People

Dr. Melanie Davis

I am Assistant Unit Leader with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Oregon State University. Although most of my current research is centered on salmonid species, it was actually my love for herpetology that jump-started my scientific career. Growing up in central Ohio, I spent much of my time chasing snakes, salamanders, and frogs around my backyard. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to study a variety of species and systems, from anurans to ungulates to zooplankton. The common thread that ties my work together is the integration of quantitative methods, landscape-scale analyses, and species-habitat relationships. I am passionate about applied ecology and the ways in which it can positively influence management decisions and outcomes. When I’m not staring at R code and herding my students around, I enjoy going for hikes with my family, camping, climbing, writing, arts and crafts, and playing board games with friends.

Current Members

Carina Kusaka – PhD

I received a B.S. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University, where I studied behavioral and movement ecology of reptiles. My graduate research in the Davis lab at OSU is focused on the tufted puffin, a Species of Greatest Conservation Need along the Oregon Coast. I am conducting spatial analyses to examine changes in the relationship between suitable breeding habitat and population viability of tufted puffins over time. Being born and raised in Hawai’i has helped me develop a passion for wildlife conservation, as well as a strong interest in finding ways to involve, retain, and support underrepresented groups in ecology. 

 

Katherine Carey – PhD

I grew up in the Northeast before moving to Oregon to study freshwater fisheries. I worked for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for two years on three projects related to salmonid conservation before completing my MS degree in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University in 2022. I am now pursuing a PhD in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences. My research focuses on native fish community assemblages in relation to disturbance ecology in Goose Lake Basin, Oregon. As an endorheic desert valley, Goose Lake Basin is highly susceptible to drought and wildlife which threaten future water availability and habitat connectivity for a variety of native and non-native fish species. My research will provide managers and stakeholder partners with contemporary and projected species distribution maps under varying climate scenarios to identify key riparian areas for habitat restoration.

 

Anna Kennedy – MS

I grew up on the coast of Northern California and received a B.S. in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology from the University of California, Davis. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects since then, including research on avian population biology and migration, coastal wetIand vulnerability to sea-level rise, and wetland plant communities.

My graduate research focuses on analyzing geomorphological and biological change in restored tidal wetlands of the Nisqually River Delta in Washington state. I will be conducting spatial analyses using remote sensing (LiDAR) and field survey datasets to quantify change and characterize the plant community. Additionally, I am interested in a spatial analysis of waterbird habitat use. This project is a partnership between the Davis lab in the Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at OSU, the U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, and the Nisqually Indian Tribe.

 

Katie Kennedy – MS

I’m a MS student in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences. After completing my B.S. in wildlife biology from University of Vermont in 2017, I explored any and all opportunities to pinpoint what excited me most in the field of ecology. I landed on how we can use conceptual and mathematical models to understand and conserve vulnerable species and their habitats. Originally from New York, I was eager to try something new and move out West to join this project with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife where I’ve been able to advance my skills in quantitative ecology and spatial analysis. My project is focusing on the habitat covariates associated with the co-occurrence of juvenile steelhead trout and coho salmon in rearing habitats on the Oregon Coast as well as using LiDAR, LandTrendR, and modeled VELMA model outputs to predict instream habitat measurements. It is my hope that these findings will help inform conservation strategies as well as predictive habitat models to measure the present and future effects of climate change.

Gabriella Brill – MS

I grew up in the high desert of Southern California, until I moved to Oregon for the rain where I received my B.S. in Environmental Biology from Pacific University. I have years of in-field research experience with multiple salmonid species and with Pacific White Sturgeon. My graduate research is focused on habitat use and seasonal movements of Pacific White Sturgeon in the John Day Reservoir of the Columbia River. My personal life revolves around my adventure dog, my 8 year-old Alaskan Malamute who encourages me to explore all rivers, lakes, and beaches as often as possible.

 

Hayden Miles – MS

I was raised in a multi-generational family of Oregon “Coasties” composed of passionate outdoorsmen and women. This upbringing most often opted for time outside over time behind a screen, immersed in timber rather than a city, and in a boat instead of a car. This background cultivated a strong connection to the landscapes and critters of my great state.

Since receiving my BS from OSU in 2018 I have been looking forward to the opportunity to further my education. After an impactful stint with the Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Western Wildlife Research team I’ve found a fitting place and project in the Davis Species and Habitat Lab. My research is focused on the response of wildlife to wildfire in the Cascade Mountains of Western Oregon. Data for my study is being collected in the burn scars of the 2020 Archie Creek Fire and the 2020 Beachie Creek Fire. My career goals and the goals of this project are nearly exact, to provide forest and wildlife managers with the information they need to ensure the longevity of wildlife in the face of ever-changing climate and disturbance regimes.

 

Wilhem Diehl – MS

I am a transplant from the east coast, having grown up in northern Maine before moving to central Massachusetts to attend Clark University for my B.S. in Environmental Science. Since graduating in 2018, I have spent much of my time in California and Oregon, working for AmeriCorps, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Most recently, I have worked as a crew leader for the Corvallis based stream monitoring group, the Aquatic and Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Program.

My research interests center around land use, stream restoration, and sediment dynamics. I plan to use field survey data to analyze the efficacy of commonly employed stream restoration techniques and their implications for salmonid habitat. My project is a collaboration between the DASH Lab, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Aquatic and Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Program. When I am not at school, I am often at home baking, weaving, or out biking the trails around Corvallis!

 

Bryan Reiley – Research Associate/Faculty Research Assistant

I am an FRA within the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at Oregon State University. My work is focused on a Chinook Salmon project attempting to model carrying capacity and estimating population parameters under alternative management and climate scenarios within the Nisqually River Delta in Washington State. My interest in wildlife began at an early age while observing (and capturing!) the various wildlife occupying my backyard in upstate NY. That interest has led me to work with and study numerous wildlife species throughout the United States and Canada including bears, fish, songbirds, reptiles, and arthropods. I have a bachelors degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, a Master’s in Avian Ecology from Arkansas State University, and a PhD in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. While most of my published academic work has focused on avian ecology and conservation my research interests are broad but primarily focused on questions related to applied science with clear application to problem solving. Outside of work I spend too much time on home improvements and when weather allows hiking, camping, and traveling with my wife, daughter, and our dog Mango.

 

Noelle Foster – Faculty Research Assistant

I am a Biological Sciences Research Technician who is assisting with ecological research. Specifically, examining the effects of the 2020 Labor Day fires on wildlife habitat use in the Oregon Cascades. I grew up in Idaho and received my B.S. in Zoology from Weber State University (Ogden, UT). I have a passion for ornithology and I have had the opportunity to assist with various avian research projects in Idaho, Utah, and Mongolia. My free time is spent with my partner and our dog, birding, trail running, backpacking, and surfing.

 

Roberto Ponce Velez – Undergraduate Student Intern

I am an undergraduate student pursuing a Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences degree. My upbringing has been unconventional and multifaceted, however through the cloud of uncertainty I have found a passion for fish. More specifically, native endemic fish and non-native species commonly found in the Pacific Northwest. If it will eat a fly, I’ll spend my time casting at it. I am also passionate about rock climbing and music, though that’s only if fly fishing allows.  

My current research is focused on redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss newberrii) abundance and distribution in relation to macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity in the Goose Lake Basin and its feeder streams. My research also aims to take environmental variables such as the presence or absence of woody debris in the water and whether a field site was burned in the 2021 Cougar Peak and Patton Meadows wildfires. This is my first independent research project and I look forward to going through the analysis process, with hopes of achieving my first publication.

 

Previous Members