Q&A with Haub School Assistant Professor, Dr. Joe Holbrook

Dr. Joe Holbook is an assistant professor of Carnivore and Habitat Ecology with the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Zoology and Physiology.

Joe received his PhD in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho, his MS in Range and Wildlife Management at Texas A&M-Kingsville, and his BS in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Idaho.

What courses do you teach at UW?

- ENR 1200 (Environment)

- ESS 4001 (Analysis of Nature's Data)

- ENR 5890 (DataViz in Ecology)

Photo credit: Joe Holbrook.

 

Please provide a short explanation of your research.

My amazing research team (i.e., The Holbrook Team) and I work in the field of animal ecology, and largely focus on how landscape features and human pressures influence carnivores and their prey. For example, we are asking questions such as:

(1) How do male and female black bears of different ages interact with hunter bait sites before, during, and after the hunting seasons? How does access to alternative food resources, or age/experience, mediate their engagement with bait locations?

(2) How does human visitation within Grand Teton National Park influence spatio-temporal patterns of behavior in red fox, and how reliant are they on human-based food resources?

(3) How does a subordinate mesopredator, the coyote, exploit food resources yet navigate the risk of being killed by an apex predator, the mountain lion?

(4) What are the main biotic and abiotic factors that contribute to high-quality habitat for swift fox, and how might that explain the recent westward expansion within Wyoming?

(5) How does human recreation around Steamboat Springs, CO, impact cow elk behavior throughout the calving, calf-rearing, and hunting season?

 

What is your most recently published paper?

Holbrook, J., J. Squires, B. Bollenbacher, R. Graham, L. Olson, G. Hanvey, S. Jackson, R. Lawrence, and S. Savage. 2019. Management of forests and forest carnivores: relating landscape mosaics to habitat quality of Canada lynx at their range periphery. Forest Ecology and Management 437:411-425.

 

Photo Credit: Joe Holbrook

 

What inspired you to pursue your field of study?

Getting to learn new things about nature! I often tell friends and family outside of my field that I get paid to learn things we didn't know before about animals - hard to believe it's a job!

 

What is one piece of advice you would give to Haub School students?

Remain positive, persistent, empathetic, and humble

 

Joe Holbrook in the field.

 

What do you like to do for fun?

Volleyball, golf, turn wood, house projects, hunt, fish - I also cherish non-work time with my Team.

 

What is your favorite place in Wyoming and/or the world?

I love Wyoming, but really enjoy the Snowies in Laramie's backyard.

 

Photo Credit: Joe Holbrook

Photos are all courtesy of Haub School assistant professor, Joe Holbrook.