Matthew Hayes

Matt is currently a research scientist and PhD student working with Kevin Monteith. Matt grew up in southern Michigan where his family owned an outdoors sporting goods store. From an early age he was introduced to wildlife through hunting and fishing. Shortly after 9/11 occurred, Matt enlisted with the Marine Corps and volunteered to join the infantry. Following deployments that took him from the Pacific to Baghdad, Matt completed his BS in wildlife biology in 2010 and his MS in 2012. Matt’s MS work involved trying to understand the interaction between beavers and riparian vegetation through time.

Since that time, Matt has been working on a variety of wildlife research projects which mostly focus on large ungulates and how they interact with their environment. Matt has been working as a research scientist with the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the Wyoming Migration Initiative since 2012. In this position, he has worked on a variety of ungulate research and conservation topics, including: Red Desert to Hoback mule deer migration, modeling ungulate parturition, migration corridor modeling, green-wave hypotheses in ungulates and more. Matt will begin working on the DEER project as a PhD student starting in the winter of 2015. His research interests are a merging of new techniques to address complex research and conservation problems in large mammals.

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Professional Preparation and Appointments

MSc. Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management/Water Resources, Dec 2012.

University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming

BSc. Wildlife Biology and Management, May 2010.

University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming

 

Professional experience and employment
2013 – current    Research Scientist; Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.

2012 –  current    Owner/Spatial Ecology Research; Lone Pine Analytics, Laramie, Wyoming.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Ali A. H., A. T. Ford, D. Mallon, J. S. Evans, J. King, M. M. Hayes, R. Amin, and J. R. Goheen. 2016. Resource selection and range collapse of hirola antelope following landscape change in eastern Kenya. Applied Ecology.

Armstrong, J. B., G. T. Takimoto, D. E. Schindler, M. M. Hayes and M. J. Kauffman. 2016. Resource waves: phenological diversity enhances foraging opportunities for mobile consumers. Ecology.

Hayes, M. M., S. N. Miller, and M. Murphy. 2014. High-resolution landcover classification using random forests. Remote Sensing Letters 5:112-121.

Hayes, M. M. 2012. Alterations to riparian vegetation resulting from beaver pond life histories. M.S., University of Wyoming, United States — Wyoming.

Hayes, M. M., S. N. Miller, and P. Caffrey. 2012. Relationship among beavers, ecology and geomorphology in southeastern Wyoming. Proceedings of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Water Resources VII, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Merkle, Jerod A., Kevin L. Monteith, Ellen O. Aikens, Matthew M. Hayes, Kent R. Hersey, Arthur D. Middleton, Brendan A. Oates, Hall Sawyer, Brandon M. Scurlock, and Matthew J. Kauffman. 2016. Large herbivores surf waves of green-up during spring. Proc. R. Soc. B, vol. 283.

Sawyer, H., A. Middleton, M. M. Hayes, K. L. Monteith. 2016. The extra mile: ungulate migration distance alters use of seasonal range and exposure to anthropogenic risk. Ecosphere.

 

Peer-Reviewed Publications in review or final stages of preparation
Hayes, M. M., E. C. Fuller, K. L. Monteith and M. J. Kauffman. 2017. Determining date of parturition in large ungulates using GPS collar data. In prep.

Hayes, M. M., H. Copeland, M. J. Kauffman and K. L. Monteith. 2017 Application of machine learning to model ungulate migration routes at large spatial scales. In prep.

Middleton, A., P. J. White, M. M. Hayes, M. J. Kauffman, P. Atwood, J. Beckman, D. Brimeyer, E. Cole, A. Courtemanch, S. Dewey, D. McWhirter and K. Proffitt. 2017. Elk migrations of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: a compilation. In prep.

Monteith, K. L.,  M. M. Hayes, H. Sawyer, M.J. Kauffman and H.E. Copeland. 2017. Modeling the way forward: novel methods to advance conservation of a rapidly diminishing phenomenon. In prep.

 

 

Popular Articles
Sawyer, H., M. Hayes, B. Rudd, and M. J. Kauffman. 2014. The Red Desert to Hoback Mule Deer Migration Assessment. Wyoming Migration Initiative, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.

Rashford, B.S., A.M. Scott, M.M. Hayes, and H. Sawyer. 2015. Targeting conservation easements for wildlife – A case study of mule deer migration. Open Space Bulletin, Ruckelshaus Institute, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY. In press

Reports

Kauffman, M.J., H. Sawyer, W. Schultz, and M.M. Hayes. 2015. Seasonal Ranges, Migration, and Habitat Use of the Platte Valley Mule Deer Herd. Final report to Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Peck, D. and M. M. Hayes. 2016. Cattle-elk-deer interactions in northeast Oregon. Final report to USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Cooperative Agreement Award No. 15-9200-0426-CA, August 31, 2016, 15pp.

Selected Presentations

Bedrosian, B., R. Domenech, A. Shreading and M.M. Hayes. 2016. Golden eagle migration corridors along the rocky mountain front and intermountain flyways. Wind Wildlife Research Meeting XI, Broomfield, CO.

Hayes, M.M., M.J. Kauffman, K.L. Monteith and E.C. Fuller. 2014. Predicting ungulate parturition using movement data. Wyoming Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Sheridan, WY.

Hayes, M.M. 2014. New techniques to improve wildlife habitat models. Annual cooperators meeting, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.

Hayes, M.M. 2014. Determining dates of parturition in mule deer using movement data. AniMove 2014, Front Royal, Virginia.

Hayes, M. M., K. L. Monteith, H. Sawyer, and M. J. Kauffman. 2013. Evaluating patterns of migration across Wyoming’s ungulates. Wyoming Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Hayes, M. M., S. N. Miller. 2013. Alterations to riparian vegetation resulting from beaver pond life histories. Izaak Walton League of America, Travelle Chapter, Laramie, Wyoming.

Hayes, M. M. 2012. Alterations to riparian vegetation resulting from beaver pond life histories. MS Thesis Defense, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.

Hayes, M. M., S. N. Miller, and P. Caffrey. 2012. Alterations to riparian vegetation associated with beaver ponds in the Pole Mountain Recreation Area of southeastern Wyoming. Wyoming Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Laramie, Wyoming.

Hayes, M. M., S. N. Miller. 2012. Riparian vegetation mapping: Pole Mountain Recreation Area. Wyoming Game and Fish Annual Habitat Meeting, Laramie, Wyoming.

Hayes, M. M., S. N. Miller, and P. Caffrey. 2012. Relationships among beavers, riparian systems and woody vegetation dynamics in Wyoming. American Water Resources Association Spring Specialty Conference: GIS and Water Resources, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Hayes, M. M., S. N. Miller, and P. Caffrey. 2011. Project update: beavers, water and wildlife in southeastern Wyoming. Wyoming Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Jackson, Wyoming.

Hayes, M. M. 2011. Spatial analysis of the interactions among beavers, vegetation and water. Wyoming Geospatial Organization 1st Annual Ignite Session, Laramie, Wyoming.

Projects