Justine A Smith

There’s a pattern to when bear, mountain lion conflicts worsen in California A California study finds that human conflicts with bears, coyotes and mountains lions rise during distinct periods.

A California study finds that human conflicts with bears, coyotes and mountains lions rise during distinct periods.

This project couldn't have been completed without a large collaboration of some truly stellar co-authors at CDFW and the @uofcalifornia.bsky.social (UCLA, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley). Also featuring some incredible art by: terradawsonart.com/about

Our new study just came out taking a look at how drought influences human-wildlife conflict reports in California! Check it out here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

How Climate Change Brings Wildlife to the Yard As climate change increases the frequency of droughts, UCLA and UC Davis researchers found one overlooked side effect: People report more conflicts with wildlife during drought, when resources are sca...

Conflict between humans & wildlife is expected to increase with drought and climate change, finds @ucdavis.bsky.social @uclaioes.bsky.social study. "If we can make it worse, then we can make it better,” says @kendallcalhoun.bsky.social. @justineasmith.bsky.social www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...

Assistant Professor of Fish Ecology University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!

Job Alert! Assistant Prof of Fish Ecology at
@wfcbucdavis.bsky.social, with a focus on freshwater and anadromous coldwater fishes. This is a wonderful and supportive place to work. Please share with your fishy friends! recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07351

How Wildlife Navigated National Parks Before and During the COVID ‘Anthropause’ The presence of humans and human infrastructure in U.S. national parks has lasting effects on the behaviors of the large animals that call them home, according to a new study.

The COVID-19 lockdowns presented a natural experiment to examine how animals respond to recreation in National Parks. It's a lot more complicated than you might think:

Herculean effort by @kaitlyngaynor.bsky.social and our incredible NPS colleagues to explore variation in wildlife responses to recreation across our National Parks. Come for the COVID-19 lockdown data, stay for the typologies of animal responses to human activity.

The influence of human presence and footprint on animal space use in US national parks | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Given the importance of protected areas for biodiversity, the growth of visitation to many areas has raised concerns about the effects of humans on wildlife. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to temp...

Large variation in wildlife responses to COVID-19 shutdowns in US National Parks. We also include some conceptual graphics on how to think about sensitive vs. habituated animals some of which benefit from being around people and others do not. doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

The Human Shield Hypothesis: Does Predator Avoidance of Humans Create Refuges for Prey? The human shield hypothesis posits that predators avoid areas of human disturbance due to perceived risk from humans, and prey therefore seeks refuge in these areas of perceived safety. Our systemati....

Have you ever cited or come across a mention of the 'human shield hypothesis' and wondered: what is the evidence for this hypothesis, and what is the quality of that evidence? Wonder no more!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Mountain Lion Program Scientific Aid Looking to make a difference? Join our strong and mighty workforce. We offer benefits and growth opportunities and impact the lives of millions of Californians.

The CDFW Mountain Lion Conservation Program is looking to hire a new scientific aid. Early Career Scientists are encouraged to apply!

calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/...

Deadline is Monday May 26!

JOB ALERT! We are hiring two seasonal field technicians for mid July - mid October to conduct research on mule deer in the Santa Monica Mountains, CA. The project is a collaboration between UC Davis and NPS. Ungulate capture experience preferred. Please share! jobs.rwfm.tamu.edu/view-job/?id...

Hi All, please share widely, we're looking for technicians to help with our research on mule deer response to fire in the Santa Monica Mountains! This is an awesome team, exciting study, and fantastic location :)

jobs.rwfm.tamu.edu/view-job/?id...

Hello Bluesky! Good to see you all again!

Job alert: I'm looking to recruit a postdoc interested in working at the interface of AI and wildlife ecology, supported by the AI for Biodiversity Change (ABC) Global Center. Apply by April 15, 2025. gaynorlab.weebly.com/join-us.html

Less than 20 red wolves remain in the wild. We had a plan to save them. Then Trump got in the way.

ICYMI: the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $350 million for new wildlife crossings—a program whose fate is now uncertain, jeopardizing driver safety and wildlife such as rare red wolves. So much to be outraged about, but... here's another thing.

By me, for Vox.

www.vox.com/down-to-eart...

This Is Not a Drill: How Universities Can Save DEI By now, many of us have read the headlines: the U.S. Department of Education has ruled that race-based scholarships, cultural centers, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs violate...

I emailed university faculty/staff/administrators a roadmap to support DEI through legal challenges, collective resistance, and institutional protections for faculty. The question isn’t whether institutions will comply—it’s who will fight back, and how! greencarelab.ucdavis.edu/how-universi...

Weeks of devastation, watching our scientific enterprise unravel.

Scientists/practitioners at NSF, NOAA, USGS, USDA, NPS, NIH, CDC... are tackling the greatest challenges, improving the lives of so many, protecting nature, and unraveling the world's mysteries.

If you’re in DC pls go and make a witty sign and yell real loud for me tomorrow‼️ For the love of @noaa 🩵

www.mobilize.us/ccanactionfu...

Great piece by @antonsrkn.bsky.social delving into all the nuance surrounding how the L.A. fires might impact wildlife. Happy to have been part of it, check it out!

Hell yeah. Hold the line. This is what we need people to do.

Slow things down, don’t comply in advance so the courts have time to stop them. It’s starting to work.

Hi All! I am a PhD candidate @wfcbucdavis.bsky.social working with @justineasmith.bsky.social studying how humans impact species interactions. I look at the impacts of development, recreation, roadways, drought, and fire on mountain lions and deer in greater LA :) Please help me find starter packs!

Can we just rebrand DEI as "competence, resilience and capability" because that's really what DEI initiatives are trying to do - help us find and value the most competent folks from the ENTIRE pool of humanity

list of banned keywords

🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.

an image of the full add that can be accessed via the link: https://csee-scee.ca/two-graduate-student-positions-at-the-phd-or-msc-level

Posting on behalf of Eric Vander Wal ( #Wildlife Evolutionary #Ecology Lab, Memorial University, Newfoundland, #Canada):

We're looking to recruit a #graduate student to work on #caribou that #migrate through a new gold mine: csee-scee.ca/two-graduate... 🌎

WOC IN EEB An online community of women of color and non-binary people of color in ecology, evolutionary biology, and allied fields

Hey there Blue Sky! We are WOCinEEB, an organization for women of color & non-binary people of color in ecology, evolutionary biology, & allied fields. We offer formal & informal mentorship programs for all career stages & a space for community positivity. Join us & find your people!

wocineeb.org

Seeking examples of outstanding written sci-comm to share with conservation science fellowship program!

* Recent preferred (2022-present)
* Opinion piece, essay, article in The Conversation
* Ideally grad student, postdoc, etc.
* Thinking about highlighting equity-deserving groups

This graph shows percent of participants that shared terms that were categorized into eleven emergent themes (n = 331 participants), those being a) race, ethnicity and immigration, b) sex and gender, c) geopolitical hierarchies, d) historical violence, e) eugenics and genetics, f) anthropocentrism, g) ability and age, h) eponyms, i) physical violence, j) false attributions and erasure, k) belief systems.

Ecology & evolutionary biology (EEB) has long had issues of inclusivity & representation. @mallorymrice.bsky.social &co show that people from marginalized groups were more likely to be harmed by EEB terminology, with >200 terms perceived by participants as harmful 🧪 @plosbiology.org plos.io/425aTaE

Terminology in ecology and evolutionary biology disproportionately harms marginalized groups The discipline of ecology and evolutionary biology has long grappled with issues of inclusivity and representation. This study finds that individuals from marginalized groups were more likely to be ha...

Overjoyed to see this effort led by @mallorymrice.bsky.social published in @plosbiology.org as part of the EEB Language Project

Grateful to be part of this amazing collaboration, and looking forward to what's next!

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Congrats Danielle!! 🥳

Finishing this thread with a celebration of my incredible coauthors. I submitted this paper the same week I gave birth, and our amazing team was invaluable in helping with the revisions when I was sleep deprived and had 2 working brain cells. 10/10