Jason enjoys applying novel and advanced statistical techniques to analyze bird population data and is excited about the opportunities and challenges of using those techniques to inform habitat management and conservation. Knowing that the results of his work is used to make a difference for grassland bird conservation is very rewarding.
As a biostatistician at PLJV, Jason analyzes long-term grassland bird abundance data, collected as part of the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program, to address questions of importance for the Joint Venture partnership. Results from the analyses are used to inform management and conservation strategies for priority grassland bird species throughout the region and in individual states.
Prior to joining PLJV, Jason worked as the Endangered Species Monitoring Coordinator for the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program with a focus on breeding Piping Plovers and Interior Least Terns as well as migratory Whooping Cranes. He is a biometrician and wildlife research biologist who has worked in both the private consulting and academic areas for the past 18 years, with extensive experience working with spatial and population data of avian and mammalian species. Through his own consulting business, Beartooth Wildlife Research, Jason led and designed studies involving pikas, grassland specialist birds, and Northern Goshawks. He obtained his PhD at Montana State University with dissertation research on bison spatial dynamics in Yellowstone National Park during winter.