Jennifer Wilkening
PO Box 745
Nederland, CO 80466
Jennifer.Wilkening@colorado.edu
EDUCATION
University of Colorado
PhD student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Academic Advisors: Dr. Sharon Collinge, Dr. Chris Ray
Boulder, CO
August 2009-current
University of Nevada
Reno, NV
Masters of Science, Biology
August 2007
Thesis Title: The effects of temperature and vegetation on pika (Ochotona princeps) extirpations
in the Great Basin
University of Colorado
Bachelor of Arts, EPO Biology
Boulder, CO
May 1999
RESEARCH WORK EXPERIENCE
National Park Service
Great Sand Dunes NM & Rocky Mtn NP, Colorado
Research Assistantship
Summer 2010, 2011; Fall 2010, 2011
Worked on Pikas in Peril, a program funded through the NPS Climate Change Response
Program to assess pika vulnerability to predicted changes in climate. Duties included:
--Hiring and training field assistants
--Collaborating with park service staff and other researchers on the development and
implementation of data collection protocols, and data sharing
--Collecting data pertaining to habitat characteristics to be used in an occupancy analysis
for pikas in 8 western national parks
University of California, Berkeley
Niwot Ridge LTER, CO
Research Assistant/Field Technician
April-July 2009
Worked as a field technician on a project examining the effects of climate change on treeline
dynamics at the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research site in Colorado.
Colorado Natural Areas Program
Denver, CO
Natural Areas Technician
March-September 2008
Conducted biological monitoring and assessment of designated Natural Areas throughout
Colorado. Duties included:
--Coordinating site visits with private landowners, volunteer stewards, biological
consultants, and various federal and state agency personnel
--Conducting wildlife, vegetation, and rare plant surveys
--Processing GIS data, creating maps, creating and managing biological
databases, and writing reports
Biological Resource Research Center
Nevada, California, Oregon
Research Assistant/Wildlife
May 2004-December 2007
Worked on various wildlife research projects (full time during the summer, part time during the
academic year), duties included:
--Conducting wildlife and vegetation surveys and identifying and inventorying multiple
wildlife and plant species (including threatened and sensitive species)
--Trapping and tagging small mammal, reptile/amphibian species
--Collecting and processing genetic and vegetation samples
--Using GIS and collected field data to map wildlife habitat and vegetation communities,
and generate habitat assessments for identified species
--Using remote sensing camera equipment to inventory and document wildlife species
--Creating databases and using statistical software to analyze different types of data,
including temperature, vegetation, spatial, population, etc.
--Hiring and training field assistants
--Working with private landowners and federal agencies such as the BLM, USFS,
NPS, USFWS, etc. and preparing scientific reports
Lava Beds National Monument
Tulelake, CA
Resource Assistant/Wildlife
April-August 2005
Documented the distribution of and habitat characteristics (including climate) associated with
pikas within the monument. Duties included:
--Conducting wildlife and vegetation surveys and collecting data on habitat
characteristics to be used in a wildlife habitat evaluation for a sensitive species
--Using GIS to document and map site locations, managing databases
The Nature Conservancy
Sycan Marsh Research Station, OR
Avian Ecologist
April-September 2003
Conducted nest monitoring and habitat sampling for a joint study undertaken by the Nature
Conservancy and USFS on the relationship of forest management practices to avian
communities. Duties included:
--Conducting visual, aural, and vegetation surveys, and identifying bird and
plant species
--Locating cavity nesting sites and monitoring breeding behavior, nesting
behavior, and reproductive success
--Collecting data on habitat characteristics to generate wildlife and plant community
maps and aid in wetland delineation
--Using electronic data collection devices to record data, and managing
habitat sampling databases
Wild Places
Boulder, CO
Wildlife Technician
Sept. 2001-Sept. 2002
Relocation of Black-tailed prairie dogs and prairie ecosystem restoration in Colorado. Duties
included:
--Conducting population surveys for a species of concern
--Trapping, handling, and releasing prairie dogs in accordance with CDOW established
protocols and working with CDOW personnel
--Collecting and recording data on numbers, distribution, habitat use, reproductive status,
and survival for existing prairie dog colonies and using this data to determine appropriate
relocation sites
--Identifying and inventorying vegetation within prairie dog colonies
Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research Center
Minas Gerais, Brazil
Wildlife Research Assistant
January-June 2001
Conducted two wildlife surveys inventorying the bird and small mammal species in the coastal
rainforest of Brazil. Duties included:
--Inventorying bird and small mammal species, and collecting data on species location,
population size, density, distribution, habitat use, and occupancy
--Collecting vegetation samples for identification and lab use
--Creating data sheets, maintaining data bases, and recording and analyzing data
--Determining most threatened species based upon data collected and writing scientific
reports
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
University of Colorado, EBIO Department
Biology Lab Instructor, Teaching Assistant
Front Range Community College
Biology lecture and lab instructor
University of Nevada, Biology Department
Lab Instructor, Teaching Assistant
Elementary Spanish Program
Spanish Language Instructor
Thorne Ecological Institute
Environmental Educator
Boulder, CO
Aug. 2009-May 2010; Spring 2011, 2012
Westminster, CO
January –May 2008
Reno, NV
January-May 2004
Boulder, CO
August 2001-June 2002
Boulder, CO
June-August 2001
PUBLICATIONS
Beever, E.A., J.L. Wilkening, D.E. McIvor, S.S. Weber, and P.F. Brussard. 2008.
American Pikas (Ochotona princeps) in Northwestern Nevada: a newly discovered
population at a low-elevation site. Western North American Naturalist 68:8-14.
Beever, E.A., C. Ray, P.W. Mote, and J.L. Wilkening. 2010. Testing alternative
models of climate-mediated extirpations. Ecological Applications 20:164-178.
Beever, E. A. and J. L. Wilkening. 2011. Playing by new rules: altered climates are affecting
some pikas dramatically-and rapidly. The Wildlife Professional 5(3):38-41.
Beever, E.A., C.Ray, J.L. Wilkening, P.F. Brussard, and P.W. Mote. 2011. Contemporary
Climate Change alters the pace and drivers of extinction. Global Change Biology
17(6):2054-2070.
Loarie, S. R., C. B. Field, C. Ray, E. A. Beever, P. B. Duffy, K. Hayhoe, J. L.
Wilkening, J. S. Clark. Climate threats to the American pika: modeling historical
persistence for 21st century projections. Submitted to PNAS, in review.
Wilkening, J. L., C. Ray, E.A. Beever and P.F. Brussard. 2011. Modeling contemporary range
retraction in Great Basin pikas (Ochotona princeps) using data on microclimate and
microhabitat. Quaternary International 235:77-88.
PRESENTATIONS AND POSTERS
J.L. Wilkening. Estimating climate-mediated stress in a sentinel alpine species. Poster.
European Science Foundation Thermadapt Meeting; Adaptation to climate from a spatial
perspective. Lammi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Finland. September 1114, 2011.
Ray, C., Sweazea, K.A., and J.L. Wilkening. Signs of demographic change and physiological
stress in Rocky Mountain Pikas. Oral Presentation. 96th Annual Meeting of the
Ecological Society of America. Austin Convention Center, Austin, TX. August 11, 2011.
J.L. Wilkening. Physiological stress response in American Pikas (Ochontona princeps). Poster.
The George Wright Society Conference on Parks, Protected Areas, and Cultural Sites.
New Orleans, LA. March 14-18, 2011.
J.L. Wilkening, C. Ray, E. A. Beever and P.F. Brussard. Modeling contemporary range
contraction in Great Basin pikas. Oral Presentation. 1St North American Pika
Conference. Teton Science School, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. March 26, 2010.
J.L. Wilkening. Effects of temperature and vegetation on pika extirpations in the Great Basin.
Oral Presentation. Thesis Defense Seminar. University of Nevada, Reno, NV. June 5,
2007.
FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS
Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance David Paddon Memorial Scholarship
Awarded May 2011, amount $500
Colorado Mountain Club Neal B. Kindig Fellowship
Awarded May 2011, amount $2,000
CU Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Research Grant
Awarded April 2011, amount $1,200
Nat’l Park Service George Melendez Wright Climate Change Fellowship 2010
Awarded June 2010, amount $19,927
Americorp Education Award
Awarded August 2005, amount $5,287
PUBLIC OUTREACH & VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
Pika Net; volunteer since 2009
Pika Net is a citizen science group which was created to gather baseline and monitoring data on
the distribution of pikas and pika habitat. Information collected by citizen science volunteers are
added to electronic databases, which are then used by researchers and managers in order to help
them understand factors that may influence pika distribution over time. I have been an active
member since the beginning of this group, and have contributed to the design and
implementation of various aspects of the project.
North American Pika Consortium; volunteer since 2009
The North American Pika Consortium was created to facilitate information sharing among
researchers and agency biologists regarding the management, conservation, and research of
pikas. This organization is currently administered through the National Park Service Inventory
and Monitoring program. I am a member of the Pika Health and Physiology Sub-Committee for
this group, and also work with NPS staff to contribute to the development of interpretive
materials to be used for public outreach.
Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board; board member 2008-2010
Nederland is a small town (population 2,000) located in the mountains 20 miles west of Boulder.
The Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Board (PROSAB) advise the town trustees on
issues of town parks, open space and trails management and acquisition, and forest health.
Members of PROSAB are appointed by the Nederland board of trustees. Although my term on
the board expired, I am continuing work on a community enhancement project that was started
when I was part of the PROSAB. I am working with a local volunteer group to secure grant
funding for the purchase of additional playground equipment for the town’s only playground.
Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count; volunteer birder December 2003, 2004, 2005
Featured in Sierra Magazine, June 2008; The Tortoise and the Hare
A reporter from Sierra Magazine accompanied me to my pika field sites in the Great Basin and
wrote an article about climate change impacts on pikas in this region.
Featured in Animal Planet; The Animals Guide to Survival: Mountains
Film makers from Animal Planet filmed for several days at my study sites in Colorado and
included interviews and footage in their feature presentation about animals and climate change.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
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Fluent Spanish communication skills
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Advanced Portuguese communication skills
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Wilderness First Responder Certification, Level 1 Avalanche certification