Protecting and Managing Land

I manage over 2,000 acres of natural areas at the North Carolina Zoo. These natural areas encompass a diversity of ecosystems and protect unique biological, geological, and cultural features. They also provide unfragmented spaces and movement corridors that allow wildlife to safely navigate the landscape. The Zoo itself is surrounded by over 1,000 acres of forested land on Purgatory Mountain. The Zoo also manages three off-site nature preserves. Ridges Mountain Nature Preserve protects mature forests, wetlands, and unique rock formations. Ward Nature Preserve protects a forested corridor along the headwaters of Bachelor Creek. Nichols Longleaf Pine Forest Preserve protects the largest remaining known stand of old-growth Piedmont longleaf pine in North Carolina, containing trees that are more than 200 years old.


​Protecting Native Species

​My research addresses questions of conservation importance related to ecology, behavior, and life history. I use detailed field studies and lab experiments to address important threats, such as habitat loss and degradation, disease, invasive species, and climate change. I also conduct surveys and research studies to assist with conservation and management planning. This includes surveying plant, bird, mammal, amphibian, reptile, and invertebrate communities to inventory rare species and monitor populations over time. I also assist with other collaborative conservation projects, such as headstarting gopher frogs to augment populations of this declining species.