Graduate Students
Sophia Reggiani is a dual masters student in both the Ecology and Environmental Management programs. She was born and raised in Oregon, and received her B.S. in Biology and a Certificate in Native American Studies from Southern Oregon University. Sophia is enthusiastic about all things relating to ecology and conservation. She’s especially passionate about herpetology, namely salamanders. Her project is evaluating the insect communities of sagebrush wet meadows, an understudied portion of the biodiversity in the Rocky Mountains and a key food source for threatened Gunnison Sage Grouse chicks. Additionally, she is working on a restoration planning project in Tomichi Creek for the Coldharbour Institute.
Eva Anderson is also dual master's degree student and is co-advised by Dr. Derek Houston. Eva comes to us after completing an ecology degree at CU Boulder and working in lake conservation for AmeriCorps. Combining her interests in water quality and aquatic invertebrates, Eva's thesis project is all about a heavy-metal contaminated subalpine fen system in the San Juan mountains. She will sample the fen's aquatic invertebrate community before and after restoration below an old mine that aims to prevent metal-laden runoff from entering the water. Her research will help inform how these sensitive mountain wetlands might recover from decades of pollution. Additionally, she is working on a long-term trend report of river water quality data for Canyonlands National Park.
Ashlynn Mixon is an accelerated master's student (3+2 option) studying ecology and conservation at WCU. She is originally from Loveland, Colorado, and enjoys fishing and camping. Ashlynn's project will explore the aquatic macroinvertebrates in the side canyons of Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, both in beaver ponds and other habitats. The objective is to better understand how the communities in the recently un-submerged sections of creek might be impacted relative to reference sites or historical pre-dam data. This project will help us understand what ecological role the new beaver ponds may play in the recovering ecosystem.
Brady Smith is a master's student in the Ecology program at WCU. He is originally from Lindale (a small town in northeast Texas), and he currently works for the US Forest Service as a rangeland technician. Brady's thesis project involves the threatened endemic Rio Grande Chub & Rio Grande Sucker in the Baca Wildlife Refuge in southern Colorado. His project will determine how presence of willows alongside the streambed affects various stream characteristics important to the survival and proliferation of the fish, such as terrestrial invertebrate subsidies, water temperature, and woody debris subsidies. This research will aide fisheries managers in maximizing stream characteristics integral to Rio Grande Chub conservation. Brady enjoys fly fishing, disc golf, and hiking in his free time!
Beau Garcia is a dual masters student pursuing both the Master's of Ecology and Master in Environmental Management (co-advised by Dr. Derek Houston). His research interests include studying animal behavior in the wild to develop efficient conservation management strategies, with a focus on herpetofauna. Specifically, he wishes to help manage sustainable ecotourism by examining its potential effects on the behavior of threatened/endangered species. His aim is to create a program that introduces students to ecological field studies on animal ecology in tourism-heavy areas. While teaching students research skills, the data they collect would help inform ecotourism programs and local communities on conservation. Beau's passions include music, skiing, dance, being in nature, and connecting people to these passions.
