The Friends Research Fund 2018 grants were awarded to three student projects. Neil Clayton and Emily Lind, both Southern Oregon students, and Dylan Carlini, University of Oregon will conduct research in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument during summer 2018.
The Friends Research Fund supports undergraduate and graduate student research intended to enhance our understanding, appreciation, preservation, or protection of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The research projects will deepen our understanding of the monument and also give the students valuable research experience in their fields of study.
Emily Lind, SOU Environmental Education graduate student.
Emily Lind is a master’s student in SOU Environmental Education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she fell in love with birds while taking an Ornithology class. Emily will be working with SOU faculty advisor, Dr. Stewart Janes, to research the Vesper Sparrow. She will be using genetics, morphology, and vocalizations to determine if the Vesper Sparrow population in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is the Oregon Vesper Sparrow subspecies. Currently, the population of the subspecies is estimated to be fewer than 3,000 individuals. This project will contribute to a range-wide effort to reverse the decline of the Oregon Vesper Sparrow, which has been petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act.
Dylan Carlini, SOU geology undergraduate.
Dylan Carlini is a senior geology major, attending the UO Clark Honors College. He graduated from South Medford High School in 2014. His research will involve mapping and geochemically analyzing the rocks of the Western and High Cascades with advisor, Dr. Jad D’Allura (SOU emeritus). His results will add to our growing understanding of the monument’s unique and complex geologic past.
Neil Clayton is studying Environmental Science & Policy. He will be working with faculty advisor, Dr. Jamie Trammell, to describe the distribution of American pika within the monument, using GIS mapping and physical surveys. Evidence of a pika population on the monument would alert the scientific community to its existence and provide insight into pika behavior in the face of adversity such as genetic isolation and climate change.
The reviewers for the 2018 Friends Research Fund included Dr. Stewart Janes, SOU Professor, Linda Hilligoss, SOU Senior Instructor, Ellie Thompson, Student Board Member, Vern Crawford, Community Member and Charles Schelz, BLM Ecologist for Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
By Ellie Thompson, Student Board Member
Friends of CSNM
PS. Support student research opportunities in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument when you donate to the Friends Research Fund.