Tabitha Graves, Ph.D.
I answer applied research questions at the intersection of wildlife biology, landscape ecology, and statistics.
Research Interests
My work falls under three broad themes: (1) understand the influence of humans and associated land use impacts on wildlife distributions, densities, and related processes at local and landscape scales, (2) develop new analytical tools that address the influence of landscape features on animals at the sub-population and population scales, and (3) improve efficiency of research and monitoring through optimal study design. I have >15 years experience studying grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, elk, and the development of novel and integrated analyses of habitat use, connectivity, migration, and genetics, all very applied work. I have also assisted with projects studying black bears, wolverines, mountain goats, wolves, lynx, kinkajou, loons, hawks, owls, riparian vegetation, pika, and sugar pine.
Current projects
- Chronic wasting disease- evaluating changes in density and contacts across multiple cervid populations
- Assessing current and changing forage for elk and mule deer with climate change
- Assessing connectivity and migration in and around Glacier National Park (GNP)
- Optimal monitoring of wildlife with occupancy models
- Pollinator communities and Western bumble bee assessment on BLM lands in Montana and the Dakotas, in GNP, and across the west
- Mountain goat and bighorn sheep abundance, trend, population structure, and habitat
- Spatial capture recapture approaches
- Water to Wildlife: Connecting changes in water to vegetation to wildlife across 3 northwest parks
- Evaluating potential impacts of climate change on berry plant abundance and production
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist, USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center: 2/10/14-present
David H. Smith Post-doctoral Conservation Research Fellow: 7/12 – 2/14
Education and Certifications
PhD. 2012. Northern Arizona University. Dissertation Title: Spatial ecology of grizzly bears in northwestern Montana and estimating resistance to gene flow
M.S. Wildlife Biology. 2002. University of Montana
Honors B.A. German Literature with distinction. 1995. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 17
Filter Total Items: 26
West Green River elk herd locations in southwestern Wyoming, 2005-2010
Between 2005 and 2010, 61 adult female elk were trapped using a baited corral trap on Fossil Butte National Monument during winter. An additional 12 female elk were darted from a helicopter during the winter of 2007 near Cokeville, WY, located approximately 20 km northwest of the Monument. We affixed all elk with GPS collars programmed to collect location data every 5 hours. In total we...
Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) genetic profiles, 1998-2012
Two independent sampling methods were used to collect genetic samples from grizzly bears (Ursus arctos): (i) hair trapscorrals of barbed wire with lure in the center systematically distributed using an 8 x 8 km (1998, 2000) or 7 x 7 km (2004) grid and (ii) bear rubsnaturally occurring trees or other objects that bears rub on fitted with barbed wire (19982000, 2004, and 20092012). From...
Filter Total Items: 39
Western bumble bee: Declines in United States and range-wide information gaps
In recent decades, many bumble bee species have declined due to changes in habitat, climate, and pressures from pathogens, pesticides, and introduced species. The western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis ), once common throughout western North America, is a species of concern and will be considered for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the Endangered Species Act...
Authors
Tabitha A. Graves, William Michael Janousek, Sarah Mccrimmon Gaulke, Amy Nicholas, Douglas A. Keinath, Christine M. Bell, Syd Cannings, Richard G. Hatfield, Jennifer M Heron, Jonathan B Koch, Helen L Loffland, Leif L. Richardson, Ashley Rohde, Jessica Rykken, James P. Strange, Lusha Tronstead, Cory Sheffield
Connectivity in the Crown: Highway 2 wildlife crossings
This report summarizes data collected to inform decisions on how to best mitigate the effects on wildlife migration from increasing traffic, development, and recreation along US highway 2. The highway, railway, and river split the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. This data addresses SO 3362 by providing information on major wildlife trails, observed wildilfe crossings and road kills...
Authors
John S. Waller, Tabitha A. Graves, Brad Anderson, Brandon Kittson, Sarah Mccrimmon Gaulke
To forage or flee: Lessons from an elk migration near a protected area
Alteration of wide-ranging wildlife migrations can drastically impact the structure and function of ecosystems, yet the causes and consequences of shifting migration patterns remain largely unknown. Management decisions made in one portion of a landscape may induce spatial and temporal shifts of wildlife use in another, creating tension among private, state, and federal lands with...
Authors
Nathaniel Mikle, Tabitha A. Graves, Edward M. Olexa
Mapping a keystone shrub species, huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), using seasonal colour change in the Rocky Mountains
Black huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) provide a critical food resource to many wildlife species, including apex omnivores such as the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), and play an important socioeconomic role for many communities in western North America, especially indigenous peoples. Remote sensing imagery offers the potential for accurate landscape-level mapping of huckleberries...
Authors
Carolyn R. Shores, Nathaniel Mikle, Tabitha A. Graves
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2017 annual report
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) was established in 2008 to address the scientific and conservation questions associated with land use changes because of energy development and other factors in southwest Wyoming. Over the past decade, partners from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State and Federal land management agencies, universities, and the public have collaborated...
Authors
Linda Zeigenfuss, Martha E. Mather, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Zachary H. Bowen, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Cheryl Miller, Stephen S. Germaine, Tabitha A. Graves, Collin Homer, Christopher Huber, Aaron N. Johnston, Matthew Kauffman, Daniel J. Manier, Ryan R. McShane, Kirk A. Miller, Adrian Pierre-Frederic Monroe, Anna C. Ortega, Annika W. Walters, Teal B. Wyckoff
Keeping the crown of the continent connected: An interagency US2 connectivity workshop report
At over 2.5 million acres, Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex form one of the largest protected areas in the continental United States. Straddling the Continental Divide, these two areas form a vital linkage between vast areas of public land to the south towards Yellowstone, and contiguous protected areas north of the US-Canada border. However, US Highway 2...
Authors
John S. Waller, Tabitha A. Graves
Non-USGS Publications**
Graves, T.A., S. Farley, M. Goldstein, and C.Servheen. 2007. Identification of functional corridors with movement characteristics of brown bears on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Landscape Ecology.
Graves, T.A., S. Farley, and C.Servheen. 2006. Frequency and distribution of highway crossings by Kenai Peninsula brown bears. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 34: 800-808.
Graves, T.A. and J. Waller. 2006. Identification of causes of missed fixes in GPS collar on animals. Journal of Wildlife Management. 70: 844-851.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 17
Filter Total Items: 26
West Green River elk herd locations in southwestern Wyoming, 2005-2010
Between 2005 and 2010, 61 adult female elk were trapped using a baited corral trap on Fossil Butte National Monument during winter. An additional 12 female elk were darted from a helicopter during the winter of 2007 near Cokeville, WY, located approximately 20 km northwest of the Monument. We affixed all elk with GPS collars programmed to collect location data every 5 hours. In total we...
Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) genetic profiles, 1998-2012
Two independent sampling methods were used to collect genetic samples from grizzly bears (Ursus arctos): (i) hair trapscorrals of barbed wire with lure in the center systematically distributed using an 8 x 8 km (1998, 2000) or 7 x 7 km (2004) grid and (ii) bear rubsnaturally occurring trees or other objects that bears rub on fitted with barbed wire (19982000, 2004, and 20092012). From...
Filter Total Items: 39
Western bumble bee: Declines in United States and range-wide information gaps
In recent decades, many bumble bee species have declined due to changes in habitat, climate, and pressures from pathogens, pesticides, and introduced species. The western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis ), once common throughout western North America, is a species of concern and will be considered for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the Endangered Species Act...
Authors
Tabitha A. Graves, William Michael Janousek, Sarah Mccrimmon Gaulke, Amy Nicholas, Douglas A. Keinath, Christine M. Bell, Syd Cannings, Richard G. Hatfield, Jennifer M Heron, Jonathan B Koch, Helen L Loffland, Leif L. Richardson, Ashley Rohde, Jessica Rykken, James P. Strange, Lusha Tronstead, Cory Sheffield
Connectivity in the Crown: Highway 2 wildlife crossings
This report summarizes data collected to inform decisions on how to best mitigate the effects on wildlife migration from increasing traffic, development, and recreation along US highway 2. The highway, railway, and river split the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. This data addresses SO 3362 by providing information on major wildlife trails, observed wildilfe crossings and road kills...
Authors
John S. Waller, Tabitha A. Graves, Brad Anderson, Brandon Kittson, Sarah Mccrimmon Gaulke
To forage or flee: Lessons from an elk migration near a protected area
Alteration of wide-ranging wildlife migrations can drastically impact the structure and function of ecosystems, yet the causes and consequences of shifting migration patterns remain largely unknown. Management decisions made in one portion of a landscape may induce spatial and temporal shifts of wildlife use in another, creating tension among private, state, and federal lands with...
Authors
Nathaniel Mikle, Tabitha A. Graves, Edward M. Olexa
Mapping a keystone shrub species, huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), using seasonal colour change in the Rocky Mountains
Black huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) provide a critical food resource to many wildlife species, including apex omnivores such as the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), and play an important socioeconomic role for many communities in western North America, especially indigenous peoples. Remote sensing imagery offers the potential for accurate landscape-level mapping of huckleberries...
Authors
Carolyn R. Shores, Nathaniel Mikle, Tabitha A. Graves
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2017 annual report
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) was established in 2008 to address the scientific and conservation questions associated with land use changes because of energy development and other factors in southwest Wyoming. Over the past decade, partners from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State and Federal land management agencies, universities, and the public have collaborated...
Authors
Linda Zeigenfuss, Martha E. Mather, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Zachary H. Bowen, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Cheryl Miller, Stephen S. Germaine, Tabitha A. Graves, Collin Homer, Christopher Huber, Aaron N. Johnston, Matthew Kauffman, Daniel J. Manier, Ryan R. McShane, Kirk A. Miller, Adrian Pierre-Frederic Monroe, Anna C. Ortega, Annika W. Walters, Teal B. Wyckoff
Keeping the crown of the continent connected: An interagency US2 connectivity workshop report
At over 2.5 million acres, Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex form one of the largest protected areas in the continental United States. Straddling the Continental Divide, these two areas form a vital linkage between vast areas of public land to the south towards Yellowstone, and contiguous protected areas north of the US-Canada border. However, US Highway 2...
Authors
John S. Waller, Tabitha A. Graves
Non-USGS Publications**
Graves, T.A., S. Farley, M. Goldstein, and C.Servheen. 2007. Identification of functional corridors with movement characteristics of brown bears on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Landscape Ecology.
Graves, T.A., S. Farley, and C.Servheen. 2006. Frequency and distribution of highway crossings by Kenai Peninsula brown bears. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 34: 800-808.
Graves, T.A. and J. Waller. 2006. Identification of causes of missed fixes in GPS collar on animals. Journal of Wildlife Management. 70: 844-851.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.