The K-Team

Autumn Straessle (2023)

Discovering Landscape Connectivity Patterns of Wod Turtles in Northern Michigan.

Autumn is tracking wood turtles in Northern Michigan to equip them with GPS logger units. These will be used to discover the possible connectivity patterns of the turtles in the Michigan landscape. These connections will reveal corridors used and barriers avoided by individuals during movement. All of which can be used to further develop conservation and management plans to protect these species.

Jean-Baptiste Johnson (2023)

Habitat Use by Aquatic Turtles in a Midwestern Urban Landscape.

Jean-Baptiste focuses on understanding the dynamics and habitat use of a population of freshwater turtles located in an urban environment. The presence of infrastructure on the shores, anthropogenic activities, pollution, and other factors may force certain species to change their habits in order to adapt to this specific type of environment.

The study site for this project consists of the river ecosystem located in the heart of Fort Wayne, Indiana. By trapping and tracking, data is collected on the demographics of the turtle population, as well as small- and large-scale habitat use. He records and collects morphological data on all species of turtles caught in the river and only equips Common Snapping Turtles with transmitters. Their size and hardiness make them an ideal subject for telemetry tracking. This data should help understand where turtles feed, overwinter, and bask in the rivers and their general day-to-day behavior and preferred type of micro-habitat. 

The presence of bridges, parks, log jams, boat ramps, culverts, and boat docks may represent an obstacle to the turtles, but they may also adapt and use them as an opportunity. It is also important to see how the different types of vegetation stands within a city influence the behavior of the animals so that we can offer a habitat solution to the ever-growing urban wildlife populations. 

Becky Minda (2024)

Hydrology and Microhabitat Characteristics of Overwintering Habitat of the Eastern Massasauga in Northern Michigan.

Becky Minda, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, started working on her Master’s thesis in Dr. Kingsbury’s lab in January of 2024 after graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2021 with a B.S. in Zoology. She has completed internships with the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network and the Utica Zoo and worked as a veterinary technician for the last three years at various clinics. She is working with eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus), a type of rattlesnake with a noted decrease in range and population since at least the 1990s. Her thesis through the ERC focuses on data obtained in Grayling, Michigan, in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. This data includes population surveys and environmental data such as water table depth, temperature, and habitat characterization. With this information, her goal is to understand where eastern massasaugas choose to overwinter, why they choose those locations, and how we can help to protect those areas. Additionally, the study can predict the overwintering habits of eastern massasaugas in other areas, which can help us further conserve the species. 

Ellie Anne DeCarlis (2026)

Ellie obtained her B.S. In Wildlife Biology and Fisheries from Missouri State University in 2026. While there, she was involved in the Turtle Ecology lab on campus, and worked with Furrowed Wood turtle in Belize and Alligator Snapping Turtles and other Emydids throughout Arkansas. She also worked as an educator at a local museum and aquarium, where she discovered her passion for conservation education and outreach. At PFW, she joins the Wood Turtle research program and plans to characterize streams across the study area to better understand preferences by the species. This work will enhance our understanding of corridors and barriers across the landscape to better protect this population and improve movement modeling efforts as well.