KLUANE RESEARCH GROUP
The Kluane Research Group is comprised of university based researchers, graduate students and government (YTG) biologists. This network studies key dynamics within Canadian boreal forests and collects data on a variety of species, the main ones of which are red squirrel, snowshoe hare and Canada lynx. However, data has also been collected on other species in the Kluane valley and data on some now spans 40+ years. Most of this data has been collected as part of the Community Ecological Monitoring Program, or through a variety of research programs at various institutions across North America.
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All work is conducted on the traditional territories of the Kluane First Nations and Champagne-Aishihik First Nations. We could not have done all this without their support and thank them for allowing us to work there.
WORK IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
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In conjunction with the University of Hradec Králové, I have been working on the development of a research initiative with Dr. Jan Hušek. Jan came to the Yukon in 2015 to experience the Canadian boreal ecosystem. A post-doctoral fellow at the time, Jan and I developed a good working relationship and came to realize that we had similar research interests. I am pleased to be working with Jan as we pool our efforts into these new research objectives. We have already developed a publication and I am looking forward what we will discover as we move forward.
CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION - LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH NETWORK
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In May 2017, the Wildlife 70 symposium on long-term research was held in Ontario with a goal of exploring challenges and opportunities of long-term research. Delegates at the meeting expressed support for a 1995 recommendation from the Royal Society of Canada to establish a Long-Term Ecological Research and Monitoring (LTERM) network. Although no formal network has ever been established in Canada, Wildlife 70 delegates discussed that many of the aims of the Royal Society panel could be achieved through harnessing existing LTERM programs, many of which are led by individual researchers, or informal collaborative networks. Our working group aimed to provide a platform to this end, and created the long term research section of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution (LTR-CSEE). We continue to help support the improvement of co-ordination among programs and encourage collective opportunities with the goal of one day formalizing a network of researchers and sites.