Kevin R. Crooks
Associate Professor
Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
Colorado State University
115 Wagar
Fort Collins, CO 80523
Phone (970) 491- 7936
Email: kcrooks@cnr.colostate.edu
Ph.D. Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, December 1999
Dissertation: Mammalian carnivores, mesopredator release, and avifaunal
extinctions in a fragmented system.
Advisor: Michael Soulé, Department of Environmental Studies
M.S. Ecology, University of California, Davis, May 1994
Thesis: Comparative ecology of the island spotted skunk and the island fox
of Santa Cruz Island, California.
Advisor: Dirk Van Vuren, Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology
B.S. Zoology (Honors), Colorado State University, May 1989
Honor’s Thesis: The relationship between kinship and affiliative behavior in a free-ranging troop of primates.
2003-Present. Assistant/Associate Professor, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University
2001-2003. Assistant Professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology, and Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin – Madison
In my lab, we strive to apply theoretical principles of ecology, behavior, and conservation science to natural systems. We use a combination of field observations, field and laboratory experiments, and modeling techniques to answer specific questions generated by observing natural systems. My research has emphasized the ecology and conservation of mammals, often focusing on carnivores due to their sensitivities to environmental disturbances. I do not feel limited, however, to the study of any specific taxon. Rather, I strive to ask and answer interesting and important scientific questions.
Because of my committment to conservation, much of my research, and that of my graduate students, examines the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on the natural world. One primary research avenue is continued investigation of the effects of habitat fragmentation, urban sprawl, and landscape connectivity on wildlife communities.
Link to new edited volume - Connectivity Conservation - through the Conservation Biology Book Series at Cambridge University Press:
Recent review of volume in Conservation Biology:
"Enhancing ecological connectivity in the context of protected-area networks and land- and waterscapes may be the greatest challenge and possibly the most important task facing conservationists today. This book is a milestone in conservation biology not only because of the importance of the subject matter but also because of the numerous excellent and authoritative summaries....
..This book provides, as described on its cover, a summary of the current status and literature on connectivity and will certainly become one of the classic texts in conservation biology. As with other books in this series, it should be required reading in all advanced courses in conservation biology."
Newmark, W. 2008. Another milestone in conservation literature. Conservation Biology 22: 224.Every Fall, I teach Principles of Wildlife Management (FW 260), a course targeted towards sophomores and juniors that focuses on principles of ecology applied to management and conservation of fish and wildlife resources
Every other Fall (odd years), I also teach Conservation and Management of Large Mammals (FW 469), a senior-level applied ecology course that utilizes principles of behavior, ecology, population dynamics, management, and conservation as they relate to large mammals.
Every other Spring (even years), I also teach Conservation Biology (FW 555), a graduate-level course that examines the integrative approaches necessary for the protection and management of earth's biological diversity
NOTE: PROSPECTIVE GRADUATE STUDENTS - Due to a currently full lab, Dr. Crooks is not planning to accept additional graduate students for the 2008-2009 academic year. When this situation changes in future years, advertisements for additional students will be placed on this website and other outlets (e.g. Texas A&M Wildlife Job Board; ECOLOG; SCB; etc.). Thanks for your interest!
Current Graduate Students
Robert Alonso: M.S. Wildlife Biology
Funding: National
Science Foundation; California Department of Transportation; USGS; The Nature
Conservancy; The Irvine Company.
Amariah Anderson: M.S.
Biology
Funding: National
Science Foundation Long Term Ecological Reserve (LTER)
Co-Advisor: Dr. Michael Antolin, Department of Biology,
CSU
Casey Brown: M.S. Ecology
Funding: National
Science Foundation (GK-12 Fellow); National Park Service; Rocky Mountain Goats Foundation
Co-Advisor: Dr. Lisa Angeloni, Department of Biology, CSU
Amanda
Hardy: Ph.D. Ecology
Funding: National Park Service; Rocky Mountain Goats Foundation
Sharon Poessel: M.S. Ecology
Funding: Colorado
State University; USFWS; Rocky Mountain Goats Foundation
Co-Advisor: Dr. Lisa Angeloni, Department of Biology, CSU
Completed Graduate Students
Shalene George:
M.S. Wildlife Ecology (University of Wisconsin Madison): 2003
Mammalian carnivores and human recreation in a southern California urban reserve
Seth Magle
Ph.D. Ecology (Colorado State University): 2007
M.S. Wildlife Ecology (University of Wisconsin Madison): 2003
The persistence of prairie dogs within urban habitat islands in the Colorado Front Range
Emily Ruell
M.S. Ecology (Colorado State University): 2006
Estimating population parameters of mammalian carnivores in southern California using non-invasive genetic sampling
Jeff Tracey
Ph.D. Ecology (Colorado State University): 2006
M.S. Biometry (University of Wisconsin Madison): 2004
Use of statistical analysis and simulation models of mammalian carnivore movement to assess landscape connectivity
John Wilson (johnbio@lamar.colostate.edu)
M.S. (Plan B) Wildlife Biology (Colorado State University): 2007
Comparison of research trends in the fields of Conservation Biology and Wildlife Biology
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS:
Vickie Bakker (2007-Present)
Title: Connecting monitoring to action for rare and endangered carnivores
Funding: Society for Conservation Biology Smith Postdoctoral Fellow
Co-Advisor: Dan Doak (University of Wyoming)
Sarah Bevins (2008-Present)
Title: The
effects of urban fragmentation and landscape connectivity on disease
prevalence and transmission in North American felids
Funding: National Science Foundation Ecology of Infectious Disease (EID) Program
Co-Advisor: Sue Vandewoude (Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology)
Chris Burdett (2007-Present)
Title: Conservation status of pumas through habitat modeling and mapping
Funding: Summerlee Foundation
Co-Advisors: Ken Wilson (Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology), David Theobald (Human Dimensions in Natural Resources)
Jeff Tracey (2007-Present)
Title: Agent-based
movement modeling, functional landscape connectivity, and disease
transmission networks for felids in fragmented landscapes.
Funding: National Science Foundation Ecology of Infectious Disease (EID) Program
Co-Advisor: Sue Vandewoude (Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology)
Colorado State University | College of Natural Resources | Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Last updated: 04-Jun-2007
