Wildlife habitat on rangelands is one of the most pressing conservation issues in western North America. Nearly all western upland gamebird species rely on rangeland habitats. USU Extension's Rangeland-Wildlife Habitat Lab focuses on providing the best available scientific information concerning the assessment of management and conservation practices for these species, especially our native grouse species.
Thayne Aubrey
I have been an outdoorsman my entire life, spending many weekends growing up fly fishing with my dad. The experiences I had growing up made the decision to major in natural resources a simple one. I attended Utah State University and received a B.S. in Wildlife Science in 2012. I then spent time working for Wyoming Game and Fish and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. I mostly dealt with depredation and human wildlife conflict issues. After a number of years working in these areas, I had the opportunity to return to USU in pursuit of a M.S. in Wildlife Biology. I saw as an opportunity to get more into the science side of wildlife management. My professional goals include finding positions in state wildlife management agencies where I can apply the best available management practices to conserve and enhance natural resources for all users. I also have interests in finding ways to work with private landowners to improve wildlife habitat and gain access to land previously unavailable to the public.
Scott Fox
I am native to North Dakota where I grew up hunting, fishing, and watching wildlife. My other outdoor pursuits include hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and camping. My fascination of wildlife led to a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of North Dakota in 2013. Since then I’ve held several seasonal wildlife technician jobs, including research assistance with sharp-tailed grouse in North Dakota, ring-necked pheasants in Nebraska, chum salmon in Alaska, island foxes on the Channel Islands of California, and greater sage-grouse in Wyoming. Currently, I’m researching greater sage-grouse to earn a M.S. in Wildlife Biology with Dr. Dave Dahlgren at Utah State University. I expect to publish findings from my research in a peer-reviewed journal, and hope to find permanent employment as a wildlife biologist.
Kade Lazenby
I am from a small town in Utah. I enjoy hunting, fishing, training dogs, and spending time with my daughters. I received my bachelor’s degree at Utah State University in Wildlife
Science. During my undergraduate program I worked for the southeastern region of Utah Division of Natural Resources in the Wildlife department working for the conservation biologist. Between my undergrad and graduate school, I worked for Skyler Farnsworth in David Dahlgren’s lab collecting data on dusky grouse (Dendragapus obscurus).
I am currently transitioning to a Ph.D. at Michigan State University Studying sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) translocations into the lower peninsula of Michigan.
When I am finished with his Ph.D. my goals are to be an upland game coordinator or to be in an extension position working with a university communicating science to the public.
Stephanie Landry-Giavotella
I graduated with my Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from Louisiana State University in 2012. I then received my Master of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources from West Virginia University in 2017 where I studied the population demography and health of bobcats in West Virginia in cooperation with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. I am now a Ph.D. student in the Dahlgren lab at Utah State University where I am studying population ecology and habitat selection of dusky grouse in the Great Basin ranges of East-Central Nevada in cooperation with Nevada Department of Wildlife. My career goals include pursuing post-doctoral research in predator behavior or predator-prey dynamics and to eventually obtain an extension position with a university or a research position with an NGO focusing on predator-prey relations of ‘at risk’ species.
Chuck Carpenter III
I am an avid conservationist and outdoorsman, and my passion for the outdoors inspired me to pursue my education in the College of Natural Resources at Utah State University. I spend my free time exploring the outdoors with my wife, Amy, and my two teenage boys, Chuck and Max. My passion for the outdoors has driven me to be a six-time Utah State Goose calling champion and a fly designer for Rainy’s flies.
My undergraduate degree is in Fisheries and Aquatic Science. I also dual-minored in Watershed Science and Wildlife Science. As an undergraduate, I worked in the USU Lake Ecology Laboratory where I specialized in fish age and growth, which I measured using otoliths, cleithra and spines. The bulk of my age and growth work was done on the illegally introduced Northern Pike population in Utah Lake. In addition to my Northern Pike research, I did field research on how the flow regime effected fish growth in the Spanish Fork Drainage and I studied endangered fish on the San Juan River. For the San Juan River research, I rafted over 500 miles during the field season. Each rafting trip started in New Mexico and ended in Utah. We used rafts equipped with mobile PIT (passive integrated transponder) antennas. The novel use of mobile PIT antennas allowed us to understand movement and fish mortality over a vast range of the river versus the use of a traditional stationary antenna.
After graduation, I got the opportunity to work on forest grouse for Dr. Dave Dahlgren. Given my passion for forest grouse, I jumped at the opportunity. I spent a field season doing Dusky and Ruffed grouse breeding surveys, brood surveys and nest/brood vegetation. The field season culminated in a grey literature paper for USU extension on forest grouse habitat usage. During this time, I also completed the Graduate GIS certificate program offered by USU.
I am now working on an M.S. degree. The focus of my current research is on the potential effects of geophagy behavior on greater sage-grouse reproduction and movement in Wyoming. I love that I have the opportunity to mix my passion for the outdoors, especially the outdoors of the American West, with my research.