on several projects in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and in other regions of North America. Jon’s current research and conservation projects include: 1) examining the impacts of natural gas development in the Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming on the migrating pronghorn of Grand Teton National Park and western Wyoming; 2) protecting moose and elk migration between Yellowstone National Park and winter range in southeast Idaho by understanding and reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and limiting rural residential sprawl in migration corridors; 3) an on-going 15-year study investigating and reducing human-bear conflicts along the wildland-urban interface in the Lake Tahoe Basin of the Sierra Nevada Mountains; 4) using detection dogs to examine connectivity issues for large carnivores in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; 5) examining the impacts of the border fence along the US-Mexico border on wildlife connectivity; and 6) understanding how human-altered environments impact mountain lion ecology, behavior and population dynamics in the Great Basin Desert. Jon has studied a diverse array of species, ranging from black bears and mountain lions to pronghorn, small mammals, and shorebirds, addressing numerous conservation-oriented questions. His main interests are mammalian behavioral ecology, population ecology, and conservation biology. He is interested in the effects that anthropogenic factors have on the abundance, distribution, and behavior of mammals, particularly carnivores. Along with >20 publications, Jon is lead editor on a 2010 book titled Safe Passages: highways, wildlife and habitat connectivity. Jon has given over 25 scientific meeting presentations and over 30 invited university and professional training presentations. His research has been the subject of more than 60 radio, television, and newspaper articles, including NBC Nightly News, Discovery Channel, NY Times, LA Times, Newsweek, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal and articles run over the AP wire nationally and internationally. Jon has used his applied research to affect conservation through the public policy arena. For example, his published research on bears and public presentations at various county commissioner meetings in the Lake Tahoe basin in both CA and NV prompted new bear-proof dumpster laws and ordinances in several counties. Dr. Beckmann attended the University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) for his graduate education where he received his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. Jon was also nominated in 2004 by his peers for the Alan T. Waterman Award, the most prestigious award from NSF for scientists under the age of 35.
|
|
Jon Beckmann
Pronghorn Project Coordinator
As an Associate Conservation Scientist in the WCS North America Program, Jon is the Principle Investigator or Co-PI on several projects in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and in other regions of North America. Jon’s current research and conservation projects include: 1) examining the impacts of natural gas development in the Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming on the migrating pronghorn of Grand Teton National Park and western Wyoming; 2) protecting moose and elk migration between Yellowstone National Park and winter range in southeast Idaho by understanding and reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and limiting rural residential sprawl in migration corridors; 3) an on-going 15-year study investigating and reducing human-bear conflicts along the wildland-urban interface in the Lake Tahoe Basin of the Sierra Nevada Mountains; 4) using detection dogs to examine connectivity issues for large carnivores in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; 5) examining the impacts of the border fence along the US-Mexico border on wildlife connectivity; and 6) understanding how human-altered environments impact mountain lion ecology, behavior and population dynamics in the Great Basin Desert. Jon has studied a diverse array of species, ranging from black bears and mountain lions to pronghorn, small mammals, and shorebirds, addressing numerous conservation-oriented questions. His main interests are mammalian behavioral ecology, population ecology, and conservation biology. He is interested in the effects that anthropogenic factors have on the abundance, distribution, and behavior of mammals, particularly carnivores. Along with >20 publications, Jon is lead editor on a 2010 book titled Safe Passages: highways, wildlife and habitat connectivity. Jon has given over 25 scientific meeting presentations and over 30 invited university and professional training presentations. His research has been the subject of more than 60 radio, television, and newspaper articles, including NBC Nightly News, Discovery Channel, NY Times, LA Times, Newsweek, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal and articles run over the AP wire nationally and internationally. Jon has used his applied research to affect conservation through the public policy arena. For example, his published research on bears and public presentations at various county commissioner meetings in the Lake Tahoe basin in both CA and NV prompted new bear-proof dumpster laws and ordinances in several counties. Dr. Beckmann attended the University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) for his graduate education where he received his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. Jon was also nominated in 2004 by his peers for the Alan T. Waterman Award, the most prestigious award from NSF for scientists under the age of 35.
|
|
|