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Professor Emeritus

Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology &

Graduate Degree Program in Ecology

Colorado State University

Fort Collins, CO 80523-1474

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Education.

CSU Positions in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology.

  • Jan 2021 – Present          Professor Emeritus
  • July 2006 – June 2007    Interim Department Head
  • Aug 1991 – Dec 2020     Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor
  • July 2007 – Aug 2018     Department Head
  • Aug 2023 – June 2024    Interim Department Head
  • June 2001 – Aug 2005    Chair, Undergraduate Major in Wildlife Biology
  • 1995 – Present                Faculty, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology

Research Interests.

My students and I have an interest in wildlife management, conservation biology and ecology specifically related to 1) impacts of human activities on wildlife, 2) population ecology especially of small mammals, and 3) understanding patterns of species richness and our ability to predict species distributions across the landscape. To that end we have an interest in using state-of-the-art computer software in our work, including GIS and spatial modeling, with the ultimate goal of improving the management and conservation of wild species.

Courses Taught.

FW100-Wildlife Fundamentals, FW111-Basic Outdoor Skills in FWCB, NR120-Environmental Conservation, FWCC192-Wildlife Inquiries, FW370-Design of Wildlife Projects, FW471-Wildlife Data Collection, FW551-Design of Fish & Wildlife Studies, FW552-Applied Sampling for Wildlife and Fish Studies, FW696-Graduate Student Orientation

Completed Graduate Students and Research.

  • Shaunda Kennedy Wenger. M.S. Thesis: Evaluation of an impacted riparian wetland’s soil seed bank for use in restoration, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Summer 1996.
  • Miles Falck. M.S. Thesis: Comparison of small mammal population dynamics in riparian communities of unregulated and regulated rivers. Fall 1996.
  • Richard Harness. M.S. Thesis: Raptor electrocutions caused by rural electric distribution powerlines. Fall 1997.
  • Timothy Keldsen. M.S. Thesis: Potential impacts of climate change on California clapper rail habitat of south San Francisco bay. Fall 1997.
  • Michael Miller. M.S. Thesis: Ecology of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) in riparian zones of regulated versus unregulated rivers in northwestern Colorado. Summer 1998.
  • Cynthia McDonald. M.S. Thesis, Using an object-oriented fuzzy knowledge-based system to determine minimum viable population. Summer 1999.
  • Stewart Breck. Ph.D. Dissertation. The effects of flow regulation on the population biology and ecology of beavers in northwestern Colorado. Spring 2001.
  • Gillian Hadley. M.S. Thesis. Effects of ski-run development on small mammal populations at Vail Ski Area, Colorado. Spring 2002.
  • Anthony Holland. M.S. Thesis. Evaluating boreal toad (Bufo boreas) breeding habitat suitability. Fall 2002.
  • Gordon Reese. M.S. Thesis. Factors affecting the accuracy of predicted species distributions: a simulation experiment. Spring 2003.
  • Jeff Root. Ph.D. Dissertation. Ecological relationships of the transmission and maintenance of Sin Nombre Virus (hantavirus) in the deer mouse. Summer 2003.
  • Anne Trainor. M.S. Thesis. (co-advised with Dr. Tanya Shenk) Influence of resource supplementation on movements of Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) and habitat use characteristics. Summer 2004.
  • Barbara Gibson. M.S. Population genetic analysis of deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) populations on the Anaconda smelter site. Spring 2005.
  • Dan Neubaum. M.S. Selection of urban maternity roosts and mountain hibernacula by big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) along a plains-mountain interface. Spring 2005.
  • Keith van Etten. M.S. Habitat selection by red fox in Yellowstone National Park and mechanisms of coexistence with coyotes. Summer 2006.
  • Sharon Baruch-Mordo. M.S. Spatial patterns of black bear-human conflicts in Colorado. (Co-advised with Dr. Stewart Breck). Summer 2007.
  • Brooke Roeper (Co-advised with Dr. Charlie Calisher). M.S. History and ecology of Sin Nombre virus: A new world hantavirus in the United States. Fall 2007.
  • Elise (Apple) Snider. M.S. Post-Fire Insect Communities And Roost Selection By Western Long-Eared Myotis (Myotis evotis) In Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. Summer 2009
  • Gordon Reese. Ph.D. Simulating species assemblages and evaluating species richness estimators. Summer 2012.
  • Sharon Baruch-Mordo. Ph.D. Black bear ecology and human-bear interactions in an urban System. (Co-advised with Dr. Stewart Breck). Fall 2012.
  • Sarah Garza. M.S. Small mammal populations and plant community succession at artesian wells in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado. (Co-advised with Dr. Gillian Bowser). Summer 2013.
  • David Lewis. M.S. Influence of urban environments on black bear populations and foraging behaviour. (Co-advised with Dr. Stewart Breck). Fall 2013.
  • Katherine Warner, Ph.D. Investigating the effects of noise pollution from energy development on the bat community in the Piceance Basin. Summer 2016.

Current Graduate Student Research.

I am retired and not accepting graduate students.

For info about getting into graduate school at CSU, see Graduate Program Information for my Department and the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology and the CSU Graduate School

Recent Publications (See CV for all publications)

  • Gorsich, E. E., C. T. Webb, A. A. Merton, J. A. Hoeting, R. S. Miller, M. L. Farnsworth, S. R. Swafford, T. J. DeLiberto, K. P., K. Pedersen, A. B. Franklin, R. G. McLean, K. R. Wilson, and P. F. Doherty, Jr. 2021. Continental-scale dynamics of avian influenza in U.S. waterfowl are driven by demography, migration and temperature. Ecological Applications 31(2):e02245. 10.1002/eap.2245
  • Schafer, T., S. W. Breck, S. Baruch-Mordo, D. L. Lewis, K. R. Wilson, and J. S. Mao. 2018. Black bear den site selection and characteristics in an urban environment. Ursus 29:25-31. https://doi.org/10.2192/URSUS-D-17-00004.2
  • Dannemiller, N. G., C. T. Webb, K. R. Wilson, K. T. Bentler, N. L. Mooers, J. W. Ellis, J. J. Root, A. B. Franklin, and S. A. Shriner. 2017. Impact of Body Condition on Influenza A Virus Infection Dynamics in Mallards Following a Secondary Exposure. Plos One 12(4): e0175757. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175757
  • Lewis, D. L., S. Baruch-Mordo, K. R. Wilson, S. W. Breck, J. Mao, and J. Broderick. 2015. Foraging ecology of black bears in urban environments: guidance for human-bear conflict mitigation.  Ecosphere 6:141. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1890/ES15-00137.1
  • Garza, S. J., K. R. Wilson, and G. Bowser. Accepted. Water and sand: Response of small mammals to removal of artesian wells in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado. Park Science 32:57-64.
  • H.E. Johnson, S.W. Breck, S. Baruch-Mordoc, D.L. Lewis, C.W. Lackey, K.R. Wilson, J. Broderick, J.S. Mao and J.P. Beckmann. 2015. Shifting perceptions of risk and reward: dynamic selection for human development by black bears in the Western United States. Biological Conservation 187:164-172. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.04.014
  • Lewis, D. L., S. W. Breck, K. R. Wilson, and C. T. Webb. 2014. Modeling black bear population dynamics in a human-dominated stochastic environment. Ecological Modelling 294: 51-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2014.08.021
  • Garza, S. J., G. Bowser, and K. R. Wilson. 2014. Plant community changes following closure of artesian wells in Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado. Western North American Naturalist 74: 335-342.
  • Baruch-Mordo, S., K. R. Wilson, S. W. Breck, D. L. Lewis, J. Broderick, and J. S. Mao. 2014. Stochasticity in natural forage production affects use of urban areas by black bears: implications to management of human-bear conflict. Plos One 9(1): e85122.
  • Reese, G. C., K. R. Wilson, and C. H. Flather. 2014. Performance of species richness estimators across assemblage types and survey parameters. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 23: 585-594. doi: 10.1111/ geb.12144
  • Reese, G. C., K. R. Wilson, and C. H. Flather. 2013. Program SimAssem: software for simulating species assemblages and estimating species richness. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 4: 891-896. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12070.
  • Baruch-Mordo, S., Webb, C. T., S. W. Breck, and K. R. Wilson. 2013. Use of patch selection models as a decision support tool to evaluate mitigation strategies of human-wildlife conflict. Biological Conservation 160:263-271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2013.02.002.
  • Snider, E. A., P. M. Cryan, and K. R. Wilson. 2013. Day-roost selection by western long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis) at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. Journal of Mammalogy 94: 640-649. https://doi.org/10.1644/11-MAMM-A-153.1.
  • Trainor, A. M., T. S. Shenk, and K. R. Wilson. 2012. Spatial, temporal, and biological factors associated with Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) home range. Journal of Mammalogy 93:429-438. https://doi.org/10.1644/11-MAMM-A-049.1.
  • Baruch-Mordo, S., S. W. Breck, K. R. Wilson, and J. Broderick. 2011. The carrot or the stick? Evaluation of education and enforcement as management tools for human-wildlife conflicts. PLoS ONE 6(1): e15681.

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For other faculty in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology see “People” on our website in the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University.