Chilean Expeditions Successful!

I lead two research projects in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile and Rapa Nui (aka Easter Island) between 15 July through 22 August 2008. Both of these projects were Explorers Club Flag Expeditions. For a day to day discussion on these projects, go to my Blog.

White-Nose Syndrome Killing Bats in NE US

During the winter of 2007, Dr. Alan Hicks Mammal Specialist, New York Department of Environmental Conservation, confirmed at least 8000 bats died in four caves in New York State. Most bats had a white fungal growth on their snout. Some infected bats have no external symptoms and are reportedly behaving oddly (e.g., flying outside in winter during the day). This year, there are more bat deaths and it has spread to Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and is suspected in Pennsylvania.

ADVISORY TO CAVERS!!! This advisory was recently posted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -- Recommended procedures to Prevent the Possible Spread of White-nose Syndrome.

Watch the NPR Science Friday Video: Dead Bat Mystery (18 April 2008).

Refer to the other NPR news storys: Disease Deadly to Bats Spreads in Northeast U.S. (30 April 2008) and Northeast Bat Die-Off Mirrors Honeybee Collapse (19 February 2008) for more information.

Biography

I am a cave research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey-Southwest Biological Science Center and the Merriam Powell Center for Environmental Research. I am also currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (emphasis: regional biodiversity patterns of caves in the arid southwest) at Northern Arizona University (NAU), Flagstaff. I hold an M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy, NAU, and a Graduate Certificate in Ecotechnie, Free University of Brussels, Belgium. 

My interest in cave research began in 2001 while working for the Belize Institute of Archaeology. I was given the opportunity to conduct an ecological inventory of a potential tourism cave in west central Belize. At once, I was awestruck by the fragile and unusual ecosystem I encountered. I documented a bat roost containing ~¼ million bats, as well as menagerie of cave-adapted fish, shrimp and crabs, and cave-dwelling scorpions, tailless whip scorpions, tarantulas, millipedes, centipedes, cave crickets and beetles. Ever since this expedition, I have worked toward establishing a career in speleology, and have devoted my life to protecting and conserving animals that inhabit caves. 

My current research interests include characterizing regional biodiversity patterns of cave-limited organisms (i.e., troglobites) in the southwestern U.S., sampling strategies for inventorying cavernicole (cave-dwelling) vertebrates and invertebrates, cave-roosting bat ecology, astrobiology, and thermal remote sensing of caves on Earth and Mars. To date, my team and I have identified two new genera and over ten new species of cave-dwelling invertebrates in northern Arizona, demonstrated detection of caves in the thermal infrared is possible, and identified the most compelling evidence for caves on Mars (refer to my research and media pages for more information). 

Meritoria includes Fellow status in The Explorers Club, a Director at Large for the Cave Conservation and Management Section, National Speleological Society, an instructor for the 2007 NASA Spaceward Bound! Mojave Desert Expedition, California, a team member of the 2006 NASA Spaceward Bound! Atacama Desert Expedition, Chile, and an Associate Curator of the Colorado Plateau Museum of Arthropod Biodiversity, NAU.  

For fun and in my spare time, I am an endurance athlete, Yogi, and musician. My endurance training consists primarily of trail running, mountain biking and road biking, and during the winter cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. I have also been a High Performance Yoga student for well over a year. The combination of endurance training, Yoga, meditation practice and eating well keeps me in top physical and mental shape to endure the challenges of working underground. To date, I have completed the 2007 Hopi Paatuwaqatsi Water is Life 50K Run (as a 3-person relay), 2007 Big Brothers-Big Sisters Half Marathon, 2006 and 2007 Mt. Taylor Quadrathlon (a 43mi race from ~4500 to 11,501 feet elevation), 2007 Gaspin’ in the Aspen 15K run, 2006 Gaspin’ in the Aspen Duathalon (26mi run and mountain bike), 2005 Imogene Pass Run (17.1mi run -7810 to 8820 feet through the Imogene Pass of 13,120 feet), 2005 Soulstice Trail Run (10.2mi), and a multitude of 10K runs from 2005 to present. I placed forth in my age group in the 2007 Flagstaff Summer Running Series (I won a free pair of running shoes!). Also, I attempted the 4th Annual Pines to Mines 80-mile mountain bike endurance event from Flagstaff to Jerome (October 2007), where I completed 61 miles of the ride. I also play guitar, harmonica, sing and song write, and periodically play local clubs and festivals.