SERDP Project
Stacey is an M.S. Plan B student in NREM with a target finish date of May 2018. She is interested in restoration ecology and resources management in native Hawaiian forests.
Nate is working on a M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management with a target finish date of 2018. He received a B.A. in Biology from Oberlin College located in northern Ohio.
Paul’s research interests lie at the intersection of plant ecology and biogeochemistry. He is especially interested in unraveling the functional consequences of global change drivers such as climate change, biodiversity loss, biological invasions, and nitrogen deposition.
Postdoctoral Ecologist; January 2010 - January 2011; "Impacts of feral pig removal on native and nonnative plant community dynamics in Hawaiian wet forests"
Postdoctoral Ecologist; February 2010 - March 2011; "Impacts of rising temperature on soil biogeochemistry and microbial community composition and activity in tropical wet forests"
Melissa is working on her M.S. Plan B with a target finish date of December 2014. She is interested in the conservation of Hawaii’s forests and native fauna, and the restoration of biological diversity in forest ecosystems.
The Impact of Temperature on Native and Non-Native Plant Diversity in Hawaiian Tropical Montane Wet Forests.
Darcy is working on her M.S. Plan B degree in NREM with a target finish date of May 2019. She received her B.S. in Environmental Science from UH Hilo in 2015. For the past few years, she has been working within the tropical alpine environment of Maunakea with the Office of Maunakea Management.
Ardena was raised near Wao Kele O Puna (Upper Rainforest of Puna) on Hawai'i Island. She is working on her Masters of Environmental Management and is most interested in Hawaiian Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) systems and how to best blend them with modern management practices and modern science to create effective and pono policy and stewardship practices for future generations of our pae 'āina.
Amanda is working on a M.S. degree in NREM with a target finish date of May 2016. She has a B.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University. Her thesis research is focused on understanding how soil nutrient availability affects competitive dynamics between native and invasive species in Hawaii. She hopes to focus her current and future work around the restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.
Ben is working on an M.S. degree in NREM with a target finish date of "sometime this century". His research project is designed to quantify the impacts of feral cattle on the vegetation and soils of native Hawaiian wet forests.
Mike is working on an M.S. degree in NREM with a target finish date of December 2013. His research is focused on understanding the biogeochemical impacts of nonnative, feral pigs on the cycling, retention and loss of soil carbon.
Ryan is working on an M.S. Plan B degree in NREM with a target finish date of May 2016. He received a bachelors degree in NREM and also a certificate through the Marine Option Program. He is interested in the management and conservation of Hawaiʻi's Native ecosystems, both terrestrial and marine.
Julia is working on her Ph.D. with a target finish date of December 2014. She received a Masters of Philosophy in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic in Maine, where she worked with Leach’s Storm-petrels and studied domestic and international law and policy.
Spatial & temporal variability of soil respiration along a 5°C mean annual temperature gradient in Hawaiian wet forests
Leaf litter decomposition and temperature in Hawaiian tropical montane wet forests
Impacts of wildfire on C storage in live and detrital biomass across a mean annual precipitation gradient in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Impact of feral pigs on soil respiration in native Hawaiian tropical montane wet forests
Prediciting and managing fire on Oahu's guinea grasslands
Invasive feral pigs reduce tree fern growth and survival in a native-dominated Hawaiian montane wet forest
Coarse woody debris & C storage across a 5°C mean annual temperature gradient in Hawaiian wet tropical forests
The impact of rising temperatures on soil nitrogen availability in a Hawaiian tropical wet forest
Predicting and managing fire on Oahu's guinea grasslands
Scott is the Hilo lab manager and, as such, is involved in a variety of projects, most notably the climate change project. In addition, he runs Teaching Change, our outdoor, experiential, place-based youth conservation education program.
Kipuka and Climate Change Projects
M.S., Plan A; December 2010; Thesis Title: "Ecological restoration of native plant communities in a Hawaiian tropical dry ecosystem dominated by the invasive grass Urochloa maxima"
M.S., Plan B; December 2012; Capstone Experience Title: "State forest reserve system revenue development strategy"
M.S., Plan A; August 2012; Thesis Title: "Movement and resource selection by feral goats in a Hawaiian montane dry landscape"
Ph.D.; December 2012; Dissertation Title: "Improved wildfire management in Megathyrsus maximus dominated ecosystems in Hawai‘i"
M.S., Plan B; December 2011; Capstone Experience Title: "Impact of cattle grazing on fine fuel loads and potential fire behavior in a nonnative grass ecosystem on Oahu, Hawaii"
M.S., Plan A; August 2012; Thesis Title: "Role of coarse woody debris in carbon storage and seedling distribution in Hawaiian montane wet forests"
M.S., Plan B; May 2014; Capstone Experience Title: "Comparison of propagation methods for endemic Hawaiian plants in ecological restoration using soil, hydroponic, and aquaponic methods"
M.S., Plan B; May 2011; Capstone Experience Title: "Exploring agroforestry potential for linking biodiversity conservation to human livelihood enhancement in tropical forests of Indonesia"
M.S., Plan B; May 2009; Capstone Experience Title: "Effects of recent fire and swordfern invasion on modeled fire behavior in mesic forests of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park"
M.S., Plan B; May 2013; Capstone Experience Title: "Ecological and economic aspects of restoring a Hawaiian dry lowland ecosystem dominated by the invasive grass Megathyrsus maximus"
M.S., Plan B; December 2012; Capstone Experience Title: "Effectiveness of systemic insecticides in reducing seed predation in Acacia koa"
M.S., Plan B; May 2014; Capstone Experience Title: "ʻŌhi‘a growth dynamics: Secondary succession and competitive release"
Postdoctoral Ecologist; July 2011 - March 2014; "Improving wildfire science and management on tropical Pacific Islands"
(Field technician on the Oahu fire project)
(Field technician on the climate change project)
(Field technician on the climate change and feral pig projects)
((Field technician on the Oahu fire project)
Wailea is interested in Hawaiian montane restoration ecology with particular interest in the role of community structure in resisting biological invasion. She is currently investigating the affect of koa density on understory development; native outplant survival and non-native grass suppression in a restoration context. Wailea is originally from Maui island and received her B.S. in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Nevada, Reno.