Sustainability Leadership Fellowship Cohort: 2015-2016

Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

Research Summary: For thousands of years, the endemic Island fox roamed the northern California Channel Islands free from predators, but in the 1990’s golden eagles became established and caused a 95% decline in the fox population. The causes of golden eagle establishment were multiple, ranging from local avian extinction due to DDT and human-aided establishment of invasive species. This decline initiated an Island fox recovery project consisting of captive fox breeding; golden eagle, pig and sheep removal; and bald eagle reintroduction. My research focuses on estimating the population trend of foxes following the removal of non-native vertebrates to determine their recovery status.