Hello: As scientists who have studied the Yellowstone grizzly bear population, we are very concerned about the proposal to stop protecting this population by removing it from the federal list of threatened and endangered species. We are writing today to urge you to sign the following scientist group letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This letter will be submitted as part of the official comment period regarding delisting of the Yellowstone grizzly bear population. Thank you for considering this! (And APOLOGIES for cross-postings.)

Drs. Carlos Carroll, Lance Craighead, Barrie Gilbert, Russ Lande, Reed Noss, Craig Pease, and Michael Soule

DETAILS AND LETTER:

The following is a group letter for signatures by members of the scientific community. The FWS must receive comments about the proposed delisting by February 15, 2006, so please sign no later than February 10, 2006.

HOW TO SIGN. You can sign by replying to this email or contacting Suellen Lowry, who works with Earthjustice, at 707-826-1948, suellenquaker@cox.net. All signatures are typed signature blocks; this is a group letter and signatures will be listed alphabetically. To sign, in your email or phone call, please tell us how you wish your signature block to appear. Typical signature information includes name and title, institution, and city and state. The letter contains the following statement in the signatures section: "Affiliations for identification purposes only."

HELP GET THE WORD OUT. Also, if you have any colleagues who may be interested in this letter, please forward it to them. Thanks!

SEND AN INDIVIDUAL COMMENT TOO. After signing this group letter, if you would consider also sending an individual letter to the FWS, it could be quite helpful. Your letter need not be lengthy, would go to Dr. Servheen (see the group letter), and can be submitted via electronic mail at FW6_grizzly_yellowstone@fws.gov. Again, all comments must be received by close of business on February 15, 2006.

THANK YOU. Please let us know if you have questions or if there is any way we can be helpful to you.

TEXT OF GROUP SCIENTIST SIGN-ON LETTER FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

March 20, 2006

Dr. Christopher Servheen
Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
University Hall 309
University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812

Dear Dr. Servheen:

We, the undersigned scientists, write to express our opposition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to remove the Yellowstone grizzly bear population from the list of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. See 70 Fed. Reg. 69854-69884 (November 17, 2005). The Yellowstone grizzly bear population faces significant threats to recovery because of its small size, significant annual fluctuations in mortality rates, inadequate habitat protections, major threats to key foods, genetic risks, and proposed additional human-caused bear mortalities.

Population Size: An isolated grizzly bear population of 500-600 bears is not a biologically recovered bear population. In order to withstand regional-scale stochastic events and to provide for genetic diversity, a population of 2,000-3,000 bears is needed. The grizzly bears are currently listed as a threatened species throughout the lower-48 states. Recovery efforts should focus on reconnecting Yellowstone-area bears to bears in the Glacier Park/Bob Marshall area and a stable population in central Idaho in order to achieve metapopulation dynamics and promote long-term recovery.

Significant Fluctuations in Annual Mortality Rates: Small populations of bears tend to experience significant variation in annual mortality rates and are likely to decline and go extinct. In the Yellowstone grizzly bear population, this anticipated annual variation in bear mortalities is exacerbated by increased bear-human conflicts and mortalities in years when whitebark pine seed cones in remote, high-altitude areas are not abundant. Managers need to provide further protections to minimize mortality for Yellowstone bears to buffer this added extinction risk.

Inadequate Habitat Protections: Habitat protection is essential to maintain, restore, and recover populations of endangered species. Long-term protection of essential grizzly bear habitat after the proposed delisting of the Yellowstone grizzly population has not been assured. Many lands currently occupied by Yellowstone-area grizzlies receive no protections under the delisting proposal because they are outside of the designated recovery zone. Lands necessary to connect Yellowstone bears to other populations are not protected. Even within the recovery zone, necessary restrictions on roadbuilding and habitat destruction rely on an enforcement mechanism - U.S. Forest Service National Forest Plans - that a recent Bush administration rulemaking has declared "nonbinding." Thus, necessary habitat protections to achieve recovery or even maintain current population levels are not in place. During bad food years there will be nowhere else for grizzlies to go; managers need to allow for alternative habitat and food sources.

Major Threats to Key Foods: The Yellowstone grizzly bears feed heavily on four key foods. All of these key grizzly bear foods are already currently in decline or face significant threats to their distribution and abundance. Whitebark pine, the keystone food source, is declining in many portions of the Yellowstone area due to mountain pine beetles, white pine blister rust, and global warming. Yellowstone cutthroat trout have been reduced due to the introduction of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake. Army cutworm moths may suffer declines due to various agricultural practices. Ungulate populations may be reduced by factors such as the spread of chronic wasting disease or various management practices. The uncertainty of the continued abundance and distribution of these key bear foods poses threats to the Yellowstone bear population.

Genetic Risks: A small population faces extinction risks arising from loss of genetic variation that may prove essential to the population's long-term survival. The Yellowstone grizzly bear population has effectively been isolated for more than seventy years. The FWS has estimated that the population may have been reduced to roughly 200 bears in the 1970s. Currently, the genetic effective population size (Ne)is about 125 bears; much lower than the general scientific consensus of 500 or more for long-term persistence. DNA studies have documented that Yellowstone bears' genetic material is not as diverse as those of other grizzly bear populations in the lower-48 states. Because of concerns about the loss of genetic diversity, the FWS has stated that it will continue to monitor the genetic make-up of the Yellowstone grizzly population, and will relocate two bears every ten years to address genetic concerns. The ESA requires recovery of endangered populations in the wild; the Yellowstone grizzly bear population must be large enough to survive in the wild without chronic augmentation to address genetic concerns. In addition, if the Yellowstone population truly is a Distinct Population Segment due to unique genetic characteristics as the FWS claims, then introducing genes from other populations will destroy that uniqueness.

Proposed Additional Human-Caused Bear Mortalities: In addition to the serious threats that Yellowstone bears face even with the full protections of the ESA, a delisted bear population would be subject to intentional additional bear mortalities associated with proposed hunting seasons. For a relatively small population, any additional deliberate human-caused mortalities will have significant population impacts.

We, the undersigned scientists believe that there are many reasons that the Yellowstone grizzly bear population is not biologically recovered and should not be removed from the list of threatened and endangered species.

Sincerely,*

Victoria S. Arch, Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

David M. Armstrong, Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado-Boulder

Johanne I. Artman, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry, Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, Texas

Todd Aschenbach, Ph.D., Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology , University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

Dave M. Augeri, Ph.D., Coordinator, Conservation Biology, Denver Zoological Foundation, Denver, Colorado

Gary J. Axen, Associate Professor of Geology, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, New Mexico

Donovan Bailey, Assistant Professor, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Richard G. Baker, Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

Valerie S. Banschbach, Ph.D. , Associate Professor , Department of Biology, Saint Michael's College, Colchester, Vermont

Jan Barber, Assistant Professor, Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri

Albert Allen Bartlett, Boulder, Colorado

Alessandra Bartolozzi, Ph.D., Surface Logix, Inc., Brighton, Massachusetts

Russ Benedict, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Central College, Pella, Iowa

David J. Berg, Ph.D., Professor of Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

Brad Bergstrom, Professor of Biology, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia

Katy Bigner, Bard Center for Environmental Policy, Annandale on Hudson, New York

C. William Birky, Jr., Ph.D., Professor: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Mary Blakefield, Ph.D., Department of Biology, Indiana University East, Richmond, Indiana

Dr Giorgio Boscagli, Ph.D., Wildlife Biologist, Cerchio – L’aquila

Dr. Stephen K. Boss, Director, Environmental Dynamics Program, Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Rachel M. Bowden, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois

John Bowman, Professor: Section of Plant Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, California

Alice Boyle, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Brad Boyle, Ph.D., Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Dr. M. Syndonia Bret-Harte, Research Assistant Professor, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska

Dr. Kenneth M. Brown, Professor: Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, Research Associate, The University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Peter F. Brussard, Ph.D., Director, EECB Program, Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada

Abel Bult-Ito, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology (Neuroscience) , Alaskan Basic Neuroscience Program, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska

David A. Burney, Ph.D., Director of Conservation, National Tropical Botanical Garden, Professor, Fordham University

John R. Cannon, Ph.D., Conservation Biologist, Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

James Catlin, PhD, Wild Utah Project, Salt Lake City, Utah

Carlos Carroll, Ph.D., Klamath Center for Conservation Research, Orleans, California

Dominick Casalena, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Surface Logix, Brighton, Massachusetts

Fabio Cassola, Ph.D., President, Associazione Romana di, Roma, Italy

Peter Chesson, Professor: Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Dr. J. R. Choate, Director, Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas

Tim W. Clark, Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Adjunct Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Policy and Fellow, Institution for Social & Policy Studies, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Martin Cody, Professor of Research and Emeritus, University of California Los Angeles

Susan J. Cook, Indiana University , South Bend, Indiana

Andrea Cooper, Graduate Student, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi

Jon P. Costanzo, Adjunct Professor, Senior Research Associate, Department of Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

Chris Coteff, University of Texas at San Antonio

Dr. John J. Cox, Griffith Woods Research Coordinator & Site Manager, University of Kentucky , Department of Forestry, Lexington, Kentucky

Candace M. Coyle, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

Derek Craighead, President, Beringia South, Kelly, Wyoming

John Craighead, Sr., Missoula, Montana

Lance Craighead, Ph.D., Craighead Environmental Research Institute, Bozeman, Montana

Adam Crateau, Wildlife Biologist, Natural Heritage New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Brooke Crowley, University of California, Santa Cruz

David W. Crumpacker, Professor Emeritus, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder

Robert Curry, Professor Emeritus, University of California Santa Cruz, Soquel, California

Meghan Dailer, M.S. Candidate, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii

Nabanita Dasgupta-Schubert, Ph.D., Institute of Chemical Biology, University of Michoacan, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico

Gerrit Davidse , John S. Lehmann Curator of Grasses, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri

Dr. Matt Dean, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Dr. Diane M. Debinski, Associate Professor, Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Dr. John J. Dennehy, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Robert A. Desharnais, Ph.D., Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles, California

Robert W. Dickerman, Curator Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico

James M. Dietz, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, University of Maryland

Daniel F. Doak, Ph.D., Professor: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California

Andy Dobson, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

Dr. Patrick Drohan, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada

Dr. Steve Dudgeon, Associate Professor of Biology, California State University, Northridge, California

Barbara L. Dugelby, Ph.D., Conservation Scientist, Round River Conservation Studies, Blanco, Texas

Linda E. Duguay, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor of Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

John G. Duman, Gillen Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana

David R. Edds, Ph.D., Professor: Department of Biological Sciences, Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas

Robert E. Espinoza, Ph.D., Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge,

William J. Etges, Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Sylvia Fallon, Ph.D., Conservation Genetics Fellow, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C.

Colin Ferguson, Professor, Physical Sciences Department, Butte College, Oroville, California

John W. Ferner, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Thomas More College, Crestview Hills, Kentucky

Daniel C. Fisher, Professor: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Elizabeth A. Forys, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Science and Biology, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida

Johannes Foufopoulos, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources and Environment , University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Chris Frissell, Ph.D., Senior Staff Scientist, The Pacific Rivers Council, Polson, Montana

Jed Fuhrman, McCulloch-Crosby Chair of Marine Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Claire Fuller, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, MSU, Murray, Kentucky

Steve Gaines, Professor: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

Thomas M. Gehring, Associate Professor of Wildlife Biology, Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Barrie Gilbert, Ph.D., Department of Forest, Range and Wildlife Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, Utah

Frank S. Gilliam, Ph.D., Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia

Harvey F. Good, Ed.D., Professor of Biology, University of La Verne, La Verne, California

Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder – the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace

Judith E. Gordon, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Augusta State University, Department of Biology, Augusta, Georgia

David A. Gray, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, California State University Northridge

Melissa Gray, Ph.D. Graduate Student UCLA, Department EEB/Wayne Lab, Los Angeles, California

Ann Grens, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Indiana University South Bend

Gregory F. Grether, Associate Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California

Anita Guerrini, Professor, History and Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

Richard B. Hall, Wallace Professor of Forestry, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Stacey Harmer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis, California

Donna Hart, Ph.D., Pierre Laclede Honors College & Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri - St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri

John Harte, Professor: University of California, Berkeley, California

Wade Hazel, Ph.D., University Professor and Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana

David Hearn, Ph.D., Research Associate, Plant Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Tucson, Arizona

Brooke Parry Hecht, Ph.D., Research Associate, Center for Humans and Nature

Dr. Ken Helms, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont

Olga M. Hernandez, Adjunct Faculty / Biology Department, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas

Bob Herrington, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Georgia Southwestern State University, Americus, Georgia

Fritz Hertel, Ph.D., Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge, California

Linden E Higgins, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Vermont

Peter C. Hoch, Ph.D., Curator: Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri

Guy Hoelzer, Ph.D., Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, Nevada

Brenden Holland, Ph.D., Assistant Researcher, Center for Conservation Research & Training , Pacific Biosciences Research Center , University of Hawaii at Manoa

John L. Hoogland, Professr of Biology, Appalachian Laboratory, The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Frostburg, Maryland

Michael H. Horn , Professor of Biology, Department of Biological Science , California State University Fullerton , Fullerton, California

Matt Horton, Graduate Student, Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Erin Irish, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, The University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa

Dr. Tracie Ivy, National Science Foundation, International Fellow , Zoologisches Museum, Zürich Switzerland

Dr. Marion T. Jackson, Professor Emeritas of Ecology and Organismal Biology, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana

David G. Jenkins, Associate Professor of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida

Kristine Johnson, Ph.D., University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Ira F. Jones, Ph.D., Professor: Science Department, Tri-State University , Angola, Indiana

Ross Jones, Research Fellow, Environmental Studies Program, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

Chuck Jonkel, Bear Researcher and President of Great Bear Foundation, Missoula, Montana

Marian Kaehler, Professor and Head of Biology, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa

Srini Kambhampati, Ph.D., Professor of Insect Genetics and Evolution, Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas

Timmothy Kaminski, Wildlife/carnivore biologist, Mountain Livestock Cooperative, Bozeman, Montana

Salit Kark, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Dr. Stephen R. Kellert, Tweedy Ordway Professor of Social Ecology, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, New Haven, Connecticut

Rachel L. Kennison, Graduate Student, University California Los Angeles, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Los Angeles, California

Ellen D. Ketterson, Professor of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

Brian A. Kirk, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Surface Logix, Inc., Brighton, Massachusetts

Mark Kirkpatrick, Painter Centennial Professor, University of Texas, Austin, Texas

Jennifer Knight, Ph.D., Senior Instructor, Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado

L. Lacey Knowles, Ph.D., Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan

John S. Kominoski, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Jason Koontz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois

Harold Koopowitz, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Irvine, California

Bob Krebs, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Evolutionary Biology, Cleveland State University

Nancy A. Kreiter, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology, College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland

Richard Lampe, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, Iowa

Russell Lande, Ph.D., Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California

Dr. Robert O. Lawton, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama

Ken Leonard, The University of Georgia, Institute of Ecology (Bradford Lab), Athens, Georgia

Mark K. Lesher, MS., Environmental Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Kansas City, Kansas

Marcy Litvak, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Zhiwei Liu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Systematics & Evolution, Biological Science Department, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois

Michael E. Loik, Professor of Climate Change Ecology, Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz

Prof. Sandro Lovari, Section of Behavioural Ecology, Ethology and Wildlife Management , Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

Marvin M. F. Lutnesky, Ph.D., Professor and Chair: Department of Biology , Eastern New Mexico University , Portales, New Mexico

Stephanie MacDonald, Instructor, Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont, California

Marcy Mahr, M.S., Conservation Scientist, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Kila, Montana

C. Smoot Major, Biology Department, University of South Alabama

Sylvia M. Major, Doctoral Student, UCLA Dept of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Los Angeles, California

Samantha Malusky, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

Lori Marino, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

Andrew Martin, Associate Professor, University of Colorado

Paul Martin, Emeritus Professor of Geosciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Naomi J. Marty, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Brady Mattsson, Ph.D. Candidate, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia

Erin McCarthy, MS Biology, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Leroy R. McClenaghan, Jr., Professor of Biology, San Diego State University

Meredith McClure, Graduate student, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles

Susan K. McConnell, Ph.D., Professor of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California

John McCormack, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Kenneth W. McCravy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois

Wayne P. McCrory, RPBio., McCrory Wildlife Services Ltd., Staff biologist, Valhalla Wilderness Society, New Denver, British Columbia

Shawn Meagher, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, Western Illinois University

Troy Merrill, LTB Institute of Landscape Ecology, Moscow, Idaho

Lee H. Metzgar, Ph.D., Professor of Wildlife Biology [Ret.], University of Montana, Missoula, Montana

J.P. Michaud, Assistant Professor of Entomology, Kansas State University, Agricultural Research Center – Hays, Hays, Kansas

Barry Ross Muchnick, MESc. Conservation Ecology, Ph.D. Candidate, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Phil Myers, Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Associate Curator of Mammals, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Erica A. Miller, DVM, Staff Veterinarian, Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc., Newark, Delaware

Joan L. Morrison, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut

Nancy M. Mozingo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, California

Susan Morgan, Ph.D., Conservation Fellow, The Rewilding Institute, Maple Falls, Washington

Stephen J. Mullin, Ph.D., Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois

Carla S. Murray, Biology Instructor, Carl Sandburg College, Galesburg, Illinois

Nadia E. Navarrete-Tindall, Ph.D., Native Plant Research and Conservation, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri

Natalie K. Neuman, Masters Candidate, Environmental Scientist, Chicago, Illinois

William Newmark, Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

Lyle Nichols, Ph.D., Van Nuys, California

Akane M. Nishimura, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Elliott A. Norse, Ph.D., President, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, Bellevue, Washington

Gretchen North, Associate Professor, Biology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California

Reed F. Noss, Ph.D., Davis-Shine Professor of Conservation Biology, University of Central Florida, Department of Biology, Orlando, Florida

Mary O'Brien, Ph.D., Botanist, Eugene, Oregon

Michael Ort, Associate Professor, Environmental Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona

Dr. Henry R. Owen, Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois

William S. Parker, Professor of Biology, Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, Mississippi

David F. Parkhurst, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

David R. Parsons, Carnivore Conservation Biologist, The Rewilding Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Mary M. Peacock, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada

Katherine Pease, Ph.D. candidate, UCLA Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Los Angeles, California

Craig Pease, Ph.D., Vermont Law School, South Royalton, Vermont

Mark S. Peterson, Ph.D,. Professor of Coastal Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Eric R. Pianka, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

Jacquelyn Potter, Champaign, Illinois

Prof. Francesco M. Raimondo, Ph.D, Dipartimento di Scienze Botaniche (Department of Botany), Palermo, Italy

Ravi Rajan, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, California

Brenda Rashleigh, Ph.D., Ecologist, Athens, Georgia

Richard P. Reading, Ph.D., Director of Conservation Biology, Denver Zoological Foundation, Denver, Colorado

Jan M. Reber, Ph.D., Department of Biology, Taylor University, Upland, Indiana

Joshua Reece, M.S., Ph.D. Student, Washington University Biology Department, St. Louis, Missouri

Helen Regan, Ph.D., Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, California

Ian J. Renne, Ph.D., Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

Heather L. Reynolds, Assistant Professor, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

Stephen Richter, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky

Dr. Brett R. Riddle, Professor of Biology, President, International Biogeography Society, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nevada Los Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada

Donald Rodriguez, Ph.D., Coordinator, Environmental Science and Resource Management Program, California State University Channel Islands

Yvette Rogers, Bard Center for Environmental Policy, Annandale on Hudson, New York

Louise Russert-Kraemer, Professor of Zoology Emeritus, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Neil Sabine, Associate Professor of Biology, Indiana University East, Richmond, Indiana

Dr. Donald W. Sada, Associate Research Professor, Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada

Jameal F. Samhouri, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Mian Sami-Ullah, Assistant Director (IT), Environmental Protection Agency, Pakistan

Sahotra Sarkar, Professor, Section of Integrative Biology, Department of Philosophy, Center for Computational Biology, Environmental Sciences Institute, Program in the History and Philosophy of Science, University of Texas at Austin

Jeffry Schabilion, Professor: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

Paula M. Schiffman, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, California State University, Northridge, California

Heidi H. Schmidt, Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Lisa Schmoetzer, M.S., Math & Biology Educator, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

Andrew Schnabel, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biological Sciences, Indiana University South Bend, South Bend, Indiana

C. Corinne Schoppet, Resource Scientist, Columbia, Missouri

Donna J. Schroeder, Ph.D., Biology Department, College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota

Richard (Dick) C. Schultz, Professor, Department of Natural Resource Ecology & Management, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Dr. Makiri Sei, Postdoctoral Fellow, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

Steve Sheffield, Ph.D., Professor: College of Natural Resources, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, National Capital Region, Alexandria, Virginia

Dr. Jerry E. Sipe, Professor Emeritus, Biology Department, Anderson University, Anderson, Indiana

Diana L. Six Associate Professor of Forest Entomology/Pathology, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana

Brent H. Smith, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana

Adam Smith, Wildlife Diversity Program, KY Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Frankfort, Kentucky

Khrysti Smyth, MS Biology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri

Bruce A. Snyder, Graduate Student, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Michael Soulé, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of California, Santa Cruz, Paonia, Colorado

Dr. James H. Speer, Assistant Professor of Geography and Geology, Department of Geography, Geology, and Anthropology, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana

Emmett "Fran" Stallings, Ph. D., Water Resources & Ecological Systems, Retired, Donalsonville, Georgia

Judy Stamps, Professor of Biology, Section of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California

Tricia Stark, MS - Biological Sciences, Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Los Angeles

Paul M. (Michael) Stewart, Ph.D., Professor & ALFA Eminent Scholar, Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Troy University, Troy, Alabama

Craig A. Stockwell, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota

Laurie Strommer, University of Hawaii

Jerry P. Suits, Ph. D., University Professor, Greeley, Colorado

P. Roger Sweets, Assistant Professor of Ecology, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana

Dylan J Taatjes, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boulder, Colorado

David A. Tallmon, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska

Cynthia J. Tant, Ph.D. student, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

John Terborgh, James B. Duke Professor of Environmental Science, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Margaret K. Thayer, Ph.D., Associate Curator, Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois

Robert Folger Thorne, Professor of Botany Emeritus, Claremont Graduate University & Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, California

Professor B. Thyagarajan, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Kimberly A. Tice, Graduate Student, Department of Zoology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii

Tamara Ticktin, Ph.D., Botany Department, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Stephen C. Trombulak, Ph.D., Albert Mead Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont

Aaron Turkewitz, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology , The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Richard R. Vance, Associate Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, California

Stephen H. Vessey, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio

Sacha Vignieri, Ph.D., Leverhulme Trust Visiting Scholar, University of Sussex, and UC President's Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, San Diego

Bridgett M. von Holdt, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Yellowstone Wolf Genetics Project, Los Angeles, California

Alexander Wait, Ph.D., Associate Professor – Biology, Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri

Mashuri Waite, Ph.D. student, Department of Botany, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii

Glenn E. Walsberg, Professor of Life Science, Leader, Faculty of Organismal, Integrative, and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Daniel G. Wenny, Ph. D., Associate Research Scientist, Illinois Natural History Survey, Lost Mound Field Station, Savanna, Illinois

Emily Wheeler, DVM/Ph.D. Student, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL

John O. Whitaker, Jr., Department of Ecology and Organismal Biology, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana

Howard Whiteman, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky

Katrine Whiteson, Biochemistry Graduate Student, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Justin C. Williams, Ph.D., Associate Research Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Dr. Robert M. Winokur, Associate professor of Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Samantha Wisniewski, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri

David L. Wood, Professor of the Graduate School and Professor Emeritus: Division of Insect Biology, University of California, Berkeley

Theresa L. Wusterbarth, Ph.D. Candidate, Northern Illinois University, Department of Biological Sciences, DeKalb, Illinois

David J. Zaber, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin Arboretum, Madison, Wisconsin

Karen Zambetta, Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois

Amy Zavala, Department of Biological Sciences, Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas

* Affiliations for identification purposes only.