With a background in environmental education, recreation, and land management, I use remote sensing and geographic information systems to create maps that show people what is happening on planet earth.  My current work includes validation for the LEDAPS project and image analysis for the NELDA project.  Previously, I have contributed towards predicting invasive weeds on the Pacific Crest Trail in southwest Oregon, identifying short vegetation in the southern Cascade Mountains using LiDAR and Landsat TM, analyzing effects of the Biscuit Wildfire in southwest Oregon, and surveying for rare plants.  Though I spend many hours exploring the virtual world, I enjoy exploring the real world, too.  As often as possible, I am hiking, boating, skiing, traveling, and wandering through the western U.S.

I recently completed my MS degree at Southern Oregon University studying non-conifer vegetation patterns in relation to environmental and disturbance variables. My masters’ thesis work in addition to my earlier field research in fire ecology, wildlife, and botany, led to an interest in landscape and disturbance ecology as well as plant and animal distributions. As a Research Assistant for LARSE I have been able to continue investigating these interests using remote sensing and GIS. While working in this virtual world I use my past field experiences to critically analyze our remotely sensed products. I am currently validating and performing spatial analysis on a stand replacement disturbance map of northern California. I also recently worked on a project monitoring vegetation changes over time in national parks in southwest Alaska. In my free time I like to get outside and explore whenever I can. I enjoy mountain biking, skiing, backpacking, and rafting.

My research interests are in ecology and remote sensing, and they revolve around the observation and quantification of changing landscapes and the challenge of unraveling the driving processes and consequences.  Having recently migrated back to Montana, my primary research focus is on the disturbance-driven forests of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest.  My PhD research dealt with quantification of conifer forest encroachment in the Yellowstone region.  My current LARSE research deals with investigating linkages between the Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data and Landsat satellite image time-series to characterize biomass dynamics associated with forest disturbance and regrowth.  I also recently completed a project for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife characterizing trends in impervious surface in a rapidly urbanizing region of western Washington.  My personal interests currently revolve around the newest addition in my life, my daughter Augusta.

I work with Dave Turner on the ecosystem modeling component of the BigFoot project. Specifically, I maintain the data and processes used to model gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP). My expertise is in the management and analysis of spatial data.
Previously, I examined the spatial distribution of Port-Orford cedar root disease within the Smith River National Recreation Area, CA. As one would expect, the spatial distribution is highly clumped (spatially autocorrelated), and the closer a stand is to an existing infection the more likely it is to become infected. Go figure!
In a past life before heading into the realm of natural resources and ecology, I worked as an application developer for a big computer consulting company. I wore a suit and tie everyday and helped sell canned fruits and vegetables. I am clearly heading in a better direction.