We are experimentally investigating the direct (predation of offspring) and indirect (competition for food) effects of deer mice on sagebrush-obligate songbirds in relation to energy development and whether predator removal could be a viable management solution for bird conservation in a sagebrush steppe ecosystem. Our research will focus on changes within the wildlife community as a result of deer mouse removal, and particularly, the associated effects on songbird nesting success. This work is being conducted on the Pinedale Anticline Project Area in Sublette county, Wyoming beginning in 2018.
Contact
Ashleigh Rhea
Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Department of Zoology and Physiology
University of Wyoming
Dept. 3166, 1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82070
arhea@uwyo.edu
Project Lead
Ashleigh Rhea: Rhea completed her master’s degree in 2021 at the University of Wyoming, based in the WY Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. MORE »
Funding & Partners
- UW Academic Affairs Energy GA
- Laramie Audubon Society
- Meg & Bert Raynes Wildlife Fund
- Wyoming Governor’s Big Game License Coalition Grant
- Kelly Ornithological Fund