CHCC LEADERSHIP TEAM
Mireille Gonzalez
CHCC Co-Director, Research Associate, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources
CHCC FACULTY
Meena Balgopal
Professor, Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences
Brian Gerber
Assistant Unit Leader, Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Michael Manfredo
Department Head, Professor, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources
Barb Wolfe
Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Robin Young
Archuleta County Director/Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Specialist, CSU Extension
Veronica Yovovich
Assistant Professor, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; CSU Extension
Jill Zarestky
Associate Professor, Adult Education and Training Program, School of Education
CHCC GRADUATE STUDENTS
Jenna Brager
Masters in Conservation Leadership, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. advised by Dr. Veronica Yovovich and Dr. Mireille Gonzalez.
Project: Studying how wolf-cattle interactions influence rangeland ecology
Cassiopeia Camara
PhD student, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, advised by Dr. Rebecca Niemiec
Project: Analysis of outreach and messaging strategies regarding wolf reintroduction in Colorado.
Morgan-Rae Hertel
PhD student, Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, advised by Dr. Veronica Yovovich
Project: Impacts of livestock-carnivore conflict mitigation tools on livestock and rangelands in Colorado.
Tom Hilton
PhD Student, HDNR, advised by J. Salerno.
Project: Systems impacts of human-wildlife interactions - modeling multilevel economies from households to nation states.
Matt Hyde
PhD student, Graduate Degree Program Ecology, advised by Dr. Stewart Breck and Dr. Kevin Crooks
Project: Conflict prevention between ranchers and predators in the Colombia and Western U.S.
Tamara Layden
M.S. Student, Graduate Degree Program of Ecology, advised by Dr. Sara Bombaci
Project: The role of community-based land stewardship in shaping carnivore conservation in the tropics of Guatemala
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Treana Mayer
DVM, Postdoctoral fellow (microbiology residency/PhD), advised by Dr. Sue VandeWoude (Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology)
Project: Emerging zoonotic disease at the wildlife-public interface; Echinococcosis in canids and people; spillover risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
Cole Purdy
Masters in Conservation Leadership, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. advised by Dr. Mireille Gonzalez.
Project: Drivers of social conflict about wolf restoration and management in Colorado
Kelly Russo
M.S. Student, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, advised by Dr. George Wittemyer.
Project: Impacts of scavengers on Chronic Wasting Disease spread
Cassandre Venumière-Lefebvre
PhD Student, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, advised by Dr. Kevin Crooks and Dr. Stewart Breck.
Project: Understanding tolerance of humans towards carnivores, focused on human-bear coexistence
Erin Weingarten
PhD Student, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, advised by Dr. Anna Lavoie
Project: Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in U.S. undergraduate and graduate wildlife ecology curriculum
Abigail Whittaker
PhD student, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, advised by Dr. Jon Salerno
Project: Understanding how tolerance of lions in pastoralist communities varies based on social network, socioeconomic vulnerability, and risk exposure in Tanzania, and testing interventions to increase tolerance
Becca Windell
PhD Student, Department of Fish, Wildlife, & Conservation Biology, advised by Dr. Georgia Titcomb, Dr. Larissa Bailey, and Dr. Jennifer Malmberg (USDA National Wildlife Research Center)
Project: Behavioral responses, transmission hotspots, and disease-predation interactions in Chronic Wasting Disease infected mule deer
CHCC INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE FELLOWS
Pratik Desai
CHCC International Fellow
PhD Student, HNG University, Patan, India. Advisor: Nishith Dharaiya.
Project: Human-sloth bear coexistence in Gutarat, India
Elizabeth Ruiz Elejalde
CHCC International Fellow
M.S. Student, Javeriana University, Bogotá Colombia. Advisor: M. Hyde.
Project: Ecology and conservation of mammals in the Colombian Llanos
Shweta Shivakumar
CHCC International Fellow
PhD Student, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India. Advisor, Dr. Krithi Karanth; Co-advisor: Dr. Vidya Athreya.
Project: Big cat and human encounters in Himachal Pradesh, India
CHCC Postdoctoral Fellows and Researchers
Heather Abernathy
Postdoctoral Fellow, advisors Dr. George Wittemyer (Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology ) and Dr. Mark Ditmer (USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station).
Project: Quantifying human recreation patterns across the American West and assessing its impact on human-wildlife conflict, as well as wildlife ecology and demography
Redae Tesfai
PhD, Research Associate, Natural Resource Ecology Lab, supervisor Dr. Paul Evangelista
Project: Illegal cheetah trafficking
Patricia Tricorache
Research Assistant, Natural Resource Ecology Lab, supervisor Dr. Paul Evangelista
Project: Illegal cheetah trafficking
Rekha Warrier
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of HUman Dimensions of Natural Resources, advised by Dr. Jon Salerno
Project: Interactions of agropastoral households in Tanzania and the implications for large carnivore conservation
CHCC ASSOCIATES
Santiago Chiquito
CHCC Associate
Director, Neotropical Innovation; Wildlife film producer interested in implementing protection-production systems to coexist with nature
Nishith Dharaiya
CHCC Associate
Associate Professor, HNG University, Patan, India; Co-Chair, IUCN Sloth Bear Expert Team; Founder, WCB Research Foundation
Angélica Diaz
CHCC Associate
Director, Neotropical Innovation; Endangered species conservationist focused on community engagement and technology in Colombia
Mark Ditmer
CHCC Associate
USFS Research Ecologist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USFS; former CHCC Postdoctoral Fellow
Spatial modelling of carnivore habitat suitability and conflict hotspots; recreational impacts on large mammal activity
Anthony Giordano
CHCC Associate
Chief Conservation Science Officer, S.P.E.C.I.E.S.
S.P.E.C.I.E.S is an international NGO committed to the development and implementation of holistic, integrative, and impactful projects and activities to further the conservation of the world’s carnivores.
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Kevin Jablonski
CHCC Associate
Livestock Producer and Range Ecologist
Seth Wilson
CHCC Associate
Executive Director, Blackfoot Challenge
IUCN Human-Bear Conflict Expert Team Member; LIFE Lynx Project Team Member
Applied practitioner focused on human-carnivore coexistence
CHCC ALUMNI
Richard Berl
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, advised by Dr. Rebecca Niemiec
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Sarah Carroll
PhD student, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, advised by Dr. Robin Reid.
Project: Human tolerance and intolerance of livestock depredation by large carnivores in East Africa.
Matt Collins
MA student, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, advised by Dr. Rebecca Niemiec
Project: Cultural, interpersonal, and incentive-based factors that motivate ranchers to employ preventative and non-lethal predator control
Andie Conlon
MS student, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, advised by Dr. Jon Salerno.
Project: The role of community-based conservation in promoting human-carnivore coexistence in East Africa
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Ben Ghasemi
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, advised by Dr. Rebecca Niemiec.
Project: Conservation social science and human-carnivore coexistence in the Western U.S.
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Tim Helming
Masters in Conservation Leadership, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, advised by Dr. Bruyere and Mireille Gonzalez.
Project: Analysis of the collaborative process regarding wolf restoration to Colorado
Monica Lasky
M.S. Student, Graduate Degree Program of Ecology, advised by Dr. Sara Bombaci
Project: How human presence alters carnivore-prey interactions in South African food webs.
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Brielle Manzolillo
PhD student, Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, advised by Dr. Courtney Schultz
Project: Political challenges and pathways for success in Colorado wolf reintroduction
Rae Nickerson
MS Student, Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, advised by Drs. Stewart Breck and Dr. Paul Evangelista
Project: Identifying the psycho-social and socioecological factors influencing landowner reporting behavior of wolf-livestock depredations, and exploring the connections between depredation reporting and compensation policies
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Cori Persinger
M.A. student, Department of Philosophy, advised by Dr. Katie McShane and Dr. Ken Shockley
Projects: A Critique of Animals Rights Theory from Northern Indigenous Hunting Ethics; Hunting and Environmental Values; Epistemic Injustice and U.S. Wildfire Policy
