Cameron Aldridge receives the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies’ (WAFWA) Robert L. Patterson Award
Cameron Aldridge received WAFWA’s Robert L. Patterson Award during the 34th Biennial Sage and Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse Workshop. This award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to sage- and sharp-tailed grouse conservation and management.
Thirty Years of Sage-grouse Research
Cameron Aldridge began studying sage-grouse early in his research career; both his MS from the University of Regina (2000) and PhD from the University of Alberta (2005) focused on sage-grouse biology, including species’ reproductive behavior, habitat use, distribution, and population responses to oil and gas development. After receiving his doctorate, he moved to Fort Collins, CO to complete a post-doctoral position with Colorado State University (CSU) and the U.S. Geological Survey, where he researched factors influencing sage-grouse population persistence and decline across their range.
He has since worked in Fort Collins, both with CSU and the USGS, on a range of topics related to sage-grouse conservation and management. At CSU, he transitioned quickly from postdoctoral researcher to Research Scientist to Assistant Professor in 2010 and to Tenured Associate Professor in 2015, while working concurrently as a USGS cooperator. In these roles, he worked on numerous high-impact studies related to sage-grouse population genetics, sage-grouse monitoring, sage-grouse habitat requirements, sagebrush restoration and recovery, impacts of climate change on sagebrush and sage-grouse, impacts of infrastructure and grazing on sagebrush and sage-grouse, and much more.
Since 2020, Aldridge has worked as a Supervisory Research Ecologist at the USGS Fort Collins Science Center, leading the Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics Research Branch. He is also an Affiliate Research Scientist with the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory and Affiliate Professor with the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology at Colorado State University. Current research projects focus on building tools for resource managers to prioritize and implement effective sagebrush recovery and restoration efforts that will best benefit ecosystem function and wildlife species of conservation concern, evaluating different management needs, local habitat conditions, and future climates.
Lasting Impacts for Sage-grouse Conservation and Management
Across nearly three decades of research, Aldridge has mentored countless students and formed many long-term collaborations with researchers and resource managers across the sagebrush biome. Through his collaborations, Aldridge makes sure his research has on-the-ground practicality and is understood and used by wildlife managers in the field. Additionally, he and his many students have pushed the envelope of research on sage-grouse, enhancing our collective ability to effectively monitor and manage the species.
As a result of these collaborations, Aldridge has authored or co-authored ~200 peer‐reviewed manuscripts, book chapters, and technical reports dating back to the late 1990s, including over 100 publications on a wide range of topics related to sage-grouse and sagebrush ecosystems. This impressive publication record, along with his larger impact on the sage-grouse community, have made Aldridge one of the leading sage-grouse ecologists in the world, and well-deserving of the Robert L. Patterson Award.
To learn more about Aldridge’s sage-grouse research, read through the selected related content below.
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Related Content
Development and application of genomic resources for the greater sage-grouse
Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET): A USGS-facilitated Decision-support Tool for Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration Actions
Hierarchical Population Monitoring Framework for Greater Sage-Grouse
Understanding How Vehicular Traffic Impacts Sage-Grouse Populations In Wyoming
Creating range-wide predictive maps of Greater Sage-Grouse seasonal habitats
Understanding Population Trends for the Gunnison Sage-Grouse to Inform Adaptive Management
Field of Sagebrush Dreams: Planting and Restoring Functional Sagebrush in Burned Landscapes
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