The National Geographic Society's senior writer and editor Douglas Main recently published an article discussing the grizzly bear-army cutworm moth relationship along Continental Divide areas of the Rocky Mountains where their summer ranges overlap. The piece features remarkable photographs by Steven Gnam, who served as a field technician on our project for multiple field seasons. … Continue reading National Geographic Society article on the Grizzly Bear-Army Cutworm Moth Relationship

Army cutworm moths (Euxoa auxilliaris, ACM), also commonly called miller moths, are one of a number of cutworm moth species found in North America. The moths are migratory, splitting their annual lifecycle between low elevation plains/basin habitats and high elevation mountain talus slopes. Army cutworm moths possess a 1-2" wing span and are identifiable by … Continue reading What is an army cutworm moth & why do grizzlies eat them?

Grizzly bear's have immense appetites. And in order for them to successfully reproduce through winter, female grizzlies must attain more than 20% body fat before entering their dens, according to past WSU-led research (https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/93/2/540/924692 ). From a nutritional perspective, few natural foods available to grizzly bears are capable of packing on their fat reserves, like … Continue reading My Graduate Research in Multimedia Form

I am a research assistant at Washington State University's (WSU) School of the Environment, and a wild-and-wily member of Dr. Dan Thornton's Mammal Spatial Ecology & Conservation Lab. (https://labs.wsu.edu/dthornton/) I've been privileged to work with an array of wildlife species across the Pacific Northwest over the past 15+ years, learning under the tutelage of some … Continue reading Introducing Erik & his graduate field research