RESEARCH
I am interested in California spotted owl space use, habitat ecology, and behavior in response to natural and anthropogenic changes to their habitat. Wildfire is a continuing threat to spotted owls in the Sierra Nevada and land managers face difficult choices when balancing owl conservation with wildfire risk management. With this in mind, we capture and GPS-tag California spotted owls in the Sierra Nevada to track their hourly movements and daily roosts. We collect this location data before and after forest fuels reductions occur, which are designed to reduce the risk of wildfire. The information we gather will help managers better understand benefits, impacts, and potential trade-offs that forest restoration activities may have upon the owls.
I also play an active role in experimental removals of invasive barred owls in the Sierra Nevada. I am interested in how California spotted owls respond to invasive barred owls before and after experimental removals are conducted, the efficacy of removals, and barred owl habitat selection.
EDUCATION
MS Landscape Ecology | California State University, Chico 2009
BS Biology | University of Nebraska, Lincoln 1997
PERSONAL INTERESTS
Hiking, backpacking, birding, snowboarding, cycling.
Jones, G. M., H. A. Kramer, S. A. Whitmore, W. J. Berigan, D. J. Tempel, C. M. Wood, B. K. Hobart, T. Erker, F. A. Atuo, N. K. Pietrunti, R. Kelsey, R.J. Gutiérrez, M. Z. Peery. In Press. Habitat selection by spotted owls after a megafire reflects their adaptation to historical frequent-fire regimes. Landscape Ecology.
Berigan, W. J., G. M. Jones, S. A. Whitmore, R. J. Gutiérrez, M. Z. Peery (2019) Cryptic wide‐ranging movements lead to upwardly biased occupancy in a territorial species. Journal of Applied Ecology 56: 470-480.
Hobart, B. K., Gavin M. Jones, K. N. Roberts, B. P. Dotters, S. A. Whitmore, W. J. Berigan, M. G. Raphael, J. J. Keane, R.J. Gutiérrez, M. Z. Peery (2019) Trophic interactions mediate the response of predator populations to habitat change. Biological Conservation 238: 108217.
Hobart, B. K., K. N. Roberts, B. P. Dotters, W. J. Berigan, S. A. Whitmore, M. G. Raphael, J. J. Keane, R. J. Gutiérrez, M. Z. Peery (2019) Site occupancy and reproductive dynamics of California spotted owls in a mixed-ownership landscape. Forest Ecology and Management 437: 188-200.
Jones, G. M., R. J. Gutiérrez, H. A. Kramer, D. J. Tempel, W. J. Berigan, S. A. Whitmore, M. Z. Peery (2019) Megafire effects on spotted owls: elucidation of a growing threat and a response to Hanson et al. (2018). Nature Conservation 37: 31-51.
Tempel, D. J., J. J. Keane, R. J. Gutiérrez, J. D. Wolfe, G. M. Jones, A. Koltunov, C. M. Ramirez, W. J. Berigan, C. V. Gallagher, T. E. Munton, P. A. Shaklee, S. A. Whitmore, M. Z. Peery (2016) Meta-analysis of California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) territory occupancy in the Sierra Nevada: habitat associations and their implications for forest management. The Condor: Ornithological Applications 118: 747-765.
Jones, G. M., R. J. Gutiérrez, D. J. Tempel, S. A. Whitmore, W. J. Berigan, M. Z. Peery. 2016. Megafires: an emerging threat to old-forest species. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 14(6): 300–306.
Tempel, D. J., R. J. Gutiérrez, J. J. Battles, D. L. Fry, Q. Guo, M. J. Reetz, S. A. Whitmore, G. M. Jones*, B. M. Collins, S. L. Stephens, M. Kelly, W. J. Berigan, and M. Z. Peery. 2015. Evaluating short- and long-term impacts of fuels treatments and simulated wildfire on an old-forest species. Ecosphere 6(12): 1–18.
Tempel, D. J., R. J. Gutiérrez, S. Whitmore, M. Reetz, W. J. Berigan, R. Stoelting, M. E. Seamans, and Peery, M. Z. 2014. Effects of forest management on California Spotted Owls: Implications for reducing wildfire risk in fire-prone forests. Ecological Applications 24: 2089–2106.
Berigan, W. J., R. J. Gutiérrez, D. J. Tempel. 2011. Evaluating the efficacy of protected habitat areas for the California spotted owl using long-term Monitoring data. Journal of Forestry 110: 299-303.