Research

Climate change is causing streams to become warmer and drier. I am working to determine which species will be most vulnerable, where conditions will remain suitable, and options for mitigation. Species currently under analysis are native fishes in Montana & Wyoming, Rocky Mountain tailed frogs, and Idaho giant salamanders. You can go to FishTemp.org to view more of this work.

Low-tech (built by hand), process-based (allowing the stream to do the work) restoration allows for many people to restore much larger extents of stream. However, remaining unknowns about how fish communities respond in some systems prevents wider implementation. I am working with state & federal agencies to restore streams and monitor the response of fishes.

Nongame fishes (those not caught for sport) are vital to the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. However, their ecology and conservation is rarely studied compared to game fishes. Management for nongame fishes is limited. I am working to determine where, when, & how nongame fishes can be managed and conserved.

Fisheries science has been around for a long time. But we are always learning new things, creating new tools, and developing new techniques. I am working to refine some of these tools and help adapt ideas from food-web ecology to stream-fisheries management.