Brett Blum

Brett received a BSc in Wildlife Conservation and Management from the University of Arizona in 2011. Since 2009, he has worked on a number of projects in the U.S. and abroad that examine the relationship between wildlife and human use of the landscape. He is passionate about teaching and feels privileged to have the opportunity to share with others the same wonder and appreciation he feels for the natural world.

Brett completed his Master's Program in 2017. He is currently a research assistant at the University of Arizona working with George Ruyle to study dietary and spatial overlap between wild, feral, and domestic ungulates in National Forests.

big question

Brett is interested in behavioral ecology as it relates to human wildlife interactions and predator- prey dynamics. Habitat fragmentation and human population increase have led to a strain on wilderness areas and reserves that are increasingly relied up on as reservoirs of biodiversity. His research examines the way in which human activity in and around designated wilderness areas may affect the behavior and physiological responses of wildlife species that reside therein.

approach

Brett monitors behavioral responses of desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) to human activity within the Pusch Ridge Wilderness area (PRW) located adjacent to the city of Tucson, Arizona. He uses behavioral observations and motion activated cameras to examine fine scale bighorn response to human disturbance. He uses fecal glucocorticoid immunoassays and dietary analysis along with bighorn GPS locational data to examine more coarse scale changes in bighorn physiology, diet selection and spatial distribution.

analysis

Brett is quantifying human activity in bighorn sheep habitat using detections at trail cameras for both real-time and modelled metrics of human activity at multiple scales. These metrics will combine with spatial covariates in general linear models to test whether human recreation interacts with landscape features to influence sheep habitat use and movement at multiple scales as described by First Passage Time and Step Selection Functions. Comparison of present sheep locations with historic locations will allow the potential to explore how increased activity, development or climate change may affect recovery.

impact

This research aims to better inform the management decisions used to ensure the long term viability of a re-established population of desert bighorn sheep. Understanding the ways in which humans may impact wildlife species is critical as our population continues to expand. Central to any conservation effort is the need to engage people with their local biotic communities. This project provides a unique opportunity to examine the complex interplay between humans and wildlife while allowing for a diverse range of stakeholders to be a part of the conservation process.

partners in Brett's research

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